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FILMS 



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MUSIC 



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yOL. 171 No. 5 


NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1948 







PARIS BACK TO rrS OLD (MIY 



New Faces Among Execs Joo 

With Hollywood beset by problems on all sides, cry has gone up 
asain thatr what the industry needs is more young blood on the 
executive end— not just "new faces" on the screen. Number of 
Industry observers, some of whom' unhesitatingly number them- 
selves among the "tired" setj feel that the industry should be en- 
trusted to a new group of younger top execs. 

Viewpoint is by no means unanimous. Maturer men reason — ^with 
logic— that the group of men who run the film industry got 
Vhere they are through know-how and their experience will always 
be needed on the helm. It is generally conceded, however, that 
considerable revision of thinking is needed for a world in the 
thi'oes of drastic international changes, a domestic situation where 
antitrust laws keep closing in and a production setup that neces- 
' Sitates constant alertness to the shifting times. 



Hollywood Wails (or New Kissers 
As Economy Axe Nicks A.K. Juves 




s 






Hollywood, July 6. + ■ 
' New faces on the screen' and 
lower salaries for top players is 
the new look in Hollywood. The 
" double-barrelled move has been 
brought about by the hankering of 
producers to get out from under 
the huge weekly stipends paid to 
agin^ ^ars whose paychecks have 
outgrown their b.o. draw. 

Ole debbil economy, which took 
over last fall, gave impetus to the 
action which many showmen 
Ihought was long overdue in any 
' case. Aside from the saving that 
iean be made by using young play- 

■ ers built by the studios that have 
' them under contract, there's the 
" old cry for new faces to give ex- 
' citeiVient to a screen that has a 
. tendency to become static. 

■ 'There are admittedly a few older 
* stars with surefire b.o. power, but, 
in the opinion of many observers, 
too many of the vet players are 
only stars via a state of mind. That 
is, they are ranked. in the stellar 
Ulass merely because, over the 
years, producers have gotten into 
•' the habit of thinking of them as 
' sueif. They are unable to carry 

■ anything but a pic with' a top 
•V'riuaiity story, contrary to the old 

days When they could be counted 
" on for plenty of b.o. moolah no 
matter what the "vehicle," as it 
often rightly used to be called. 
Feeling among producers is that 
(Continued on page 45) 



Garry Davis Explains 
'Brotherhood' Ideal 
For Which He Quit U.S. 

Paris, July 6 
Garry Davis, 26-year-old actor- 
s6n of U. S. bandleader-producer 
Meyer Davis, leaves soon "on his 
travels" to promulgate his recently 



Tele^ a Cop's Best Friend 

Detroit, July 6. 
Television is newest weapon for 
criminal investigation, Hazel Park's 
police chief, Milan Plavsic, de- 
clares. . 

A tele broadcast over WWJ- 
T'V was responsible for the arrest 
Thursday (1) of John Fedricks, 23, 
of Dayton, O., wanted for ques- 
tioning in robberies in Oakland and 
Macomb counties; Plavsic said. 

Fedricks had been driving in 
midget auto races at th& Motor 
City Speedway on the outskirts of 
Detroit. 

Detective Peter Scott and Pa- 
trolman Joh Meek were making 
routine bar inspections in Hazel 
Park when they recognized him 
during a telecast of the races. The 
arrest 'followed;. : ■ 



Gamble Douses 
Home TV Films 
As B.O. Deflator 

The proposal of booking exclu- 
sive video programs into theatres 
and thereby converting television's 
threat to the fllni industry into a 
plus factor' is given a coldwater 
bath by Ted Gamble, proxy of the 
Theatre Owners of America. Gam- 
ble doesn't" believe exclusives, in- 
tended for large-screen showings, 
(Continued on page 47) 



Fancy 5th Ave. Store Rent 
idopted ideTof'be7om\"nVa""cT^^^^ K.O.S Famed Iridium Rm. 

zen of the world." Davis has given ' • 
up Ms American citizenship to be- 
come a "world government tepre- 
sintative to perpetuate the brother- 
hood of man." 

Davis cites some 300 letters he 
received in recent weeks. 'When 
asked where He was when he re- 
ceived these 300 letters, since the 

actor is doing a hideaway in an ob- plants the-Iridiurii, per custom, it 
wiim *nd inexpensive Montmartre will be luncheon-reserved for men 
(Continued on page 47) ' (Continued on page 47) 



The Hotel St. Hegis loses the last 
of its 5th avenue corridor near 
55th street, N..Y., this fall when 
the famed King Cole room, with 
its Maxwell Parrish painting, shifts 
into the now Iridium Room. The 
latter^ one- of- the lushest boites in 
hotel history, becomes no more. 
When the King Cole Room trans- 



By ABEL GREEN 

Paris, July 1. 
The American tourist in Europe 
this summer can dust off his pre- 
war Baedeker. The gaiety, amuse- 
ments and comforts which he 
found on the Continent 10 years 
ago are back to normal again with 
every place, outside of London* 
practically recovered from the 
wartime hangover. 

More so in '48 than last sum- 
mer will the nostalgics of "The 
Last Time I Saw Paris" school not 
be disappointed. London, on the 
other hand, continues downbeat; 
Theatre-wise, the current London 
scene has something over the Con- 
tinent but so far as night life, food, 
housing, etC;, is- concerned, the 
Continent has the edge. 

Along with the theatre (legit), 
the British seem also to be pace- 
makers in a vaudeville renaissance.- 
Veteran vaude fans- will see old 
variety values reborn— so old that 
they are new to the present gen- 
eration—and as for the disciples 
of the old Orpheum or Keith days, 
the audience reaction must be 
startling. Once again one sees those 
(Continued on page 16)* 



Top Shows Yield 
To Giveaways 

ToprE.ted shows are crashing be- 
fore the onslaught of the giveaway 
fad. Fred Allen nosedived to 3Sth 
place ifa the June 15-21 poll, "Duf- 
fy's Tavern" to 27th place'and Al 
Jolson to 29th. "Screen Guild" 
plunged from 11th to 50th. 

Meantime, ABC's hour - long 
"Stop the Music," rated in quar- 
ter-hour segments, pushed, from 
ISth into the second and fifth 
brackets; "Take It Or Leave It" 
grabbed off fourth and "Break the 
Bank" pushed into 14th. A couple 
of CBS giveaways, "Strike It Rich" 
and "Everybody Wins," both best- 
ed Allen. 

. It's noted that the GOP conven- 
tion cut two of the Top 15 regu- 
lars, "Lux Theatre" and "My 
Friend ' Irma,'' out of the running. 
Bets are down, however, that with 
these shows, Walter Winchell and 
other Hooper pacers going off for 
the summer, "Stop the Music" will 
ride into the No. 1 spot this month. 
Current Top 15: 

Walter Winchell 16.4 

Stop the Miisic (Old Cold) . . 13.5 

Horace Heldt 13.4 

Take It Or Leave It. . . , 13.1 

Stop the Music (Speidel) 12.5 

Arthur Godfrey 12.2 

Eddie Cantor. ........... ... . 12.0 

Jack Benny 11.8 

Jimmy Durante 11,3 

Truth or Consequences ...... 11.3 

Life of Riley. 11.0 

Mr. D.A 10.7 

Big Story 10.7 

Breafe; the Bank 10.6 

Your Hit Parade 10.5 



Fresk New Comics Have Greatest 
Potential Today, Survey Shows 



GBS'Autobiog 

A George Bernard Shaw autO' 
biography, written but as yet un- 
titled, will be published this fall 
by Dodd, Mead, which has previ- 
ously published collections of his 
plays. Most of the Irish drama- 
tist's works have been published 
in the U. S. by Brentano. 

The manuscript will consist of 
Shaw's own collection of numer- 
ous articles about his life 
and opinions, written over a period 
of many years. There have been 
several Shaw biographies, but 
nothing in the way Of an autobiog. 



Anti-B^otry Pix 
Snare $5,000,000 
Domestic Profit 



The idea that pictures on con- 
troversial subjects are questiona- 
ble at the b.o. has been well beat- 
en over the head by results to 
date on "Gentleman's Agreement" 
( 20th-Fox ) and "Crossfire" (RKO ) . 
The two pictures both with anti- 
Semitism as their theme, between 
them will have earned for their 
producers out of the domestic mar-* 
ket alo le almost $5,000,000 over 
their production cost, 

"Agreement," aided by the b.o. 
pull of Gregory Peck and Dorothy 
McGuire in the leading roles and 
the great popularity of the novel 
on which the film was based, will 
gross considerably more than 
"Crossfire." Their net earnings, 
however, will be about equal, since 
"Agreement" cost $1,900,000 to 
produce and "Crossfire" $600,000. 

"Agreement," now in its 22d 
week of general release, already 
has in the till $3,400;000. It. is still 
bringing in almost $100,000 a week 
and is expected to show >■ total 
domestic ; toss of better than $4,» 
250,000. 

"Crossfire" has been in release 
(Continued on page 40) 

Dietrich Mulls Offer 

To Star in Tollies' 

Marlene Dietrich may appear on 
Broadway in the fall. Lee Shubert 
has offered the film star the stellar 
billing in "Ziegfeld Follies." Miss 
Dietrich's yen for the stage in- 
cludes the stipulation that the 
stage assignment be confined to 
several appearances in skits and 
numbers, rather on a straight show 
Ijasis, which may neccs-sitate an ap- 
pearance throughout the perform- 
ance. 

"Follies" is slated for the Win- 
ter Garden, that major Broadway 
theatre being due back in legit 
after being operated with pictures 
by J. Arthur Rank. 



f If ever there, was a time for the^ 
fresh, new. comic in radio, the 
coming season ('48-40) is it. Top 
comedy showsl that have held .their 
audiences lately by fojrce.of habit 
are losing their grip. Listener 
tendency to break away from this 
habit has been more marked thaa 
ever this past season, and the rc" 
shuffling of -comedy programs on 
the webs has belped in the -habit 
:toeakaway. 

These are the opinions of Smest 
Walker, .icoitiedy research analyst, 
who has 'b<Sen graphing itbout 
2,900 comedy «hows the past two* 
a-half-years. Analyzing some top- 
name shows, Walker had noticed 
during the past year that they 
didn't have the stuff to justify 
their: rating, and were hanging on . 
by force of habit. They lacked 
real comedy or characterizations. ' 
The drop has come recently — deep 
and< fast, - ' - . 

Bvidence that the listener is 
ready for the new comic, if given 
good air character, Walker ^'ees 
in the rise of such shows as "My 
Friend Irma,". which had no big 
names, but was strong on char- 
acter and comedy. It's tme it did 
have a good spot on the air, but 
that was incidiejatal, In one year's 
time "Irma" gotinto tlifr top three 
Hoopers. Oth6r indications that 
audiences are ready to take new 
stuff. Walker hotes in the way 
Arthur Godfrey moved up this 
year, and in the way Al Jolson. 
an oldtimer with the cards stacked 
(Continued on page 39) 



Now Come the Fly-in 



(That Shouldn't Tilt) 

Asbury Park, July 6. 
Drive-in theatres, which have 
been enjoying such popularity 
these past few years, appear open 
to infinite variations. Comes woj-d 
now of two such offshoots— the 
fly-in theatre and the canoe-in the- 
atre. 

Fly-in is combined witb a regu- 
lar drive-in at Wall TotmbiPr « 
few miles from Asbury Park, N. J. 
Outdoor theatre,' operated by Ed- 
ward Brown, Jr., a former Navy 
flier, can accommodate 25 planes, 
as well as 500 cars. 

Landing on an airstrip adjoining 
the theatres, planes are taxied to 
a ramp facing the screen and 
equipped with individual loud- 
speakers, permitting the pilot and 
passengers to hear and see the 
show from the cabin of their plane. 
When ships are' ready to leave, a 
jeep service hauls them back to 
the landing strip for a takeoff. 

The canoe-in is still in the pros- 
pective stage. It is planned for 
Walthani, Mass., near Boston. Pa- 
trons would paddle Into Mapl* 
Cove, in the Charles River, and re- 
main in their canoes while viewing 
two-hour programs projected In 
16ra. 



nCTIJltES 



Wednesday^ Jafy 7, 19491 



C. p. %raras' %%M Tops fw '46; 
Grabies2!»G,Bii«325G,Wyler432G 



Washington, July 6. 

Charles P. Skouras raelKd up 
$985,300 in salaries and bonuses 
during 1946, making him the top 
earner of that year, according to 
salary figures just released by the 
Treasury Dept. It was the second 
straight year that the National 
Theatres and West Coast Agency 
Corp. topper had led the nation's 
earners. His take in 1945 was 
$568,143, about $65,000 ahead of 
iiouis B. Mayer for that year. 

Earnings for Skouras from Na- 
tional Theatres in 1S47 amounted 
to $788,743. However, included in 
both 1946 and 1947 salaries were 
large: bonuses which have yet to 
be paid. (See story on P. 5). 

Other picture figures included 
In . the top bracket earners were: 
AVilliam Wyler, $432,000; Bing 
• Crosby, $325,000, and" Betty 
Grable, $299,333. 

The list is far from complete, 
however. Such .firms ■ as Metro, 
Warners, Universal and RKO did 
not get their figures in on time 
and will 1)« reported on subse- 
Quenlly by the Treasury. The fig- 
ures cover only salaries and bo- 
nuses for 1946 and for a fiscal year 
ending in 1947. They do not in- 
clude stock dividends, nor the take 
of those who, for example, o\yn and 
control a package sho^ on a radio 
network. , 

FDllawing are some of . the big 
earners reported: 

Pbil Berff-Bert Allenberg— Ber- 
tram Allenberg, $112,741; Phil 
Berg, $112,661. 

The Chaplin Studios — Charles 
Chapiin, $119,000. 

Empire Productions — H u n t 
Stromberg, $150,000 (paid $75,000 
in 1946 and $75,000 in 1947 prior 
to IVfarch 15, 1947). 

Enterprise Prodnctions — S. 
Charles Einfeld, $78,000. 

Famous Artists Corp. — Charles 
K. Feldman, $126,941. 

Fox Inter-Mountain Amus. Corp. 
— F. H. Hicketson, Jr., $119,296. 

Fox Mid-West Amus^ Corp.'— 
£lmer C. Bhoden, $119,445. 

Fox West Coast Agenejr Corp. — 
Charles P, Skouras, $130,000. 

S«nuel. Goldwya 'Praductions-^ 
Dana Andrews, $182,233; Sylvia 
Fine, $133^28; Cary Grant, $278,- 
125; Howard Hawks, $250,000; 
Danny Kaye, $133,928; Henry Ros- 
ter, .$125,000; David Niven,. $194,- 
000; Robert' £: Sherwood, $208,000; 
Harry Tugend, $100,000; William 
"Wjtler, $432,000; Loretta Young, 
$186,666. 

I^xinston Productions, Inc. ^ 
Barbara Stanwyck, $100,000. 

Los Aneelett Turf Club — Charles 
H. Strub, $396,901. 

MarK Productions — Jules Dassin, 
$85,000; Barry Fitzgerald, $93,333; 
Mark Hellinger, $156,000. 

Mars Fttm Cwp. — Jack Chertok, 
$153,200; Louis Hayward, $86,250; 
Hedy Lamarr, $279,800; George 
Sanders, $85,333 (large part of the 
income not paid in 1946 but to 
come out of profits of "Dishonored 
Lady" .and "The Strange Woman," 
Treasury points out). 

National Theatres Amus. Co. — 
Charles P. Skouras, $855,300. . 

Oakmont Pictures— Charles Co- 
burn, $100,000; George Sanders, 
$100,000. 

Paramount Pictures —r Lewis A. 
Allen, $79,500; Barney Balaban, 
$159,000; Edmund Beloin, $85,700; 
Claude Binjion, $122,500; Edward 
V. Bracken, $96,249; Charles 
Brackett, $116,791; Frank R. But- 
ler, $102,625; Bing Crosby, $325,- 
000; RAland Culver, $84,270; Mar- 
lene Dietrich, $100,000; John V. 
Farrow, $122,791; Y. Frank Free- 
man, $132,500; Tay Garnett, $150,- 
000; Henry Ginsberg, $220,000; 
Paillette Goddard, $118,589; Leon- 
ard H. Goldenson, $85,000; Bob 
Hope, $275,000; Paul M. Jones, 
$92,900; Austin C. Keough, $85,- 
OOO; Milton Krims, $84,708; Alan 
W. Ladd, $212,000; Dorothy La- 
t niour, $175,083; Sidney Lanfield, 
$11'!#12; MitcheU Leisen, $192,- 
,737t Kenneth MacGowan, $89,416; 
Fred MacMurray, $150,000; George 
MarshaU, $159,000; Ray MiUand, 
$229,166; Charles M. Reagan. $81,- 
482; Sol C. Siegel, $77,083; Betty 
Hutton, $164,500; Bowen C. Tufts, 
$90,666; Harry Tugend, $1.W,000; 
Billy Wilder, $166,083; Dwight M. 
Wiley, $76,416; P. J. Wolfson, $96,- 
000; Victor Young, $79,500; Adolph 
Zukor, $136,400. 
' Hal Roach Studios — William 
Bendix, $163,811, 

Andy Russen, Ine.— Andy Rus- 
«U, $121,*37. 



United States Pictures — Gary 
Cooper, $199,999; Fritz Lang, 
$178,124. 

Vaneuard Films — Neil F. Ag- 
now, $131,658; Joseph Cotten, 
$121,103; William Dieterle. $204,- 
375; Mervyn Leroy, $118,333; Gin- 
ger Rogers, $84,478; Allan Scott, 
$145,291; Shirley Temple, $135,541. 

B & K Managrement Corp.^John 
Balaban, $111,890. 

Columbia Broadcasting; System 
—Frank M. Stanton, $94,010. 

Decea Records — Jack Kapp, 
$171,544. 

Eastman Kodak Co.— Albert K. 
Chapman, $94,638; Charles K. 
Flint, $83,997; Thomas J. Hargrave, 
$129,920; C. E. Kenneth Mees, $84,- 
488; Herman C, Sievers, $77,930. 

The Hearst Corp. — ^Walter Win- 
chell, $97,684. 

National BroadcistinK Co. . — 
Niles Trammell, $475,220. 

Radio Corp. of America — David 
Sarnoff, $132,083. 

Schine Theatres^-J. M. Schine,- 
$102,200. 

20th-Fox Film Corp. — William 
Bacher, $91,166, Lloyd Bacon 
$177,958; Anne Baxter, $86,041; 
(Continued on page 18) 




313th Week! 

KEN MURRAY'S 

"BLACKOUTS OF 1948" 
El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. 

Now Playing NatlonaHy 

"BILL AMD COO" 

Special Academy Award Winner 



Seizniek'sRinglingDeal 
Inekdes Many TV Rights 
In Addition to Films 

David o. Selznick's contract 
with the Ringling Bros.-Barnum & 
Bailey Circus, it has been learned, 
gives him not only the rights to 
make a feature picture, but exclu- 
sive rights to the show for tele- 
vision for a long period of years. 
It is because of this that there will 
not be .in the future any random 
televising of the circus, such as 
was done by New York stations 
during the show's stand at Madi- 
son Square Garden. 

RB-B&B prexy John Ringling 
North stated his belief that the 
numerous video shows from the 
Garden helped account for the 
sellout biz throughout the run. Any 
future telecasts, however, under 
Selznick's pLm, will not primarily 
be trailers for the circus, but for 
the DOS film version, "The Great- 
est Show on Earth." 

Selznick recently set up a video 
unit which teed oif with the cir- 
cus contract. Since then, his reps 
have been in negotiation with a 
large number of organizations, 
such as the Ballet Russe de Monte 
Carlo and others which Selznick 
feels are basic sources of con- 
tinued video material. Contracts 
for a number of them are now be- 
ing drawn up, but are greatly com- 
plicated because there is little 
precedent and many angles in- 
volved. 



Sbw Biz Tax 
Cuts Hinted 



Washington, July 6. 
A hint of tax cuts to aid show 
biz next year was included in the 
statement made over the weekend 
by Rep. Harold - Knutsou <R., 
iMinn.), chairman of the House 
{ Ways and Means Committee, 
I where all tax legislation originates. 
iKnutson, pointing to the nation's 
i $8,000,'000,000 surplus, said it 
looked like a further big slash in 
personal income tax rates by 1950 
and the elimination and reduction 
of some ex<;ise taxes next year. 

Show business has been pushing 
hard to reduce the 20% admissions 
levy to the 10% prewar level and 
also to slice the 20% bite on nitery 
tabs down to the prewar rate of 
5%. Knutson has indicated some 
sympathy for such cuts in the past 
year or two, although nothing ever 
came of it. However, with the huge 
sOrplus; It is now likely that the 
next Congress might knock off the 
wartime excise rates. Cuts in the 
admissions tax would help some at 
the skidding boxoffice, and a sharp 
drop in the tax on night club checks 
might hypo that lagging arm of 
entertainment. 



RITA JO PERSONAL WITH 
HER lOVES OF CARMEN' 

Hollywood, July 6. 
Rita Hayworth, currently abroad, 
has been ordered back before Sept. 
2 by Columbia for personal appear- 
ances at showcase dates of "The 
Loves of Carmen," Technicolor film 
starring her. Decision was made 
^today (Tues.) at studio huddles of 
Harry Cohn, prexy; Abe Montague, 
distribution veepee; Jack Cohn, 
exec veepee; Nate Spingold, v. p.; 
and William McConville, foreign 
chief. 

Eastern toppers who arrived yes- 
terday (Mon.) are slated to return 
to New York Friday (9). 



Zanucks Abroaii for 6-7 
Weeks; JesseFs Quickie 

Darryl F. Zanuck and George 
Jessel plane east from the Coast to- 
morrow iThurs.) then sky out the 
following day to Europe. Jesse! 
plans a 10-day stay in London 
and Paris before retnining to pro- 
duce "Call Me Mister^* on the 
20th-Fox lot. 

Zanuck will be abroad about 
six or seven weeks vising Paris 
and other continental capitals. His 
15-year-old daughter, Susan, and 
his wife, Virginia, will accompany 
the 20th production chief. 



2 Ex-Showmen Handling 
Dewey for TV-Pix-Radio 

Glen Allvine, former publicity 
director for the Motion Picture 
Assn. of America in New York, 
and one-time legit and film press 
agent, has been named television 
and film coordinator for the 
Thomas E. Dewey, presidential 
campaign. 

AUvine, who'll also handle news- 
reels in his jissignment, accom- 
panied Dewey on his campaign 
tours during the last five months 
and supervised the TV-film work 
for Dewey during the recent Re- 
publican national convention in 
Philadelphia. Ford Bond, former 
radio announcer has been named 
to handle Dewey's air campaign. 



Binford Nixes 'Luin' 

Memphis, July 6. 

This time the "Binfordizcd 
Blasteroo'' has been plastered on 
Columbia's "Lulu Belle," starring 
Dorothy Lamour. Lloyd T. Bin- 
ford, chairman of tlte Memphis 
Censor board, has announced here 
that the pic would be banned in 
this city. 

Binford described the film as 
". . . a narrative of tawdry inci- 
dents in the lives of sordid peo- 
ple ..." 

"Lulu Belle" was penciled in at 
the Malco theatre here for the 
week of Aug. 12. 



Eddie Cantor 

•xpoMdt on 



''Why TV Needs 
Showmanship" 

In the 
3d Annual Sptciai 

RADiO-TELEVISiON 
NUMBER 

to be puWishMl soon 



'Ikinecoiiiii^' Inittror; 'Apaehe' 
^ 3 Amo^ Joie s Top 12 Gtmn 



Big 12 for June 

1. "Homecoming" (M-G). 

2. "Emperor Waltz" (Par). 

3. "Fort Apache" (RKO). 

4. "Pirate" (M-G). 

5. "Fuller Brush Man" (Col). 

6. "Give Regards" (20th). 

7. "Arch of Triumph" (UA). 

8. "Silver River" (WB). 

9. "Green Grass Wyo" (20th). 

10. "Bride Goes Wild" (M-G). 

11. "All My Sons" (U). 

12. "iron Curtain" (20th). 



Sclutte LaughsO^ Rumor 
Of Favoring His Hotel 
Operations Over Pix 

While some of the major circuits 
are already reported to have 
readied disposal plans for some of 
their theatres to conform with the 
divestiture provisions of the Gov- 
ernment's anti-trust suit against 
them, the Schine circuit, also a de- 
fendant in a similar action, is defi- 
nitely not contemplating any such 
move at tliis time. The indie chain's 
attitude was expressed by its prexy, 
J. Myer Schine, shortly before he 
sailed from Hoboken on Friday (2) 
aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam for a 
five-week European vacation. 

Schine declared he had no inten- 
tion of placing any of his houses on 
the block nor did he feel it would 
be necessary until the lower court 
makes a final ruling on the case 
late this year. Mis chain embraces 
some 150 theatres in Ohio, New 
York, Maryland and Kentucky. In 
addition to his exhibition interests, 
the theatre topper heads the Schine 
hotel chain. 

A report that he might sell some 
of his theatre holdings to concen- 
trate upon his hostelry operations 
was vigorously denied. Schine 
scofled at the rumor adding that it 
was the first he had heard of it. In 
his continental trip . the theatre^ 
hotel man expects to visit London, 
Paris, Vienna and Switzerland be- 
fore returning to the U. S. Aug. 11. 
He was accompanied by his wife. 



L. A. to N. Y. 

Richard Arlen 
Robert Benjamin 
Scotty Brown 
Linda Christian 
Mrs. Jackie Cooper 
Eddie Davis 
Tony de Marco 
Jim Denton 
Ketti Frings 
Kurt Frings 
Ben Frommer • 
William Gehring 
Augustus Goetz 
RuthGoetz 
Leland Hayward 
Sonja Hcnie 
Kim Hunter 
George Jessel : 
Sonya Levien 
Paul Michaelsob " 
Tyrone Power 
Gene Raymond 
Neil Reagan 
Thelma Ritter 
Charles Samuels 
Charles Schlaifer , 
Monty Shaff 
Louis Shanfield 
Stirling Silliphant 
Murray Silverstone 
Spyros Skouras . 
Andy Smith, "Jr. 
BUI Spier 
Gene Tierney ■ 
Franchot Tone ; 
Christy Wilbert 
Darryl F. Zanuck 

N. Y. to L. A, 

Ned Depinet 
Harry M. Duming 
L. Lawrence Green 
Radie Harris 
Malcom Kingsberg 
L. B. Mayer 
Floyd Odium 
William S. Paley 
Lilli Palmer 
Peggy Philips 
Mimi Pulaski 
Hal A. Salzman 
Frederic C. Schang, Jr. 
George Hamlin Shaw 
Frederic L. Sherman 
John Sinn 
Bianca Stroock 
Jimmy Stroock 

Europe to N. Y. 

S; R. Kunkis 
Lauritz Melchior 
Maureen O'SuUivan 
Patricia Travers 
Anne M. Vanmi 



Metro's "Homecoming," Gable- 
Turner starrer, was far and away 
the boxofiice leader for June in 
key cities covered by Variety's 
gross reports. This was the second 
month that the film was an im- 
portant b.o. factor, having jumped 
into the vanguard from third posi- 
tion in May. 

Metro pic was in No. 1 place in 
thfe tally for four weeks running 
during the month, something of a 
record in itself. With Paramount's 
"Emperor Waltz" going into re- 
lease in the middle of the month, 
however, "Homecoming" started 
to get a run for its money. In the 
first week of distribution, with the 
aid of a record-breaking non-holi- 
day week's gross of $161,000 at the 
Mu.^ie Hall, N. Y., the Bing Crosby 
Technicolor opus shot to • third 
place in the tally. The following 
stanza it easily nosed out "Home- 
coming" for top position. 

Not in the same class with 
the first two films on the list, 
but showing consistent strength 
throughout the month, was HKO's 
"Fort Apaehe." Continued suprem- 
acy was particularly noteworthy 
.since this was second month of re- 
lease, with the pic having regis- 
tered in fourth place during May. 

After the top three spots, pic- 
tures began to bunch, with "The 
Pirate" (M-G), "FuUer Brush Man" 
(Col) and "Give My Regards to 
Broadway" (20th) ending up in 
that order, but not far apart. "Pi- 
rate" was aided by its take at the 
Music Hall, N. Y.; and dates in big 
houses in key cities. Showing 
greater consistent strength, how- 
ever, was "Fuller." Although it 
didn't have the advantages of the 
big-money engagements available : 
to the Metro picture, it did fine 
business in every engagement. 

"Give Regards," on the other 
hand, landed in sixth position -not 
so much because of any spectae- 
ural b.o. prowess, but on the 
strength of a great many engage- 
ments piling up income. 

Flock of Also-Rans 

Second half-dozen films on the 
scorecard showed considerable list- 
lessness in many spots. A number 
of them were holdovers from the 
previous month, while others were 
newcomers that hadn't a chance 
-for a large number of dates yet. 
In any case, none showed spectac-> 
ular drawing power. 

"Arch of Triumph" (UA), 
seventh in June, was likewise 
seventh in May. "Silver River" 
(WB), eight in June, had been fifth 
in May. "Green Grass of Wyom- 
ing" (20th), in ninth position, made 
its first appearance on the list, but 
wasn't showing much power. 

"Bride Goes Wild" (M-G), No. 
10, was also a newcomer, and a 
very spotty one. "All My Sons," in 
11th spot, has been in 12th the 
previous month, while "Iron Cur- 
tain" (20th) dropped to last place 
in the Top 12 after being second 
in May under the forced draft of 
an outsize number of prints play- 
ing day-and-date openings. 

Markey-Loy Indie 

Hollywood, July 8. 

Gene Markey and his wife, 
Myrna Loy, organrzed Charter 
Films, an indie production unit, 
with a program of four pictures in 
two yeexs. 

First 'of the four will be "The 
Pillars of Heaven/' based on 
Markey's recent novel, with Miss 
Loy starring. 



N. Y. to Europe 

Ethel Altschuler 
Georg& Balancfaine 
Wallace Beery 
Eddie Cantor 
Georgia Carroll 
Jacques Chabrier 
Harold Conrad 
Petei' Donald 
John Tanpw 
.Tim Fleming 
Clark Gable 
Ed Gardner 
Cynda Glenn 
George Jessel 
George Keane 
Kay Kyser 
Bill Murray^ Jr. 
Sam Perrin 
Michael Redgrave 
.T. Meyer Schine 
Sylvie St. Clair 
Maria Tallchief 
William L. Taub 
Phillip Van Dyke 
Betty Winkler 
Danyl F. ZaDOck 



Wriinrgilay, July 7, 194S 



nCTITKBS 



PRESSURE GROUPS RULE SCRIPTS 



The Era of Expectancy 

The dog days are upon us. This is the time of the year when the 
sidewallis of New York, notably that sector between 42d St. and 
Columbus Circle, and now bounded a bit more on the east by the 
21-Hotel Plaza-Toots Shor-Stork Club boundaries, take on that "spe- 
cial" aura of between-seasons lethargy. It's ' an anachronistic 
lethargy, because the smell is peculiar unto show business itself. 
■ The sidewalks literally steam with an air of arrested expectancy. 

As July segues into August, and the horizon of Labor Day signals 
another t'ever-pitched season of show business activity, only the vet- 
erans of The Street really sense what lliese successive dog days, sum- 
jiier after summer, have augured for the exciting show business sea- 
son that is Broadway every fall, winter and spring; 

This yejir, however, sees the dog days fi-aught with some new 
aU'liemy. . There is £f special something added'-^r must be added. 
For these are crucial dog days indeed. 

Too much has suddenly devolved on every branch of show busl* 
ne.ss to take this summer laziness in stride as just anotiier one of 
those things. This is not so.' 

This is a year of something special, something extra, something 
new and uufathomed. This is a year of expectancy. This may well 
foe a -year of prophecy and extraordinary destiny in the annals of 
show business. 

Why ? For one thing there's television with its highly speculative 
potentials and effects. The impact may be atomic in a negative as 
.well, as a plus factor. The boxoflice in general faces its. greatest test 
in the next two or three years and nobody has the right answer yet 
whether TV will keep 'em home or help revitalize Uie b.c, as radio 
)ias done in creating new' marquee names, hypoing sports gates, etc. 

And there are other factors all around us. The Presidential year; 
the international crisis; the British 4,^% quota; the restrictive meas- 
ures against the American film industry around the globe; the level- 
ing-off of the domestic "grosses back to pre-war standards; the radio 
ttiat lias gone banko-crazy witli its giveaways, much as did the ebbing 
boxolViee in the pre-war film b.o. downbeat when free dishes and 
banknite ran amok; the upheavals in intra-company personnel (Dore 
Schary, et al.) and the attendant uncertainties as rumors persist of 
other retirements. These are all straws in the wind but indisputable 
parts of a pattern which may well shape the destiny of show busi- 
ness within the next few months. 

All this comes in the dog days when alert showmen realize that 
now is no time to "dog it." The veterans, some of them tired and 
many eager for younger, stronger hands to take over, must needs 
carry on as this new crisis approaches. Show business is a succes- 
sion of crises, major and minor. The very nature of so dramatic a 
buiiiness as entertainment-purveying makes show biz one of constant 
adventure and compels continuous mustering of resources to cope 
witli each fresh facet. Excepting that now, circa Summer Dog Days 
'48, the horizons are even more beclouded. Films and stage, radio 
and video— all these are growing ever-closer under this new pattern 
called Television and its contiguous nuances. This is a year of much 
moment. And it's a time which disqualifies any summertime liiatus 
or between-seasons letting-down. If anything, the interval affords a 
great opportunity for some judicious crystal baltgazing. A right 
guess is so very important, especially now. Abel, 



TAILDIi-iDES 





More Pros and Cons Whether General 
Admission Cuts Would Help the B.O. 



Admisson price shuffles recently >• 
made in Broadway and Chicago i 
Loop theatres have stirred up 
much pro and con on the need for 
adjustments in b.o. scales. Most : 
theatre men are of the opinion, 
liovvever. that any general price- , 
cutting is entirely uncalled for 
now and would have no beneficial i 
effect in pushing up grosses. | 
^•..-£>.hi slashes are viewed as mean- 1 
ingl6ss, in that they are merely < 
adjustments to take care of the i 
situation created by the Jackson , 
Park decree, whereby audiences i 
are as.sured of seeing films within ! 
a week or two of their Loop i-un. | 
Broadway cuts are at the Mayfair | 
and Astor and an increase at the j 
State, where the policy was \ 
changed to top firstruttSi are being 
watched much iflore interestedly. 

There's a feeling among many 
showmen that, regardless of the 
rest of the country, the time is ripe 
for healthy markdowns in Broaway i 
scales. They think that the high 
prices are responsible for the 
street's offish tone for the past 
year, as compared with theatres 
elsewhere. Idea is that a general 
cut bv all houses is needed, and 
then a waiting period until the 
public gets re-educated to the idea 
that a guy can again take his gal 
to a midtown house without fan- 
soming the weekly jackpot. 

Along this line, it has been sug- 
gested that price cuts be made and 
(he Broadway theatres then enter 
into a cooperative radio and news- 
paper advertising campaign. In- 
stitutional copy would be used to, 
convince, fllmgoers in the boroughs , 
and snbiirbs that they can afford i 
(Continued on page 16) I 



Hawks' 175G Per Pic 

Hollywood, July 6. 

Howard Hawks has been inked 
by 20th-Fox to direct four pix at 
the rate of one per year. » 

Hawks will get $175,000 per pic- 
ture, which will have a maximum 
of 12 weeks shooting time on each. 



4 Trust Victories 
In Row for Majors 

. Verdict in favor of the major 
distribs last week by a New York 
federal court jury in the $2,100,000 
anti-trust suit brought by Fifth & 
Walnut, Inc., spotlighted the fact 
that neither the decree nor the 
LT. S. Supreme Court opinion is of 
any help, at the present time, to 
litigating exhibs. It also stretched 
to four straight the winning streak 
of the majors in triple-damage set- 
tos and brightens the dim view 
taken not many months ago by film 
lawyers on the distribs' prospects 
in future actions. 

The seven-week trial before 
Federal Judge Vincent Leibell 
resulted in one ruling, .generally 
overlooked, which willf/probably 
spell a temporary letdown in the 
number of trust-busters brought to 
trial. That was the refusal of Judge 
Leibell to permit the Introduction 
of tlie statutory court decree and 
Supreme Court opinion into evi' 
dence as proof of monopoly. Court 

(Continued on page 431 



Pressure groups working on 
Hollywood have become so numer- 
ous and so vociferous since last fall 
that they are pushing the studios 
into using original screen stories 
almost, exclusively, instead of the 
best-selling novels and hit plays 
that were formerly a staple source 
of raw material for top-budgeted 
films. The "don'ts" and restric- 
tions placed by organized church 
groups, professional societies, busi- 
ness associations and Congres- 
sional investigating committees on 
Hollywood have become so great 
that practically nothing but a tai- 
lor-made script' can skirt them all. 

That's one of the major reasons 
the current situation— which hasn't 
existed loi- years— jfinds not one of 
the top five books on the best- 
seller list owned by Hollywood. As 
a matter of fact, the first novel to 
which a studio holds rights is No. 
8 on the list and there are only 
three books of the entire current 
2.T best-sellers held by filmmakers. 
That's a situation entirely unprece- 
dented for longer than most vet 
story editoi's caii remember. 

It's not only the pressure groups, 
of course, which : have put the 
kibosh, on novels and plays as 
(Continued on page 6) 

Big 5 to Oppose 
U.S.'SweepingQuiz 
On Theatre Pards 

Another court battle, preliminary 
to renewed anti-trust hearings be- 
fore the statutory three-judge tri- 
bunal in October, became inevitable 
last week when the. Government 
asked the Big Five for sweeping in- 
formation on their joint theatre 
holdings. Treating the Government 
maneuver as an attempt to obtain 
by indirection what it failed to get 
in its recent motion for 'a theatre 
freeze, Big Five attorneys said they 
would (ight to knock out the inter- 
rogatories. 

Particularly objected to were the 
last two questions in a list of 17 
probing partnership holdings. 
Those two would require the 
majors to name partners claimed 
not to be actual or potential thea- 
tre operators and to list each joint 
^Continued on page 39) 



Export Corp. Still Only Plan 

To Beat Rank Playdate Squeeze 



Schary's Deal 

Dore Schary surrendered a 
five-year ticket which went 
into effect the first of last year. 
It; provided for flat weekly 
payments of $3,800 and ex- 
penses of $'i50, plus 2'/i% of 
the company's net profits. 

On the basis of 1947's net 
of $5,085,847 for EKO, 
Schary's bonus came to $127,- 
142. Added to that is $197,600 
fixed pay giving him $324,742 
for the year, besides expi»iscs. 

For the first quarter of the 
current year. RKO netted 
$1,345,327, meaning the ex- 
production topper yarned 
$94,432 for the 16 weeks. 



See Sdiary Back 
WithD.O.Se]znick 



While Dore Schary has indicated 
that he won't definitely line up 
any future plans until he gets back 
in Hollywood from a month's vaca- 
tion, it is reliably reported that he 
may return to the • David O. Selz- 
nick fold.^etup would-be consid- 
erably different, however, from 
when he left in January, 1947, to 
become RKQ production chief. 

Flan, as foreseen, is for Schary 
to head a unit of his own, distrib- 
uting through the Selznick Re- 
leasing Organization. Most of the 
headl^ches of the ordinary indie 
unit would be eliminated, however, 
since Selznick would flnanqe 
Schary's setup and provide a pool 
of stars on whont he could draw. 
(Continued on page 14) 



Cantors' Norse Vacation 

Eddie and Ida Cantor are treat- 
ing the comedian's valet, Maurice, 
who has been- 12 years away from^ 
his native Bwedeni to a seven-week 
holiday by accompanying hitn to 
the Norse countries. They sailed 
Saturday (3 J on the S. S. Stock- 
holm, itinerary to embrace Swe- 
den,. Norway and Denmark. They 
return Aug. 23. ' 

The Cantors are bypassing Eng- 
land and the Continent. The com- 
edian will continue his work on be- 
half, of displaced children dnd ref- 
ugee welfare while . toiiring the 
Norselands. 



Plan of funnelling all U. S. films 
to Britain through an export cor- 
poration remains the principal 
r.tethod so far devised by the 
American industry to counter the 
present British squeeze. Export or- 
ganization would have complete 
control of product and sales to 
Britain by all major companies. 

Ultimate aim is to use this cen- 
tralized power to choose buyers, 
and make deals as a lever *o force 
easing by J. Arthur Rank of re- 
strictions on playing time for Yank 
pix on his circuits and a lowering 
of the Govetnment's new 45% 
quota law. Likewise, it could be- 
come a potent arm in negotiations 
with the British government on in- 
terpretations of the Anglo-U.S. 
films pact, on winch many Ameri- 
can execs feel England is hedging^ 

Thought of a renewal of the to- 
tal embargo on 'shipment of films 
to England has been eompletely 
given up. It was never really con- 
sidered except as an extreme meas* 
ure and has now been virtually, 
eliminated from official thinking. 
Feeling is that the 55% of the 
British market available to Yank 
films under the quota law is cer- 
tainly too big a chunk to jeopardize 
and that another solution for hrlng* 
ing pressure must lie found; 
Best Plan to Date 

Although the idea of an export 
corporation to handle all tr. S. 
major product Is thought to be far 
from a satisfactory arrangement 
(Continued on page 14) ' 



KORDA'S BRITISH LION 
PROFITS UP IN 1947 

London, July fi, 
British Lion', Sir Alexander 
Korda's distributing unit, showed a 
neat profit hike during 1947, it 
was disclosed in the annual report 
issued last week. Profits were 
$724,616, as 'against $402,360 the 
previous year. 

Dividend remained the same at 
30%. Under British accounting 
system, that means earnings were 
30% of par value of'the stock. 



National Boxoffice Survey 

Hot Holiday Weather Nicks Biz— 'Waltz,' island,' 
'Apache' Lead; 'Pirate,' 'Express' Mild 



Sunny skies and soaring tem- 
peratures parlayed with the three- 
day July 4 weekend put a severe 
bite into the national boxoffice 
take. But "The Emperor Waltz" 
(Par), spotted in most of the keys 
this stanza, is overcoming all ob- 
stacles to rack up over $400,000 in 
those cities covered by Variety. 
It is furlongs ahead of the other 
entries. 

"On An Island with You" (M-G) 
is coming up with a rush to cop 
second place and nudge "Fort 
Apache." (RKO i out of the runner- 
up position it held last week. Lat- 
ter pic, however, is still mounting 
solid gros.ses in all situations. 

"Street with No Name" (20th), 
which has been unveiled in only a 
few spots this session, looks like a 
sure-comer with big biz in Phila- 
delphia and Los Angeles. "Fuller 
Brush Man" (Col) is holding up 
nicely, clicking strongly in L. A. 
and Baltimore. "Berlin Express" 
(RKO) and "The Pirate" (M-G) 
are registering with only a mild 
impact. 

"Easter Parade" (M-G),' world 
preeming in New York this week, is 
heading for b:o,. peaks on the basis 
of its initial drawing power. "The 
Paradine Case" (SRO) in Philadel- 
phia and San Francisco, is keeping 



lou a high level, while "Green Grass 
I of Wyoming" (20th), aided by a 
] strong stageshow in Chicago, is 
I pulling well. 

Rest 01 the field isv sriowing ran- 
dom results. "Fighting ' Father 
Dunne" (RKO) is meeting fairly 
good reaction, as is "River Lady" 
(U). "Best Years of Our Lives" 
(RKO), returning at pop prices in a 
few situations, is still displaying 
above-average power. "Romance on 
High Seas" (WB) is generally be- 
calmed. "The Seatch" (M-G) is 
shaping up as sock in an L.A'. sraall- 
seatcr date. 

"Up In Central Park" (U), while 
strong in Chicago, has been dis- 
appointing in other spots. "Sum- 
mer Holiday (M-G) and "Give Re- 
gards To Broadway" (20th) look 
mild for this period. 

"It Happened One Night" (Col) 
and "One Night of Love" (Col), in 
a reissue bill are disappointing.. 
"Bambi" (RKO) also is failing to 
register. "Arch of Triumph" (UA) 
is doing tidily while "Homecom- 
ing" (M-Gi is pulling stronger -in 
its third week in Detroit than it 
did in second. "Hazard" (Par) is 
tame this round. 

(Co7?i'pIete Boxoffice Repuirts m 
Pages 10-11) 




Trade Ma'rlc neerlstorofl' 
FOUNDBD BY SIME SII-VKUMAN 
rabllahed 1V«eklT by VAIilfSYV. Iw. 

. Std . 81lverni<ui> FresUlont 
151 West 40th St.. New Xarli 19, N. T. 

HonnvoiKi ^8 

0311 TU(!0« Stloet 
WaAliIiifrtOTi 4 
t29^ National Pr6m Building 

ClllCUfCO 1 

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« St. Martin's PI., TrafalRiir Sq.- 



SUBSCRIPTION . 
Annual. .... ,410 ^orellcn,.. , ..fn 
BInRle copies. i . . ... . . .l!fr Ciinltl 



Vol. 171 



.1*0 



No. 5 



moEx 

Bills . .......... . 39 

Chatter , . , . . , . 46 

Concert ....... 42 

Disk Jockey Reviews 36. 

Film Reviews 6 

House Reviews .......... 40 

Inside Legit . . , 44 

Inside Pictui-es 14 

Inside Radio . . , . , ... .... 28 

International 12 

Legitimate 41 

Literati 45 

Music 31 

New Acts , 39 

Night Club Reviews ,39 

Obituaries .............. 47 

Orchestras 31 

Pictures ................ 2 

Radio 19 

Radio Reviews .......... 22 

Records 33 

Frank Scully 45 

Television 24 

Vaudeville . . , . . . . , ... ... 37 

<k 

DAILY VAIilBTV 

(Publlulicd in HollywooO l>y 
Dally Variety, l..ta,) 
» Tear-~f2a Foreien 



Wedntseday, July 7, 1948 



2,600 ftiish h&s Protest Ikt 
The 45% Qurta Act Is Unworkable; 
Viftuafly Revok vs. M of Trade 



London, July 6. f 

Number ot indie exhibs wlio 
have applied for exemptloiis to the 
new 45% quota, eflective Oct. 1, 
is so great the movement is prac- 
tically a revolt against the Board 
of Tiade. More than 2,600 house 
operators have infomed the gov- 
ernment that they cannot be ex- 
pected to play British pictm-es in 
theu- theatres 45% of the time. 
Total theatres in j^gland and 
North Ireland is around S.OOO. 

Exhibs^ who have applied for 
exemption under Section TV of the 
194a Films Act, claim there are an 
insufficient number of homegrown 
pix to fulfill the quota. Many 
others are expected to follow suit. 

A formal protest on thfe; quota 
will be made by the Cinematograph 
Exhibitors Assn. July 19, pieeting 
has been set at that time with Har- 
old WilSpn, prcz of the Board of 
Trade. A deputation to huddle 
with him will be appouited at a 
CEA meethig next week. 

Meantime, at a meeting of the 
Films Council fax London July 14, 
discussion will be held >of a pro- 
posal to Increase the -cost-test of 
British quote films ftom the pres- 
ent $2 to $6 a foot. Cost-test is a 
claqse of the Films Act which pro- 
vides the minimum budget that 
may be spent to have a picture 
Count as a top feature. Its aim 
5 s to prevent the making of over- 
quick quickies to fulfill the quote. 

New proposal is that the $2 per 
foot should only apply to shorts. 
Idea emanates from the Associa- 
tion of Cine-Teclmicians and will 
probably receive wide support, be- 
cause it is actually impossible to 

f reduce anything but shorts at 
2 a foot. 

If the quota subcommittee has 
completed its . inquiry Into tlie 
large numfietr of quota defaulters 
by July 14, it is. expected that the 
:^ilms Cojuncil, spurred by J. 
Arthur iiank, will recommend that 
the B. of T. launch widespread 
prosecutions of those who have 
failed to play the required num- 
ber of Brithsh-made films in their 
houses in the i>ast. 

SHORTS OP WGUF 



U's $232,866 for 6 Months 

Half-year profits of Universal 
dipped to $232,866 for the period 
ended May 1 comparing with $2,- 
092,418 tor the corresponding 26 
weeks of the previous year. 

U took in $98,660 for the second 
quarter against |134,206 for the 
opening three months. In the cor- 
responding period > in 1946, com- 
pany had . garnered $1,335,879. 



Frk;o Indie s 
2006 from F-WC 



San Francisco, .July 6. 
Theatco, Inc;, operatoc..>of the 
Empire theatre here, has won some- 
thing, close tq a record cash pay- 
ment in settlement of its $1,200,000 
treble-damage action against the 
majors. Fox- West Coast circuit and 
other chains, it has now been 
learned. For dropping the suit, 
plaintiff is receiving $200,000 in a 
lump sum while questions of run 
and clearance are tebled pending 
decision in the Government's main 
anti-trust action. 

Hardest hit under, settlement 
terms is 20th-Fox whose subsid. 
Fox- West Coast, is sharing a 
.$100,000 payment with Mike Naify's 
United California theatres. Twen-' 
tieth is also forking over a pro- 
portionate piece of the remaining 
$100,000 which is allocated among 
the majors. 

Suit had charged illegal refusal 
to sell the Empire first-run. It had 
demanded, in addition to money 
damages, an ocder which would 
have compelled F-WC to unload its 
Bi Rey and Parkside houses and be 
restrained from acquiring other 
theatres west of Twin Peaks. Suit 
was set for trial this week before 
Federal' Judge Michael J. Roache. 



Shorts field has opened up some- 
what for indie producers. Major 
companies, which turn out in their 
own studios most of the shorties 
they distribute; are now listening 
sympathetically to requests from 
Indies for distribution deals. 

Explanation of one major to an 
Independent with whom he has 
been discussing a- deal the past few 
weeks was that the studio had 
turned over much, of Its. shorts staff 
to experimentation with films for 
video'. As a result, it was receptive 
to outside product, 

More general reason for the re- 
ceptivity, however, is the fact that 
production budgets have gone so 
high on the studio-made briefies 
that majors can't turn a profit on 
them. Indies can make them con- 
siderably cheaper, particularly in 
New York, and distribs can show 
some black by releasing them on 
a guarantee-percentage basis. 

Noel Clarke Rounds Out 
Sam Coslow^s Fmancing 

Sam Coslow has completed ar- 
rangements for financing his next 
Indie production for United Artists 
and will put the film in work at the 
end of - this month or In early 
August. It will be "Music City," a 
semi-documentery type pic on disk 
jockeys and the recording biz. 

Bank of Ameiica will put up 60% 
«f the $800,000 production cost, 
with the last 15% of loan guaran- 
teed by Nassour Studios, where the 
pic will be shot. Second money and 
completion bond is being advanced 
by Noel Clarke, who is thus be- 
comicis a- partner in Goslow's pro- 
duction unit. Source of darkens 
funds is outside the film todustry, 
but he headed Cameo Productions, 
which made "Linda Be Good," a 
low-budgeter released by Eagle 
t-ion recently. 

Cosiow is awaiting' completion of 
a new sound stas^ Uai&at' on the 
lof , at NastKHir, H»*U be fiir«t to use 
li. H^imA fi;V»^fiie deal with UA. 



WW Gabs Runyon Pic 

Hollywood, July 6. 

Walter WincbeU, a pal of the 
late Damon Runyon, will narrate 
the opening sequence of Para- 
mount's "Sorrowful Jones," based 
on a Runyon story. 

Salary for the narration wiU be 
turned over to the Runyon Cancer 
Fund. 



Stromberg Switehes FVom 
Calvert, Lowell That Is 

Hunt Stromberg, United Artists 
indie praducei^ is no longer being 
represented in the east by Lowell 
Calvert. Stromberg's inactivity in 
production for the past year or 
more has' led him to terminate his- 
deal with Calvert, who had super- 
vised sales for him for a number 
of years. , 

Calvert will continue to rep Sam 
Bischoff, also a UA producer. It's 
not certain whether he'll get to- 
gether again with Stromberg when 
the latter completes "Too Late for 
Tears," now in preparation. 

es 

British Film Boycott 
Unless Quota Changed 

Hollywood, July 6. 

Labor leaders in the film indus- 
try , are warming up a threat to 
boycott all English pictures unless 
the British government makes 
drastic changes ' in its new quota 
law before the lATSE convention, 
which meets Aug. 16 in Cleveland. 
First action was a resolution 
adopted by Cameramen Local 659 
demanding that all Hollywood pro- 
ducers, major and indie, immedi- 
ately withdraw their product from 
British theatres. The resolution 
says, in part; 

"This ban will be directed not 
only at J. Arthur Rank, who out- 
foxed the Americans, but also at 
the House of Commons and the 
House of Lords, which joined in 
this preconceived plan of duping 
the American producers. If the 
position of the English producers 
and the ruling powers is not 
changed, either the American pro- 
ducers will be compelled to with- 
draw English pictures from this 
country or face a boycott which 
will be launched at the forthcom- 
ing convention of the lATSB." 

The resolution was introduced 
by Herbert Aller, Local 659 busi- 
ness representative, who declared: 

"It is significant that at no time 
have the people of this country re- 
sented the importation of foreign 
pictures, even though they might 
outdraw the American pictures. 
The sportsmanlike attitude of the 
American people has always been 
to let the best man win. The rules 
of the game have changed, and we 
intend to start now." 



MOTH'S 'ISBAEL' SHQBT 

"Israel Reborn," one-reel docu- 
mentary produced by Palestine 
Films, Inc., is to be distributed 
throughout the U. S. by 20th-Fox. 

Norman . Lourte and Joseph 
Ki'umgold head the- Palestinian 
outfit. 



H wood Sees a I^w Tack m Bridi 
Economy-Reasmui^asR^ardsPixBiz 



Thought spreading in the Amer- 
ican picture industry is that Brit- 
ain's current "get-tough-with- 
Holly wood" policy results from a 
change of thinking on its own pro- 
duction potentialities. England, it 
is believed, has. come to the con- 
clusion that it can't make a go of 
its films in the International field, 
and has turned to getting the max- 
imum out of the home market to 
build up its picture industry. 

Immediately following the war, 
when Britjiin started its big search 
for new sources of foreign ex- 
change, the idea of seiading films 
abroad was looked on as a bonanza. 
The government, using J. Arthur 
Rank as virtually "a chosen instil- 
ment," aided him in buying thea- 
tres abroad and developing bis 
production capacity to crack the in- 
ternational market. . 

Rank .' specifiically designed piC" 
tures at heavy budgets to attract 
foreign doUars. Tremendous. sumi» 
were spent on such films as "Caesar 
and Cleopatra" and "Henry V." 
They obviously cost far more than 
could be recouped from Britain's 
5,000 theatres, vnth the aim of get- 
ting profits out of the United 
States, Canada, Latin America 
and other foreign territories. 
' Most of these pictures, designed 
specifically for the foreign field, 
proved red- ink gamerers. Rank 
discovered that fighting Hollywood 
supremacy abroad, established 
after many years, looked much 
easier than it was. It turned out a 
rather unprofitable venture. 
Bear Dawn on Laoal.Bigi 

Rank and the British government 



came tq this conclusion, it iS' be^ 
lieved, some months ago. It was 
decided, therefore, that budgets 
should be cut, the American indus- 
try should be pushed out of Britain 
progressively as the British indus- 
try grew able to take care of thea- 
tre needs, and an effort should be 
made to make home studios self- 
sufficient on the home ma'rket, 
which would also save doUars spent 
on' American pix. 

Conclusion was drawn that pro- 
ducing films specifically for foreign 
consumption was wasteful, in that 
just as many hits for overseas, au- 
diences could be tuiiied out by 
mer^ chance, if a decent amount 
of effort was put into making, films 
that were attractive to domestic 
(Continued on page 14) 



Jack Warner AmHHinces 16 for '19; 
British Puzzled on ABC s 45% Quota 



3 f or M-^; in 3 Hos. 

Hollywood, July 6. 

Production on the Metro lot is 
going into a slump with only three 
features slated to start in three 
months. : Program calls for two 
starters in July, none at all in 
August and only one in September. 

Rolling this month are "The 
Barkleys of Broadway" and "Take 
Me Out to the Ball Game." Sep- 
tember starter is "The Monte Strai- 
ten Story." 

See CEA ^ 
ko2F»:tions 



London. July 6. 
Splitup of the Cinematograph 
Exhibitors Assn. is foreseen follow- 
ing the mass meeting called by 
ipdie theatre owners in: London 
next Tuesdjor (13). Many membei-s 
of the CEA, as well as a great 
number of house operators who do 
not belong to that organization, 
feel that It cannot be truly repre- 
sentative of indies as long as it in- 
cludes J. Arthur Rank among its 
members. 

Plan which will be di.scus.sed atito the B 



Jack Benny 

(tr«s«M the 

Difference in Coniedy 
Between Radio and TV 



an tdttoriol fcahirc ia 

3d Annual Special 
RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUM0ER 

out soon 



London, July 6. 
Jack Warner, Warner Bros, exec 
v.p., announced today (Tuesday) 
that the company will release 16 
films in 1049. Selection will be 
made from pictures produced dur- 
ing the past two years, Warner said 
following confabs here with Arthur 
S. Abeles Jr., new WB managing 
director here. 

Announcement indicates a belief 
by Warner and Abeles that the 
Associated British Circuit, which 
the company's films play and of 
which it is part owner, will not be 
able to tulfiU the new 45% quota. 
Only other solution would be a cut 
in the amount of Metro product on 
ABC, the two companies having 
previously shared playing time on 
the chain. - 

Under the law, requiring 45% of 
playing time to "go -to British pro- 
duct, ABC could use a maximum of 
29 U. S. films. If WB and MG each 
released 16, the combined total 
would be greater than the quota 
allows. 

Board of Trade Surprised 

Warner- gave no indication of 
how many pix the company would 
make in .England, following the ac- 
tion last week in closing its Ted* 
dingtop studios. The move came as 
something of a shock to the Board 
of Trade and film industry, since 
the reason given was that WB 
couldn't find any potential renters 
for studio space. 
Move was doubly embarrassing 
of T. inasmuch as it has 



the mass meeting calls for a break been very harsh recently with 



away from tlie CEA by those who 
object to Rank's- policies. This 
would be followed Joy efforts to get 
other indies into the organization 
and build it into a full-size com- 
petitor. 



American companies which wanted 
studio space to make films to em- 
ploy funds frozen here under the 
new Anglo-U. S. films pact. 'There 
was apparent fear by producers 
that Yank pic-makers would swamp 



There would thus be two groups j t'le British industay. 



representing theatre owner.s. with 
much the same breach that divides 
the theatre Owners of America 
from the Allied States Assn. of ex- 
hibs in the U. S. TOA takes in any 
and all thcatremen, while Allied 
excludes the circuits affiliated with 
major producers. 

Also on the agenda of the con- 
clave is a discussion of the new 
45% quota law, to which indie 
exhibs vociferously object, and 
Hank's new rental terms of a 35% 
to 55% sliding scale on all first 
features. 

An easing of these terms may 
come about as the result of a din- 
ner meeting - held between Rank 
and CEA toppers last Thursday (1). 
It is understood the British film 
chief is somewhat taken aback at 
the strength of exhib protest to 
his new terms and his stand on the 
quota. As a result, reports have it. 
Bank may be prepai-ing to an- 
nounce a lower scale of rentals by 
the time he meets With the CEA 
general council July 14 for a full 
and formal statement on the quota 
and terms. 

Last week's session was re- 
strained, but bitter. The general 
council gathering will likely be 
more of a gloves-off affair, since 
questioning of Rank by membei-s 
from the floor will be permitted 
and newspapermen will be present. 



A. spokesman for WB, in an- 
nouncing the Teddington closing, 
explained: "We reopened the studio 
for the benefit of independent pro- 
ducers and we have looked every- 
where to find somebody who was 
prepared to go in." 

Abeles said that Warner.s' origi- 
nal plan was to produce two or 
three major pictures at Teddington, 
but that had been changed -by the 
new 45% quota. Latter, he de-' 
clared, called for quickies, not qual- 
ity production. Abeles is now dis- 
cussing the future program with 
WB production chief Warner, While 
latter is in London. 

Meanwhile, a d v e r s e reaction 
came fast Some 200 film workers 
at Teddington complained to J. 
Harold Wilson, president of the 
Board of Trade, that the shutdown 
came from "high ' executives in 
Hollywood" forcing Warners to 
make the move. Wilson was re- 
quested to do something about the 
"grave difficulties" resulting from 
the action. 



ALLPORT, CHRIS REP U.S. 
ON ANaO FILMS TREATY 

London, July 6. 

The British government and the 
U, S. industry both nominated 
their appointees last week to the 
control committee set lip under 
the Anglo-American films pact. 
Final questions on interpretation 
of the agreement will be up to 
this committee, with the British 
Board of Trade retaining the cru- 
cial vote in any split. 

Britain's nominees are R. G. 
Somervell, of the Board of Trade, 
and P. S. Milner Barry, of the 
Treasury. American members are 
Fayette W. AUport, representative 
of the Motion lecture Assn. of 
America in Britain, and T. Chris, 
Loudon manager of the Bank of 
America^ 

W. O. NeWsam, of the B. of T. 
was named secretary of the com- 
mittae. 

John McCarthy, associate' chief 
of the MPAA's mtemational de- 
partment, who had been here tem- 
porarily serving on the committee, 
sailed for home last Friday (2). 
Chris is due here from New York 
next weeK. 



U WINS 1ST ROUND IN 
FELDMAN 'BLOOD' FIC»iT 

Los Angeles, July 6. 
Universal won the first round 
in the $1,000,000 damage suit filed 
by Charles K. Feldman Group 
j Productions. Action involves screen 
I rights to the novel, "Kiss the Blood 
Off My Hands," produced by Nor- 
ma Productions for Universal re- 
lease under the title "The Un- 
afraid." Judge Barnes in superior 
court sustained Universal and gave 
the Feldman Group 10 days to 
amend its complaint. 

Named as co-defeiTdants with 
Universal are Norma Productions, 
Burt Lancaster, Joan Fontaine, 
Gerald Butler, Richard Vernon, 
Harold Hecht, Allan Collins, Phil 
Berg-Bert Allenberg, Inc., and 
Eagle Lion of New York. 



Directors Seek Ad 
Credit Under CoQtract 

■♦Holiywcwd, July 6. 

Screen -directors will get more 
publicity under the new agreement 
curr»ntly under discussion by rep- 
resentatives of the guild and the 
major producers. Clause in the 
contract calls for director credit in 
all advertising controlled by the 
producer, such as newspapers, 
magazines and radio plugs. 

Still in the debating stage is the 
right of the director to present his 
vievre on the cutting of films, Next 
mettmg is slated for July 9, when 
MabtH WUIebrandt, SDG attonugr 
is due from Washington. 



Vedncflday, July 7, IMS 



PIX DISTRIB VIA THEATRE TV 



Video Bankroliers I Years Behmd/ 
Aver Newsreelers; Chary of Big Nut 



Newsreel units of major filing 
companies, on the prowl for many | 
months for national sponsors to 
bankroll television program tieupst 
are new ■ reluctantly concluding 
tliat "there ain't no such animal" 
— al least ready' to guarantee the 
hefty minimum required to make 
a newsreel pay. The question being 
asked increasingly is whether there 1 
is only one Camels in the whole 
of the U. S. That sponsor is back- 
■ ing the Fox Movietonews tele se- 
ries ..over NBC. 

Three newsreel outfits— ^Warner 
Bros.T— Pathe, Paramount and- Uni- 
versal — have now failed to come 
up.with a sponsor, although they 
have hunted for one without letup. 
Wai-ners and Universal are each 
asking $S,000 weekly for a package 
of five issues weekly, it is under- 
' stood. Paramount wants to get out 
one or two issues per stanza at a 
charge of $250,000-$300,000 yearly. 

None of the trio is 'willing to 
take a substantial loss to break 
into the field. Their computations 
indicate that at present asking 
prices only a smaU profit can be 
dredged If the minimum is met. 
On that : point,' it is noted that 
Movietonews has an added weekly 
expense of $7,300 to meet because 
of -its NBC-Camels commitment. 
But Balk at Big Cain 

Shopping among the sponsors, 
the reels have gotten more .than 
one rise out of large companies, 
e.xecs say. However, when it 
comes to talking doUars-and-cents, 
ihe , inevitable result . has been a 
sharp shying away on price. 
Among those exiting on that score 
: ( Continued on page 47 ) 



Call the Cops 

Trenton, July 6. 

A new form of bounty has 
sprung up in New Jersey 
quietly fostered by one of the 
largest and best known cir- 
cuits in the state. That thea- 
tre chain, highly sensitive 
over 16m theatrical perform- 
ances which crop up at» fre- 
quent intervals, is paying $3 
per' report to policemen who 
spot and turn in information 
on bookings of narrow-gauge 
shows in halls, stores or other 
public places. 

All the copper has to do is 
give time and place to tlie 
nearest of the circuit's theatres 
and the five-tspot is forthcom- 
ing from the manager. Chain 
is thus able to keep a pretty 
tliorough check on 16ni opera- 
tions to confront the wayward 
distrib. 



N. J. Allied Hops Onto 
Berger Peace Plan To 
Gripe on 20th's TV Deals 

Wliile National Allied and a i 
number of its local units studied ] 
the possibilities of launching the ' 
Bannie Berger-Andy Smith, Jr. 
( 20th-Fox ) conciliation plan on a 
cros.s-country basis, New Jersey 
Allied is the first to tag along with 
North Central Allied, Berger's own 
unit. Jersey group will set up com- 
mittee at its next membership 
meet, slated within several weeks, 
to dicker witli 20th for establish- 
ing the peace plan in i^s sector. 

Jerseyite Allied members "Want 
to pop the question of television 
to Smith, distribution head of 20th, 
as the first gripe to be ironed. 
Tele doesn't pose much of prob- 
lem, as yet, in Minneapolis, where 
the plan is getting its starter, but 
Is considered of top importance, 
to Jersey exhibs. Latter feel that 
the Fox Movietonews deal with 
Camels and NBC, which has result- 
ed in the film company feeding 
video station.? five-per-week news- 
reei clip.? has created unfair com- 
petition with local theatres, 
have been such giant industries as 
General Motors and Liggett & 
Myers (Chesterfields). 

The one result of ajl the bar- 
gaining is a conclusion by film 
biggies that thi picture companies 
are two years ahead of television, 
commercially speaking. The video 
market isn't big enough yet to 
warrant footing tlie bill for a size- 
able film package either in the 
form of newsreels or feature pix, 
it's said. 

While plenty of small outfits are 
(Continued on page 16) 

P-T Shifts to A's Has 

Par Hunting Indies 

Hollywood, July 6. 
Switch of Pine-Thomas from "B" 
■ to "A" production has caused a 
change of policy at Paramount, 
where financing and releases are 
being extended to outside pro- 
ducers for Uie first time in recent 

'"^nei.'ion for the shift is the ne- 
cessity of filling the gap left by 
Pine-Thomas. That unit made 52 
pictures in eight years at Para- 
mount, and will now make only 
three per year. 



No Test Case (As 
Yet)onN.Y,Pars 
News Telecasts 



Possibility of an early test case 
to determine whether a theatre has 
the right to pick up a regularly 
scheduled television program for 
theatre TV vanished last week 
when the tele broadcasters' pool' 
committee decided not to take 
action against the Broadway Para- 
mount theatre for its unsanctioned 
pickup of a program from the Re- 
publican national convention. 

Par is apparently to be given an- 
other chance. In a statement is- 
sued by the committee following a 
general meeting last Friday (2) in 
New York,, it was stated: "The 
committee, which was formed for 
the sole purpose of enabling all 
television broadcasting stations to 
broadcast the proceedings of the 
major political conventions, voted 
to advise Paramount that it will 
take whatever steps may be neces- 
sary to prevent a I'eoccurance dur- 
ing the forthcoming Democratic 
national convention." Committee is 
headed by Ji R. Poppele, prez of the 
Television Broadcasters Assn. and 
engineering veepee of WOR, N.Y. 

What stand Par will take now 
hasn't been determined. If it does 
plan to repeat its action by using a 
show from the Demo conclave, 
which tees off in Philly July 12, it's 
[believed that no publicity will be 
j given the move until shortly before 
I program time, in order to forestall 
jany complaints troin the commit- 
j (Continued on page 39) 




ITS POSSIBILITIES 

Washington, July 6. 

Theatre television may offer the 
film industry a revolutionary new . 
method of print distribution by 
making it possible to transmit a 
complete film program to thou- 
sands of theatres throughout , the 
country from one central point. 

That possibility was brought to 
light here last week by 20th prexy 
Spyros Skouras in testimony of- 
fered to the : iCederal Communica^ 
tiotis Commission during hearings 
for the San Francisco tele chan- 
nels,, for which 20th is one of five 
applicants. During cross-examina- 
,tion, CBS counsel Judge Samuel- 
Rosenman, who was trying to prove 
that 20th was Interested in theatre 
tele to offset boxoffice inroads 
made by major sport's events, 
questioned Skouras about the po.s- 
sibility of film distributors via the- 
atre TV. Skouras answered it may 
aid distribution by getting " films 
out to the public eatrlier than is 
the case! todays 

Skouras noted, however, that he 
doesnt' think it's possible to 'serv^ 
ice all theatres in the country with 
feature film fare via theatre tele. 
Although he didn't expand on that 
point, it's believed he was referring ' 
to the fact that all theatres oper- 
ating 'under .the system would be 
forced to establish identical pi'«- 
gram schedules. That difficulty 
has often been offered . as proof 
that the idea is not feasible, but 
other ' film industry crystal-gazers 
believe it can be li6ked. 

Advantage in* distributing pix to 
theatres electronically would not 
lie in the savings in print costs, it's 
believed, but in the savings effect- 
ed in labor of personnel that cur- 
rently handle pix at the various 
exchange centers. Sy.stem would 
also result in a considerable sav- 
ings for exhibs in transportation 
charges, Thus, once an eiehib paid 
off the initial investment of Install- 
ing theatre tele equipment, he 
would be able to operate his the- 
atre with far less expense. 
Joe Louis Fight Proved It 

Fact that the system is technic- 
ally feasible was proved by 20th 
with its intercity telecast ,of the 
Louis- Walcott fight two weeks ago, 
when it beamed the fight pictures 
from the Yankee Stadium, N. Y., to 
the Fox theatre, Philadelphia. Ex-, 
perimental equipment used for the 
(Continued on page 18) 



Cks. Skouras' $1^,000 Bonuses Etc^ 
Held Up Pen^ Suit Setdements 



Koegel's Fancy Fees 

Probably the top^paid legal-' 
ite in the film industry is Otto 
E. Koegel, general counsel to 
20th-Fox. Koegel, a member 
of the law firm of Dwlght, 
Harris, Koegel & Caskey, was 
paid $65,000 during 1947 by 
the film company. That's only 
a starter, however, since his 
firm also received $159,000 as 
regular compensation for its 
services and anotiter $SO;O0Q 
for handling 20th's end of anti- 
trust litigation. . 

Koegel's personal pay was 
handed to him because he "has 
been separately employed as 
chief counsel with an office in 
the company," 20th report 
states. Only other legal fee 
listed is $57,500 given AJIred 
Wright, studio counsel. ' 



2(!th-Fox Cuts 




INTERSTATE TURNS BACK 
16 PARTNERED HOUSES 

i The Interstate circuit has turned 
I back 16 theatres operated in joint 
I deals with independent operators, 
i in the start of the circuit's plan to 
I clean house in line with the spirit 
I and intent of the recent Supreme 
I Court decision. Other similar dis- 
I positions of minority arrangements 
{ are anticipated. 

Paramount, principal defendant 
in the New York: equity suit, has 
50% of Interstate through its 
ownership of Ml B stock in the 
circuit. Karl Hoblitzelle, prez of 
I the cii'cuit, and his associates own 
[the A stock, including the other 
: half interest and management of 
tthe circuit. 

1 The houses returned and their 
. operators are Rivoli and Strand, 
I Waco, to Abe Levy; Rivoli ' and 
I Palace, San Benito, to Ed Brady; 
I Arcadia , and Columbia, Ranger, to 
I B, E. Gamer; Texan, Iris and Ritz, 
! Houston, to Horwitz Texan Thea- 
! tres; Lamar, Paris, to C. J. Mussel- 
man, and Palace, Uptown, Star, 
Highland, Harlaiidale and Prince, 
to Epb ChaminSky, San Antonio^ 



Map San Antonio Studio 
For nim-Tele Prod. 

San Antonio, July 6. 

Ralph A. Ralle, production chief 
of the Ralle United Motion Picture 
Co., reveals that a large picture and 
television studio will be construct- 
ed here. The project will be 
financed jointly by local and Hol- 
lywood interests. 

Designed by Gordon Ml Smith, 
local architect, the air-conditioned 
structure will house modern tech- 
I nical equipment for the production 
I of pix. The facilities will be made 
I available, on a rental basis,, to in- 
dependent and major film pro- 
ducers. The proposed building will 
house a modem film-processing: 
laboratory; wardrobe ' facilities; 
sound studios, two swinuning pools 
and complete sets for Interior 
shooting. 



Saves U19S 

Economies directed . to its pay- 
I roll in 1947 after the British ad- 

I valorem tax lopped foreign pix 
[revenues saved 20th-Fox a total of 
1 .111,386,195 and reduced its over- 
head on top studio and homeoffice 
employees by over 10%, it has now 
been learned. On all execs and 
studio aides and technicians receiv- 
ing over .$20,000 annually, 20th 
reduced its wage nut fronv $14,636,- 
141 in 1946 to $13,249,940 in '47. 

Company, moreover, succeeded 
in whittling its high-<echelon help 
from 248 (receiving over $20,000 
yearly in '46) to 217 in the year 
following. At the same time, sal- 
aries paid to officers and directors 
were a shade down in 1947, hitting 
$1,263,051 against $1,285,191 in '46. 

Disclosure by 20th of its payroll 
reductions pla.vs up the fact that 
the industry generally hit top em- 
ployees hard in its 1947 drive to 
cut the overhead. Paraiiiount, in a 
report several weeks ago, showed 
a reduction of $3,593,449 in the nut 
wliich it must meet for the $20,000 
and over-bracket. Par's move 
resulted in 51 high-bracketed em- 
ployees being pink-slipped. - 

Surprisingly, peak compensation 
for the year was grabbed off by 
(Continued on page 18) 



Some $1,500,0()0 in bonuses and 
extra compensation due Charles P. • 
Skouras, head of National Thea- 
tres, from 20th-Fo}i: in the pa^t two 
years has been held up by 20th*s 
board because of minority 
stockholder actions, company now. 
discloses, Under a proposed settle- 
ment of these suits, that' Sum will 
exceed by a little the amount which 
Skouras must kick back to the 
company out of $6,000,000 in prof- 
its which Skouras and Ills aides 
Frank (Rick) Ricketsoii, Jr., Elmer 
C. Rhoden and Harold J, Fitz- 
gerald. nett<&d in a stock transac- 
tion. 

Bonuses of approximately $120,- 
000 each to Rhoden and Ricketson 
have also been halted by th^-SIOth- 
board for the same reason^ Skotir^s" 
extra pay in 1947 on his profit- 
sharing contract with 20th amount- 
ed to $653,543, company has dis- 
closed. His 1946 bonus' was ap* 
proximately $850,000. 

Rhoden earned $63,683 iii added 
coin during 1947. Ricketson's take 
was $58,663. No other bonuses or 
shares in profits exceedling $30,000 
were paid by 20tli during the year. 

In addition to the frozen bonu.s- 
es, Skouras received a basic pay of^ 
$105,200 which gives him total 
potential earnings of $788,743, 
highest in the industry. In 1946, 
Skouras earned $985,300 (includ-- 
ing the $850,000 bonus yet Unpaid) 
to give him top earnings rank in 
the country (See story on page 2). . 
Hhoden's basic pay. was:$46i800 
and Ricketson's $57,200. 

Settlement, of minority stock- 
holder actions will come up for', 
hearings itt August. If okayed, four 
NT biggies will probably have their 
bonuses cleared by the board. Un- 
der the settlement, Skouras' extra 
compensation is limited to a ceil- ' 
ing" of $360,000, 

Actions attacked a pact, ap- 
proved by the .stockhoilders; which • 
permitted the purchase 'and resale ' 
by the quai-tet of 20% of NT stOcK; 



Thesps Set Telepic Firm 

Hollywood, July 6. 

Art Smith Television Co. has 
been incorporated by the actor and 
several other thesps. Capitalized at 
$50,000', outfit will turn out series 
of 10 quarter-hour shorts based on 
various one-act plays and sketches 
staged at Actors Lab. John Garfield 
is reported a heavy backer. 

Smith will direct series, to be 
made at Nassour Studios under 
supervision of .Tack Stewart. At- 
torney Robert W. Gilbert handled 
incorporation proceedings. 



Other televuiion news on 
pages 24r-26. 



F'M RELIGHTS ST. LOUIS 
HOUSE AFTER GRIP TIFF 

St. Louis, June 6. 
The Ifanchon &: Marco Service 
Corp. last week relighted its St. 
Louis, a 4,000-seater in midtown 
that was shuttered since last April 
following a tiff with the Stage-] 
hands' Union, Local No. 6, over the | 
number of grippers to be employed | 
at the iiou-^e. Under the new pact 
announced by Edward Arthur, asst. i 
gen. mgr. of F&M, the St. Louis 
will employ two grippers on a 
new policy of from 6 p.m. to mid- I 
night, Monday through Friday, and 
four on Saturday and Sunday, 
when the house will open at noon 
and run through midnight. The 
local demanded that a fifth gripper 
be employed on- Saturday and 
Sunday. 

The employment of four grip- 
pers on Saturday and Sunday had 
ijeen the policy at the • house for 
seven years, until two years ago, 
when the house began operating on 
a seven-day policy. It then added 
the fifth man but discharged him 
when the five.-day week was in- 
augurated.. The St. Louis, for the 
time being will be operated as a 
second-run house with an admish 
fee of 50C.-60C. Instead of 50c.-75c. 

The new policy at the Missouri, 
another F&M house in midtown, is 
the discontinuance of matinees on 
Monday through Friday. 



'3ilN.Y:Circuifofl4 ; 
Indies to Play 'Circk* 

Frequently-mentioned plah of 
setting up an indie third circuit itt - 
the New York metropolitan' area 
to compete with RKO' and Loew's 
will get something of a tryout with 
the unique release in the territory 
of United Artists' "Vicious Ckcle." 
Picture will" play 14 indie houses 
day-and-date under a plan devised 
by David E. Weshner, sales rep for. 
yi. Lee Wilder, the producer, 

Weshner was unable to get a deal 
from RKO or Loew's unless he 
agreed to play initially a Broadway 
first-run. Since the heavy adver- 
tising expense necessary, for a.j 
Broadway opening frequently 
leaves the producer with a nefloss 
on such a run, Weshner sought to 
avoid it with the day-and-dates in 
the keys. RKO and Loew's both 
nixed the idea. 

Dates were then set for the 14 
indie houses, of which a few belong 
to each of the non-afflUated chains 
in the metropolitan area. Each 
house has guaranteed a week's en^ 
gagement, with some of the Cod- 
(Continued on page 18) 



Gamble Gamboling Before 
TOA Annual Convention 

With Ms chores as campaign 
manager for Harold StasSen at the 
Philadelphia Republican conven- 
tion behind him, Ted Gamble, 
prexy ol Theatre Owners of 
Almerica, planed to Portland, Ore., 
his home town, yesterday (Tues.). 
Gamble will spend two weeks of a 
combo vacation and business in 
Portland and then return to his 
New York ofiice for work on the 
forthcoming TOA annual conven- 
tion.. 

Actual convention arrangements 
will be made by Gael Sullivan, 
TOA exec director; Robert Coyne, 
retiring exec director; Herman 
Levy, general counsel; Si Fabian 
and Gamble. It is to be held in 
Chicago starting Sept 23. 



FlOr REVIEWS 



Wednesday, July 7, 1948 



Key Larg;o 

Hollywood, July 3. 

Warnor Bro», ^relc'iy*) ol! Jorry WaU pro- 
duotlon. Staio Huinphvoy Wogai-t, Eilwiird 
is. Bobinsoii, Lfturen Bacilli; teatiiros Lionel 
Jiiirrymore, Clali'e Trevor, Tliomas Ooinca. 
lilfOtitStl Ijy John Hnmnn, RtuTtinnlay, 
EJehara BrookB, John Huston ; bauccl oa 
Blay by Maxwell Anderson ; carowa, ICarl 
Frcund; music. Max Htelner; ortUor, Iludl 
jFdlir. Tmdeshown at. Ijo« AuKelca, July 2, 
M8, Running time, J«0 MUSS. _ 

riauk M'Clond. Humphrey Bognrt 

Johnny Bqeeo Edward O. RoblMOn 

Nora Tpmirto Lauren Bacall 

Jarneo Temple Liohel Barrymore 



Bayo. ■ 



.Onalre Trevor 



Curly ... ..•ThomaB llomeis 

Toots '. '. . . . i . . ........ . .Harry liOwls 

beputy Ciya* Sawyer.,.. John Hodney 

KItfffv i , . . . f ■ Miirc Lawrence 

AnS •'. S-^ymour 

B«n Wade Monte Ulue 

SSfcliman William Haiido 

^ ,1 D..,. ) Silver Heels 

Oeceoja Bios j jtoario Bed Wing 



A tense film thriller has been 
develiDped from Maxwell Ander- 
son's play, "Key Largo." It's a 
hard-hitting, gangster yarn with 
enough marquee weight in the star 
names to kick it off strongly at 
tiie boxoffice. Emphasis is on ten- 
i^lon in the teUing, and effective 

Ee of melodramatic mood has 
en used to point up the suspense 
r audience satisfaction; 
There are overtones of soapbox- 
ing on a better world but this is 

Sever permitted to interfere with 
asic plot, resulting in sturdy film 
*are for the meller fan. The An- 
derson play has been brought up 
to the postwar period by scripters 
BtdiaFd Brooks and John Huston, 
making a disillusioned veteran and 
« vice lord represent present-day 
problems in winning the peace. 
As noted, that particular theme 
doesn't interfere wiQi essential aim 
of telUng a gangster yarn. 

Key West locale is an aid In 
Etressing tension ttiat carries 
through the plot. Atmosphere of 
the dfeadly, still heat of the keys, 
the threat of .s hurricane and the 
m«iace of merciless 'gangsters 
mske the suspense seem real, and 
Huston's direction stresses the 
mood of anticipation. These ele- 

gients are further hammered home 
y Jerry Waid's production super- 
Viston and the skilled use of tech- 
nical contributions. 

Humphrey Bogart is seen as a 
veteran, stopping off at Key Largo 
to visit the. family of a buddy 
Idlled in the war. He finds the 
^un*down hotel tdken over by a 
group of gangsters, who are wait- 
ing to exchange a load of counter- 
feit for real cash. Kept prisoners 
over a long day and night, during 
which a hurricane strikes, the best 
and the worst is brought out in 
{ht characters — fear, and the. 
Strength that comes from it, to the 
I ;ood, fear, and its weaknesses, for 
he evil. As the short span of 
lours come to a conclusion, Bogart 
las found love and a new purpose 
in life. 

The excitement generated Is 
quiet, seldom rambunctious or 
Slambang, although there are mo- 
ments of high action. The per- 
formances are of uniform excel- 
lence and go a long way towards 
establishing credibility of the 
events. Bogart comes through 
with a solid performance; Edward 
G. Robinson has few equals at por- 
traying swaggering racketeers and 
makes ids character a standout. 
Lauren Bacall walks off with the 
straight assignment of a war 
widow, demonstrating ability to 
handle a character without a slink 
or a whistle. 

Lionel Barrymore shows, up 
strongly as the hotel owner. Claire 
Trevor gets her teeth into role of 
faded gangster moll, a character 
with plenty of opportunity to dis- 
play acting talent. Thomas Gomez, 
Harry Lewis, Dan Seymour and 
William Haade make a swell 
bunch of hencemen for Kobinson. 
John Rodney, deputy. Marc Law- 
rence, racketeer, and Monte Blue 
are among others rating mention. 

Effective use of actual locale 

{oota^e with, studio - made scenes 
lelps air of authenticity obtained 
by Waid's production. The fine 
lensing by Karl Freund, special 
effects, score, art direction and 
settings ar'e strong contributors to 
mood. Brog. 



demess. Preston Foster dreams of 
establishing a horse ranch in Texas. 
His wife, Mary Stuart, isn't sure of 
her love for her husband, and Wil- 
liam Bishop is a weak youth making 
a play for the wifi;. Trio presents 
strange contrasts in the horse hunt 
and there is excitement in the 
clashes— human, animal and na- 
ture. 

• Kqnhie handling title role adds 
considerable color and action to the 
doings as the focal point around 
which characterizations are devel- 
oped. Also, he is responsible for 
tlie eventual saving of Foster and 
Miss Stuart after the death of 
Bishop. Plot line, in some ways, re- 
minds of "Trea.sure of Siena Ma- 
dre," with the horse substituting 
for gold and ending happy rather 
than ironic. 

Cast threesome gives individually 
good performances that help main- 
tain interest. The Ted Richmond 
production is smooth and the out- 
door setting has been filmed in 
sepia by Henry Freulicb for an- 
other advantage. Phil Karlson's 
direction has developed the charac- 
terizations strongly in the Hal 
Smith script. Outside of an awk- 
ward length for double bill spot- 
ting, "Thunderhoof " is a smart de- 
parture rrom formula program fea- 
ture. Brofl, 

The Walls of Jerielio 

Hollywood. July 3. 

20th-Fo)c 'releano of I^omar Trottt produc- 
tion. ' Stais Cornel Wilde, Llnfla Darnell, 
Anno Baxter, Kirk Douglas; features Ann 
Bvoralf, MaiJorlo Kombeau, HeniT Hull, 
Colleen Townjwnd, ■ Burton Ma('-T.ftT)e. Griff 
Barnett, William Tracy, Art Baker. Direct- 
ed by .lohu M. Stahl. Screenplay. Lamar 
'A-Ottl; baaed on novel Ity JPaul Wellman; 
camera, Arthur MlUer: editor, James B. 
Clarli! mUBic, Cyril Mookrldge. Traile- 
shown July 1, "48. Running time, 111 MINS; 
Dav« ...................... . ... Cornel Wild* 

AlHcrla ; Linda Darnell 

Julia. . . . .'. .Anne Baxter 

Tutiker Wedge. .......... i.i . .Kirk Douglas 

Belle ,. . Ann Hvorak 

Mrs. Dunham. ... ..... . . ifarjorle Bambeaa 

JefJeraon Norman. ............ .Henry Hull 

Marjorie Bunsome .Colleen Townsend 

Gotch McCurdy .Barton MacLane 

JudgB HUtto... ,....«rlff Barnett 

Ciilly Caiton............... .William Tracy 

Pedaigrmr Art Baker 

Tom Kansome. ........... iSVank Ferguson 

NeUl<^; i ... . .Ann Morri-son 

Mrs. Hutto ..Hope Ijindtn 

Mrs. Kansomo.. ..Helen Brown 

Andy McAdam. .Norman Leavltt 

JuAga Poster Whltford Kane 

Baliirr J. Pttrrell M.-ioDonnia 

Mulllfcen. Dick Bich 

Dr. Patterson .WUl Wright 



Thiinderltoof 

Hollywood, July 2. 

Columbia release of Ted Hichmond pro- 
duction, reaturea Preston Foster, Mary 
etuart, Wllllttm Bishop. Directed by Phil 
Iterlson. Original screenplay, Ual Bmlth 
.dded dialog, Kenneth Garnet; camera, 
lenry Preulich: editor, Jerome Thorns. At 
antagcs, Hollywood, June 30, '48, Bun 
bins time. TS JUNS. 

Spotty Hasan..!, ..<°i> ..... .Preston Poster 

jlargarlta, .Knry Stuurt 

%>e Kid... ...:.WUUam Bishop 

XhUndcrhoof ..Hlmaclt 



"Thunderhoof attempts to be 
different from the usual supporting 
feature, and comes oft rather well. 
Vsihg small cast and outdoor locale, 

Slot moves forward at an interest- 
ig pace, despite being overlength 
for its release intentions. 

Story deals with tliree humans 
and how their characters are re- 
vealed during a hunt for a fabulous 
wU4 stallion In the Mexican wU- 



Miniabire Reviews 

"Key Larito" (WB). Potent 
gangster melodrama with 
Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. 
Robin on. Lam-en Bacall, 

"Thunderhoof" (Col). Pro- 
gram feature oflf the beaten 
path; okay supporter. 

"The Walls of Jencho" 
(20th). Drama of politics and 
love in early Kansas will need 
Strong selling. Good cast 
names> ,. \ „ 

"The Illegals" (Indie). Pow- 
erful docmnentary on the 
migration of Jewish d.p.'s 
from Europe to Palestine. 

"VlHaee Teacher" (Artkmo). 
Routine Soviet film with lim- 
ited prospects In foreign lan- 
guage houses. 



Th« Illegals 

(DOCUMENTABY) 

Mayer-Bui-styn rcle.^so of Meyer Levin , 
prodnction, directed, written and narrated | 
Ijy I.*vln. Chimera, Jean-Paul Alohen. Ber- 
Irand Hchso; mnslc, Wally Itwvono-Pau- 
quin. Previewed N. Y,, June 28, '48. Run- 
ning lime, 80 MINS. 



'The Walls of Jericho" is a leis- 
urely screen drama of politics and 
love as practiced in Kansas early 
in the 20th century. Indications 
are that the boxoffice will be spot- 
ty. The Paul Wellman novel, from 
which film was adapted, has a num- 
ber of exploitable angles that can 
be used to advantage in attracting 
the femmes. However, strong sell- 
ing is necessary. 

Characters are insufficiently es- 
tablished to give audiences a clear 
insight into What makes them tick. 
Footage is long and the leisurely 
pace used by John M. Stahl's di- 
rection makes for wavering inter- 
est. Players, within the limits of 
the treatment, are good, even add- 
ing a wallop to some of the more 
emotional scenes. Despite a num- 
ber of good points, overall effect 
of film is flat. 

Cornel Wilde and Anne Baxter 
ate the principals around which 
the plot swings. He is a politically- 
minded country lawyer in love 
with her. 

Miss Baxter is an attorney who 
returns that love although barred 
from consummation because of his 
marriage to a di-unken spouse. 
Chief political antagonist to Wilde 
is Linda Darnell, ambitious wife of 
the town's publisher. Kirk Doug- 
las. Through her wily, feminine 
tricks, Miss Darnell manges to 
estrange all friendships in the 
town, ruining reputations and best- 
ing her opponent until the law of 
averages catch up -with her in the 
end. 

As a Portia, Miss Baxter regis- 
ters in her courtroom plea to save 
a girl accused of murder and to 
clear her own reputation, fouled 
ttirough machinations of Miss Dar- 
nell. Her love scenes with Wilde 
also are goodw His character is the 
most clearly motivated and, con- 
sequently, shows up strongly. Miss 
Darnell's reasoning is not suffi- 
ciently established but she graces 
the one-sided character with per- 
sonal charm, Douglas works hard 
as the publisher used by his wife 
for her own advantage. 

Ann Dvorak is seen as Wilde's 
wife and Marjorie Rambeau as the 
shrewish mother - in - law. Faring 
best among the featured players 
is Colleen Townsend, the young 
girl accused of murdering Barton 
MacLane, town bully. Griff Bar- 
nett, Art Baker, Frank Ferguson 
and Whitford Kane are among oth-^ 
ers rating mention. . 

Lamar Trottl produced from his 
own screenplay, faring better in 
supervision of physical values of 
the Smalltown background than in 
the writing. Score is dotted with 
oldtime songs fitted to the era por- 
trayed and Arthur Miller's photog- 
raphy Is topnotcb. Brog. 



"The Illegals," a factual film de- 
picting the exodus of Jewish dis- 
placed persons from Europe into 
Palestine, packs a terrific wallop. 
This is an authentic documentary 
made out of the tragic experience 
of real people in real situations. 
Whatever this pic's commercial fate 
will be, it's certain to endure in 
the historical record as a summa- 
tion of this era's agony and hopes. 

Like "My Father's House," M^er 
Levin's initial production, this film 
will receive a good reception in 
carefully selected situations in most 
of the key cities. Heightened inter- 
est in the P&lestinian question may 
widm its appeal to more general 
circles. However, the pic's unre- 
mitting sombreness and a few un- 
avoidable flaws in lighting and lens- 
ing will probably restrict the play- 
dates to a narrower field than the 
film deserves. 

The best thing about "The Ille- 
gals" is that it never reaches for 
dramatic effects. Levin .and his 
cameramen (recruited from Euro- 
pean newsrecl outfits) simply fol- 
lowed the movements* of a group of 
refugees and let the facts speak 
^oquently for themselves. While 
the film is full of sympathy for the 
uprooted Jewish people, it scrupu- 
lously avoids violent partisanship 
in stating their case. It only prop- 
agandizes for the right of peoples 
to go freely to the land of their 
choosing. 

The narrative thread is picked 
up in Poland where a young Jew- 
ish couple attempts to reconstruct 
their lives after being released 
from a Nazi labor camp. However, 
the universal rubble and the after- 
math of anti-Semitism, which is 
sensitively suggested in the shrug 
of a Polish peasant's shoulders, 
forces their decision to go to Pales- 
tine. They join a larger group of 
emigrants and begin their danger- 
ous underground trek across a con- 
tinent where, ironically, virtually 
everything has been shattered ex- 
cept the frontiers. 

The treatment of the final leg of 
their journey via boat from Italy to 
Haifa is a brilliant piece of cam- 
era reportage^ The crowding of 
women and' children aboard the 
tiny ship, the stiflling discomfort 
below deck, the fear of detection 
by the British and the camaraderie 
and optimism df the refugees are 
drawn with poignant detail. Finally 
a British scouting plane flies over 
(the ship and soon after, four heavy 
British cruisers are tagging the tiny 
vessel to Haifa. At this point, Brit- 
ish authorities interned the ref- 
ugees at Cyprus and liut an end to 
the film. The abrupt finish of the 
picture is a masked but powerful 
thrust at the British. 

Levin's background narration is 
tempered with judgment and re- 
straint. Despite many provocations 
in the material, Levin skirts the 
pitfalls of over-emotionalism and 
poetic flights^ which generally 
sound phoney. Bits of dialog within 
the film are dubbed into English 
with uneven results. Recordings of 
the Jewish folk songs^jiowever, are 
excellent and add importantly to 
the film's hauntingly sad quality. 

. : Hem. 



Village Teaehcar 

(RUSSIAN) 

A rtklno release ot Soyusdct prodttetloi). 
Starn Vera Manrtskaya. Directed by Mark 
Doonskoy. Screenplay, MurUt. smirnova; 
camerai Sergei. UresevsHy. Tradeahown 
N. Y., July 1, '48. Rtihnlng time, 01 MIN». 

vnrcnka , Vera Maretskaya 

Martinov ,,. i ....,.,..(.,...... Dmitri Sagal 

Voronov Vasslll Maruta 

School Watchman . . ..... .Rivel Olenev 

Oy;nnaslum Principal ..Roman Pllatt 

fVohalya Lepeshlnsky 

ProWoronov I I>inltrl Pavlov 

ScrEcy TKlgankov..... Tolya Gonichev 

Dunya. , , . , .Bmma fBalashova 



romance handled without convic- 
tion. Saddled by an all-powerful 
but capricious state censorship ap- 
paratus, Soviet producers are ap- 
parently finding it healthier to deal 
with "safe" ideas, 

In external production values, 
this offering is almost as slick as 
one of Hollywood's top items. Tech- 
nical finesse is found in the lull 
lighting, expert outdoor camera 
work, solid Interiors and fine make- 
up eilects. Accomplished physical 
setup, however, only serves to high- 
light the pic's mechanical heart. 

Undi-amatic yam is concerned 
with the fictional biog of an ideal- 
istic young schoolteacher who 
leaves Moscow for a post in a Si- 
berian village. Her career begins 
during the Czarist times and ranges 
until the end of the second World 
War. Her husband, first an under- 
ground revolutionist and then a 
political commissar, is killed in the 
war but she is rewarded by the suc- 
cesses of her students. Growth of 
the village and world developments 
during the teacher's lifetime are 
treated superficially with a crude 
tooting of the Soviet horn. 

As the teaclier. Vera Maretskaya 
registers as a credible performer 
who grows along with her role with 
a big lift from the makeup depart- 
ment. Dmitri Sagal, as her hus- 
band, is a typical storybook hero- 
revolutionist. The children provide 
the film's most natural and likable 
sequences. , Hem. 

Historla De Una Mala 
Miijer 

(The story of a Bad Woman) 

(ARGENTINE) 

Argentine Sono Film release and produc- 
tion. Directed by I.uis. Saslavsky. Stars 
Dolores del Rio. Adapted from an- Oscar 
Wlldo play by Pedro Ulgnel Obllgado; 
camera/ Alberto Btcbebehere. At Amhassa^ 
dor, Buenos Aires, Runntng time^ SO MINS. 

Miss ISrlynne... .Doloi'CB' del Rio 

Lady Windermere ,,, . i ....... . Maria Duval 

Lord .Arthur. Francisco de Paula 

Lord Darlington.,..,. Fernando Lamas 

lx»rd Windermere. Alberto Closaa 

Duchess ..Amalla S. Arino 



This is an unusually careful 
production for an Argentine-made 
picture and every effort'-has been 
made to live up to the prestige and 
marquee value of Dolores del Rio's 
name, But even this isn't enough 
to put the picture- on a par vith 
those of European or Hollywood 
studios. It's U. S. appeal is small. 

Those of Oscar Wilde's original 
lines which have been allowed to 
remain in this very free adaptation 
of his "Lady Windermere's Fan" 
are entirely lost because the actors 
haven't mastered them. A great 
deal of sentimental melodrama has 
^ been added to the play, to explain 
Mrs. Erlynne's past and show her 
ias sacrificing her great love for 
Lord Arthur, in order to save her 
daughter's happiness. In fact, 
maternal sacrifice is made the 
whole tlieme of the picture, with 
a finale different to that of the play, 
with Mrs. Erlynne selling her 
jewels, and in particular Lord 
Arthur's prized gift, before exiling 
herself from England. 

Miss del Rio is moving and un- 
derstandable in the role of Mrs. 
Erlynne, despite the studied artifi- 
ciality of some of her poses. The 
Argentine cameramen are not al^ 
ways as land to her as are the 
Mexicans, who are so much more 
skillful. Maiia Duval is pleasing 
to the eye as Lady Windermere, 
and considering her previous thor- 
oughly ingenue roles, gives < quite 
surprisingly good performance. 
Alberto Closas, Spanish legit actor, 
is the performer who seems most 
easy in his part. Other players act 
pretty stiffly. There are moments 
when the picture drags unbeliev- 
ably, but relatively spealcing it's 
the best turned out by local studios 
in a long thne. Pic ran at the Am- 
bassador for six weeks, with un- 
precedented grosses for a local 
production. Wid. 



(In Russian; JEtiglish Titles) 
"Village Teacher" is a mediocre 
film that will fare well only in the 
Rus.sophile circuit. Pic is an over- 
long, sprawling and dull melange 
of Soviet ^tiiotlsm and "boutsols" 



Foreign Filiii Re?iew 

(Untifeeli/ for Angto-U. SMarkei) 



"11 I'lacrc N. 18" C'Cnb No. 1.1") 
(ITAUAN). Minerva release of Bxcrlsu 
production, atars Marcel Hcrrand, Gin- 
ctte Leclerc, Vera Oarml, Leonardo OOr- 
tese, Boldano Lupl, Pierre Larauey, Ray- 
mond Bussicree. Directed by Mario 
Hattoll. Screenplay, Mettoll, Leo Oat- 
tozzo, Andre HuKon, Raoul Andre, 
Jitoquna Rastlcr, from novel by Oi'avler 
do Montepin, Camera, Jan; StdlUch. At 
jeiuropa and Galloria, Rom«, BUanlrtK 
time, IM MINB, 



Produced also in French version, 
this big-budgeted adaptation of 
the dusty melodrama by Xavler de 
Montepin is lacking in story inter- 
est. Lavish settings, gorgeous cos- 
tumes and outstanding lenswork 
can't give life to puppet-like char- 
acters and old-fashfoned intrigue. 
Script, direction and acting don't 
help much. Pic not a draw here, 
and unlikely elsewhere, except 
South-American mnrlnts.' ^mt. 



Pressure Groups 

SB Cmtinued from page } ^ 

source material. It is partially the 
shibboleths Imposed by the studios 
on themselves, such as the fact 
that they don't want war stoHes, 
they don't want controversial sub-i 
jects, they don't want costume or 
historical novels, and they don't 
want "downbeat" yarns— those 
that are sad or depressing. 

Thus, economy, which has been 
imposed with a vengeance by most 
studios since the foreign situation 
became tense last summer, is only 
an indirect reason, according to 
the story eds, for the situation 
which presently finds Hollywood 
hungry for story properties. With 
shelves running dry of suitable 
material for next season's produe-> 
tion and none available from the 
usual sources, the perennial seardi 
by most companies for stories hjB ; 
become almost frantic. 

Economy the Basis 

Economy, of course, is the rea- 
son for avoiding costumers. They - 
just cost too much to produce. It 
has nothing to do, however, with 
the avoidance of various other 
types of stories. Incidentally, what 
is in demand are mellers that Cim 
be adapted to the semi-documen- 
tary technique and comedies. 

Most of the story eds are of the ' 
opinion that prices of top novels 
and plays have not come down, de* ' 
spite the cry for economy. Ac- 
tually, there have been so few 
bought that there is no market and 
it is impossible to tell the status 
of prices. General feeling is, 
however, tliat should a topnotch 
property come along for which a 
couple studios had a real desire 
they'd hid up the price as high as 
ever. 

The lack of quality material, in- 
cidentally, is another reason why 
the best-seller list is so free of 
film entanglements; Story editors 
claim that the crop of books dtu> 
ing the years since the war has 
been inordinately poor. And what- 
ever there is of top quality, they 
say contains subject matter which 
-Hollywood: won't touch now. 
Pressure Groups 
Real sensitivity to the pressure 
groups dales back to the J. Parnell 
Thomas committee investigation 
last fall of alleged Communism in - 
the film colony. That was accom- 
panied by such a fanfare that the 
charges, although unproved, are 
believed to have resulted in a con- 
siderable bite being taken, out of 
the boxoffice. Ever sincei Holly- 
wood's brass has been so busy tiy- 
ing to prove that the picture in- 
.dustry is a right-Uving, right- 
thinking and right-producing com- 
munity that they have gone far out 
of their way to offend no one— 
whether it be Thomas, the Catho- 
lic Church, the Jews, the Negroes, 
the Presbyterians, the American 
Dental Society or the Institute of 
Journeymen Plumbers of America. 

Story eds claim that as a result 
they have to fine-tooth-comb eveiy 
prospective book or play so care- 
fully they can find nothing that 
will pass the test of all the "may 
nots." They've had nowhere to 
turn, therefore, except to writers 
of originals, at whom a big pitch 
is now being, aimed to tailor-make 
yarns for the screen. 

Originals Pay Oil 
Many scriveners are chary of 
doing originals, because they've 
been approached before, only to 
have turned down whatever they 
wrote specifically for Hollywood. 
Story chiefs are having a tough 
time convincing the boys and gals 
that this time the program's going 
to be different. One of the things 
they are pointing to is the recent 
success — and big money— obtained 
by Herman Wouk, author of last 
year's "Aurora Davm" (unsold for 
the screen), in doing an original 
for .20th.Fox. 

Wouk came in with an idea for 
which 20th immediately gave him 
$5,000 as an option on the original 
when he wrote it. Studio picked 
up the option, givhig him $50,000 
for the yam, and then sent him out 
to the Coast to do the screenplay 
for another $25,000. He's now 
back east writing another original. 
His initialer, labeled "Slattery's 
Hurricane," is about the Navy's 
weather reseanch, which calls for 
planes to fly into the eye of hurri-. 
canes to see what makes them tick- 
Only three books on the best- 
seller list owned by picture com- 
panies are No. 8, "Bright Feather," 
by Robert Wilder, which Para- 
mount bought last December; No. 
9, -"Raintree County," by Boss 
Xockridge, Jr., which Metro ac- 
quired via its prize novel contest, 
and No. 19, ''Cry, the Beloved 
Country," by Alan Paton, . which 
Sir Alexander Korda owns. 



We're mighty proud of the brand new industry record for activity UniverioU 
Intermitional has lined up for July. Thei:e*ll be four action-paclred world 
premieres of four fine U-l pictures built strictly for box-office -~ "Tup 
Rools/' "Man-Eater of Kumoon," "Feudin*, Fussin* ond A-Fightln*" cmil 
"Mr. Peqbody and the Mermaid." 

Such activity calls for a maximum of promotion power, so we*ve built up 
our staff and put on a special field force to campaign these pictures in a 
manner that will guarantee you tremendous national- publicity penetro- 
ti'on as vvrell as pre-tested promotions to cash in on when you play these 
attractions.^ ' 

Therein be no summer doldrums this year for tl-f 
exhibiforsi Jusi turn the page ond you'll find four solid 
reasons why you. always • • • . i • /) 



Vedneiday, Jijy 7, X948 




SABDJOilNNEnUiE 



AS THE HUNTER 

^MORRIS CARNOVSKY 



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ii BYRON HASKIN • pmm d MONTY W- k >»«». m frank p. RosENBERfi 



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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 




In'** < 



Universal- 
International 
presents 




mmaoomcsi 

MA X PA KETTLE OF "THE EGG AND I" 

MARJORIE MAIAT 
PERCir KILBRIDE 

7h^eiii9t dftiif/ 



The Tri-Sfafe Circuit get< this one, teeing 
off in Des Moines and Omaha on July 8 
with fun, hilarity and plenty of space- 
grabbing stunts surrounding personal op- 
P*arances by Mariorie Main, Penny Ed- 
wards ond J0e Bosser. 

Watch the grosses on this one as it plays 
the circuit in Sioux City, Waterloo, Grand 
Rapids, Davenport, Rock island and Mo- 
line and then continues on to Minneapolis, 
Milwaultee, Indianopolis and ail around 
the Mid-Wcst. 



with PENNY Wmm^S • JOE BESSER 

ScniHplii If D. D. BEAUCHAMP fru Ms Ciliiir's Maiazlii Stan 
Mietal Ir GE0R6E SHERMAN r FriAKll l| LEONARD GOLDSTEIN 




Wednesday, July 7, 1948 





Timed to share headlines wilh fh«^Demo- 
cratic National Convention, "Tap Roots" pi«i 
mieres at the Goldman Theatre in spoHighteil 
Philadelphia on July 14, spearheading doy- 
and-date regional kick-offs in AtlaitHe City* 
Alientown, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Reading^ 
Ocean City, Eoston, Lancaster, York and Wil* 
mlng^n. 

Hollywood stars brought In from Iho studio 
for personal appearances! Full page nowspaper 
ads and complete outdoor coverage! National 
radio hook-ups including ABC's "Go for. Iho 
House," NBC's "Supper Club" show and Moj« 
tuol's "Heart's Desire" program! Comprehen- 
sive national magazine ond newspaper «<k 
operative ad tie-ups with Chesterfield, General 
Electric and luxl 

More than a thousand newspaper, radio and 
television reporters and commentators ;cover«| 
ing the Convention will have tljeir eyos^nil 
their pencils— on "Tap Roots." 





UNiVERSAl-INTERNATIONAl presents 



WILUAM POWELL ANN BLYTH 

I. NUNNALLY JOHNSON'S 





I'; 



with 

IRENE HERVEY 
ANDREA KING 
CLINTON SUNDBERG 

StfetndiytillOIIIUUTlOIIIISH 

' Ftwi tin niwl "I^M''! *'■'<■''' 
fey Guy snd ConslanK Jam 




IRVING PICHEL. 

A$sociitiPnAKer.8iiiFiNlir,lr. 




Lots of publicity will be garnered in Atlantic City when the 
ludges select the "Mermaid of tht Year" as the wind-up of 
activiHes for the world premiere of "Mr. Peabody and the 
Mermaid" at the Hollywood Theatre on July 28. Full national 
network coverage is pre-selling this picture to millions of rodio 
listeners^ via such programs as the CBS "House Party" show 
to find the "most unusual Jish story"? Mutual's "Bride and 
Groom" program to $eleet^"the^ldeal honeymoon couple"; 
and Mutual's "Queen for a Day" program to crown a "Mer-, 
maid Bathing Queen." 



10 



PICTimB fSKOSSBS 



Wednesday, July 7, 1948 



^Street' 2d Paves Golden 54G in L A., 
Tuller2dMops$3imW36^^^^ 
'Hazard' Tame 24G, 'Search' $8,000 



Los Angeles, July 6. 

Long holiday weekend failed to 
give firstruns. a boost as outdoor 
weather ' lured customers away. 
Holdovers are also helping to keep 
crosses mild with few exceptions. 
Most attention ' is going to "The 
Search," which looks great in first 
week at the smallseater Four Star. 

"The Street With No Name" is 
pulling big in iive situations, as is 
^Fuller Brush M^n" in two. "Haa- 
«rd" is thin In two houses but ''Ber^ 
lin Express^' is sighting good biz 
In five theatres. Boxolfice Is good 
in outlying houses but only medium 
In, downtown' area.' 

EstiaatM, for This Week 

Belmont (FWC) iXfiZ%; 60-$l>— 
"Berlih Express" (RKO) and "Stage 
Struck" (Mono). Nice $4,900. Last 
week, "Hatter's Castle" (Par), and 
"French Leave" (Mono), slim $2,r 
MO. , 

Beverly Hills Music Hall (G&S- 
Blumehfeld) m&\ ^%l)—"On Our 
Merry Way". (UA) (4th wk). Fair 
$2,000. Last week, nice $3,000. 

Carthay Cirfele (FWC) (1,518; fiO- 
$1)— "Stre'ee No Name" (20th) and 
''Here Cdmes Trouble" (UA) (2d 
wk.). Mild $7,000. Last i^eek, good 
f 9,300 but below hopes. 

Chinese (Grauman-WC) (2.048: 
60-$!)— "Street No Name" (20th) 
and "Here Conies Trouble" (UA) 
(2d wk). Neat $11,000. Last week, 
not up to hopes but good $15,600. 

Culver .(FWC) (1,145; 60-$l)— 
"Berlin Express" (RKO) and "Stage 
Struck" (Mono). Good $5,000. Last 
week, "Hatter's Castle" (Par) and 
"French Leave" (Mono), thin $2,- 
700. ■ - . . 

Bowntown (WB) (1,800; 60-$l)^ 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) (24 
wk). Poor $6,500. Last week, 
sagged after fast weekend, only 
mild $14,000. 

Downtown Music Hall (Blumen- 
feld) (872; 60-$l)— "Merry Way" 
(UA) (4th wk). Slender $4,000. Last 
week, light $6,200. 

Egyptian (FWC) (1,538; 60-$l)— 
"Pira(;e" (M-G) (2d wk). Okay $8,- 
OOO. Last week, good $12,700. 

Kl Hey (FWC) (861; 60-$l)— "Ber- 
lin Express!' (RKO) and "Stagf 
Struck" (Mono). Brisk $6,000. Last 
week, "Hatter s Castl^" (Par) and 
"French Leave" (Mono), $3,600., 

BsQuire (Rosener) (685; 85-$1.20l 
—"The Brothers" (U). Oke $2,500. 
Last week, "Corridor Mirrors" (U) 
(3d wk), !!H,700. 

Pour Star (UA-WC) (900; 60-$l) 
—"The Search" (M-G). Sturdy $8,- 
000. Last week, "Lost One" (Col) 
(5(;h wk-4 clays), .$1,800. 
.-..jGuiW,„(£WC) (968; 60-$l)— "Up 
in Central Park" (U) and "Devil's 
Crugo" (FC) (2d wk-4 days). Sour 
$J .:m. Last week, dim $2,800. 

Hawaii (G&S-Blumenfeld) (1,106; 
60-.S1)— "Merry Way" (UA) (4th 
wk). Poor $2,000. Last week, light 
$2 700 ' ■ 

iloU'vwood (WB) (2,756; 60-$l)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) (2d 
wk). Slow .t6.500. Last week, be- 
low hopes at $12,200. 

Hollywood. Mnsic Hall (Blumen^ 
feld) (475; 60-85)— "Merry Way" 
(UA) {4th wk). Mild- $1,500. Last 
week, neat $2,200. 

Iris (FWC) (828; 60-85)— "Central 
P; I k ' (0) and "Devil's Cargo" (FC) 
(2d wk-4 days). Tired $2,000. Last 
w< ok, -slim $3,300. 

i.:iurel (Rosener) (890; 85) — "Die 
F ( cleniiaus" (Indie). Moderate $2,- 
500. Liist week, "Jenny Lamour" 
-(Indie) (3d wk), $1,700. ■ 

Locw's Stale (Loew's-WC) (2,404; 
60-Sl)— "Street No Name" (20th) 
and "Here Comes Trouble" (UA) 
(2a , wk). FaiSt $22,000. Last week, 
soeko $33,200. 

Los .Injreles (D'town-WC) (2,097; 
60-$l)— "Pirate" M-G) (2d wk). 
Lishl $12,000. Last week, medium 
$19,200. ' 

Loj'ola (FWC) (1,248; 60-$!)— 
"Street No Name" (goth) and "Here 
Comes Trouble" (UA) (2d wk). 
Okay $6,500. Last week, good 
$10,000. 

Orphenm (D'town-WC) (2.210; 
60-$l)— "Berlin Express" (RKO) 
and "Stage Struck" (Mono).. Me- 
dium $15,000. Last week, "Hatter's 
Castle" (Par) and "French Leave" 
(Mono), mild $9,000. 

Pantajres (Pan) (2,812; 60-$l)— 
"Fuller Brush Man" (Col) and 
"ThunderhO^f" (Col) (3d wk). 
Smart $17,000. Last week, bright 
$22,600. 

Paramount (F&M) (3.398; 60-$l) 
—"Hazard" (Par) and "Waterfront 
at Midnight" (Par). Dull $14,000. 
Last week, "Emperor Waltz" (Par) 
(5tb wk), finaled with $9,700. 

Paramount Jlollywood (F&M) 
(1,451; 60-$l)— "Hazard" (Par) and 
"Watrt-front at' Midnight" (Par). 
iim $10,000. IsastVeek, "£i[4ierol) 



Waltz" (Par) {5th wk), Finished 
long run at smart $0,000. 

RKO Hillstreet (RKO) (2,800; 60- 
80)— "Fuller Brush Man" (Col) and 
"Thunderhoof" (Col) (3d wk). 
Snappy $19,000. Last week, strong 
$26,600, with Louis-Walcott light 
film an aid. 

Ritz (FWC) (1,370; 60-$l)— "Cen- 
tral Park" (U) and "Devil's Cargo" 
(FC) (2d wk-4, days). Poor $3,500. 
Last week, modest $6,909. 

Studio City (FWC) (880; .60-$l)-: 
"Central Park" (U) and "Devil's 
Cargo" (FC) (2d wk'-4 days). Slip- 
ping to $2,000. Last week, slim 
$4,000. 

United Artists (UA) (2,100; 80-$l) 
—"Central Park" (U) and "Devil's 
Ciairgo" (FC) (2d ,Wk-4 days). Light 
$4,000. Lasti week,' dull $8,50d. 

Uptown (FWC) (1,719; 6Q.$1)— 
"Street No Name" (20th) and 
"Here Comes Trouble" (UA) (2d 
Wk). Good .$7,500. Last \yeek, 
slowed oft' to a.verage $10,600. 
. Votue (FWC) (885; 60-85)— "Ber- 
lin Express" (RKO) and "Stage 
Struck" (Mono). Smooth $6,000. 
Last week, "Hatter's Castle" (Par) 
and "French Leave" (Mono), slight 
$3,900. 

Wllthire (FWC) (2,296; 60-$l)— 
"Pirate" (M-G). (2d wk). Nice $8,- 
500. Last week, sturdy $14,200. 

Wiltcm (WB) (2,300; 60-$l)— 
"Romance High. Seas" (WB) (2d 
wk>. Slim $6,900. Last week, failed 
to sustain opening pace;- moderate 
$11,000. 

'Lady -De Wolfe 
Hot$40.0W,PeL 

Detroit, July 6. 

A complete chaiige of Aim fare, 
excepting two holdovers, is giving 
Detroit ' a b.o. hypo despite the 
sultry nights that kept patrons out 
of film houses. Top draw in town 
is Billy DeWolf e's stageshow at the 
Michigan with "River Lady.". "The 
Emperor Waltz'' is runnerup while 
holdover "Homecoming" is- still 
good. -Others show slight rises. 
Estimates for This Week 

Adams (Balaban) (1,740; 70-95)— 
"Fighting Father Dunne" (RKO) 
and "Bush Christmas" (U). Ex- 
cellent $10,000. Last week, "Let- 
ter Unknown Woman" (UI) and 
"Bad Sister" (U), so-so $7,000. 

Art Cinema (Marten) (459; 60-90) 
—."Father's House" (Indie) (2d wk). 
Satisfactory $3,500.' Excellent 
$5,000 in opener. . 

Broadway - Capitol' (United-De- 
troit) 1,3,300; 70-95) — "Flowing 
Gold" (WB) and "God's Country 
(Coiitinued on page 14) . 



'ISLAND' PEAK $18m 
'DUNNE' OKE ISfi, PROV. 

Providence; July 6. 
■ With sunny skies for a change, 
the long holiday weekend cut 
heavily into, local take to give 
most houses below average. Tops, 
though so-so, is Loew's State's "On 
An Island With You." RKO Albee 
next with "Fighting Father Dunne." 
Estimates for This Week 
Albee (RKO) (2,200; 44-65)— 
"Fighting Father Dunne" (RKO) 
'.'Arizona Ranger." (RKO). Fair 
$15,500. Last week "Bring 'Em 
Back Alive" (RKO) (rei.ssiie) and 
"Heart of Virginia" (RKO). Also 
Louis-Walcott fight pics, okay $16,- 

Carlton (Fay") ( 1 .400; 44-65)— 
"Wallflower" (WB) and "Old Los 
Angeles" (Rep). Good $6,000, Last 
week "Ruthle.ss" (WB) and "Close- 
Up" (WB), nice .$6,i500. 

Fay's (Fay) (1.400; 44-65) — 
"Fighting 69th" (WB) and "Valley 
of Giants" (WB) (reissues). Slow- 
ing $5,500. Last week "Noose 
Hangs High" lEL) and "Assigned 
to Danger" (EL) (2d wk), good 
$5,000. 

Majestic (Fay) (2,200; 44-65)— 
"Give My Regards Broadway" 
(20th) and "13 Lead Soldiers" 
(20th), slow $12,000. Last Week 
"Black Bart" (U) and "Are. You 
With It" (20th), sturdy $15,000. 

State (Loew) (3,200; 44-65) — 
"On Island With You" (M-G) and 
"Thunderhoof" (M-G». Fair $18,- 
000. Last week "On Merry Way" 
and "Jassy" lU), so-so $17,- 

500. 

Strand (Silverman) (2,200; '44- 
65) — "Rinnoi'c" ",'Hh,y," (Par), .Sec- 



Tort Apache' Heaps Big 
Wampum in DenTer» 20G 



Denver,, July 6. 
"Port Apache" shows no trouble 
in copping high money this week 
and holds at the Orpheum. "Em- 
peror Waltz" stays a third week at 
the Denham, and "Best Years of 
Our Li^es" is also getting a third 
at the Broadway.' "Carmen," *t 
the Aladdin, was ipulled after twp 
days with 'fFiiller Brush Man" put 
back. . ; , _ . 

Three Fox - Intermountam thesr. 
tres upped their matinee prices for 
£agle Lion's "Canon . City'; whijch 
preemed here today (Tues.). Houses 
boosting the tab ai* th^ Para- 
mount, Webber and Aladdin. Film 
goes into 103 .dayt«nd-dat« book- 
ings in the territory tomorrow 
(Wed.). 

Estimates for ThlA Week 
Aladdin (Fox) (1,400; 35-74)— 
"Carmen" (Indie). Pulled after 
two days; "Fuller Brush Man" 
(Col) put back. Fair $3,000. Last 
week, "Fuller " and "Port Said" 
(Col) (m.o.), fine. $5,000. 

Broadway (Cinema) , (1,500; 35-74) 
"Best Yeai-s of Qx^t lives" (RKO) 
2d week. ' Big $12,000. Last week, 
solid $14,000. 

Denham (Cockrill) 0,750; 35-70) 
— "Emperor Waltz" (Par), 2d week. 
Big $15,500. Last , week, record 
$24,500. 

Denver (Fox) (2,525; 35-74)— 
"All My Sons" (U) and "Curley" 
(UA), day-date with Esquire. Poor 
$12,000. . Last week, ."Letter from 
Unknown Woman" (U) and "Are 
You With It?" (U)j same i»s Web- 
ber, f fine $17,000. ' 

Es4uire (Fox) (742; 35-74)— "AJl 
My Sons'' (U) and "Curley" (UA), 
day^date with Denver. Poor $2,000. 
Last week, '^Wihter Meeting" (WB) 
and "Woman in White" (WB), same 
as Paramount; poor $2i000. 

Orpheum (RKO) (2,600; 35-74)— 
"Fort Apache" (RKO). Big $20,- 
000. Last week, "Berlin Express" 
(RKO) and "Arizona Ranger" 
(RKO), tair $12,000. 

Paramount (Fox) (2,200 ; 315-74)- 
"Bambi" (RKO) and "Inside StoiY" 
(Rep), day-date with Webber. Sad 
$8,000. Last week, "Winter Meet- 
ing" (WB) and "Woman in White" 
(WB), same as Esquirf!, fair $10,- 
■000. 

Rialto (Fox) (878; 35-74)— "Fuller 
Brush Man" (Col) (m.o ). Fair 
$3,500. Last week, "Fugitive" 
(RKO) and "Fabulous Joe" (UA) 
(m.o.), poor $3,000. 

Webber (Fo.\) (750; 3.5-74)— 
"Bambi" (RKO) and "Inside Story" 
(Rep), day-date with Paramount. 
Poor $1,500. Last week, "Letter 
From Unknown Woidnan" (U) and 
"Are You With It" (U), same as 
Denver, poor $2,000. 

Heat Wilting L'ville; 
'Waltz' Blooming 16€, 
'Island' Mild 312,000 

Louisville; July 6. 

Protracted torrid spell is putting 
a crimp • in the b.o. currently. 
July 4, with its upped prices, is 
helping in some spots, but a gen- 
eral exodus' from town over the 
long holiday weekend is counter- 
acting. "Emperor Waits" at Rialto 
looks to grab top coin this week. 
Strand, with Louis-Walcott fight 
picture as adjunct, to "Panhandle" 
and "Rocky," is doing okay. 
Estimates for This Week 

Brown (Fourth Avenue) (1.200; 
45-65) — "Give Regards Broadway" 
(20th) and "Counterfeiters"' (20th) 
(2d wk). Medium $4,500, Last week, 
"Hazard" (Par) and "Mr. Reckless" 
(Par) (2d wk), light $3,000. 

Kentucky (Switow) (1,200; 30-40) 
"Tycoon" (RKO) and "Are You 
With It" (U). Moderate $3,000.. Last 
week, "Sitting . Pretty" (20th) and 
.'Winter Meeting" (WB), fairish 
$2,800. 

Mary Anderson (Peol)le's (1;100; 
45-65)— "Romance on High Seas" 
(WB). Mild ,$4,500. List week, 
"Mating of Millie" (Col), modest 
$5,000. • 

National (Standard) (2,400; 45- 
65)— "Kansas" (Indie) and "Sun- 
down" (Indie) (reissues). ■ Medium 
$5,000. Last week, "Racketeers" 
(SG) and "Call It Murder" (SG) 
(reissues) light $4,000. 

Rialto IFA) (3,400; 45-65)— "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par). Sturdy $16,000. 
Last week, "Give Regards Broad-- 
way" (20th) and "Counterfeiters" 
(20th), neat $13,000 and m.o. 

State (Loew's) - (3,000; 45-65)— 
"On Island With You" (M-G) and 
"Blondie's Reward" (Col). Mild 
$12,000. Last week, "B. F's Daugh- 
ter" (M-G) and "Trapped Boston 
Blackle"' (Col), slowish $11,000. 

Strand (FA) (1,000; 45-65) — 
"Panhandle" (Mono) and "Rocky" 
(Mono) plus Louis-WalcOtt pic- 
tures. Nice $6,500. Last week, "I, 
.Tane Doe" (Rep) and "Heart of 
Virginia" (Rep) with Louis-Wal- 
cott pictures in for three daysviake 
$5,000. ' ** 



Imperor Sprightly at 
In Boston; 'IslaniT NG 3/^ in 2 



Key Cii7 Grosses 

Estimated Total fiross 
This Week ,$»,671,0M 

(Bosed om 20 cities, 190 
theatres, chiefly first runs, w 
'. eluding N. - Y.) • 
'fotal Grass Same Week 
Last Year .... ..$2,829,«0« 

(Based on Zl cities, 209 
theatres). 



iStreet'Fast30G 
hb^Philly 

Philadelphia, July 6. , 

Perfect weather combined with 
the July 4 weekend to send .virtu- 
ally everybody out of town. Film 
houses were off between 25-35% 
on Saturday and Sunday as a re- 
sult; , ' 

Leaders in the current crop are 
two newcomei-s, "The Street With 
No Name" at the Fox, and "The 
Parsdine Case," at the Boyd, both 
61 .which are clocking up healthy 
grosses. , 

Estimates for This Week 

Aldine (WB) (1,303; 50-94)— "The 
Noose Hangs High" (EL). Sad $8,- 
000. Last week, "Ruthless" (£L), 
mild $9,000 (2d Wk). 

Arcadia (S&S) (700; 50-94)— 
"Homecoming" (M-G). Tepid $4,- 
200. Last week, "Silver River" 
(WB), muddy $3,800. 

Boyd (WB) (2,350; 50-94)— "Para- 
dine Case" (SRO). TMice $28,500. 
Last week, "Letter Unloiown Wom- 
an" (U) (2d wk), fair $14,000. 

Earle (WB) (2.700; 50-94)— "The 
Pirate" (M-G). Fair $22,500. Last 
week, "So This Is New York" (UA), 
weak at $18,000. 

Fox (20th) (2,250; 50-94)— "Street 
With .No Name" (20th). Healthy 
$30,000. Last week, "Regards to 
Broadway" (20th), off to $17,000. 

Goldman (Goldman) . (1,000; 50- 
94)— "Island With You" (M-G). 
Holdmg (3d wk) at good $19,500. 
Last week, fine $21,000. 

Karlton (Goldman) (1,000; 50-94) 
—"Summer Holiday " (2d .wk). Dis- 
appointing $5,500. Last week, sad 
$6,500. 

Keith's- (Goldman) (1,300; 50-94) 
—"Regards to Broadway ' (20th^ 
Dull $6,000. Last week, "State of 
Union," tepid $4,500. 

Fix (Cummins) (500; 50-94)— 
"Happened One Night" (Col) and 
"Night of Love" (Col) (reissues). 
Glum $4,500. Last week, Philadel- 
phia Story" (M-G), fair $5,000. 

Mastbaum (WB) (4,360; 50-94)— 
"Romance on High Seas" (WB) (2d 
.wk). Becalmed $16,300. Last week, 
fair $24,000. 

Stanley (WB) (2.950; 50-94)— 
Emperor Waltz" (Par) (3d wk) 
Sturdy $21,000. Last week, $26,000 
„ Stanton (WB) (1,475; 50-94)— 
Coroner Creek" (Col). Nifty $12,- 
^SSi 1-ast week, "Raw Deal" (EL) 
(ad), profitable $9,000. ' 



CROWDS FLEE SEAHLE 
BUT 'WALTZ' BIG J17.000 

Seattle, July 6. 
Considerable new fare greeted 
July 4 week but sood weather took 
holiday crowds alar with all shows 
hurt except "Emperor Waltz." 
Estimates for This Week 
.Blue Mouse (HE) (800; 4.'5-80)— 
Regards to Broadway" t20th) and 
"Counterfeiters" (20th). (2d wk) 

'^'"l'- Okay 
$4,000. Last week (3d) "Fort 
Apache" (RKO) and "Fiehtlnff 
Mad" .(Mon), fair, $2,800 ''^""""S , 

onP^li ■^y*'"^'' 'H-Et (2.349; 45- ' 
M)— ''Berlin Express'' (RKOj and 
"Discovery" (PC). Sad $6,000. Last 
week Regards, Broadway" (20th) 

at" $7 86o" ^'•'^ 
Wb'erty find.) (1,650; 45-80)— 
'^^9™?.'='' Creek" (Col) and "Blon- 
die's Rewiu-d" (Coll. Big*$llo00 
Last week (5th) "Fuller Brush" 
(Col), excellent $6,700. 
Music Box (H-E) (850: 4.5-80)— 
Remember Mama" (RKO) and 
:R"sty" (Col) (5th wk). Good 
week $3,600 last 

Music Hall (H,E) (2,200; 45-80)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) and "Wom- 

*?7nnn Immense 
$17,000. Last week. 5th stanza. 

Coming" (M-G) and 
Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes" 
(Mono). Slipped off. $4,100 

Orphenm (H-E) (2,600; 45-80)— 
Romance on High Seas" (WB) and 



Waterfront at, MWnight" (Par) 



Boston, July 6. 
Hub boxoffice continues to take 
it on the' chin as population' 
trekked to mountains and beaches 
over July 4 weekend. But "Em- 
peror Waltz" at the Mfet Ts doing 
okay. ' ' : ■ 

Estinaates for This Week 
Asior (Jaycocks) (1,300; 40-80)— 
"Coroner's Creek" (Col).} Opened 
Fri. Fair $5,500. Last week, "The 
Search" (MGX jniW. $4,500 for thu-d 

Boston (RKO) (3,200; 40-80) — 
"Tarzan and. the Mermaids" (RKO) 
and "Argyle Secrets" (FC). Fair 
$17,000. Last week, "Bring 'Era 
Back Alive" (RKO) and "Open Se- 
cret" (EL) moderate $16,000. 

Exeter (Indie), (1,000; 45-75) — 
"October Man" (EL). Mild $5,000. 
La.st week, "Jassy" (U) poor, 
$3,500. 

Fenway (M-P), (1,373; 40-80)— 
"Raw Deal" (EL) arid "Song of My 
Heart" (AA). Mild $4,800. Last 
week, "Christmas Eve" (UA) and 
"Big Punch" (WB). Poor $4,100. 

Memorial (RKO) (3,000; 40-80)— 
"Up in central Park" (U-I) and 
"Stage Struck" (Mono). Mild 
opening Monday (5). La.st week, 
"Give My Regards to Broadway" 
(20th) and "Cobra Strikes" strong 
$28,000. 

MetropOlitAn (M-P) (4,367; 40- 
80)— "Emperor Waltz" (Par) and 
"Big Town Scandal" (Par). Dr. 
I. Q. Monday nights. Neat $28,- 
000. Last week, "The Crusades" 
(Par) and "Secret ' Service Investi- 
gator" (Rep). Poor, $13,000. 

Orpheum (Loew) (3,000; 40-80) 
—"On an Island With You" (MG) 
and "Best Man Wins" (Col). Poor 
$18,000. Last week, "The Pirate" 
(MG) and "Blondie's Reward" 
(Col). Disappointing $19,000. 

Paramount (M-P) (1,700; 40-80) 
—"Raw Deal" and "Song of My 
Heart" (AA), Fair $8,500. La.st 
week, "Christmas Eve" (UA) and 
"Big Punch" (WB). Okay $10,000. 

State (Loew) (3,500; 40-80)— "On 
an Island With You" (MG) and 
"Best Man Wins" (Col). Mild $11,- 
500. Last week, "The Pirate*^ 
(MG) and "Secret Service Investi- 
gator" (Rep). Weak $11,000. 

July 4 Lifts K.C.; 'Waltz' 
Smooth 19G, 'Island' 18C 

Kansas City, July 6. 

Holiday weekend and some stel- 
lar films add up to big figui-es tor 
the town. "Emperor Waltz" is far 
out in the lead and may break the 
Paramount house record. It's in 
for an extended run. "On «n 
Island With You" at the Midland 
is also big but won't hold. "Straw- 
berry Roan" opened Saturday at 
the Esquire and pace indicates 
strong money for this little house. 
Other • houses doing well, and 
amusement biz in general hit it 
strong over the tliree-day week- 
end.' , 
Estimates for This Week 

Esquire (Fox Midwest) (820; 45- 
65)— "Strawberry Roan" (Col) and 
"Last Days of Boot Hill" (Col). 
Fine $6,000. Bill opened on Satm'- 
day, in contrast to usual Friday 
opening. Last -week "Drums Along 
the Mohawk" <20th) and "Mark of 
Zorro" (20th) (reissues), fine 
$4,500. 

Midland (Loew's) (3,300; 4,5-65) 
—"On an Island with You " (MG) 
and "Here Comes Trouble" (UA*. 
Solid $18,000. Last week "Gn Our 
Merry Way" (UA) and "Jassy" 
(UA), good $13,000. 

Orphenm (RKO) (1,900; 45-65)— 
"Silver River" (WB) and "Linda 
Be Good" (EL) With Louis-Walcott 
pictures (2d wk). Second stanza 
only live days, including Sunday, 
for okay $7,000. Last, week fine 
$13,000. House went to Monday 
opening to take advantage of holi- 
day, bringing in "Fighting Father 
Dunne" (RKO). 

Paramount (Par) (1 ,900; 45-65)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par). Strong 
$19,000 and in for an extended 
run. Last week "Crusades" (Par) 
(reissue), slo\j[ .$9,500. 

Roxy (Durwood) (900; 45-65)— 
"Caged Fury" (Par) and "Speed To 
Spare" (Par). Above iiverage 
.S4,500. Last week "Rocky" (Mono) 
and "Tracy Meets Gruesome" 
(RKO), good $4,000. 

Tower - Uptown - Fairway (Fox 
Midwest) (2,100, 2,043, 700; 45-65) 
—"Are You With It" (U). Pulled 
after three days. Mild $6,500, 
"Street With No Name" (20th) 
opened Monday. La.st week "River 
Lady" lU), JiVeSrage $1^,000. 



WedneiMlay, July 7, 194« 



ricnVKB fSMSSBS 



11 



'Wymmng'-Vai^ HieiUMii 60G in Chi 
Tliiffider -3 Stooges "Kimfii^s 



Chicago, July 6. ^ 

Chicago theatre is continuing to 
pace the rest of the Loop houses 
and is soaring toward sensational 
$60,080 for "Green Grass of Wyom- 
ing" and Peggj' Lee and Dave Bar- 
bour in person. Exploitation has 
been heavy on the price cut and 
stage show and is paying off very 
handsomely. While there are five 
other new issues, plus a double rC' 
release, none is outstanding. 

"Up in Central Pai-k," aided by 
the Louis-AValcott pic, should take 
in decent $20,000 at tlie Palace, 
while sister house. Grand, should 
do alright $14,000 with "Another 
Part of the Forest" and fight film. 
"B. F.'s Daughter" at United 
ArUsts looks lair ^8,000. but 
"Coroner's Creek" at the Roosevelt 
seems mere $15,000. "Thunder in 
the Vallev," with Tteee Stooges in 
vaude at "the Oriental, has been hit 
hard by Chicago price slash ana 
negative press notices, with poor 
$36,000 in view. 

Holdover ^section is strong with 
''A<rch of Triumph" at the Woods 
winding uD final week (4th) with 
neat $14,000. Others, in second 
week, were also staunch. "Mr. 
Blandings" at the State-Lake 
should do excellent $23,000. "Four 
Faces West" at Apollo appears 
good with $8,000. 

Estimaftes for This Week 

Apollo (BScK) (1,400; 50-98) — 
"Four Faces West" (UA) (2nd wk). 
Neat $8,000. Last week, $10,000. 

Cliicago (B&K) (3,900; 50-98),— 
"Green Grass of Wyoming" (20th) 
With Peggy Lee t^d Dave Barbour 
in person. Sensational $60,000. 
Last woek (eight days). "FuUer 
Brush Man" (Col) with BUly De- 
Wolfe heading the vaud, boff 
$74,000. 

Garrick (B&K) (900; 50^8) — 
"Flowing Gold" (WB> and "God's 
Country" (WB) (reissues). Satis 
factory $8,000. Last week, "Big 
Punch" (WB) and "Whispering 
Citv" (EL). $8,000. 

Grand (RKO) (1,500; 50-98) 
"Another Part of Forest" (U)-wiai 
Louis-Walcott bout oke $14,000 
Last week.. "Pigliting Fattier 
Dunne" (RKO) (2nd wk), $7,80U. 

Orienial (Essaness) (3,400; 98)! 
—"Thunder in Valley" (20th) plus | 
Three Stooges p.a. weak $36,000. 
Last week, "Gay Ranchero" (Rep) 
with TeJc Williams and George 
Givot on sta.ge. $31,000. 

Palace (RKO! (2,500; 50-98) — 
"Up in Central Park" (U) plus 
L-W fight film. Brisk $20,000. 
Last week, "All My Sons" (U), 
$14,000. 

Boasevelt (B&K) (1.500; 50-98) 
—"Coroner Creek" (Col). Ught 
$15,000. Last week, "Wallflower" 
(WB>, $10,000. 

Stale-Lake (B&K) (2,700; 50-98) 
—"Blandings" (SRO). Fine $23,- 
000. Last week, $27,000. 

United Artists (B&K) (1,700; 5()- 
88)— 'B. F.'s Daughter" (M-G). 
Fair $18,000. Last vreek, "Gm- 
sades" (Par) (reissue) (2nd wk), 
$11,000. 

Woods (Esisaness (1.037; 98) — 
"Arch of Triumph" (UA) (4th wk). 
Final week tidy $14,000, Last 
week, $19,000. „ . 

World (Iiidie) (587; 77)— "Bill & 
Coo" (Kep) and "Cage NighUn- 
eales" (indie) (2nd wk). Excellent 
$4,200. La.st week, $4,800. 

%ide Goes Well in Mont'l, 
14G; lama' Mild $12,000 

Montreal, July 6. 
Lon" weekend for Canadian fans 
plus trade from below-the-liorder 
is resulting hi good biz in only a 
few houses. Otherwise, the b.o. 

''"Estimates for This Week . 

Locw's (C.T.) (2^855; ^frA^)- 
"I Remember Mama" <KKO). 
Poor $12,000. Last week. State 
of the Union" (M-G) (2d wk), sad 

"^Stol (C.T.) (2.412; 30Ml2-57)_ 
"Saigon " (Par) (2d wk). Sour 
$8,000 after sock opening week of 

*^PMaM (C.T.) (2,625; 30-42-57)— 
' "The Bride Goes Wild" (M^G). 
esnlid $14,000. Last week, "The 
inator Was Indiscreet" (U-I), dull 

'^^Princess (C.T.) (2,205; 26-34-45) 
' T miis-Walcott put and Secret 
iiySnd the Doo/' (U-I) (2d wk). 
Stow $6,000, after excellent $10,- 

""Lnerial (C.T.) (1.839; 26-34-42) 
_"sK Pretty"' (20th) and "Ma- 
■ d^nn "of the Desert-' «ep). Fair 
«fi^00 Last week, "Congonlla' 



Estimated Total Gras» 
This Week $699,000 

(Based on 15 theatres) 

Last Year $667,500 

(Based on 18 theatres) 



22GinHotMpls. 

Minneapolis, July 6. 
Season's first heat wave, with 
temperatures close to 100, arrived 
simultaneously with the long week- 
end July 4 holiday to di'ain the 
town of thousands of potential the- 
atre customers who were lake-re^ 
sort bound. Result ha^ been a fur- 
ther damper , on sagging grosses. 
But nothing, apparently, can quench 
the boxoffiice fire of a powerful 
contender like - 'The Kinpearor 
Waltz." Other major newcomers, 
playing a minor fiddle, are "The 
iPirate," "Lady from Shanghai" juid 
"Silver River," which, however, 
aren't boxoffice weaklings by any 
means. It's tlie third week for 
"Fuller Brush Man" and "Give My 
Regards to Broadway," and second 
for "Arch of Triumph" and "Ro- 
mance on High Seas," all move- 
overs. . 

Estimates for This Week 
Century (Par) (1,600; 50-70)— 
'Romance on High Seas" (WB) 
(m.o.). Here after disappointing 
initial Radio City stanza. Has been 
building, however, as result of fa- 
vorable word-of-mouth. Ligiit $4,- 
500 indicated. Last week, "Give 
My Regards to Broadway" (20th), 
mild $5,500. 

, Gopher (Par) (1,000; 44) — "Druins 
of Congo" (Indie) and "Captive 
Wild Woman" (Indie), dual reissues. 
Weak $2,500 sighted. Last week, 
"Under California Stars" (Rep) and 
"Little Tough Guys" (Indie) (re- 
issue), fair $3,500. 

Lyceum (Schreiber) (1,900; 50-70) 
—"The Pirate" (M-G). Thiid and 
last of pictures bought on competi- 
tive bidding away from Minnesota 
Amus. Co., which 1ms had jiroduct 
exclusively. ' Opened Sunday (4). 
Mild ^,000. Last week, "Home- 
tContinued on page 14) 



Visttors Help St Loo; 



St. Louis, July 6. 
Exodus of natives over July 4 to 
nearby recreation resorts was par- 
tially offset by out-of-towners 
fiocking here for major league 
baseball, Muny opera, etc., but 
grosses at the main stem cinemas 
are none too robust. "On an 
Island" at Loew's is the b.o. front- 
runner, with "Fort Apache" close 
behind. The St. Louis has re- 
lighted after being shuttered due 
to a ruckus with the stagehands 
union. 

Estimates for This Week 

Amliassador (F&M) (3,000; 50-75) 
— "The Emperor Waltz" (Par) and 
"Shaggj'" (Par). Good $18,000 
after a sock $25,000 for first stanza. 

Fox (F&M) (5,000; 50-75)— "Fort 
Apache" (RKO) and "French 
Leave'' (Mono). Solid $19,000. 
Last week, "Romance on High 
Seas" (WB) and "The Hunted" 
(Mono), $17,000. 

L«m:w's (Loew) (3,172; 50-75) — 
"On an Island With You" (M-G) 
and "Murder In Reverse" (Ind). 
Big $23,000. Last week. "Olie Pi- 
rate" (M-G) and "Here Comes 
Trouble" (U). $18,000. 

Missouri (F&M) (3,500; 50-75)— 
"Miracle of the Bells" (RKO) and 
"Give My Regards to Broadway" 
(20thy (m.o.). Okay $8,000 after 
neat $11,000. 

Orpheum (Loew) (2,000; 50-75)— 
"The Pirate" (M-G) and "Here 
Comes Trouble" (UA) (m.o.). Mod- 
erate $10,000. Last week, "All My 
Sons" (U-I) and "Are You With It" 
(U-I) (m.o.). $7,000. 

St. Louis (F&M) (4,000; 50-60)— 
"Gentleman's Agreement" (20th) 
and "Naked City" (U)- (2d run). 
$9,000. Shuttered last week. 

Sfanbest (Ind) (1,500; 50-60) — 
"Best Years of Our Lives" (RKO) 
(4th wkl Good. $7,000 Jqljlowing 



'Waltz'R^yaUSG.hdpIs^* 
'Island' Rosy %\^m 

Indianapolis, July 6. 

Firstrun film biz has perked up 
this stanza, due to holiday spirit 
and plenty of light summer fai-e. 
Both "Emperor Waltz" at Indiana 
and "On on Island With You" «t 
Loew's look good for holdovers. 
"River Lady" at Circle also is get- 
ting break in best week here for 
some time. ; 

Estimates for This Week 

Circle (Gamble-DoUe) (2,800; 44- 
65)— "River Ladj'" (Ui and "Train 
to Alcatraz." Nice $11,000. Last 
week, ''Noose Hangs High" (U) and 
"Cobra Strikes" (EL), Modest 
$10,000. 

Indiana (Gamblc-Dollc) (3;300; 
44-65)— "Emperor Waltz" (Par). 
Sock $18,000. Last week, "Fort 
Apache" (RKO). Oke $•12,000. 

Keith's' (Gamble-DoUe) (1,300; 
44-65)— "Noose Hangs High". (U> 
and "Cobra Strikes" (EL) im.o.). 
Average $4,500. Last week, "Wall- 
flower" (WB) and "Valley of 
Giants" (WB) (reissue). Dull 
$3,500. 

Loew's (Loew'sl (2,450; 44-65) — 
"On an Island With You" (M-G) 
and "Fabulous Joe" (UA). Solid 
$16,000. Last week, "Bridge Goes 
Wild" (M-G) and "Woman from 
Tangier" (Col) (2d wk). Nice 
$9,000, for $26,000 two-week total. 

Lyric (Gamble-DoUe) (1,600; 44- 
63)— "Fort Apache" (RKO) (m.o.). 
Slick $6,000. Last week, "Old Los 
Angeles" (Rep) and "Timber Trail" 
(Rep). Slow $5,000. 

HnttoD-l^e 

San Francisco, July 6. 

Betty Hutton and Ziggy Elman 
orch, as the stage mates iax "Stage 
Struek" at the Golden Gate, are 
making the big noise in Frisco this 
session. Another newcomer, "Street 
With No Name," is lifting the Fox 
into solid money, while "River 
Lady," at -the Orpheum and £s- 
quure, Is meeting a mixed b.o. re-, 
action. "Emperor Waltz," in its sec- 
ond week at the Paramount, is- 
holding up nicely but "The Pirate" 
is slipping at the Warfield. 
Estimates fer Tlais Week 

Golden Gate (RKO) (2,844; 65-95) 
—"Stage Struck" (RKO) plas vaude 
headed by Betty Hutton and Ziggy 
Elman orch. Boft' $46,500. I^st 
week, "Tarzan and the Mermaids" 
(RKO) and "So Long Remembered' 
plus fight pix, a nice $16,000. 

Fox (FWC) (4,651; 60-95)— "Street 
With No Name" (20th). Sock $32,- 
500. last week, "Silver River' 
(WB) (2d wk). a fair $12,500. 

W^cfif^ ()FWC) (2,656; 60-85)— 
"The Pirate" (MrG) (2d wk). Fair 
$13,500. Last week, strong $21,000. 

Rirauitount (Par) (2,646; 60-85)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (2d wk). 
Good $22,000. Last week, a sock 
$33,.500. 

St. Francis (Par) (1.400; 60-85) 
"The Paradme Case" (SRO) (3d 
wk). Punchy $12,000. Last week, 
fine $14,500. 

Orpbewn (Blumenfeld) (2,448: 
55-85)— "River Lady" (U). Mediocre 
$13,500. Last week, "Coroner 
Creek" Col), $12,500. 

United Artists (Biumenfeld) (1,- 
207; 55-85)— "Letter from An Un- 
known Woman" (U) (2d wk). Fair 
$8,000. Last week, good $9,500. 

Stasedoor (Ackerman) (350; 60- 
85)— "Corridor of Mirrors" (U). 
Strong $3,800. last week, "Private 
Life of Henry VIII" (SO (3d wk) 
and "Catherine the Great" (SO (3d 
wk), botli reissues, $2,600. 

Clay (Roesher) (400; 65-85)— 
Closed for repairs due to fire. 

Larkin (Roesner) (400; 65-85)— 
"L'Atlante" (Indie) and "Zero de 
Conduite" (Indie). Oke $2,800. Last 
week, "Jenny Lamour" (Indie) (3d' 
wk) held okay $2,400. 

United Nations (FWC) (1,149; 60- 
85)— "The Lost One" (Indie) (2d 
wk). Only $3,500. Last week, a 
pleasing $3,500. 

Esquire (Biumenfeld) (95i^;: 55-85) 
—"River Lady" (U).. Big :J7.500. 
Last week, "Coroner Creek" (Col), 
$7 500 ' 

State (Par) (2.133; 60-^)— "Rose 
of Washington Square" (2bth) and 
"Slave Ship" (20tli) (reissues). F^kir 
$8,500. Last week, "I, 3sba Doe" 
(Rep) and "The GaUant I^egitm" 
(Rep), $6,000. -o— 



Tmperw' Waltzes to Sod[ $156,001 
3d Wed; '^er' PanMb ^ ^,000; 
'ApcW4ieDa 105G 3d, 'Ornsades' 30G 



Estimates Are Net 

FUm gross estimates as re- 
ported herewith from the vari' 
ous key cities, are net, i.e., 
without the 20% tax. Distribu- 
tors share on net take, when 
playing precentage, hence the 
estimated figures are net in- 
come. 

The parenthetic admission 
prices, however, as Indicated, 
.^4P*=!'Vde ^ U. S^,«l9l^pf;}n«l^ , 



Long Independence Day week- 
end rode into New York on the 
crest of the hottest, muggiest 
weather of the new summer. As 
result, the number of tourists ar- 
riving in town hardly equalled tJie 
number of New Yorkers who par- 
ticipated in the mass exodus from, 
the city starting last Thursday 
(1). Broadway biz, consequently, 
while good for the most part, was 
still not up to expectations. 

Most of the Stem houses kept 
their weekend prices in effect 
throughout the weekend, which 
niight help explain some of the 
better grosses. Vaudfilm houses, 
with Uie exception of the Strand, 
fared best, indicating the out-of- 
towners want the live entertain- 
ment they don't get at home. 

Radio City Music Hall, always 
a showplace, pulled the tourists 
in off the swelteruig streets con- 
sistently to rack up a socko $156,- 
000 for the third week of "Emperor 
Waltz " combined with tlie Hall's 
Independence Day stage presenta- 
tion. Capitol, with "Fort Apache?' 
coupled with Lena Horne, Skin- 
nay Enuis orch and Paul Winchell 
toppmg the stage layout, showed 
a neat $105,000, good but not up 
to the previous week's . total. 
Strand, with "Romance on High. 
S.oas" and Bob Crosby's orch on 
stage, dipped to mild $37,000. 

Roxy ran into bad luck when 
the Andrews Sisters, headlining 
the stagebill Avith Dean Martin 
and Jerry Lewis, plus an ice 
show, were called to the Coa&t 
Saturday (3) by the death of their 
motlier. Theatre, with "Give Re- 
gards to Broadway" on screen, 
was forced to trim its admission 
prices, but still chalked up a fine 
$90.tM)0 for the second frame. 

State led the straight fllmeries, 
where "Easter Parade", inaugurat- 
mg a new deluxe first run policy 
foi- the house, teed oS to a rec- 
ord breaking $85,000, far and 
away the best the house has ever 
done. "Crusades," a Paramount 
reissue, opened surprisingly well 
at the Rivoli with a fine $30,000 
for the first round. 

Estimates tor This Week 
Astor (Cily Inv.) (1300; 70-$1.50). 
—"Melody Time" (RKO).(Gth wk). 
Current stanza ending today (Wed.) 
passably good at $13,000 after fair 
$15,000 last week. CJontinues. 

Capitol (Loew's) (4,820; 70-$1.80). 
—"Fort Apache" (RKO) with Lena 
Horne. Skinnay Ennis orch, Paul 
Winchell. others on stage (2d wk). 
Holiday weekend was no help here, 
although the eistimated $105,000 for 
week ending today (Wed.) is good. 
SItunp was recorded . from last 
week's fine $117,000. 

Criterion (Loew's) (1,700; 70- 
$1.85). — "Lady from Shanghai" 
(Col) (4th-final wk). Apparently 
unable to withstand the hot 
■feather pace, slumped- to under 
$10,000 for last frame ending today 
(Wednesday), after only slightly 
better $11,000 last week. "Canon 
City" (EL) opens tomorrow (Thurs- 
day). 

Globe (Brandt) (1,500; S0>-$1.80). 
—"Arab of Triumph" (UA) <12th- 
final wk). Closing after four days 
of the 12th week with an estimated 
$6,800, not good. Previous session, 
light $10,000. "Fury at Furnace 
Creek" (20th) opens Satuiday (10). 

Mayfair (Brandt) (1,736; 90-$1.80) 
—"Time of Life" (UA) (6th wk). 
Also hurt by the holiday, with the 
cuiTent session winding today 
(Wednesday) down to $15,000, after 
$20,000 for fifth frame. Continues. 

Palace (RKO) (1,700; 35-80)— 
"Flowing Gold" (WB) and "Back- 
ground to Danger" (WB) (reissues). 
(1st wk). About $9,000 sighted for 
frame ending Sunday (11), after 
fair $13,000 for previous frame 
with "Berlin Express" (RKO) and 
"Scudda Hoo" (20th) (2d runs), 
plus Louis-Walcott fight pix. "Mr. 
Blandings" (SRO) and "Panhandle" 
(Rep) (2d runs) open Monday (12). 

Parameimt (Par) (3,664; 55-$1.5(n 
-^"Foreign' Afifair" (Par) and Jo 
Stafford, Georgie Kaye, Sam Dona- 
hue orch, Lane Bros, on stage (2d 
wk). Very nice $87,0.'}0 for initial 
frame ending tonight (Tues.) but 
still not up to expectAtions based 
on rave reviews. Last week, sec- 
ond and final round of "Dream 
Girl" (Par) and Phil Spitalny orch 
heading stagebill, fahr $55,00!Di. ' 

Radio CVCt Music Hall (Rocke- 
fellers) (5,943; 80-S2.40) — "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) witli stageshow 
(3d wk) -- • - 



sues) (3d wk). Steady $10,000 for 
frame ending tonight (Wednesday), 
after $10,400 last we**. "Drums'* 
(FC) (reissue) in next but date not 

Klvoll (UAT-Par) (2,092; 60-$lJS5> 
"Crusades" (Par) <reissue) (Ist 
wk). Opened late Friday (2) after- 
noon, after "Lulu BeUe" (Gol) ,, 
puUed out, and doing good $30,000 
for first round. Previous week, 
second and final for "Lulu" wa« 
poor $9,000. 

Rosy (2000 (5,fl86; BO^H.BO)— 
"Give Regards to Broadway" (20th), . 
with ice show, plus Andrews Sis- 
ters, Dean Martin & Jerry licwis on 
stage (3d wk). Andrews Sisters flew 
to Coast Saturday (3) for mother's 
•funeral, forcing Roxy to cut twp 
price to $1.50 for weekend, with no 
replacement. Biz still good $90,000 
for second frame ending last (Tues- 
day) night, after fine $123,4)00 open- 
er. "Street wiOi No Name" (20ai) 
plus new ice, stageshows, opemi 
next Wednesday (14), 
State (Loew's) (3,450; 80-$1.80)— 
Easter Parade" (M-G) (2d wk). 
With t(«> prices in effect over long, 
weekraid, this world preem set new 
house record with boff $85,000 In 
first round of new deluxe showcase 
policy. Pic stays at least tiiree-four 
weeks more. ,Last week, four days 
of thivd stanza fsa. "Smnmer HioIi« 
day" (M-G), down to $7;900r «t 9S^ 
$1.25 scale. 

Strand (WB) (2,756; 75-$1.50)— 
"Romance on High Seas" (WB), 
plus Bob Crosby orch headinc 
stagebilM2d wk). Only vaud-flfaner 
not helped by weekend, with second 
frame ending tomorrow tThutsday) 
down lo mild $37,000, after disap- 
pointing $45,000 opening week. 

Victoria (aty Inv.) (720; 70-JKi:S0> 
—"Raw Deal" (UA) .opens bd«^ 
(Wed.). Last week, "Fi^tiae 
Father Dunne" (RKO) in second 
and final round, n. s. h. at $13,500 
aft(»- mild $15,000 opening week. 

Winter Garden (UA) (1,312; 55- 
$1.50) — "Man-Eater, of Knmaott" 
(U)^ First wedc ending today 
(Wednesday) fairly good at $25,000; 
good front ballyhoo ^animateid tiger, - 
etc., atop marquee drawing more - 
attenti<Ht than film., Pic stays. 
Last week, house closed in prep- 
aration for "Han-Siiter" preem. 

'Waltz' ytsOnak $12,00 

Omaha, Jular 6. 
"The Emperor Waltz" lifted tho 
Paramount out of the midsummer 
doldrums and looked big from tho 
moment the picture opened. In Msm 
taee of hot, i&y weather the picturo 
opened solidly. jPreportionately 
strong in a small house, "Home- 
coming" is also doing okay. 
"Mickey," heavily ballyhoocd at the 
Orpheum was also responsible for 
a slight lift ' in busmese tb^m, 
"Fighting Father Dunne" l8 smasU 
at the Bramleis. 

Estbnaies for This Week 
Paramoont (Tristates) (2,800; 16- 
6.5.) — ^"Emperor Waltz" (Par) very 
good $12,000 and probable move- 
over. Last week, "Green Grass of 
Wyoming" (20th), thin $9,000 much 
below average here. 

State (Goldberg) (865; 16-65) — 
"Homecoming" (M-G) Big $4,500 
and probable holdover. Last week, 
"Fury at Furnace Oeek" (20tb) 
(2d wk) good $3,000 with "Two 
Mugs From Brookb^" (Indie). 

Orpheum (Tristates) (3,000; 16- 
65) — "Mickey (EL) and "Under 
the Tonto Rim" (RKO), ordinary 
$10,000. loastweek, "Mr. Reckless" 
(Par) and Bay McKlnley stage 
band-revue at 20-80, good but not 
overly big $18,000. 

Brandeis (RKO) (1,500; 16-65) — 
"Fighting Father Dunne" (RKO). 
"Arizona Ranger" (RKO) and 
Louis-Walcott fight (RKO), smash 
$8,000 and holdover indicated. Last 
week, "Silver River" (WB) and 
"Trapped by Boston ffiiadde" <C»U, 
fair $7,000. . 

Ouiaba (Tristates) (2,100; 16-65> ' 
— "Green Grass of Wyoming" 
(20th) and "Half Past Midnight" 
(20th) fair $8,000. Last week, 
"Give My Regards to Broadway" 
(20th) (m.o) and "Blonde Savage** 
(EL) (1st run) Ught $7,800. 



Call the Cops : 

.''fldiadeiphk..'" 
Mel Kofi's suburban (Qlensfde 
theatre is now listed as a 28-day 
house. Change of clearance gives 
Most of tourists must have the Glenside an equal break with 



cooled off here, with biz up to sock 
$156,000, after fine $151,000 last 
week. Stays another two or three tres. 
weeks. 

Rialtft (Mage) (594; 44-98)— 
"Tower of London" (FO and "Man 
Who Reclaimed {Hf:)!^ 



its rivals in the York Road section, 
the Keswick and Yorktown thea- 



i J. Fox planning at 1,000* 
seater in nearby Mt. HoII^, N. J., 



12 



« gfc' arnrthtv W«»» •amtalKKt 8wm» 



Fwep Talent Buoys Up Anientme 
fk Production, Tho Trend Is Decried 



Buenos Aires, June 29. 4 
Argentina's film industry has 
marked up two boxofiice successes 
this year, but both pix have Mexi- 
can stars as part of their attrac- 
tion. These are'Dolores del Rio in 
"Historia de una Mala Mujer" 
("Lady Windermere's Fan") and 
Arturo de Cordova in "Dios se lo 
Pagua." Meanwhile,-. Aldo Febrizzi 
has been taking shots here for his 
picture "Immigrant," of which he 
Is star, producer, director and 
scenarist. Other studios have been 
• trying to sign still more foreign 
luminaries, with Anna Magnani, 
Italian actress, bidding for $85,000 
for one picture. Yet another studio 
Is dickering with French actor 
Louis Jouvct, well known in the 
Argentine pix industry, as he spent 
a couple of the war years in Ar- 
igentine territory. .: ' 

Trend towards using foreign 
stars is considered a bad one by 
some, as bound to have detrimen- 
tal effect on the market for Argen- 
tine pix in the rest of Latin 
America. Mexican experience in 
this respect is recalled. A couple 
Of years back Mexican studios 
iqked Argentine talent at high 
salaries, to make Spanish speaking 
pix in Mexico. Until that time 
Mexican pix had an excellent mar- 
ket in Argentina, but as soon as 
the pix made in Mexico with Ar- 
gentine stars started being e?:» 
hibited, public interest in them 
tapered off almost completely. 

Set Shortage Crimps 
A deal has been made between 
the recently formed Sijmca studios 
(which has Vatican backing) and a 
Spanish studio, with the Spanish 
Ambassador in Argentina, Count 
de Motrlco, acting as intermediary, 
to make a picture on the life of 
novelist Miguel de Cervantes, for 
joint Argentine-Spanish produc 
tion,./with some sequences made on 
Argentine territory and others in 
Spain: Julio Saracent is to direct 
the Argentine seciuences. 

Shortage Of studio sets is stymie- 
ing Increase , in local production. 
Sur Studios has had to solve the 
problem by inking a deal with 
Chile Films to shoot scenes f or 
"Esperanza," a picture on the 
colonization of the Argentine prov- 
ince of Santa Fe, in Chile Films' 
studios in Santiago. Argentina 
Sono Film, San Miguel, Emelco, 
and Lumiton all have fou# studios 
each now, and* these are working 
incessantly. Efa and Rio de La 
Plata Studios have only one set 
each and can therefore make only 
one picture at a time. 



Anna Neagle's 3d Win Pars 
Greer as 'Best Actress' 

London, July 6. 

Anna Neagle became a three- 
time winner of the Gold Medal for 
the Best Actress Performance last 
week in recognition of her thesping 
in "The Courtneys of Curzon 
Street," produced and directed by 
her husband, Herbert Wilcox, for 
British Lion release. She pre- 
viously won the accolade twice in 
the past 10 years with "Victoria 
the Great" and "Piccadilly Inci- 
dent" and is the only British ac- 
tress ever to cop the honor upon 
jthree occasions. ' 

Greer Garson is also a triple 
winner for her Hollywood perform- 
ance and the only actor to land a 
triple crown is Laurence Olivier. 
Ficturegoer readers' votes for Miss 
Neagle's performance this year 
chalked up a new poll record. An- 
other interesting result of the bal- 
loting is that Michael Wilding, the 
star's male lead in "Courtneys," is 
only one-half point behind John 
Mills who is Gold Medal winner in 
the actors' section. V 



Jannings Planning Pix 



Vienna, June 29. 
Emil Jannings, given a ohe-year 
permit i ecently to act on the 
Vienna stage, also intends to make 
a series of films with his own 
company here. Foi-mer German 
UFA star is now an Austrian 
citizen. 

A year ago Jannings wanted to 
act in a Russian play at Urfahr, in 
the.. Russian zone of Austria, but 
the Russ occupation authorities ob- 
jected. Despite reports of *Jannings 
being conditionally denazified, it's 
said he never joined the Nazi 
party, although he did continue to 
act in Nazi Germany, as a Staats- 
Echauspieler, with the blessings 
of Joe Goebbels. The disciplinary 
committee of the Austrian Thea- 
trical . Union, however, decided 
unanimously there was no objec- 
tion to Jannings joining. 

Union has ruled, however, that 
Lyda Baarova, Czech screen and 
stage star and one time friend of 
Goebbels, may not appear on 
stage flir screen here. Baarova 
came here recently from Prague, 
as a political refugee. 



E^htU^S-PixFor 
Locarno Fest 

Zurich, June "29. 

Third Locarno Festival will be 
held July 1 to 12, with 24 pix from 
seven countries shown, iive in 
world preem. These are Italy's 
"Anni DifflciU" ("Diffieult Years"), 
by Luigi Zampa; "Germania, Anno 
Zero" ("Germany, the Year 
Nought"), by Roberto Rossellini; 
"Arrivederci, Papa" ("Good-bye, 
Daddy") and "Proibito Rubare" 
("Forbidden to Steal"), and Swit 
zerland's full-length production of 
the winter Olympics at St. Moritz, 
"Combats Sans Haine" ("Combat 
Without Hatred"). 

Other pix to be shown are Italy's 
"L'Kbreo Errante" ("The Wander- 
ing Jew"), "Cuore" ("Heart"), 
"Come Persi la Guerra" ("How I 
Lost The War") and "La Traviata"; 
France's "La Chartreuse de 
Parme," "Les Condamnes" ("The 
Damned") and "La Grande Ma- 
guet"; Austria's "Anni, eine Wien- 
er Ballade" ("Anni, a Viennese 
Ballade") and "Gottes Engel sind 
Ueberall"- ("God's ' Angels Are 
Everywhere"); England's "It Al- 
ways Rains On Sunday," and Rus- 
sia's "Spring." 

Hollywood will be represented 
by eight pix, all of whicli will ap- 
pear at Locarno in European 
preem: 20th's "Captain from Cas- 
tile," Metro's "Unfinished Dance," 
RKO's "Fort Apache," UA's 
"Sleep, My Love," Columbia's "It 
Had To Be You," Paramount's 
"The. Unconquered," -Warner's 
"Voice of the Turtle," and Repub- 
lic's "I've Alway? Loved You." 



Usboit Cinemas Must 
Abide by PartrLegit Law 

Lisbon,. June 22. 

The liSading cinemas in Lisbon 
are installed in the best and oldest 
legit theatres of the capital. Para- 
mount, Metro, HKO, 20th, Univer- 
sal and United Artists provide, by 
mutual arrangement, exclusive pre- 
mieres of their most important 
pictures in the theatres S. Luis, 
Politeama, Eden and Tivoli. 

There is .a movement on foot 
here to have applied to these cine- 
theatres a three-year-old law that 
Compels theatres, transformed into 
chiemas to give at least four 
months a year to legitimate thea- 
tre. Two theatres, the Trindade 
and the Ginasio, are already com- 
plying with this regulation and 
during this summer are Occupied 
by theatrical groups. 



Quick Windup 
Due in Hungary 
Pix Takeover 



Budapest, June 29. 

Complete nationalization of the 
Hungarian film industry is expect- 
ed to be effected this year, follow- 
ing disclosu're that a move is now 
under way to unite the film com-^ 
panics controlled by the four, mar 
jor political parties here into one 
big state-controlled organization. ' 

Parties, whicli have controlled 
most of Hungary's 560 theatres in 
the past, are now voluntarily re- 
linquishing their exhibitor licenses 
to the state. In addition, and of 
especial importance to the U. S., 
the State Film Office (SFO) is 
forming a state-controlled distrib- 
uting company/ which w o u 1 d 
handle both domestic distrib and 
export and import films. SFO prez 
Gyorgy Angyal announced recently 
that import restrictions would 
cover pix of all countries, includ- 
ing the U. S., which is expected to 
rule out American pix considered 
"anti-popular" or "imperialist" in 
character. 

Until now, the Motion Picture 
Export Assn. has handled distribu- 
tion of all American pix in Hun- 
gary. Nationalization is expected 
to be implemented by Aug. 1, after 
which the MPEA would be able to 
distribute only under terms of 
agreement with the film bureau, 
same as it now does with the state 
monopolies in Czechoslovalcia, Po- 
land and Bulgaria. 

Under the state-controlled ex- 
hibition, those few minor theatres 
in the country not controlled by 
the parties will be permitted to 
continue independent operation. 
All of these, however, are of minor 
importance. In addition to setting 
up an exhibition control, the SFO 
will also supervise production, dis- 
tribution and 16m activities. 

About $360,000 has been allo- 
cated for production, on which four 
to six pictures are expected to be 
turned out. This number is expected 
to reach eight by the end of the 
year, with 20 slated to be produced 
by the state in 1949 and 50 by 1950. 



Itailians Now l^ew with Map Forep 
Fdmers Upsettinif Wage Structures 



Bergei Paliadhmi Sock 

London, July 6. 

Edgar Bergen scored brilliantly 
in an all-round smash show at tlie 
Palladium, winning insistent ac- 
oUtti^, witit his act extending eight 
minutes overtime. 

$t:e^ Marlowe wds also an out- 
st«n<}|^- comedy biib 



TOURISTS AID EIRE B.O.; 
NIGHT LIFE IS MISSED 

Dublin, June 29. 

With record numbers of tourists 
visiting Eire — ■ mostly from Brit- 
ain-ii-theatres are gathering in the 
cdlh. It's mostly ..going to legit 
h^^ses, with balance to the. vaud- 
eiji. : Cinemas seejh- to be getting 
little visitors' ■ xnohey. - Closing of 
Aljbey theatre for month ! of !June^ 
ho^^'S' traditional'holiday^ month- 
caused, beefs from visitors wh6' 
wanted to see the famed company. 

Tourists also complain of city's 
lack of night life. Dublin has no 
nightclub and most restaurants put 
up shutters at midnight 6r earlier. 



Mex Strike Settled 

Mexico City, July 6. 

Strike threat against four Mex 
film' studios was averted at the 
last minute through settlement ar 
ranged by Government Conciliation 
Dept. ThujFSdas'. (1), just seconds 
before the deadline: 

Studios Involved are Churubus- 
co, Tcpeyac, Aztecat and Clasq. 



French Pathe's U.S. Head 
To Paris on Co. Huddles 

Jacques Chabrier, prexy of Pathe 
Cinema Corp., an American sub- 
sidiary of the French producing 
organization, planed to Paris Sat^ 
urday (3) for confabs with parent 
company toppers regarding pos- 
sible U.S. production and distri- 
bution plans for Pathe. Firm pre- 
viously financed exterior shooting 
in Morocco of Sam Bischoff 's forth- 
coming George Raft starrer, "Out- 
post in Morocco." 

Several weeks ago Chabrier 
huddled on the Coast with Bischoff, 
but whetlier Pathe and the pro- 
ducer have similar Continental 
film-making ventures mapped out 
is as yet undisclosed. Pathe also 
is contemplating a string of Amer- 
ican art houses in key U. S. cities. 
Its new Paris, a small-seater in 
midtown New York, is due to 
preem in September. 

Theatre BuiUng 
Upheat in Canada 

Washington, July 6. 

Theatre building is on the up- 
beat in Canada, a report just is- 
sued by the U. S. Dept. of Com- 
merce shows. Currently about 100 
houses are under Construction, to 
add to the 1,606 in operation. Last 
year, the Canadians built a total 
of 113 film theatres. 

Report of Odeon Theatres of 
Canada, J. Arthur Rank chain, 
shows that five new theatres were 
added last year and four more have 
been placed in operation since the 
beginning of 1948. The present 
plan is to complete 10 more by 
the end of this year. This would 
give Odeon 19 modern houses in 
top Canadian 'Situations. 

Famous Players Canada Corp. 
has launched a program to add 18 
theatres to its chain, the first of 
these houses opening in a semi- 
suburban area of Toronto last 
March. Three of the new theatres 
will be firstrun operations in To- 
ronto. Company is spending about 
$3,000,000 for modernization, re- 
placement and building program. 

Commerce report points out also 
that the 20% Dominion tax on 
theatre admissions was abolished 
in Canada May 19. However, some 
of the provinces are substituting 
their own taxes to take up tliis 
loose coin. Film people are hop- 
ing that' some drop in the admiST 
sion taxes will hypo the boxoffice 
which has. been off about 15% 
lately. 



Current London Shows 

London, July 6. 
(Figures show weeks of run) 
"A La Carte," Savoy (3). 
"All My Sons," Globe (3). 
"Ambassador," Aid. (1). 
"Anna Lucasta," Majesty's (36). 
"Annie Get Gutt/'. Cors'm (57). 
"Bless the Bride,?': Adelphi (63). 
"Bob's Yiur Uncle,? Say. (9). 
"Caec. Peacoofc?. Straind (3). 
VCaribbeta.aijiap.,? Wales (5). 
"Carisslmaj" 'Palace (17). 
'JChiltern lituhdreds," Vaude (45) 
"JEdward lily Son," Lyric (58). 
"Four, Five, Six," York (17). 
"Giaconda Smile," New (5). 
"Happiest Days.". Apollo (15). 
"Lady Asks Help." Garrick (4). 
"Linden Tree," Duchess (47). 
"Little Lambs," Ambass. (13). 
"Off Record," Piccadilly (53). 
"Oklahoma!", Drury Lane (62). 
"Outrageous," W. Garden (34). 
"Paragon," Fortune (9). 
"Present Lauffhter," H'ymkt (64) 
"Relapse," Phoenix (23). ' 
"Starlight Roof," Hipp. (35)., 
"Travelers Joy," Crit. (5). 
"Together Again," Vic. Pal, (65). 
"Wonders Never," Comedy (2). 
"Worms View," Whitehall (62). 



ABELES-STACK SUCCEED 
MILDER-BROWN WITH WB 

London, July 6. 

Amidst the hubbub caused by 
the sudden shuttering of Warner 
Bros.' Teddington studios in Eng- 
land, Max Milder, WB managing 
director in Britain, stepped down 
from that post. He was succeeded 
by Arthur S. Abeles, Jr., who had 
served as assistant to Milder for 
the past year. 

Abeles immediately t a p p e d 
Charles F. Stack for general sales 
manager to take over from J. Wal- 
ton Brown. Resignations of both 
Milder and Brown were attributed 
to ill health. Milder's condition is 
reported as still critical. 

Milder had been with Warners 
for over 25 years and since 1931 
had been top man for all WB ac- 
tivities in the United Kingdom. 

20th.Fox Int'l Shifts 

Some Latin Managers 

Joel Hart, in 20th-Fox Interna- 
tional's Chilean office last two 
years, has been named manager of 
the, company's Peru exchange, suc- 
ceeding Charles Matzen. Latter 
goes to Europe for an undisclosed 
post. 

Thomas Sibert, attached to the 
Mexico City office past two years, 
has been named manager of Porto 
Rico, replacing Andrew Jaeger, on 
leave for illness. Donald McAfee, 
now in the Barcelona office, goes 
to Mexico City. . . . 



Home, June 29. 

Italian producers, faced with 
rising costs as result of foreign 
production in Italy, are seeking a 
way for further such production to 
be done through local organiza* 
tions. Announcement that Univer* 
sal-International .plans to produce 
here has only increased alarm " 
among local producers, already 
concerned by the effect on tlieir 
budgets of Metro, 20th, Korda, 
Welles and Rod E. Geiger activitiea 
or plans. 

A year or so ago, when an- 
nouncement was made of foreign 
production in Rome, Italian pro* 
ducers welcomed the idea, as 
bringing new techniques here as 
well as needed coin. . But Ameri- 
can disregard for wage rates es- 
tablished by local syndicates has 
upset the whole structure here, 
causing dissatisfaction among taU . 
ent, and creating some disturb" ' 
ances. Maximum here for extras 
was 12,000 lire ($18) a week. For 
Edward Small's "Cagliostro," up 
to 50,000 lire ($100) was paid for 
an extra occasionally saying a few 
words. Extras began generally to 
demand higher wages, so that 
Gregory Ratoff was once compelled 
to call the police when they i-e- . 
fused to continue work, demanding 
higher pay. 

Anchise Brizzi, ace cameraman 
who replaced the late Ubaldo 
Arata during the lensing of "Cag- 
liostro," is demanding 75,000 lire 
($150) a week — about double that 
of a year ago. Set designers and 
costumers have also been affected, 
though in a different way, since 
they work on theii;- own instead of : 
through syndicates. 

Conversely, leading actors are 
still paid as before. No Italian 
player except Valentina Cortese 
(now in the U. S.), was used in 
"Cagliostro." Only Gregor Babm- 
ovitch used them in "The Lost 
One" and in the current "Faust." 
but Rabinovitch pix are produced 
in co-partnership with the Italian 
companies Cinopera and Grand! 
Film Storici, Which figure here as 
producers. When contracts are 
signed with native units, actors 
don't beef on salaries. " 

Snider Seeks Down Under 
Fihns Expansion Though 
Sound Stage Lack Hurts 

Joe Joel, longtime publicity and 
exploitation director for Columbia 
Pictures in Australasia, is in the 
U. S. on his first visit from Syd- 
ney. He has resigned his Col post 
to take a leisurely American tour 
and also execute a number of 
special missions, including one for 
L. S. (Sam) Snider, M. P., in rela- 
tion to possible expansion of Aus- 
tralian film production in associa- 
tion with Herbert T, Silverberg, 
Hollywood attorney, and Andie de 
Toth, director. 

Lower labor costs, frozen Aus- 
tralian pounds ($3 as against the 
$4 British pound) and other fac- 
tors, favor expansion of film pro- 
duction Down Under, save for one 
thing-— great shortage of sound 
stages. Housing is so acute that 
the government is unlikely to okay 
cinema building over more neces- 
sary, home building. 

Nonetheless, Snider, as head of 
the Snider & Deane independent 
tlieatre chain of over 120 cinemas, 
has hopes of easing the way. Con- 
sidering that sound stages in Syd- 
ney are usually something like a 
converted skating rink, it's appar- 
ent that any such project would 
call for considerable construction 
investment. 

Scenieally, so far as the west- 
erns and Idndred type pix are con- 
cerned, Aussie offers many natural 
advantages. Ealing (Rank) is cur- 
rently at work with a mixed. Aus- 
tralian-British cast, headed by the 
Aussie star, Chips Rafferty, who 
came to attention in "Tlie Over- 
landers," best grossing, Aussie- 
made pic. New film, called "Eureka 
Stockade," is budgeted at 150,000 
pounds (.$450,000), the most costly 
production investment to date. 
Columbia's "Specific Adventure 
(eaUed "Smithy" in Aussie) was 
also a general click. Average film 
made Down Under costs 60,000^ 
pounds ($180,000), but considering 
tlie standards, which are about 
one-third that of the U. S., much 
value can thus be extracted. 



Vednesday, July 7, 1948 



IS 



THE STREET WITH NO NAME 
IS SMASH BOXOFFICE STREET! 



...IN EVERY 



—Hollywood Reporter 




Fox Theatre - Biggest 
opening business of tlie 
year, >> bar nonel 



Sensational opening to 
match tremeiidoiis 
publicity of FBI« 
sponsored screeningl 



lour/ Theatre World 
Premiere blasts those 
terrific ''Northside'' and 
""Boomerangr records! 



Lines on streets gove 
''Street'' big, big open- 
ing at big, big Fox 
Theatre! 



Opened to business 
hotter than any picture 
of its kind! 



CINTURY-POX 



14 



WedbudU^, July 7, 1941 



Schiinr's B^^petfira a Slq^ To 



Resigoatioa of production tiiieff- 
Dore SdMry busi week came as a 
shock to the distribution staif at 
the BKO homeoffice. Exec pro- 
dtHSer enjoyed great pvestige witii 
the sales tone, reflecting the tai^ 
•tandins in «liich' eidhibs fadd the 
product, made in the ^st 18 
months under. Me regime. Tim 
was ' just .beginning to be &lt in 
better terms moA i^lasing time. 
. Fear "Qiat the Sdtaiy overfxim 
might )|e foilowed bjr cfaanees in 
the distribution setup lias all eyes 
on the series of huddles, includiog 
a directors' meeting, that wiU 
take place on the Coast this week. 

It is thought that if new owner 
Howard Hughes and Ned Depinet, 
exec v.p., who tops the distribution 
end, see eye-to-eye through thMe 
. sessions, the sale$ end will be in 'a 
good position to retain autonomy 
and status quo — ^f or the time being, 
■■ anywa^y. .,,.„■ j 

, Huglies ai3d Depinet,, it is i 
Hxtmra autAwritaUveily, have gotten 
along very well so far. Bepin^t 
was reportedly burned, however, 
In not being consulted or informed 
on last week's action regarding 
Schary. He was in jD«U«s attend- 
ing the funend -of iwst -exMlntior 
William G. UodeiWQOd when Ik 
heard the new& 

So far there lias been autt 4!ae 
slightest sign isa ^ taiA Chat, tbe 
controlling stock ownership bad 
passed into sew Jtands. Uepmet 
' and sales chief . Eoibeit Moclme 
liave been mnning things exactly 
as before< 

Depinet and tlie' otiher diFectors- 
in New York ££arted taking off 
yesterday (Tuesdajr) for the series- 
of Coast haiMihw ftaat begun todar 
and wind up Snaday It was 

emphasized .jrt tiw iMmieofiice this 
week Vl^t Vm ounent meetings 
had beeii planned more than a 
' month ago and were nowise in the 
nature af emeigency .sessions. 

Sometime towards tiie end 
the wec3c ibe group is sticadasce 
at the huddles will constitute itself 
formally into a board of directors 
and hold a meeting. One of the 
most important things .tbat the 
coacSave must ^hibeoMas^ aside 
frem a suioeessar to Stixas, is .a 
slate of directas to xe^oe Offinm 
and ius leps on the board, unless 
HujEi9ie» invites some of tbem to 
stasr ea. Wbatever xiames are de- 
cided 4m &ir tbe new board; will be 
included In 13)s -^im^ irtatement 
for the next stockholders' meeting, 
which mm tentatively sidied- 
uled for Atig«^ - It is loaig over- 
due, according to provisions of the 
by-laws, jaaving been postpiHiied 
pendii^ Hnjpus' decaslea on bis 
directorate. . 

AccompaniFiog Desdnet via plane 
yesterday wira^- dinctocs 'Frederick 
L. £htman asd Geoise.Sbaw. Od- 
ium went out In Ms private plane. 
1,. Lawrence Green is going by 
train and Harry M. Durning is 
heading west later in the week. 
Prexy N. Peter Rathvon is already 
on the Coast, completing the slate 
of directors who will attend the 
sessions. Malcolm Kingsberg, BKO 
Theatres prez, who is not a direc- 
tor, is also going out to sit in on 
the meetings. Most of those at- 
teinding, including Depinet, are ex- 
pected back in New York next 
Tuesday (13). 




Kew Brit. TmIe 



Continued Immu vast % _ 
exhibitors. Thus budgets weie cut 
and spectacles eiimioated. 

Rank will stiil make an effort to 
sell his films abroad, but it won't 
necessarily be a maoey-laemg ef- 
fort, as before. As he tjuilds tip 
domestic audiences for his films, 
he can make them more expeosive- 
ly and better, and lUus compete on 
a dnn bams both in Biitain and 
«b»MdL Ihete's also a.realin- 
tiiW.tbat beadog flidiigywaod ont of 
its Jinn posi^ in tbe forrign maT- 
lait, if it can .be idiMie at all, wda^t 
be Ml, a agMday «n»der hxS9, but 
graduaUy o«ier « loug pcsind .«f 

B}^ cutting down the cost and suee 
of his films. Rank eaa make more 
tlwm In; 'flat same '^amanmt of 
iSemt amd tims sme io teiwete Hol- 
lywwid's product mtt of Britain, 
that's the reason for the 45% 
<l«oU and Hank's beHisercnce in 
:TefusDDg more than mimmum play- 
.•atag time to li. S. pix on Jiis Odeon 
l:4m.GaunHwt-Biitish dicuits, it is 



Schary and Selznick trould split 
the profits. 

(Ueantime, Schary declai;«d in 
Hollywood: "My plan.? are indef- 
inite. I am going to take- a deep 
breath and do some serious think- 
ing. I want to come to some basic 
decisions .before X make any 
plans.") 

When Sdiaxy was with Selznick 
before, it was as apratdneer on the 
lot However, theu: leSaitoa^p 
was very c!ose — and has remained 
so— and Sdiaiy Iwd a good bit of 
autonomy in his productions. 

One thing being good-naturedly 
said since Schary announced his 
resignation as RKO production 
topper la^^^week is ihat "no one 
need vratxs' abiaut bsia,f Producer 
aoquired such- a repntaiion as a 
quality picturemaker with a b.o. 
touch that his services are in high 
demand. He could undoubtedly get 
a favorable deal at another studio, 
bud; it is andensbood. he prefers to 
maume his. association . with Selz-' 
nidt, whidi adso promises to be 
more jHttStable than a studio tieup, 
siiice he will be able to take ad- 
vantage <o£° the capital gains pro- 
vifocms of the tax law on some of 
bis income fmm. his own unit. 



Hollywood. July 6. 

After being on, Ms schedule for 
sevetai yeaiSj RKO has decided to 
drop "The Bobe," which Frank 
Ross was to make and the latter 
will now seek independent finan- 
cing. Approximately $750,000 was 
put into the pic by RKO. The com- 
pany figured the cost to be too lugb 
for cfflntinuance on its schedule, 
especially >5ith coin already spent 

Victor Fieannig m!ay direct the 
pic, with iHx^'dity it would be 
made in Italy, if and when a new 
deal is set 



PbHi I 

I page s sBsa,' 



sa CMctiaocd hrom page 

to meet current problems, it «»- 

tinixes to be .discussed by 
toppKS because .no one has 
up with anything better. lExem- 
tive committee of the board of dir 
rectors of the Motion Ftetore Ex- 
pott Assn. spent almost the entire 
90 9( ks very hmMwi^ 

session in New York last Thnrsday 
(1 ) discussing the plan. Eaee com- 
mittee consists only of the pceaa- 
dent or top ranking exec available 
of each company, pliu Eric John- 
ston, ItlPEA and Motion V^iAure 
Assn. of America prez, and James 
A. Mul'vey, vepping the Sod^ of 
Indepeadecd; Motion Ptetnra Pro- 
ducers. 

Ea^rt corporation ictea took 
conshAerably moi« form at the ses- 
sion, following the vague outlines 
of the .scheme presented at ilie 
jHevious coBc3ave two weeks ear- 
lier. However, despite the ioigthy 
discussions of' organization and 
method, it is understood Hme is 



grave doubt -whether the plan will 
ever materialize. 

0:Hiosi&)n to it is very strong 
from some quarters, with Spyros 
Skomras, 20th-Fox prexy, the lead- 
er of the againsters. Lined up in 
the comer for the plan is Barney 
Balaban, Paramount chief tain, who 
has the active support of- Grad 
Sears, United Artists bossman, and 
Jack Cohn, executive veepee of Cp- 
lumhia. , 

Universal presents a further 
complicalioa, since it has a con- 
tractual relationship with Rank 
that commits it to conSinue sup- 
plying Mm with film. Nate Blum- 
berg, tJ proxy, has ex^?essed no 
desire to join, in the export plan, 
even if a way around the contract 
could be found, dcsfate the fact 
that his tienp with Rank gives him 
no, advantage whari^ver over 
other compani^ l^erms of the 
Anglo-U. a fihas agreement pro- 
vides that it ^pkisedes-eonlUcting 
cianses of proviiMis coiiltnuBts en- 
tcxed ii^ wiOi Briti^ corpora- 
tSons.' 4 

IMro and 'VSM y s nc— l it ai 

llick Scberad^ Metro proz, and 
Jilaiw Albert Waxner, Wamec 
Bros, veepee, have romained noo- 
eommittal on the ejq^associaihm 
idea, smte'^tfaeir films plwr the As- 
sodaied British Ciccnit, «f wludi 
WB is part .owaier. xadher tha& 
«ther of the Bank chains. Ned De- 
pinet, BKO exec v.p., is believed 
leaning toward the "get tough" 
crowd; 

While it is not being admitted, 
aim in setting up the cssport cor- 
poraiioa would be in «nlKEC8o sell- 
ing to Bank if he doesn't ease up 
on bis efforts to shoulder U. S. 
pix oiit of his home&'Idea would 
oe to sell only to ABC or to indie 
theatres and, by guaranteeing 
them product, organiie them into 
a orcuit in opposition to Bank. 
Being foroed to play miiy. iiis own 
BJms against tiie widespread com- 
petition of ilhe populv American 
pix in opposition houses, it is 
thought he'd soon become amdsns 
to louver his si^ts from the liO- 
65% British films he has stated it 
is bis desoe to plagr in bis 



hs& Slii--fictaiies 

Selznick Releasing Organization Is finding it a hard pitdi to sell 
exhibs on the reissue of "tatenaemj," but the pic in many spots is 
racking up greater grosBes tlaan wlien it played the same houses on 
original release in 1939. it turned in $700,000 domestic glasses thai, 
while .at the present »te the .roissue is expected to lnhig in about 
$800,000. However, the playoff is veiy slow and expected to take a 
long time. 

SRO prexy Neil Agnew feds the additional coin on the re-release 
reflects the tremendoosiy bos^r boxoffi.ce level <even with the reces- 
sion since 1946) over the pre-war years. Likewise, it is thought, that 
the pvH of Ingrid Bergman, -the film's star, has greatly increased smce 
"39, accounting for some of the additional busaness. 



Busiest film lot in Hollywood is, Wamers, with eight, pictures in pro- 
duction and swarms of tourists demanding, penaus$ioa to ngt^the actois 
at work. No less than 24 parties made tours of the s«h; in one day 
last week. Reason is that fihrang in general is slack and executives on 
other lots are detouring their touri^ to Warners, whero there is plenty 
to ogle. Alex Evelove, publicity chief, is up against a labor pitjblem 
with so many of his unit men guiding visitors aroimd the lot Uut thev 
can't find time to write plugs. • - 

RKO's ponderous picture, ^'Mourning Becomes Electra," has gone 
through its third reduction process in the hope of making it ^ort 
enough for boxoffice appeal. Running tune when ficst roleased was 
t»«o hours and 56 minutes, later it was cut to two hoars and 25 min- 
utes but was stiU toi» long. Third shearing brings it. down td lis 



Temperament on U«> set of an expensive picturo on a major lot 
vemlted in the hiring of two cameramen who can't see lens to lens. 
Pemme ^ inintx ni one of them and the producer-director insists 

^''IfH*^.- "PS?** ««MiMman shooting te- 

ta!^ iKWe tb* prodocer-dnector'ii lensec went riiSbt ma the 



Johnston office is pressuring Entetprise to find another title for ^Th* 
Numbers Racket." which lotted out m 'n-ucker s PeSte" IAm L that 
Oie word "racket" has a felonious taint and should hot be emphasiaed 
on marquees, even though the picturo deals with racketcen. "^^^ 



Wrigley Fierd in IjOs Angeles underwent a facelifting oMsmtinn tb 

*i,A««i,f K T — ^ P'*^ Grounds in "IntertSeL*^^^ «? 

.thought by many American films ^ pro football. The new look includes signboard, S^'kioskf and 

I other Harlem landmarks, but no Coogaii's Bluff. '"'"^s ana 



Pmfure Groses 




SEATTLE 

(Continued -fixHn page 10) 
West" (UA) and Cobra Strikes" 
(EL). So so, $7.<H», 

Palomar (Sterling) fl,350; 45-80) 
—"On Island With You' (M-G) 
and "Lightmng m Forost" (Bep). 
Good $7,000. Last week <2d) "Big 
City" (M-G) and *«Id Los Angles" 
<Hep), Good $7,000. Last we^ (2d) 
«B« City" ai-GJ and "Old Los 
Angeles" (Hep). Okay at $5,400. _ , 
^SSmoimt (H-E) (3.(S9; 45^) 
— "Saihara" (Col) and D^troycr" 
(Col) (reissues). Slow $6,008. Last 
week, "Raw Deal" (EL) and "Man 
From Texas" (EL). Wcjik at $6,100 
■awsevelt (SterUng) (800: 43-M) 
—"Pirate" (M-G) and "Exposed" 
(Rep). (Srdwfc^. Big $5,000. Landed 
nice at $S,100 last stanza. 

DX. MAKES COMEBACK; 
ISLAND' UISH $3^,000 

Washington, July 6. 

Improvement in the weather and 
the July 4 holiday weei^nd, which 
spelled a Monday at advance 
prices, hypoed the midtown all 
along the line to a sharp upbeat 
from last week's '.'dying swai" rou- 
tine for the flickers. "Island With 
You" and strong vaude bill aro 
drawing top coin, while "Street 
With No Name'' is also playing 
cash register music "Best Years , 
of Our Lives," back for a second 
round of first run here, doing a fat 
job at pop prices. 

Estimates far tlas Week 

Capitol (Loew's*) (2,434; 44-80)— 
"Oa an Island With You" (M-G) 
with vaude. Heading for some-; 
Ihmg close to a sock'^,Oe0. Lasst I 
wedi:, "Big City" (M-G) with vaude. ' 
Almost reached $18,000. 

Cafannbia (Loew's) (1,263: 44-70) 
—"Summer Holiday" (M-G) ^2d 
xnn>, nice $7,000. Last week, 
'"Blood and Sand" (20th) (reissue), 
fine $7J500. 

D«Nnt (F. W. Mann) (44: 50- 
SS)— -'The Idiot" (Indie) looks like 
big $4,000 for this house and holds. 
Xostweek, "Farrebique" (JSritsky) < 
<2d wk) fair $2,500. 

Beith's (RKO) (1,939; 44-74) — ! 
"BMt Years of Our Uves" mKO). 
Nearly $14,000, a strong sho«naig: 
for this pic which now returns at 
popular prices. Last week, "Up in 
Central Park" (O) abouU; $12,000. 

Metropolitan (WB) (1,163; 44-70) 
— "Fuller Bmsh Man" (Col) (2d 
run). Fine $7,000 for its second 
week here, lost week, excellent 
$9,500. 

Palace (Loew's) (2,370; 44-74) — 
"Street With No Name" (20th) 
handsome $25,000. Last week, "AU 
My Sons" (01. Tolerable $14,000. 

Warner (WB) (2,154; 44-74) 

"Romance on the- ffij^i Seas" (WB) 
Cozy $15,000. Last week. "Hacsard" 
(Par). Little better . than $10,<»00. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

(Continued from page 11) 
coming" (M-G) (3d wk), okay $5- 
000, givmg it satisfactory $22,000 
■for run. t- . 

Lyric (Par) (1,000; 50-70)— "Arch 
of Triumph" (UA) (m.o.). Here 
^L^'S State first week. Sour 
f 4,000. Last Week, "'Slatini! of 
Millie" (Col) (2d wk), fair$5W. 

Radio City (Par) (4,400; 50-70)— 
.'■Emperor Waltz" iPas). Biggest at- 
traction to hit town in months and 
skyrocketing to huge $22,000. Last 
week, "Romance on Hieh Sea.<5" 
(WB), light $13,000. ^ 
r,^^?^^"9'"'**'"'n (RKO) (2,800- 
50-70)— "Silver River" (WB) Pi": 
lure not exciting too much enthu- 
siasm. LouiVWalcott fight pictures 
held over Big $13,000 in prospect. 
hr^u To^A^^\7l^^^''.^'^^^ Man" 

days after smash ' $16,000 first 
stanza. 

-.J!'!?*''?^^" '^KO) <1.600; 50-70)— 
J^^l^"iShJiAxBL" (Col) <3d wk). 

cott fi^t pictures held over. Last 
w«Ek, "Another Part of Forest" 
(U), hght $7JI00 m six days 

State (Par) (2,300; 50-70)— "Ladv 
from Shanghai" (Col), Divided 
«» picture less«img Hay- 
wprth-WeUes- maniuec 

mmt ^"""P*^" <UA), good 
«T^!Sl!'^ (Par) (1,000; 44-60)- 
««»t nei^ilmriie^ showing. Fair 
W,500 hidicated. Last weet "««£' 

„_*^«ri<?, (Mann) (350; 50-85)— 

fe.^y ?^^J^ BrSiy" 
«Oth) (m.o.), Thud stand and week 

$2!oo6.^*' Surrenders" (U), light 



CINCY WHHTS SHN 
ASfiiNGNABSmOO' 

Ciaclnnati, July- 6 ' 

It's good to solid biz at every 
major house this weelc; one M 
Cincy's biggest for some time. Of 
four first mns, "Emperor Waltz" 
and "On Island With You." aro hi 
the upper jstrata, the Crosby flidcer 
topping by a big margin. 

Bstinutes for This Week 

Albee (RKO) (3,100; 50-75)-, 
"Emperor Waltz" (Pjir). Sensa^ 
tional $26,000 and a Cincy high for 
some time. Last week, "Mr, Blan- 
dings" (SRO), nifty $15,000. 

Capitol (RKO) (2,000; 50-75) —i 
"On Island With You" (M-G). Lush 
$20,000. Holds. Last week, "Pirate" 
ai-G) (2d wk), okay $7,500. 

Grand (RKO) (1,400; 50-75) — 
"River l^ady" (U). Good' $9,000,' 
Last week, "Hatter's Castle'* (Par), 
average $7,500. - 

-Keith's (City Inv.) (1,542; 50-75) 
—"Best Years" (RKO) (2d wk). 
Strong $8,500. Pat ^,500, first 
round. Holds for third week. 

Lyric (RKO) (1,400; 50-75»— "On 
Our Mewy Way" (UA) and Louis- 
Walcott clips (m.o). Solid $6,500. 
Last week, "Fuller Brush Man" 
(Col), &mr days in sbcBh downtown' 
fling, and "Sea Spoilers" (Indie) 
and "Masaificient Brute" (Indie) 
(reissues), par $5,500. 

Fadaee (RKO) (2,600; 50-75) — 
"fighting Father Dunne" (RKO). 
Average $U,OO0i. jLast week, "On 
Merry Way" WA) pins Louis-Wal- 
cott reels, sodc $is,000. 

WSoffmSsAo,2IG; 

206 



t Baltimore, July 6. 
. Ideal weather ov&e the long holi- 
day weekend provided ample com* 
petition to current downtown list, 
taut strong product is overcoming 
some of the bite. "The Emperor 
Waltz" is solid at the Stanley, and ' 
"The Fuller Brui;fa Man," with 
vamle at the Hippodrome, is also 
monnting a good fignre. 

Estimates far Week. 

Centmr (Loew's-UA) (20-60)— 
"On Island With You" (M-G). Nice 
$i7,<M}0. last wecii; "Our Meny 
Way" (UA), mild ^706. 

IfipvodrUM! (Bairpaport) (2,240: 
20-70)— "Puller's Brmsh Man" (Col) 
plus vaude. Peak $20,000. Last 
week, "^"So Well Beraemberod" (EL), 
Louis-Walcott films and vaude, fair 
$13,300. 

Keith's (Sdunbei«er) <2,460; 20- 
60)— "Up in Central Paris" (UI). 
Opening tomorrow (Wed.) after 
week of "Dream Girl" (Par). Disir 
appointing $6,400. "Batter's CasUe" 
(Par), ^eceduig, failed to click at 
$5,200. 

Mayfair (Hijcks) (980; 25-55)— 
"Dade Goes West" (Mom)). Above- 
average $6,000. last week, "So 
This Is New York" (UA), fair $4,- 
800. ■ 

New (Mechanic) (1,800; 20-60)— 
"Blood and Sand" (20th) (reissue). 
Mild $7,OQ0. I^st week <2d), "Give 
Regards to Broadway" (20th), nice 
$7,6ffl). 

Stanley (WB) (3J80; 25-75)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (P!a-». Topptag 
town witii big $21,060. last week, 
"Big Punch" (WB), a dud at $6,300. 

Town (Happaport) (1,500; 35-65) 
—"Best Years" <RKO) (2d wk). 
Return nm at pop prices holding 
well at $10,000. last week, pleas- 
ing $11,100. 



DETROIT 

(CTontinued from page 10) 
and the Woman" (WB) (reissues). 
Good $14,000. Last week, "Green 
Grass^' (20th) and "Anna Karenina 
(20th), average $12,000. 

Downtown (Balaban) (2,863; 70- 
9.5)— "Gung Ho!" (U) and "Eagle 
Squadron" (U) (reissues). F-i'^J 
$9,000. Last week, "Fort Apache 
(RKO) (5th wk). oke $5,000. 

Fox (Fox-Michigan) (5,100; '70- 
95)— "Ilomecomhur* <M-G) (3d wk). 
Rising $25,000 nOer dip to $19,000 
in second atamn. 

MicUcan m-J» (4.039; 70-85)— 
"River laOs^ m-^) .bolstered by 
stageshow headed by Billy 
Wolfe. Terrific $40,000. Last week. 
Central FatK" <U) and 



aiWr Olbmn). trim 



Up hi 
"Fighting 
$20,600. 

Mtam flJ-D) (J,716: '70-05)— 
"BeUhi Exmrnu'' (BKO) and l«viis- 
Walcotf plctoMS. Neat $16,000. 
Last week, "Crusades^ (Par) (re; 
issue) and "Assigned to Danger 
(EL) (2d wk). good $14,000. 

United ArSsta (U-D) (2.976; 7<)- 
95)— "The Empiaor Waltz" <Pai;). 
Knockout $36,000. last week, 
"Another Part of Forest" IV) and 
"Secret Service Investigator" (Bep)» 
fair $12,000. 



_Weclnesday, July 7, 1948 




u 



HBlUnMIIIIEPaiiKnEIIOH 




WedneMlay, July 7, 194« 




Contlnnwd from p»f • i i 



same tired sliawls draped over the 
pianos; xcrobats in opening, mid-|, 
riif and closing spots; sidewalk 
comedians (dirtier in their dialog, 
however) in front of olios with ads 
for the local merchants; intei-mis- 
sion slides heralding the coining 
attractions, and the like. Only 
modliieation, in deference to the 
times, is the mike, and the use of 
electrkal numerals to indicate the 
acts' names instead of the ortho- 
dox annunciators. And, of course, 
the tEadltional English tea and 
other drink service. 



Very Gay Paree 

But it's in. the normal dining- 
drinking-dancing pursuits that the 
contrasts are sluopened. Parisian 
gaiety is at its peak, although, hi 
certain bizarre respects, restricted, 
but in direct relation to London 
it's a bJflll of fire. Actually, there is 
much still Jacking in the Idiom of 
what onee constituted the time- 
honored Gay Paree. For one thing, 
the Montmarfre is dead. The Jomts 
up "on the- hill" remind of the 
drabness of New York's "Vfest 52d 
street, with the taxidfivers and 
doonnen shilling for this or that 
bist|». Sl'he shows are tired and aill 
"g* on fia '20 minutes" — or when- 
evot on American appears. Tlie 
best remaining boites in the Hont- 
martre still are the Franco-Russian 
class nitexies with their , schm^atzy 
fiddles and 2,300>franc wine. Since 
1,000 francs is roughly $3, a. bottle 
of grape at. $7-$8 in a country 
whac6 they grow the stuff like the 
Yai^ do 7-Up is not exactly 
cheap. But from the tourist view- 
point It's' plenty okay since it per- 
mits a party of four to see what's 
doing for a relatively light tab. If 
you can get away With under two 
bottles, that's not bad, especially 
in light: b£ the devaluated franc. 

iMdtttit of course, continues 
wttb Its foodeasies. If the pseudo 
"dub" . mesinbership device isn't 
used, that the sldestreet eateries, 
where you can get a fair lunch or 
dinnw, are operating openly in the 
gray market. The double-summer- 
time pwmits for daylight until 
10 p.m., so necessary because of 
the fuel and petrol situation. 

Kurfs' Frollflc Nite Life 
Paris' night life, as is the ease of 
other world capitals, is featured by 
the more stable spots. After that 
come the ^o-rans. As indicated^ 
Montmartre Is through and, for 
that matter, that goes, also for the 
Montpamasse (Left Bank) sector 
witit its nostalgic memories of tuti- 
Inhibited hobohemia. The charac- 
ters: with :the phoney whiskers 
aren't confined to the. Coupole- 
I}i(line>-Falsta£(>Select sector. Like 
the Montmartre, this, too, is just a^ 
road eomgmS. S2d street with, a 
I^rench accent. The maisons de 
tolerance (tolerated houses) are no 
more, so certain bistros attract the 
fiUes de joie. But in tiie main the 
stable niteries give the customers 
good value. 

The Lido, with its Latin Quar- 
teresque (N. Y.X'^type floorshow, in- 
corporating Amierican tectmiques 
in staging, pace and production, is 
a standout. .Chaz Chaser from 
America, headlines currently and 
kills the customers in any dialect. 

Pierre Sandrini' and Pierre Du^ 
bout's "Ambiance," new floorshow 
at their Bal Tabarin, is a tourist 
must, along with the Eiif el Tower, 
0ie Cafe de la Paix and the Folies 
Bergeres. (Incidentally, Paul Der- 
val's show at the FB continues 
clieko in its second season.) The 
Tabarin revue 'again manifests 
extraordinary production values, 
which are to the combined credit 
of Sandrini, Marcel Berge (ballet), 
ilbaxei. Dupont and An^ RouiCet 
(staging), Jean AI&ro° (orchestra) 
and Erte (costumes). 

More Fiddles 

Thie Monseigneur, Grand Seig- 
neur, Sheherezade, Casanova and 
Le Drap d'Or are the class fiddle 
spots, Russo or. gypsy, ia atmo- 
sphere, with uprape. nt ^4$0 a copy, 
« 18^ .(dblwitoiy aecsice imd a 
"mpplemenlf' (somdilitog extra) 
expected. (Ptixis tiuiv^ on tour- 
ists and "serveece" is a catchphrase 
to catch ext)»r francs from every- 
body and anytiody.) Le Brap d'Oi* 
i« the latest and niost chliAA pash 
liddle spot It's In the Etoile sec- 
tor,, gets liie clasaiistiyeand tour- 
let trade,. featQtes soUd-sUver serv^ 
Ice^ goes in for lighting and stag- 
tn« to accentuate the maestro's 
nieIod[ie4, which remind of a dozen 
male .Hiidegardes with a dozen 
Anna Soienkos to make with the 



lights. The dramatic usage of 
lighting— pbipoint -and in ensem- 
ble—to synchronize witti the music 
is something for American stagers 
to o.or It's particularly extraor- 
dinary because it's done in a nitery. 
Le Dran d'Or name is borrowed 
from a 16th century period to Eng- 
lish history, when a golden-draped 
tent was the scene of a treaty be- 
tween two warring factions. This 
decor has been captured for the 
new class niteiy. 

Another new spot is L'Aiglon, a 
sort of El Morocco-Stork Club spot, 
getting a class play from tlie 
dancing bunch. Linda Stevens, 
American cbantoosey, is featured 
up front of the Michel Ramos or- 
chestra. 4he ' Brazilian stager, 
Renato, is featured chtarpuig with 
the Cuban combo batoned by Syl- 
vain David. This new spot is also 
the Etoile sector (off the 



ou 



the rue de 



Champs-Elysees 
Berri). 

Also in the class idiom, among 
the new joints, is th« Carrousel; a 
different type of bistro, where the 
female impersonators are gor- 
geously ■ gowned. Some of them 
leave doubt as to their sex— and 
most of them are clever perform- 
5, reading dialog In a rather 
legit fashion. Naturally, it's chiefly 
double-entendre, dealing with the 
ladies in the Court of Louis 14th 
and their personal reactions to this 
or that court intrigue. Paris goes 
for the soprano "-hips in entertain- 
ment, the Tonton and Mere Arthur 
in the Montmartre being in that 
idiom. The Moune, also up the 
hill, gives it a switch by accentinr 
the lesbo Idiom. 

The Club de I'Opera, where Suzy 
Solldor and Henri Bry are fix- 
tures — Miss Solidor just closed at 
the Versailles, N. Y.— is another 
tastefully done room, maitred by 
Charles, who used to be a head- 
waiter with the French Line. Fred 
& Frederica are an expert terp 
team featured there now. 

Betty & Freddy Roberts and 
Dorothy Allen, are also standouts, 
.seen around at sundry Franco- 
American galas and fetes. This is 
quite the season for these affairs. 
Leo Marjane (a f emme, despite the 
billing) is a hit in her own sifet; 
Arambot. & Ben ^ber, dancers; 
Charlie Carts, expert card manipu- 
lator; Bsx. Stewart, from the States, 
with his trumpet and band; Dey- 
dier, Paul Allen and the Chez Car- 
rere bands indicate there's no 
paucity of talent. 

Les Ambassadeurs, long operated 
by Clifford C. Fischer but who re- 
cently sold out, has a so-so ice 
show, headed by Belita, easily the; 
best thbig in it. Biz spotty. 

Lido's Crack Show 



Most pretentious, however, is 
Pierre Louis-Guerin's Le Lido, on 
the Champs-Elysees, which has 
long given up its indoor swimming- 
pool and bar and is now a super- 
Latin Quarter (N; Y.) or Chez 
Paree (ChD-type of nitery. Ifs 
dominanUy in the Yank idiom, with 
Bonn Arden having done a tip-top 
staging job for Rene Fraday, co- 
producer of "Confetti," as it is 
billed. Jbsette Dayde, Frakson, 
Chaz Chase, the Debonnaires^ the 
Ben Yost Quartet, and an extraor^ 
dinaiy act, the Charllvels ,(3), with 
their rhythmte acro-danciug, are 
big local wows. The Charliveis are 
rather diminutive lads. " Theis' un- 
reel, a whirlwind routine. Team is 
English, this being their first 
French date, but for some . reason 
the Parisian aura has created ex- 
citement anew for them. Lou 
Walters, of the N. Y. Latin Qua^ 
ter, forgone, is ke6n on them, bitt 
-their father' is asking too fanc^.a 
figure.' (That's a common Gallic 
fail£ng — onee they hear it's Am^- 
iCa,' the price goes up astrononn- 
cally and disproportionately.) 
'. Chaz Chase with hisjow comec^ 
and hokum "eating" of his cigm«t, 
carnation and other props, kills 
the customers, and Frakson,, the 
nuiiteian; -who has been ktoundt is 
also plenty - OK for si^t and 
sound with the natives and tour- 
ists alike. Rene Leroux maestros 
the band, which is rather anadiron- 
isticaQy billed as L'Orchestra Col- 
lege I^rthme, Itnd Krever heads up 
the rtninibft band. As witibt. the Bal 
TabariDi 'tStavf, tber^'it a ijouch of 
the mxdSB stuff,, but fqlent is what 
realty gets-'iSm fii tof Iangdag& 
The barc-chtsted exposure is -just 
one of those- things because, as at I 



epidermis display. Likewise, the. 
Lido show has a 'talent potpourn 
which can play anywhere. And It 
must do so to beaucoup business 
considering the obvious nut of 48 
musicians, 24 girls, and the above 
featiu:ed talent. Room's capacity is 
800; average check is $5. 

As for straight food, all the glory 
and repute' of French cuisine is as 
it was, save for bread, milk and 
cream shortages. But the French 
can make a pair of old shoes pala- 
table! 

In London tfac!y*re stilt talking 
about Banny Kaye's sensational 
click. In fact, they utilize the 
Kaye impact to mildly chide the 
Royal Family for its "overzealous 
publicity" and "too democratic ac- 
tions." This refers t« the fact that 
Princess Elizabeth and her royal 
consort, Philip Mountbatten (the 
Buke of Edinburgh), visited the 
American comedian backstage, in- 
stead of asking him to tfaeb: box. 
"The Royal Family has rather 
overdone its publicity campaign on 
the Princess, don't you think?" is 
the mild brusheroo which even the 
Fleet Street bunch gives the situ- 
ation. ' ■ ■ 
' Sophie Tucker's iMOan Sock 

Sophie Tucker, at the Casino, 
however, is right next to Kaye for 
real sockeroo. Tony Martin, at the 
Palladium, was also effective. Duke 
Ellington, the Nicholas Bros, and 
Pearl Bailey got over too, with 
the Nicholases coming pretty close 
to taking the play away from El- 
lington and Miss Bailey, though 
the latter pair also did strongly. 

The Londoners are stronger than 
ever for Yank vaude acts, although 
some were only so-so. Olsen & 
Johnson clicked but Martha Raye 
was under' wraps. On the Martin- 
headed Palladium bill were Jack 
Durant, Buster Shaver with Olive, 
George & Richard — squired by 
their manager, Irving Tishman — 
while Bernard DeUont at the Lon- 
don Casino had such U. S. acts as 
the dusky Berry Bros, (which may 
well have taken the edge off the 
Nicholases), Cabot & Dresden with 
their unusual terps and Vic Hyde, 
novelty musician, who. erred with a 
rather silly anti-Amencan crack, 
"Half of our generals are either' 
in jail and half are running for 
president." [Hyde has since gone 
back to the States but is due to re-, 
turn to England before Xmas.] 

Soph gives Ted Shapiro and her 
special songsmith Jack Yellen, 
billing as big as if they were 
Noel Coward in spades — a 
very generous gesture. Miss Tuck- 
er's, impact was almost Page t 
news, because of her comeback 
here after such belated absence. 
Harry Richman, Maxine Sullivan, 
Les Compagnons jde la Chanson 
and Hoagy Carmichael are others 
upcoming. 

Val Parnell, besides. his current 
boffo witbi. tlie Palladium, expects 
Jack Benny this month to repeat 
the Kaye riot. Pamell has two 
other hits in Katherine Dunham, 
with her Caribbean song-and-dance 
revue, and the floorshow at the 
Starlight Hoof with Vic Oliver, Pat 
Kirkwood and Fred Emney head- 
ing the layout. 

Abe Aaronsohn is back in the 
class London cafe scene with two 
of the better niteries, the 400 Club 
and the Embassy, latter featuring 
Cyril Stapleton's orchestra (he 
plays violin) and vocals by Pearl 
Carr and Dick James. F. Stocco is 
the expert maitre at Ciro's, in 
Leicester Square, wheve Maurice 
Winnick, who also owns' several of 
the better BBC radio programs 
(script and musical), is the macs.- 
troi Ramon Lopez heads the Latin 
combo. ITnlike the 400 Club, where 
black tie is obligatory, Ciro's has 
an upstairs balcony which is cozy 
for late-hour dining, but dancing 
is restricted only to the formally 
attired .customers. 
; j iflJoBtttteffltal Flotsam 

.Brisson,. working on' the 



The Briddi Humor 



It's inevitable that current entertainment must keep pace with 
current events, especially in Europe where politics Is so basic and 
has a very direct effect on the average citizen. This Is difficult to 
understand in a country like America, where rations are only a 
wartime emergency and the free flow Of currency Is no problem. 
But not so Europe. _ . , 

The humor and its contiguous show business overtones are there- 
fore closely linked in Europe with nationalistic attitudes. That runs 
the gamut from Palestine to pictures. . 

Just as Britain's sotigs reflect the tinjes so does its humdr— or 
pseudo-humor. In Jack Hylton's "Crazy Gang" revue in London, 
comedian Bud Flanagan gives, out with? "This is Radio Israel, caU- 
irig, 1,500 metres— well, 1,200 to you;" And when Americans wonder 
at that sort of humor, Hylton is the one most surprised because, as 
he explains, "Flanagan is Jewish, you know; he took his stage name 
from his staff sergeant/' _ , „. . . 

The press likewise accents news reports of the Zionists with the 
same gimlet-edged statements as when they were reporting about 
the Nazis. The local London papers call thetf.Y. Post and PM (now 
N.Y. Star) "thos^ rabid Zionist newspapers in New York." Win- 
chell, of course, comes in for his share of the digs. 

Humor at the expense of the Russians tidces.this tack, for in- 
stance: "Have you heard about the Chinese ambassador in War- 
saw? He's the only Chink in the Iron Curtain." 

The "boycott British films" palaver, attendant to the 45% quota; 
is linked only inferentially with the awareness that a general boy-; 
cott on British goods obtains in the States. It's no secret that, for 
Want of other transportation, some Americans get off in Cherbourg 
and bypass England completely. 

The saner British, like the Americans, ai-e for continued Anglo- 
JJ.S. amity on all fronts but the continuing, austerity is so severe 
that cracks about '*Weil, you know how we are limited on ANY 
expenditures, whereas your dollars are welcome EVERYWHERE!" 
Buring the auction pool on the ships' daily runs— a time-honored' 
transatlantic luxury liner custom — there seems to be always some 
British Character who will invite bids "payable in pounds, travelers' : 
checks and the 'almighty' dollar," 

The political and economic sidelights even extend to the U.S. 
Presidential race. The British as a class leaned more to Vanden- 



berg than Dewey. 



Abel. 



^^tiiBy^^^Bamato; (^outh African 
diamqndking} biopic'i.plans an o.o. 
in coniKection witlfi. 4{ film around 
'-gaegrsjof his dadi Carl Brisson, 



■yvl^^Wk''^. came, tai attenUon in 
-CCiMWlfageric Traveling with Bris- 
son is Harold Peery, his financial 
advisor. Peery, mcidentally, was 
U.S. niihfary. officer lir charge o| 
the mtti Pa^, after the invasion; 
and as. such possesses tfldt treas- 
uared "unholy gold book." of the 
Nazi hierarchy. 

Many top spots. Such as LaTour 
d'Argent, Maxim's, the de luxe 
faoateHes, etc., hi Palris and Rome 
(imd elsewhere), now exhibit their 
'"unholy. guest" books, because of 
signatures such ^ Hitler; GodUbels, 
Himmler, Von Bibbentrop, eta 
New Yank influx ^revived the 



the Tabarin, the can-can is more story of how Joe Schenok, when he 
aradltionaUy important thaq. thelflrst came to the Hotel Georges 



Cino (George V), was told that if 
he said "Hotel Joe Schenck" fast, 
he was thus sure not to lose his 
way and thus get back to the hotel. 
(In a city where Eiffel Tower gets 
you nowhere, unless you pronounce 
it La Tour d'Eiffel; or the Empire 
theatre must be called the Ompeer; 
or the Paramount theatre must be 
pronounced the Paramoont, with 
accent on the "moont," these little 
Cook's tour problems are basic and 
important. Like the calypso sing- 
ers, however, if you put the "oc- 
cent" on the wrong ''sylloble," it 
usually works). 

Like in the good old days there's 
so much English heard the gag 
about "Ici on parle Francais"— -in 
native Paris — is being revived^ 

A guy hiding behind a Sorbonne 
chinpiece turns out to be Gene 
Grant, brother of film attorney 
Arnold Grant, now studying art in 
Paris. 

From London, BUI Morris travels 
to Scotland to get septuagenarian 
Sir Harry Lauder back to do an- 
other of his nth "comebacks," this 
time either with Bing Crosby In 
J. Arthur Rank's proposed filmiza- 
tion of "Brigadoon," and/or in a 
biopic based on the great Scot 
comedian's career. 

Mrs. Val (Helen) Parnell harks 
back to when she was of the How- 
ell, Harjes & Naldi (now Mary 
Raye & Naldi) terp team. 

Korda's Baronial Layout 

Sir Alexander Korda's three 
London town houses in Piccadilly, 
side by each, and each with a 
typical English garden in the back, 
give baronial setting to his film 
production activities. The three 
buUdings are connected by an 
arched passaget now under con- 
struction, since the projection 
rooms and "other departments are 
thus strung together. 

Ben (Metro) Goetz.'s lavish ice- 
box, always well stocked, thus mak- 
ing htm the gastronomic beadlineif 
of London. 

Spencer Tracy, starring "in 
Edward My Son," for Metro, in 
London, an unhappy kid; hankers 
for that good old USA. Who 
doesn't? 

Eating in own rooms still the 
best bet for hotel visitors. 

Food continues the big problem 
in England; none in France. 

Costs you more for a good din- 
ner in Paris than your hotel suite 
which, at 3,000 francs (it figures 
$3 per 1,000 francs). Is relatively a 
good buy. 

Prices generally down, especially 
on the Continent, because of the 
devaluated franc and lire kayoing 
the black market. As a result, Italy 
Is' enjoying unprecedented booitt. 

Attitude of Parisians is that the 
Occupation was like a bad dream. 
The .same old veterans around the 
top hotelries, including the con- 
cierges, are great helps to anybody 
for anything and everything. 

A case of apples and a case of 
oranges can be spread in maiy di- 
rections, and they're worth more; 
than even cigars or dgarets, espe- 
cially hi England. Not so much in 
France, but there, too, the bread is 



ersatz and milk and cream scarce. 
Tins of butter and bacon surefire 
all over. 

Georges Carpentier's bar near 
the Arch of Troumph reopened. 

Strange to hear comparatively 
new American musicomedy ex- 
cerpts in Paris and London, espe- 
cially to anybody in the trade who 
knows of the stringent interna- 
tional copyright restrictions. An- 
swer blandly given by the niaestros 
is that "our American friends, 
visiting us here, request all their 
latest tunes, so we must have them 
on hand, even If we have to adlib 
or bootleg the arrangements." 

"Nature Boy" created much ex- 
pectancy. Tony Martin introduced 
it in London. * 



Admission Cuts 

ss Continned nom puKC 3 sa 

the fun and glamor of a Broadway 

firstrun. 

Strong defender of the stand 
against slashing b.o. scales on 
Broadway or elsewhere is Malcolm 
Kingsberg,.4opper of the RKO cir- 
cuit. He feels that any cut which 
theatres would be ivanranted in 
making. With present high operat- 
ing costs, would be go minor that 
it would be far from attractmg suf- 
ficient additional patronage to 
make up for the loss in income per 
head. 

Klngsberg admits that in some 
spots admish structures arc out of 
line, but he feels that adjustments 
are necessary, rather than 
widespread cuts. 



Weshner Circuit 

^= Cotttinned fioni wt s 



□ 



tracts carrying control figures for 
holdovers. All call for s}xam& 
scale rental up to 50%. If the pic- 
ture clicks, each of the circuits m- 
volved is guaranteed tijat "Circle 
won't be sold to RKO or Loews, 
but wiU be given to them to fan out 
through their other houses. 

Openuigis setfor July 21. t'lf^ 
cle" w^l also preem the same day 
in .ei^t CatskUl towns. Its sub- 
ject is anti-*Semitism in Europe 
some 75 years ago, and it is figured 
particularly suitable for such a 
playoff plan in.the New York area. 
A radio and newspaper campaign 
is being set to flag It. _^ , 

■ . ......>:v,.;. v,..-::;.-........v ' 



N.J.iUKeil 

as C^ntitnied IWib pace S i 
rushing- to Unak* nix for television 
solely, fihn.i^ackages in aU forms 
which reqnire a reftl ouUay before 
a deal is closed are going begging, 
it is reported. Serials, such as those 
turned out by Jerry Fairbanks, 
have found the going rough be- 
cause of the unwillingness of spon- 
sors' to pay fairly big money until 
convinced that tele reaches audi- 
ences comparable to radio. 



Wcdnegday, July 7. 1948 



17 



J 
I 



^^^^^^ 





iSK THE THEATRIMEN 
WHO PLAYED IT iN 

LOS ANGELES (5 thttotr^s day-and-clatol).. J 
NEW YORK.. .CLEVELAND*.. NEWARK... 
DENVER... INDIANAPOLIS... SALT LAKE CITY... 
WASHINGTON . . . OAKLAND . . . SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 
OKLAHOMA CITY...aini«i all th« oth*r grant 
engagements across the board, big and smqlli 




_ "THE SMUGGLERS" 

stww MICHAEL REDGRAVE • j»n kent • joan greenwood 

^RICHARD AHENBOROUGH m FRANCIS I. SULLIVAN* BASIL SIDNEY' 

mmd M MURIELmI SIDNEY BOX • BincM ly BERNARD KNOWLES 
Am tlii awil "M Mm Witll'«" t» GRAHAM GREENE • SHMWlair Ir MURIEL Mri SIDNCV BOX 
' A SIDNEY BOX PRODUCTION * AN EAGLE LION FILMS RELEASI 
*By «rrm9*mtnt with Iht Bsvltingi lr«thMt 




"Vivid, uncomiiroinitins 
drama* .(M.p.Dai(w 

"Marked by topflight 
ptrformancts* (Exhibitor) 

"Should ondoar it to 
actioit'loving Mudionctst" 



1 8 PlCTCTiES 

Ops from Fin Row 



NEW YORK 

Series of five regional sales 
meets being staged by KKO vAth 
the kickoff planned for Mftnflay 
(12) in Buffalo. Hohert Mochrie^ 
KICO's distribution veeipee, to pre- 
side at all confabs. Division and 
district managers will also take 

***'second meet set for Toronto 
Thiursday (15); New Orleans, July 
19; Chicago, July 21; and San Fran- 
cisco, July 26. Winners of the Ned 
E. Depinet sales drive will be an- 
nounced during these sessions. 

Eugene Snltz, salesman in Eagle 
Lion's Kansas City exchange, 
boosted to branch manager. 

Robert Blair moved into post of 
Paramount's Coast field ad rep, 
succeeding Balph Bavenscroft, re- 
signed. Blair formerly held similar 
job for Seattle and Portland and 
before that was connected with 
Par's theatre operation's In Los 
Angeles. 

PC's Natiwial Sales Meet 

Film Classics sales personnel 
will hold a national sales conven' 
tion in New York, July 30-Aiig. 1, 
under tta« aegis of B. G. Krauze, 
vice-pi»cy' over sales. It wiU be 
the first conclave of branch man- 
agers 'and division heads: since 
Kranze assumed his post with FC 
early fkd». year, Mxeett- ftf :CJne- 
color, parent company of WD, will 
Iklso be prekent. 

Chief agenda point will be liqui- 
dation plans for 34 new pix slated 
to be released by FC during the 
1948-49 season. Contpany wiU 
also continue to distribute several 
reissues. 



victims. Money was turned over to 
Red Cross. 

Ralph Carmichael takes over as 
branch manager for Bepublic. 

Ira Epstein, drumbeater for 
Warners, in from Cincinnati to 
head publicity in northern Cali- 
fornia, the northwest, Denver and 
Salt Lake. 



CLEVELAND 

Wayne Auto theatre, north of 
Fort Wayne, Ind„ with capacity 
for 700 automobiles, has been 
opened by Horace E. Shock, Lima, 
O.; who owns two drive-ins near 
Lima. ■ 

Shea Theatre Corp. has pur- 
chased sit& in Conneaut, O., where 
a IfiHTOom dwelling wiU be razed 
next summer, preparatory to biriM- 
ing a new 1,500-seat theatre. Shea 
now operates two . houses there, 

Robert Lyfie named manager v£ 
Ohio theatre, Mansfield, succeeding 
Don Jacobs. 

James A. Moore Proauctions, 
Inc., has been incorporated to pro- 
duce and distribute newsreels and 
advertising shorts for television. 
James A. Moore is president, with 
Thomas DimiteWi Vice president 
and treasurer. Studios are at Reno 
Beach, near Toledo. 



Moacpoly Countercharge 
1b N.Y. %-CMseliDg Suit 

For the first time since the eight 
majors started blankctmg the coun- 
try with percentage-chiselimg ac- 
tions, a triple damage, antl-trurt 
counterclaim was raised last week 
in one of these suits. Monopoly 
countercharge was filed fa N. Y. 
supreme court for $150,(MH1 dam- 
ages by Nathan Steinberg, Leonard 
Finkclstem and the Parkway 
Theatre Corp. 

Defense was made in two suits 
brought by BKO and Metro which 
claimed the defendants had turned 
in phoney hoxolHce reports On per- 
centage pix played in the Parkway, 
Mt. Vernon, Y. Both dSfetribs 
are charged with depriving the 
house o£ product since 1937 and 
with {onspirfiBg to restrain trade, 
'Patfnvay ^Mcfa is at last-run 
taottse (Abuld ordinarily be a first- 
run, it is maintained. ' 

Eomii^]^ 

UWFT6MmOWN16M 



Skoaras Tops 

■ pontinnedi from p«ec z ; 



CHICA<K> 

McVickers theatre slashed prices 
to 40c before L p.ni. and 55c be- 
fore 5 pjn., following' move insti- 

gated by Balaban & Katz Loop 
ouses. 

Sky-Hi Driye^In on west end of 
town opened. 

Sydney Ryeeck joins Monogram 
as salesman, replacing Danny 
Goldman, who went with Film 
Glassies. 

' Sammy Singer, formerly with 
Walt Disney pioductionSi joins 
Kling Studios video and motion 
picture division. ' 

FRISCO 

Sam Sobel named Film Classics 
branch manager, replacing the late 
Fred Abelson. 

WilUam Coovert succeeds Sex 
Stevenson as divisional manager «£ 
Golden State theatre circuit. Stev- 
enson, with Golden State for nine 
years, resigned to join David J. 
Bonton in the San Francisco Drive- 
in Theatre^ Inc., and a new com- 
pany, Trans-Califo^a T&eatres. 

Hiarry Buxbaum transferred 
from Washington Metra exchange 
to assist L. C. Wingham M-G 
branch manager in Frisco. 

Six Levin nabe theatres, after 
two weeks of bally and trailers^ 
collected $450 for ¥anport flood 



LOS ANGELES 

B.^ 3. Leavitt bought the new 
Playhouse, « 4100-seatnr. in LaJolla. 
He also owns tiie Granada in that 
town. 

Lee Naify sold the Village thea- 
tre in the veterans' housing center, 
Rodger -Young Village, to Louis 
Federici. , 

Charles Bowers, Jr., former man- 
ager of the Warner theatre in New 
York, was appointed manager of 
Warners Hollywood theatre. 



ALBANY 

Another Albany exchange re- 
verted to the long-established pol^ 
icy of employing two salesmen 
when John Rubach was hired by 
Universal. Company was one of 
five wliich dropped a salesman last 
fall in the pruning campaign, and 
it became the tiiird to make a 
switchback. 

Richard Perry lias returned to 
Albany as UA salesman after serv- 
ice in New York. 



Edmund L. Dorfmann, formerly 
United World Films' yeepee in 
charge of production, has moved 
but to form his own Dorfmann 
Productions, concentrating on 16m 
filmmaking. His vacancy at UWF, 
subsid of Universal, will not be 
filled since the company's outside 
production program is confined to 
36 shorts being made by Louis de 
Rochemont Associates and 32 reels 
which Dorfmann has pactcd to de- 
liver within three years. 

Dorfmann has other film interests. 
He has a piece in several indie pix 
now being produced on the Coast 
for 20th-Fox. In association with 
Laurel Films, film rights to "Guil- 
ty Bystander" and the Broadway 
legiter "A Young Man's Fancy" 
have been acquired. Laurel is cur- 
rently negotiating for' release 
through United Artists. 

New producing unit, besides de- 
livering to UWF, win make docu- 
mentary features, for the Protes- 
tant Film CJommission and pix in- 
tended for television. DoerCmann*. 
left for the Coast over 'the week- 
end for a two-month visit. 



Ronald Cohnan, $75,824^ Thomas 
J. Connors, $110,400: Linda Dar- 
nell, $111,333; Richard W. Day, 
$78,000; Philip Dunne, $83,810; 
Mack Gordon, $104,000; Edmund 
Goulding, $178,333: Betty Grable, 
$299,333; Rex Harrison, $174^50; 
Hen^y Hathaway, $136.6(K5; June 
Haver, $80,708; Richard B.Hay^es, 
$95,000; Frederick Herbert, $134,- 
125; Samuel Hoffensteto, $»2,325; 
Bruce Humberstone, $99,583; 
Harry James. $100,036; George 
Jessel, $117,666; Henry Kfag, 
$165,000: Fred Kohlmar, $91.0()0; 
Walter R. Lang, $185,000; Urns D. 
Lighten. $140,000; Ernst Lubitscb, 
$120,000; Joseph Mantaewwa, 
$190,333; Gene Markey, $l-0».825 
Mary C. McCaU, Jr., $106,000; Wil- 
liam C. -Midtel, $84,800; Thomas 
Mitchell, $121,875; George Mont- 
gomery, $84,916; Joseph Mosko- 
wite. $104,000; Alfred Newman 
$104,333; Lloyd B. Nolan, $76,300; 
Maureen OUara, $199,333; John H. 
Payne, $96,875; WiUiam Perlberg, 
$182,000; Tyrone Power, $189,500; 
Otto L. Preminger, $206,750; Vin- 
cent Price, Jr., $79,400; Gregory 
Hatoff, $182,000; Cesar Romero, 
$89,250; Lew Schreiber, $130,000; 
George E. Seaton, $156,000; Spy- 
ros P. Skouras, $201,899; John M 
Stahl, $195,000; Gene Tlerney, 
$195,000; Lamar Trottl, $149,520; 
Clifton Webb, $97,000; Cornel L 
Wilde, $130,000; Robert G. Young, 
$100,000, Darryl F. Zanuck, 
$260,000. 

20th-Fox International Corp. — 
Murray Silverstone, $91,283. 
United Artiste Corp.— GradweU 
L. Sears, $130,000. 



WeJnegJay, July 7, 1948 1 

SOFEG Showdown 
OnN.Y.Co]larite$ 



1' 



KANSAS CITY . 

T. R. "Tommy" Thompson, long- 
time HKO and Disney exchange 
exec here. Is leaving film row this 
summer. He expects to open his 
new theatre, the Yankton, Yank- 
ton, S. D., in August. With BiU 
Burke, office manager of BKO 
here, Thompson has formed Buton 
Corp., which is building the luHise, 
a 600-seater. 

Beverly Miller, Eagle Hon dis- 
trict manager, resigned last week 
to enter another line of business. 
£:xchange here will be taken over 
by- Herman Beiersdorf, Dallas dis- 
trict chief. M. G. Shackelford 
continues as branch manager here. 



New York Theatres 



CARSON^PAIGeI tifeiSOH I 

DON DORIS » DAB € 

Twaueis S 

h <•» *5"TTe«H.cotoR ^fiusenin SHOW i 



iOPENS9:30 AM imeiwiat 

Jute stue show lorts PM'i'iirAr 



AT 47ili| 




CecaB.IWIIi ^_^ 

Daott 





%as* Makes &h French 
Pie to 6^ Ckrch Nay 

National Legion of Decency con- 
tinued its high-gear rampage 
against" foreign pix this week when 
it slapped the French pic "Nais" 
with a C or condemned rating. 
"Nais" now makes the fifth Gallic 
feature to take the axe from the 
Catholic reviewing group in the 
past seven months. One other im- 
port, the Swedish-made "Top-* 
ment," has also facurred the Le- 
■gion's wrath in that period, 

Legion's latest action again illus- 
trates the pomt that Hollywood 
films have been getting a dean bill 
.of health from unofficial censor 
i ship groups, while foreign pix have 
found themselves in increasing dif- 
ficulties. Last Yank feature to land 
in the Legion's blackbook was- 
Charles Chaplin's 'Monsieur Ver- 
doux" in 1947. 

"Nais" is a filmization by Marcel 
Pagnol of Emile Zola's "Nais 
Mieoulin." Siritzky released it in 
ttie U. S. Other recently banned 
pix include "PassioneUe," "Vol- 
ponc," "The Eternal Return" and 
"Fric Frac." 



Pix Distiib 

coaonctf ftwi face 




KADIO CITY mtSte HAU 

■ fiock«niHer Center 

• «ii« CKO»r * Joan Fontaine! 
: 'THE EMPEROR WALTZ';: 

' ; Coktr by l'BCUNl€OT<0K 
_ I A Paramount Pteturo . 

. '. Sp«efacular Stage Prdsentallon ' I 



demonstration was able to effect a 
line standard of only about 400, as 
compared to the estimated line 
Standard of 1,500 for the standard 
motion picture frame. Twentieth 
research department, however,- is 
rumored to have improved the pic- 
ture cpiality already to a point 
where it compares favorably to the 
best in standard film projection. 
Only, if that standard is reached, 
it's believed, will the public accept 
the astern, since they're accus- 
tomed to receiving perfect clarity 
and definiti(Hi in their regular film 
fare. 

Twentieth's plans for establish- 
ing a nationwide circuit of theatre 
tele installations, as reported ex- 
clusively in Variety last week, 
were confirmed here by both 
Skouras and his brother Charles, 
prexy of National Theatres, latr 
ter revealed he's now planning to 
install theatre TV equipment iii 
the Carthay Circle theatre, Los 
Angeles, as the next step in the 
chain. Spyros, meanwhile, declared 
that 20th is Interested in theatre 
tele because it presents an oppor- 
tunity to provide theatres with 
"higher types of «itertainment 
than they're getting today," includ- 
ing Broadway shows, symphony 
orch, etc. He declared, moreover, 
that hojne tele and theatre tele 
would complement each other, 
each providing different types of 
programs. 



Oirding for a showdown fight 
with, the major film companies over 
new contract negotiations slated to 
start this summer. Screen Office 
& Professional Employees Guild 
is currently trying to stiffen Its 
raembersliip ranks against rival 
union raidhig tactics. SOPEG ex- 
ecs are particularly anxious to 
avoid another United Artists situa- 
tioa where, diuring pact talks with 
the company, they were outflanked 
by Local H-63, white collarite 
union of the International Alliance 
of Theatrical Stage Employees. 

Countering industry hints that 
no deal will be made with SOPEG 
again unless it obeys the Taft- 
Hartley law, union officials are 
currently grinding out mimeo^ ^ 
graphed arguments in defense of 
Uieir non-compliance stand. 

Sounding out. the membership 
sentiments, SOPEG is conducting 
informal polls in each of the com- 
pany chapters on reactions to the 
union's non-compliance position. 
At Columbia Pictures, the mem.' 
bership upheld the union. 128 vot- 
ing in approvid of the policy, 51 
votine against and 15 abstaining. 
Existence of a large minority op- 
position, however, is seen as the 
kernel of a movement to swing 
away from SOPEG. 

Settlement of the UA jurisdic- 
tional dispute between SOPEG and 
Local Hr63, meanwhile, is nearing . 
conclusion with the National Labor 
Relationa Board slated to hold 
union shop elections in the next 
couple of weeks. Hearings before ' 
Nt<RB officer Arthur Younger took 
a new twist this week as Cecile 
Schuman, a UA employee, asked 
to be placed on the ballot as an 
individual to represent her l^Uow 
employees. SOPEG has been de< 
nied a place on the ballot due to 
its defiance of the T-H law. 

Local H-S3 execs branded Miss 
Schuman as being a "front" for 
SOPEG, charging she was chapter 
chairman for SOPEG during the 
run of its contract which expired 
May 31. Younger declared he 
would investigate Miss Schumanls 
affiliations before setting a date 
for bargaining agency elections. 




DAN DAILEY 

'Give My Regards to B'way' 

A 20lhCeiif uiytf ox Picf ura in Tcchnicoloi 
On Vorifly Stag*— Ih* Andrawt Si«ln» 
Dmh Morfin ond Itrry Itwi* 

On ic« Siaot— 
&ir«Myiln« * - Arnoid Shoda 
ianm Xth Ave. . . 




INPEKSOHj 

UiA.ijfliaE 



Ciaey Exhibitor Pinched 
For Running Bingo House 

Cincinnati, July 6. 

Charged with violating the Ken- 
tifcky lottery statute, Willis Vance, 
operator of six nabes in Greater 
Cincy, was arrested by county po- 
lice Friday <2) for conducting the 
"Wahco Quiz Game" at the Dixie 
Gardens drive-in in Lookout 
Heights, • Ky., opposite Cincy. 
Hearing is scheduled for tomorrow 
(Wed.) in Kenton county court. 

Game is described as being simi- 
lar to bingo. Vance, who has long 
been active in eXhib asstKiations, 
contends that Wahoo i« in tlie same 
class with many radio games that 
offer prizes^ 

S New Upftate N. T. Drive-ins 

Albany. 

New drivevins in the Albany ter 
ritory include a 250-car one at 
Plattsburgb, . built by Ben Hobbs, 
Dannemora exhibitor. 

John Free ha^ opened the 
Riverside drive-in at Ogdensburg, 
serviced by -Albany exchanges. 



20th's Overhead 

ssm Contlnuea tr«m pat<e ft ssm 



producer-director Preston Sturges, 
who raked in $370,650 from 20th. 
Second spot was held by produc- 
tion veepee Darryl F. Zanuck, who 
took $260,000, while Spyros P 
Skouras, company prexy, came In 
a shade behind with $253,200. 

Report discloses that 20th's ex- 
penses for checking on percentage 
pix and auditing of books reached 
the big figure of $724,090 during 
the year. Of this, company doled 
out $627,700 to Confidential Re- 
ports, Inc. and $86,390 to the law 
firm of Sargoy & Stein.. Motion 
Pictiure Assn. of America was paid 
$277,357 as dues while the Ameri-' 
can Arbitration Assn. was sivto 
$89,521. 

Funded debt of the parent org 
was $5,000,000 as of Dec. 27, 1947, 
on an authorized bank loan of $25,- 
000,000. Loan is payable at $250,000 
quarterly with the first instalment 
due Dec. 15, 1950. 



FIVE-SfAR 

DC-« 

F1A6SHIPS 

LOS ANGELiS 

11 hours, 1(^iiiinote$ 

CHICAGO 

ZH hours 

Phoiw HJIvemeya* A-MOO 
or ye«r travel osMit 

Tic»e»CHBc«! AirKimTem^nal 
Rockefeller Centtr • Holtl New Yorker 
120 Broorfway • Hold Si. George 

AMERICAN 
AIRUNES . 



THE SROWMM'S FRIEND 

in jSo4. AwjM^ 

- .m 

500 Modern Rooms 
with both and radio 
"Everything Naw but tha Name 

ALEXANDBM HOTEL 

Fifth at Spring • U» Angele* 
FRANK WALKER, ©eneril Manager 
Forroeilv A CimrfaJ. Cleveland. <J- 



NotO SpCcloliti«»l 
in Rc/rcshM»*ttt 
rConccssions iot 



Wjsdneaflay, July 7. 191ft 



NETWORK EXEC TURNOVER UP 



Death in the Afternoon 

There was a sort of death-in-the-af ternoon atmosphere surround^ 
ing the luncheon tossed last \yeek in N^w York for Clifford J. Durr 
upon his stepping down as a membpr of the Federal Communications 
Comniission. If, as suggested by his ex-colleague, the former FCC 
cliaiiman James Lawrence Fly, they "came to bury Clifford, not to 
praise him," the funeral repast was a huge success. The eulogies 
; were magnificent, the praise unstinting — tributes worthy of a man 
who, as a seven-year servant in the communications field, remained 
steadfast in his convictions as the conscience of the broadcasting 
industry. 

But 'how ironic that the JubilatiDn ^ouM follow upon the excom- 
niunication of "the conscience.'! -Seldom during his term of office as 
a fighting commissioner was there occasion for praise or appreciation 
or cooperation. Those who sided with iiiui were few, but from ail 
sides, to again quojte Fly, he was belted and flayed, and only now, 
Stripped of authority as a GOT'emment agent, bad It become "safe" 
to extol his virtues. 

Few followed his leadership or stood beliind him in the good fight. 
Few there were who appreciated his clarity of vision in safeguarding 
the use of radio for the public interest. Few assisted him in his 
courageous fight to retain the balance of power between the vast 
listening audience and the station operator. The lone dissenter stood 
virtually without adherents in his straggle to maiiitahi a democratic 
radio. „ , - ■ • • *■■ 

Yet on this day, from all segments of the industry, they came to 
praise. All raised the cup Of eulogy. Now it was safe, 

'Stn& One' ia Balaace as 
K&E M on Tord IkiAFe' C(^oI 



Kenyon & Eckhardt and CBS are4- 
in a quiet tussle for production 
control of the "Ford Theatre" pro- 
gram, which will be heard on that 
.network Friday nights when it 
returns to the air Oct 1. The 
sponsor will, of course, make the 
decision as to where the produc- 
tion authority will lie, but the 
agency still holds the reins at the 
inojuent, and can retain them if it ; 
is determined to do JMi. 

With the move to the Friday 
night spot on CBS, after NBC 
repeatedly failed to come through 
with a better time than 5-6 p.m. 
Sundays, the motor firm also de- 
cided to revise the "Theatre" show, 
abandoning the non-name policy in 
favor of guest stars and raising the 
budget from ♦11,000 <net) to $15,- 
000-$16,000. It was also ligured on 
shuffling the production staff. As 
tentatively planned now, Leonard 
Erick.son, K & E radio director, is 
to produce and Fletcher Markel, 
CBS staffer, is to direct, thus tak- 
ing over the combined function of 
George Zachary, producer-director 
last season.^ . 

CBS is understood trying to 
install its own staff to handle the 
entire production setup of the 
show, but thus far K & E has given 
a preliminary acceptance of Maikel 
as director, but otherwise is hold- 
ing off any decision. Meanwhile, 
with Markel apparently set for the 
(Continued on page 29) 

Cowai VS. Cowim 

Unusual situation has cropped 
up whereby a package Impresaiio 
is competing with himself in the 
Sunday night . network sweep- 
stakes. It has to do with the Lou 
Cowan-packaged "RFD America" 
show which has moved from a Sun- 
day afternoon slot on NBC into 
the web's 8:30 at night segment as 
suinmer replacement for the Fred 
Allen show. 

"BFD" is competmg with ABC s 
fabulou.s "Stop the Music." which 
is also a Cowan package. 

The only solace Cowan derives 
from the odd situation is his hunch 
that the two programs will attract 
diflercnl tyi)e audiences, although 
"RFD" has a quiz format, too. 

Bernard Exit* TBlondie' 
- ■ Hollywood, July 6. 
After several years as director 
nf the "Blondie" series, Don Ber- 
nan has been yanked off the show 
the William Morris agency. 
Glenhall Taylor has sucteedrf. 

No explanation has been offered 
for tlie switch. 



Gbnbel Demo Host 

Philadelphia, July 6. 
Benedict Giihbel, Jr., president 
and general manager of WIP, has 
been appointed chairman for tlie 
Independence Hall* ceremonies 
sponsored jointly- by the Demo- 
cratic National Convention and 
the Philadelphia Chamber Of Com- 
merce. 

The event includes an informal 
tour by all the Governors, U. S. 
Senators, Congressmen and May- 
ors attending the Demo parley. 
Gimbel will also be chairman for 
the Democratic executive dinner 
July 9, the guests at which will be 
the members of President Tru- 
man's cabinet. 



6 casters Must 
Fi^t for Thar 
Rights, Sez DuiT 

Clifford J. Durr, who stepped 
out June 30 as a member of the 
Federal Communications 'Com- 
mission, sounded his valedictory 
at a farewell industry luncheon 
tossed in his honor at the Astor 
hotel, New York, last Thurs- 
day (1>. 

In characteristic fashion, Durr, 
in the presence of about 100 rep- 
resentatives of all facets of the 
broadcasting industry, including 
many key executives, admonished 
the broadcasters to stand up and 
fight for their rights. 

Described by Jiis ex-colleague 
and former chairman of the FCC, 
James Lawrence Fly, as a man 
who, though belted and flayed, 
has left his mark upon the in- 
dustry "because you cannot inter 
a conscience," Durr expressed mis- 
givings over the shai>e of things. 
He expressed deep concern over 
the forces currently at work, par- 
ticularly the probings of the FBI 
into people's thinking. 

He spoke as a man particularly 
saddened by the turn of events 
in the past year, characteriscing 
specifically tlie position taken' by 
the film industry in the recent J. 
Farnell Thomas probe as "one 
which won't inspire great con- 
fidence." He deplored the fact that 
people are becoming afraid; that 
the inquisitors are already mov- 
ing into radio, and expressed the 
hope that radio will stand up 
against it. If it takes the easy 
cours'e. Dun* warned, "radio can 
lose its soul." 
Tlie tributes to Durr were touch- 
(Continued on page 28) 




HIGH PAimOE 



Br GEORGE ROSEN 

Coming and going of executives 
has become more and more fre- 
quent at the networks since the 
war's end with trade interpreta- 
tion, in the east at least, that the 
webs now rival the once-notorious 
.iob. tumover tempo of the adver- 
tising agencies. 

The networks, like the agencies, 
are conscious of tlie morale con- 
sequences of job ..uncertainty, and 
both NBC and CBS have recently 
pointed up the importance of per- 
sonnel management by bestowing 
special consideration to the re- 
spective head men. NBC went to 
extraordinary efforts to hold 
Ernest de la Ossa when he was all 
set to transfer to Gteneral Electric, 
while CBS has now made its per- 
sonel department chief, Howard 
Housman, a vice-president. 

It's recalled, too, that recently 
several advertising agencies, when 
shaken by account raids, went to 
special pains to re-absorb as many 
employes as possible to reduce the 
firing volume which has . such a 
bad effect on all employes. 

Mutual Most Stable . 

Among the networks, Mutual 
may have the most stable record 
for the moment, possibly because 
fewer employes are involved 
totally. ABC -was the most inse- 
cure some time ago, when execu- 
tives of the standing of Chester 
LaRoche, Edgar Kobak, Phillips 
Carlin, Bobert Swezey and Hubr 
bell Bobinson were involved in tap 
level turnovers. Today the liiring- 
firing tempo at all tlie -webs seems 
up, with CBS perhaps in the lead. 

Exact lists are of course un- 
available, but the files of Vhsxtm 
suggest the unmistakable rising 
tumover of executives of the first, 
second and third ranks. Not ail 
executives are fired, of course. 
Many genuinely resign tom^ve on 
to more lucrative posts. A few 
have retired on pension. 

Nothing more than a picture of 
"excutive turnover ' volume" is 
suggested by the following reprise 
of executives leaving NBC and 
CBS in -recent years: 

NBC: Frank Mullen, A. L. Ashby, 
Frank Mason, James G. Harbord, 
Franklin Dunham, Lloyd JIngei-, 
Phillips Carlin, Wilfi-ed Roberts, 
Abe Schechter, Lewis Titterton, 
Clarence -Menser, Mark Woods, 
E. Pv H. James, Alfred Morton, 
George Engels, William ICostka, 
A. £. Nelson, Janet MacRorie, 
(Continued on page 28) 



Sipots on 500 Stations 

Despite the limitations for ad- 
vertising copy set down in the new 
NAB code. Funk & Wagnalls isn't 
running into any difflculty with 
the placement of its, campaign on 
the company's new encyclopedia. 
The F&W five-minute transcrip- 
tions represent that many minutes 
of straight commercial, whereas 
the code specifies a maximum of a 
minute and 15 seconds for fiive- 
minute programs on 'day schedules. 

Leonard Advertising Agency, 
which is spotting the business, fig- 
ures on buying as many Bs 000. sta- 
tions. ■ ■ 



Mark Woods 

Prssidenf of fha Americon Broaif- 
catiina Co. 

if «m of tiie Mtwork toppers wfho 
ten Tcloviiien mm fiqiaiitleii 
of Broadcoifiaq In 

'Room for Everybody' 
* * * 

ail tdltoflal fMtwr* in the 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION 

of 

to b» publhiied soon 



$2,mOI)8 'Stop Mask' Ainr Set 
To. hva^ AU Show Biz Meia ; 
MayBecoiDeT(qiBoxorKeDniw 



Could Be 

Theatre offices are going 
nuts answering phone calls 
from radio dialers trying to 
find out the name of that 20th- 
Fox newsreel signature num- 
ber that's the current "Stop 
the Music" mystery tune. Film 
and newsreel houses also are ~ 
being swamped with letters of 
inquiry. It's reported the 
Paramount, N. Y.^ already has 
received 15,000 inquiries. 

Meantime, in Chicago the 
Sun-Times is continuing to be 
dogmatic in printing the title 
of the mystery tune, but let 
a cagey note creep in last 
week. Paper coyly asked, 
"Could it be the 'World Events 
March"/" 




By Giveaways, 
Ask Coffil Fees 

Chicago, July 6. 
The American ^Federation of Ra- 
dio Artists is. planning another at- 
tempt to have gi-veaway and "com 
operative" sustaining programs 
classed' as commercials for the pur- 
poses of determining perfornier 
fees. Newest move in that direc- 
tion will be aimed principally at 
giveway stanzas, against which 
there has been agitation among the 
union membership, on the ground 
that -their audience-participation 
format is decreasing actor employ- 
ment. AFRA will use the broad- 
casters' own ruling to prove such 
shows should be (dassifi^d as Com*' 
mercial. 

Under the new code of the Na- 
tional Assn. of - Broadcasters, 
adopted recently in Los Angeles, 
>any sustainer on which the brand- 
name of a giveaway is mentioned, 
is to be considered. a cpmmerciaL 
AFRA will try to apply that rule 
to the question of classifying 
shows for determining whether tlie 
sustaining or commercial scale 
should be paid the talent. Gen- 
erally, the talent involved is mere- 
ly an announcer, as most give- 
away shows are audience-participa- 
tion. However, similar action will 
be taken against any other type 
programs on wliich giveaways are 
mentioned by brandi 

AFRA attempted several years 
ago to have "cooperative" sustaln- 
ers rated -as commercials, but move 
was overruled in an - arbitration 
hearing. In that instance, the se- 
ries was a dramatic show, using 
material from a magazine and 
broadcast as a sustainer, but "in 
cooperation vrith" the publication. 
There has never been any question 
of the commercial designation of 
network shows sponsored on a lo- 
cal co-op basis. 



ing on Ghreaways In 



^ New Setup Pacts 

The four major networks got 
together last week to meet the 
squawks of advertisers forced to 
sign contracts conforming to the 
new NAB coGe, which went into 
effect Thursday (1). The webs 
promised to take steps to bring aU 
contracts into line with the code's 
advertising restrictions by next 
Jan. 1. . ■■■ 

Subject to these "required 
changes in program operation," the 
codfe is in effect on all four nets, 
the top brass announced following 
a dinner meeting with NAB proxy 
Justin Miller at the Waldorf- 
Astoria, N. Y., Thursday night. 

During their five-hour closed 
(Continued on page 28) 



Riding on the crest of the cur- 
rent giveaway wave of popularity, 
Lou Cowan, package boss of the 
$2,000,000 ABC network grosser. 
"Stop the Music," is mapping a 
multiple-faceted campaign for tlie 
program which may make it the top 
boxoflice attraction of any show 
that ever came off the radio Itilo- 
cycles. 

Within tlie next few months. it'« 
anticipated that "Music." throu^ 
the contemplated a 1 1-s h o w-b i z 
media spread, wUl virtually become 
an industry in itself, with a multi- 
million dollar gross pa^'off. 

Under present plans, "Music" ' 
next fall vrill be showcased on. 
radio; television; as a touring road 
company attraction; will be spot- 
lighted in a Decca album, and as a 
King Features syndicated column, 
and may wind up as the basis for a 
film. 

Already booked into the Capital 
theatre, N. Y., for a Broadway 
showcase presentation, the booking, 
if successful, will inspire a whole 
flock of road company "Music" 
shovra to tour tlie nation's presenta- 
tion-vaude houses, state fairs and 
other al fresco attractions. Seals 
will be on the saifte ^a«rantee« 
percentage basis as the Capttol 
date. 

TV Setup Sure 

The tele version o£ "Music" is set 
as a certainty for the fall. The King 
Features syndicated '':!'giveaway'' 
strip is scheduled for fall release, 
with the "format" apparently all 
worked out already. Ncgotiationi 
liave «li%ady taken place with Jaek 
fCapp for the release of the Decca 
album featuring the musical biglK 
spots of the "Music" giveaway. 

One picture deal' has thus far 
been rejected, with likelihood that 
a new one will be worked out In the 
near future. - 

Although on the air but a Short 
time, "Music" has already frabbedl 
oil the N6, 2 spot on the Hooper 
Top 15, with only Walter WincheU 
batting a higher percentage. How- 
ever, with WW taking a summer 
layoff soon, "Music" looks headed 
for the coveted No. 1 position in 
upcoming tallies. - 



Savk$ OB BH iKz 

With CBS stlil harboring hope oC 
winning, over Phiico and its Bing 
Crosby program, ABC is putting 
on an .intensive pitch to swing 
Bidstal-Myers' "Duffy's Tavem" 
and "District Attoriiey" into ita 
Wednesday -night schedule. Pres- 
entation made B-M involves spot- 
ting Crosby from 8:30 to 0 Wednes- 
day and havlag "DaKy" and D. A.** 
foUow the crooner in that order. 
. ABC's argument to B-M for the 
switch of the two programs from 
NBC (also Wednesday night) 
stresses two factx)rs: (1) the advan- 
tage, of following Crosby, and. (2), 
a savings of around $300,000 a 
year in time costs. -Bristol lias 
turned the proposition over to the 
two ad agencies concerned — Young 
& Bubicam and Doherty, Clifford 
& Shenfield— jfor study and ree» 
ommendation. 



Metzger Quits WTAM 

After 19-Yr. Begiiti* 

Cleveland, July 0: 
Hal Metzger, member of tha 
WTAM staff for 19 years, and sta- 
tion program director since 1839, 
has resigned to enter another bus- 
iness. Resignation came in a let* 
ter to station manager John Me- 
Cormick. Metzger did not disclose 
his new venture. 

He is being succeeded by acting 
program director Chet Zohn, for- 
merly station vocalist, and for tha 
past several years station night 
'manager. '" - 



20 



RADIO 



Wetlneedlay, July 7, 1948 



6MB to Measure FM, TV Audiences; 
Also Adding New Frequency Feature 



' Television and FM in addition 
to AM audiences will be measured 
i*i the Broaddast Measurement Bu- 
reau's March, 1949, nationwide 
survey of station and network lis- 
teners, BMB prexy Hugh Feltis 
announced this week. In addition, 
frequency o£ listening will be 
gauged, as a supplement to the to- 
tal weekly audience figures. 

These new features in the No. 2 
study, Feltis asserted, should make 
it even more valuable than the 
No. 1 survey ( made in 1946 ) , which 
has estahlished itself as an im- 
portant industry tool in buying 
and selling radio time as well as 
for promotion and merchandising 
campaigns, allocation of . radio 
costs and station management. The 
developments stem from the ex- 
periences of advertisers, agencies 
Hnd broadcasters (who share 
equally in BMB's operation) in 
using bureau data. 

New ballot forms have already 
been tested, seeking accurate info 
on the audiences of TV and FM 
as well as AM, Feltis reported. 
As for the frequency feature, the 
BMB prexy explained; 

"Many users of BMB data be- 
lieve that our total weekly audi- 
ence figures would be even more 
valuable if they were supplement- 
ed by information which would in- 
dicate the extent to which each 
station's audience listens . during 
thie week. First BMB had to de 
termine whether to measure this 
extent of listening in terms of the 
number of days per week which 
families I'sten to a station or 
the total time they listen to it. The 
two are by no means the same. A 
family may listen to one Station 
' more days per week, to another 
station more minutes per week, 
f>nd may listen to mor'e individual 
programs on still another station." 
Difference of Opinion 
(On this point, BMB and Hoo- 
per, who's peddling a new Station 
Area Listening Index, differ vi- 
olently. Hooper claims that, afteii 
mach experimentation, he found 
the most satisfactory question to 
bet "To what stations do you lis* 
ten most frequently or most of 
the time?" This gives listeners 
their choice of two yardsticks' and 
they can mix them, in naming sta- 
tions, as they see ftt.) . 

BMB decided to "concentrate on 
the most stable factors." Feltis 
said, "and measure and report on 
frequency as distinguished from 
duration of listening. Current 
experimentation will determine 
bow this supplementary informa- 
tion will be reported. It may be 
expressed as average daily audi- 
er.ce — 'the number of families that 
listen to the station in the course 
of an average day." The informa- 
tion would be reported separately 
for daytime and night. 
» Also under discussion, Feltis dis- 
closed, is a suggestion that the 
total number of stations listened to 
by 10% or more of the radio fami- 
lies be showc in^ the Area Report 
for each county s nd reported city, 
separately day and night. 

The BMB Station Audience Re- 
prints will show both weekly audi- 
ence and frequency of listeningj 
expressed perhaps in average daily 
audience. In addition, the reprints 
will incorporate summary data of 
such items as - decile tables and 
day and night audience maps. The 
printing of BMB maps as part of 
the reprints, Feltis said, would an- 
svter a widespread demand from 
advertisers, agencies and sub- 
scribers. 



{July 7-17) 

Wed., July 7 

"National Minstrels," with 
Anisteen Allen, Bull Moose 
Jackson, Paul Breckenridge, 
Lucky Millinder orch and all- 
Negro cast (Dennis Day re- 
placement); sustaining; NBC, 
from N. Y.; Wed., 8-8:30 p,m., 
EDT. . • 

Thurs., July 8 

"Sospense," with guest stars 
(Dick Haymes replacement); 
Auto - Lite (Newell - Emmett); 
CBS, from Hollywood; Thurs., 
9-9:30 p.m., BDT. 

Sat., July 10 

Morey Amsterdam Show, 
With Ginnie Powell, Hank 
Sylvern orch (Joan Davis re- 
plapement); co-operative; CBS 
from N. Y.; Sat., 9-9:30 p.m., 
EDT. 

Wed., July 14 

"Mr. Chameleon/' with Karl 
Swenson, Prank Butler, Julie 
Stevens, "Victor Arden orch 
("American Melody Hour" re- 
placement); Sterling Drug 
(Dancer - Fitzgerald - Sample); 
CBS, from N. Y.; Wed., 8-8:30 
p.m„ EDT. 

■ Thurs., July 15' 

Ray Noble orch, with Ilene 
Woods (Jack Carson-Eve Ar- 
den replacement); National 
Dairy (Ayer); NBC, from Hol- 
Ivwood; Thurs., 9:30-10 p.m., 
EDT. 




*«»»*♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦f»»»»« 



From the Production Centres 



KLZ NEWS EDITOR 

WILUAM 'Bar PARKER 

A one-time Reuters correspondent 
in Europe and Asia, i'arker is 
typical ol KLZ news p^-r&iinnei 
selected for experience and news 
Iinow-how, 

KLZ, DENVER. 



mCCavakade' 
MAmuHi^lispot 

New York's city-owned indie, 
WNYC, win celebrate its 25tir«nni 
tomorrow (Thurs.) with an all-day 
arrajy of special shO\Vs starring tal- 
ent from nearly every other sta- 
tion in Gotham. High spot of the 
day will be the «iring of a docu- 
mentary, "Cavalcade of WNYC," 
\vith Grover Whalen, in which the 
recorded = voice of the late Mayor 
F. H. LaGuardia will be heard 
reading the comic strips. 

Parade of guest shows lined up 
by (Se0rg6 Wallach, program di- 
rector, ineludes; WNBC'fi Jinx and 
Tex McCrary; WCBS' Bill Leonard 
in his "This Is New York"; WLIB's 
Estelle M. Sternberger; WEVD's 
"Pride and Prejudice"; WNEW's 
Martin Block; WMCA's Andre Ba- 
ruch and Bea Wain; WOV's Freddie 
Bobbins, Rosalie Allen and Bill 
Williams; WINS' ,Jack Lacey, Art 
Scanlon and Don Goddard, and 
WHN's Ted Husing and his "Band- 
stand." 

Vincent Lopez and his orch will 
contribute a stint. In addition, 
there will be special ■ "salutes" 
from the BBC, the United Nations, 
WJZ, WQXR and others. 

Teeoff show, at 12 noon, will be 
a ^'WOR Salutes WNYC" musical 
Stanza directed by Sylvan Levin, 
musical director of WOR. 



MBS to Claim 
No. 1 Spot on Its 
Ustenabiiity' 

It looks like Mutual, which has 
adopted a new subtitle of "the 500- 
Statipn Network (World's Largest)," 
is about to claim that its daytime 
coverage, oii the basis of "listen- 
ability," exccieds that of any net- 
work. 

The whole story of Mutual's 
findings in both daytime and night- 
time "ILstenability" woii't be told 
probably until early September, it's 
now learned. The web is going to 
revise its comparative audience 
totals and percentages in accord- 
ance with the Broadcast Measure- 
ment. Bureau's just-released new 
estimates of total U.S. radio fami- 
lies. (The total, since 1946, has 
gone up from 33,998,000 to 37,- 
623,000.) 

But there is a tipoil in a booklet 
which Mutual published last week, 
hailing the web's addition last 
month of its SQOth affiliate and set- 
ting forth Mutual's "new concept 
of network service." (It amounts 
to a claim that, with ."iOO "live- 
wire" outlets, the web oifers 
unique "merchandising at the com- 
munity level to advertising on a 
national scale." 

In bar graphs, the web shows its 
(Continued on page 28) 



[N IVEr YORK CITY , . . 

The Robert Rices have bought a home at Nyack N. Y. She's a radio 
actress- he's with the New Yorker, . . .Earle McGiU booked fop » 
nationwide lecture tour next season. Meanwhile, he and Howard Teich- 
mann are gandering the national political conventions, with the idea 
of Betting background material lor a radio series .... William Lewis; 
vice-oresident of Kenyon & Eckhardt, took time off during the Repubi 
lican convention to tabulate ballots lor Bob Trout, of NBC. 

Bill Garden did the direction for NBC of the telecast of the Joe 
Louis-Jersey-Joe Walcott fight June 25. 

Ouip going the rounds is that everyone is dying to come to grips 
with FCC now that Freda Hennock's on the bench Socony, which 
hasn't put any chips in network radio since the Borge-Goodman exit 

last season, is taking a long gander at tele Assn, of American Raili 

roads perennial bridesmaid in radio advertising, will once^ again mull 
an air splurge at a board meeting at month's end . . Time's full-page 
kudo for Life-NBC's .iob on GOP, with other webs and radio totally 
ignored brought howls of "bias:" WOR prez Ted Streibert off to 
Seal Harbor, Me.i for all July. 

Mert Koplin has relieved Bruce Elliott as spinner of kiddie disks 
in Mutual's 5 p.m. strip. "Adventure Parade," formerly in this slot, 
has been moved down to 5:30 as "Capt. Midnight's" summer standin. . , ,: 
DOubleday expanding its Jacques— Fray- WNBC tab to half an hour, , , , 
p F James, head of a London ad agency, here spending a month with 
his son. Mutual veepee E. P. H. .James ...National Assn.. of Manu; 
facturers has added tele to Johnny Johnstone's title as radio direct 
tor . , . . WINS has latched onto Columbia U.'s grid games for the fall. 

Mitehfell Grayson moved in as executive producer of "Author 
Meets the Critics" Sunday (4). lle'U also assist Marty Stone, indie 



Overtime, Fight Gets 



Ballantinei in its bid to -dominate 
the radio sponsorship sports pic- 
ture, has negotiated a deal for a 
full Mutual network pickup of the 
Ike Williams-Beau Jack lightweight 
championship bout from Philadel- 
phia.:' 

Fight will be staged the night of 
July 12, night of the Democratic 
Convtyation keynote speech. The 
Ballantine deal is such that, if the 
Iceynote talk runs overtime, the 
bout will be delayed in order to 
permit a. network pickup from the 
opening gong. 
* As in its sponsorship deal on the 
$Eale>-Graziano bout, negotiations 
iSit B tele pickup of ,tlie Philly fight 
bave tltus far' been wsucceSsful. 



DR. GOODMAN BOWS OUT 
OF CHURCH AIR SCENE 

The best-known figure in reli- 
gious radio has retired from the 
scene. Dr. Frank C. Goodman, 70, 
turned in his resignation last week 
as exec secretary of the department 
of religious radio in the Federal 
Council of Churches of Christ of 
America. He had been with the 
council 31 years. Although he has 
never spoken 'on the air, he ar 
ranged 12,000 network broadcasts 
and 10,000 local programs during 
his career. 

Dr. J. Quinter Miller, acting *x^ 
ecutive secretary of the recently 
organized Protestant Radio Com- 
mission, is taking over Dr. Good- 
man's functions temporarily. Wes 
ley Goodman, sou of Dr. Goodman, 
who^ has been with the . council's 
radio setup fov 10 years, is cob' 
tinning in charge of its network 
productions. 

Over the weekend, Milton Krentz, 
head of a N. Y. ad agency, joined 
the new commission on a con' 
tractual basis to oversee some of 
the phases of itit operations. 



Safecracking Is Made 
Respectable in WMIN, 
St Paul, Giveaway Stunt 

Minneapolis, July 6. 
New twist in giveaways here 
brought a lot of innocent people 
into the profession of safecracking. 

Cortland J. Silver, St. Paul 
jeweler, in a WMIN campaign re- 
vealed he had in his store a safe 
laden with $3,500 worth of ex- 
pensive trinkets, ■ and invited the 
public to try opening the safe. 
Anyone opening it could take the 
loot. -- 

WMIN, over a three-week period, 
broadcast clues to the combination. 
Hundreds tried it, some approach- 
ing the job with obvious experi- 
ence. Mrs. Margaret Martin, 23, 
art history student, finally walked 
in with the clues figured, and 
opened the sErongbox in a few 
seconds. She got the valuables. 

Silver, once stopped from using 
signature "Hi Ho, Silver," is fig 
uring out another gimmick. 



Hal Kauter 

Ihlniii 

"Even Wrestlers Work 

Better with Scripts — 

. Why Not Tele?" 
* * * 

m tdltarlal fMtart in th* 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBER 
•f 

to Iw jiubh'shed this month 



staying on - . , ..,.,„,. 

instead of vice versa, as reported last week. . . .Adelaide Ha wley is 
narrating a series of tele films for Celanese Corp., via Ellington agency 
WMAR-TV, Baltimore, has bought Telenews-INS' weekly reel..., . 
Aaron Rubin pacted as scripter'for "Mr, Ace & Jane". . . .Peter Aylen, 
of UN's radio staff, off to the Coast. Oa retum> he'll hop to Paris for j 
three months . Lyman Bryson has a piece on adult education in 
the current Ladies Home Journal . . CBS research chief Oscar Katz 
to the Coast for a fortnight. 

A national advertiser talking of bankrolling Gabriel Heatter's up- 
coming "Mailbag" co-op on 60 or more MBS outlets Trade is 

speculating on the future of radio coverage by the N.Y. Star. As PM, 
the sheet had daily air news. Now it's down to a once weekly piece , . . . 

Anne Seymour into the "Evelyn Winters" cast Ian MacAllister 

added to "David Harum'" roster. . . .Michael Artists with "Lorenzo t 
Jones". , . .Charles Egelston and Harvey Stephens joined "Just Plain 
Bill" and "Front Page Farrell," respectively. 

Since the "Mystery CheK' series started Saturday moldings on 
WNBC, New York, Campbell's soup has bought sponsorship of another " 
of the three available spots, giving it two and Church & Dwight bakfaig 
soda the third. . . .Barbara Becker set for a running part in "Just Plain 

Bill," which Norman Sweetser directs Christine Squire, of the 

Schwimmer & Scott radio department, in last week for a periodic look 
at New York production and to renew local contacts. . . .William M. 
Ramsey, here last week for contract-signing ceremonies for Procter & 
Gamble's new "Fashions on Parade" video series, not due back again 
until July 26. 

fJV HOLLYWOOD . . . 

Meredith Willson back in town after his Mason City and New York 

trip of almost a month Bob Redd, Jack Carson show producer, 

planes to Scotland and Ireland on vacation when the stanza makes its 
last bow tomorrow (8). .. .Doloresj Crane, CBS presji* info department 
secretary, and Stuart Novins, special events director for KNX and, CBS 
Coast net, were hitched Tuesday (6) . . . .Ben Alexander takes over quiis- 
master spot on "Noah Webster Says" while Haven MacQuarrie vaca- 
tions. ..Harry Von Zell subs on "Double or Nothing" while Walter 
O'Keefe dittoes. .. .Wick Crider here to teeofE American Tobacco's 
"Let's Talk Hollywood" for BBD&O. , .David E. Green, back after a 
year in Europe, opened publicity oflices to plug Colgate-Palmolive-Peet 
product. . . .Barbara Eiler last-minute sub for Janet Waldo in the new 
Mel Torme show. . . .Cy Howard off for European vacation after sea- 
son's final broadcast of "My Friend Irma" Milt Samuel, Bob Mc: 

Andrews and Tom Connolly back at their desks at Young & Rubicam 
— Jack Meakin, NBC musical director, reeuping from broken rib 
sustained while playing baseball with neighborhood moppets. , . .Spike 
Jones and Helen Greco sail for three- week honeymoon July !il after 
knot-tying ceremony at the Beverly Hills hotel. 

William Keighley off for New England vacation and Broadway play 
gandering.. .Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers lined up for 
Wrigley's allstar Thanksgiving and Christmas shows on CBS.. . Hal 
Kanter, Artie Julian apd Howard Leeds reoptioned for the fall on the 
Beulah show — Jim Burton cut new tape-recorded stanza, "Luncheon 
at Lucey's," with Joy Hodges as femcee and Ronald Reagan, Col. Phil 
Cochran, Frank Veloz, Irene Hervey and Sammy Cahn as guests ... 
Dorothy Dewejs and Jeanne Kirk, "Breakfast in Hollywood" office 
staffers, hitching this month with Monty Grimes and Jim Utterbach, 
respectively. . . Dick Day, formerly radio director for Community 
Chest, inked as head of BBD&O's new publicity department here ... . 
Garry Moore bows out of "Take It Or Leave It" and "Breakfast in 
Hollywood" Aug. 21 for two-week vacation. 

Betty Mears of Ru.ssell Seeds agency placed in charge of tele and 
radio script writing class at Hollywood School of Radio Technique . ■ • 
KFWB will showcase "Modern Miracles," new dramatic series by Hal 
Carlock and. Don Johnson Friday (9). Thomas Freebaim-Smith pro- 
duces. . . .Bob Holbrook, Compton agency prexy, and Lewis Tittertofi, 
radio director, due in Saturday (10). . . .Frank O'Connor of Ted Bates 

agency auditioning hillbilly talent for new Bob Burns show Harmon 

Nelson of Berg-AUenberg agency peddling new Frank Morgan package 
in which Morgan goes solo again after last season's go-round with Don 
Aineche and Frances Langford. , . .Karl SchulUnger of Pedlar & Rya" 
in from New York on vacation ,.. Corny and Gail Jackson back from. ; 

Chicago and New York sessions on the Elgin shows Kay and Georgia 

Kyser to Europe on vacation Hans Conried, "Prof.' Krapatkin' on 

the "My Friend Irma" shOw» reoptioned for two more iseasons by Swan 
Soap. 

IIS CHICAGO . . . 

John Harper, formerly of International Harvester's ad dept., is Mu- 
tual's new co-op rep....Les Atlass, CBS veepee, cruising the Great 
Lakes in his yacht, "Sis Frank Breslta replaces BiU Wallace as 
midwest sales manager of .Tohn E. Pearson Co. Wallace resigned w 

join the Minneapolis branch of Fred Ziv Bill Wilson, who shittew 

from ABC spot and local sales last April- to special events chief oi 
forthcoming WENR-TV, has returned to net sales as an account exec 
. . . .WXRT, new FM'er, teed off Sunday (4). . . ."Archie Andrews re- 
newed by Swift & Co.. effective Aug. 7, through J. WaUer Thompson 
. . . Allen Prescott subs as "Breakfast ClObf* emceft while Don McNeii| 
vacatiohs in Canada this week . . .Peter Beich, ex-Quiz Kid, now » 
' (Continued on page' 28) 



WcJncaday, July 7, 194A 



21 



CBS SHEDS LATIN HEADACHE 



Ibioii^n^n f w Royal HiM>ts 
Tree Ra&' Onf erence in B. A. 



Montevideo, Jidy 6, < • 
Despite the efforts of the Ar- 
gentine government, the annual 
convention of the InterrAmerican 
Assn. of Broadcasters at Buenos 
Aires finally got a chance Sunday 
night (4) to express its feelings 
about 'democracy and freedom 
from political domination. Having 
been kept occupied several days 
by a succession of official enter- 
tainments and social functions, the 
delegates broke into an enthusias- 
tic demonstration for John F. Roy- 
al, NBC v.p., representative from 
the U. S., and cheered the setting 
off of firecrackers to celebrate his 

• country's Independence Day. 

The fact that the meetihgs are 
b^ing held in the Argentine capital, 
where the government maintains a 
firm grip on radio, gave particular 
point to Royal's statements in be- 
half of the real freedom and re- 
sponsibility of ' broadcasters. Roy- 
al's contribution to international 
radio and his aid and inspiration 
to the free broadcasters of Latin- 
America were mentioned ixi an in- 
troductory speech by Alcides Toro, 

• of Venezuela, and the demonstra- 
tion was led by Emilio Azcarraga, 
of Mexico; S. Fantana, of Uruguay. 
Gear Mestre, of Cuba, and R. 
Machado, of Brazil. 

Deleeaies Burned Up 
Although this is supposed to be 
a meeting between private broad- 
, casters, the government's domina- 
tion of Argentine radio is turning 
the confab into a government con- 
trolled confab, with the radio men 
from the other American republics 
burned up over the entire setup. 
The Argentine Postal Savings 
Bank, adjoining the Casa Rosada 
Government House, has b e e n 
placed at the disposal of the con- 
fab, while furniture and installa- 
(ContlDued on page 29) 



Bob Trout 

.discoarMi on and key* 

"The Answer on 
Television News** 

* . • ■* 

an editorial fratiir* in 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION 

to b» publidied thh month 



Prog 



ram Sinfts 
Uiqireeedented 

Shuffles and reshuffles over the 
past month affecting the nighttime 
network rosters next season are 
said by web execs to be unprece- 
dented. Bearing the brunt of the 
activity have been the Friday nigJJt 
schedules on both NBC and CBS. 
They're still juggling them around, 
with likelihood that the picture 
won't crystallize itself for another 
tliree or four weeks, 

Another CBS occupant of years 
standmg is scheduled to move over 
to NBC this fall, in the wake of 
IntemaUonal Silver's decision to 
give Ozzie and Harriet a whirl on 
the NBC kUocycles. It's the Pet 
Milk "Saturday Night Serenade" 
program, currently berthed in the 
CBS 10 p.m. Saturday spot but 
Mould like a choicer time segment. 

Just what segments Ozzie and 
"Serenade" go into hasn't defl- 
nitelv been determined. Ozizie may 
wind" up in the Saturday at 8 pe- 
riod being vacated by P & G's 
"Life of Riley," but there's a pos- 
sibility that it may land the Sun- 
day 6:30-7 period if Amencan 
Home Products' "Hollywood Star 
preview" show agrees to a new 
spot There's been talk of the lat- 
ter going into Wednesday night at 
30-30 If Ozzie gets Sunday at 6:30, 
the Pet Milk musical will go into 
Saturday at 8. 

Air St. 1. Cops Graduation 

St. Louis, July 6. 
For the first time in the history 
of the St. Louis Police Dept. gradu- 
ating exercises of the poUce 
academy were broadcast. Last week 
KXOK tape recorded the proceed- 
ings and broadcast several hours 
later. This was the fli-st class of the 
academy graduating under the new 
training system which Is patterned 

after the FBI. 

Sneakers at the exercises were 
Gov Phil Donnelly, H. Sam Priest, 
Kident of the Board of PoUce 
Commissioner and Folic* Ohiet 
Jeremiah O'Connell. >>,.., ■ 



Overhaul 
yd to Chi Trib 
RedliihTVDip 

Chicago, July 6. 
Steady flow of red ink from 
video operations is seen as the 
main factor behind current re- 
alignments in the broadcasting do- 
main of the Chicago Tribune. Lat- 
est moves include George tlarvey 's 
transfer as WGN's eastern sales 
manager to the post of WGN-TV 
sales chief, and the announcement 
that the FM'er, WGNB, will begin 
duplicating WGN programs next 
month. 

Harvey takes over tele sales 
.luly 17 with present staffers Ted 
Weber and Bill Myers staying on 
as assistants. Less than 50% of 
WGN-TV time has been sold, fol- 
lowing the teeoil last April. Sta- 
tion recently cut five hours from 
its weekly sked, now averaging 36 
hours. Ben Berentson, manager 
of WGN western sales since 1945, 
replaces Harvey as eastern sales 
chief today (6) . 

DupleaVlon of WGN shows on 
WGNB will end -Separate staffing 
and' special programming the FM'er 
has maintained since its start in 
(Continued on page 28) 



Blown Fuse Causes Demo 
Tops to Blow in Mpls. 
iliring of Town Meeting' 

Minneapolis, July 6. 

WTCN here, carrying "Town 
Meeting of the Air," caught a lot 
of heat from its audience last week 
when it blew a fuse hi the midst 
of the show that gave spokesmen 
for the political parties a chance 
to px-esent their cases. The station 
went abruptly off the. air shortly 
after Will Rogers, Jr., speaking 
for the Democrats, launched an at^ 
tack on the Republican Congress' 
record. It was off for the rest of 
the program. 

Angry Democrats called up by 
the dozens, accusing the station of 
"prejudice." Many couldn't be con- 
vinced that a mishap caused the 
program's termination and that it 
wasn't choked off purposely. Much 
was made of the fact that the Re- 
publican had gotten off his pres- 
entation without interruption. 

In an effort to smooth ruffled 
feelings, WTCN had a tape record- 
ing of the program sliipped in from 
New York and broadcast it Sun- 
day night. Some disgmntled Dem- 
ocrats still beefed because the he- 
publican spokesman had two 
whacks on the air. 



DiiOPPIiU2i 
STITIi 5ETIP 

CBS last week reversed its long- 
time opposition to government 
operation of shortwave radio and 
went along with tlie David Samoff 
philosophy that private operators 
should get out, of the deficit-and- 
headache branch' of radio. 

CBS is now not only discontinu- 
ing (as of Oct, 1) its foreign lang- 
uage service to Europe and Soutli 
j America, but it is also dropping 
t and forgetting its Central and 
South American affiliated Cadena 
de los Americas, a network of 126 
stations put together in- 1941 by 
William S. Paley personally. The 
CBS board chairman at that time 
toured South America with Paul 
White and others and set deals 
in every country. Paley- later hired 
a Latin expert from the Associ- 
ated Press, Edmund Chester, to 
head up the CBS shortwave divi- 
sion. John Hundley, former musi' 
cat comedy singer, has been sec- 
ond in command. 

Switch on Plans 
CBS' sudden decision last week 
to join NBC in quitting shortwave 
and foreign language operations 
altogether is a switch on plans 
originally projected only a few 
months ago when Paley returned 
from his winter holiday in Florida. 
At that time it was intended to 
expand rather that cut down or 
abandon DX. An additional State 
Department subsidy was then in 
prospect. Meantime the teacup 
tempest about shortwave wise- 
cracks on Texas hit NBC and in 
the resultant flurry of Senatorial 
"indignation," NBC was provided 
with a welcome out. 

Withdrawal of CBS and NBC 
comes at a time when one Inter- 
national frequencies meeting is in 
progress at Buenos 'Aires and an- 
other scheduled (November) for 
Mexico City. Presumably there 
will now be extensive relaxations 
of pressure for desirable short- 
wave channels. Insiders think this 
will please (a) a longtime clique 
in the State Dept. itself who are 
now closer to the fixed commercial 
point-to-point companies tlian to 
either the "'Voice of America" or 
U, S. shortwave Interests general 
ly, and (b) the British Broadcast- 
ing Corp., still dominant in DX 
operations and reluctant to £ive 
up or share any of its choice air- 
lanes. 

The United Nations organization 
radio division under Peter Aylen 
at Lake Success is anxious to 
move into shortwave operations on 
an expanding basis and may or 
may not benefit from the happen- 
stance of CBS and NBC lockmg 
policies. 



FBI 0.0. iig 225 m, CBS hs^m 
Pnt St^ D^L liksmt of 'Vdce' 



Alan Lipscott 

whoM iilctrs dot* 'way back tp 
radiO) ciNiNiiMi tclmifien and 
ebsMvm that it's 

''Still the Same Ulcer** 

in 

3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION 

to bo publtdtod soon 



VICK IN EARLY START 
ON BUYING PROGRMIS 

Vick Co. is buying local pro- 
grams for the 1948-49 season some- 
what earlier than it has in' past 
years. The guest, tlirough the 
Morse International Agency, this 
time for three Id-minute daytime 
shows a week. Contracts will be 
for 26 weeks, starting Sept. 13. 

In dishing out its budget for the 
season Vick will operate on the 
ba.sis of three different lists. First 
consideration will be given to 
major markets contained on list 
No. 1. After that account will be 
taken of availabilities in secondary 
markets, and if there^s any money 
left over it will be divvied up 
among the markets on the third 
list. 



Demos Cour&$ 
B^gerAM-Tde 
Play Than GOP 

Philadelphia, July 6, 

Conti'ary to the recent prevailing 
belief that radio and television 
would pay less attention to the 
Democratic convention than to the 
GOP powovv, owing to the ap- 
parently cetftain nomination of 
President Truman, it now appears 
that even more broadcasting per- 
sonnel will converge here next 
week than turned out for the Re- 
publican confab. 

According to Kenneth Fry. radio 
director for the Demo national 
committee, more than 1,000 radio 
and TV people are being assigned 
to the -convention — tele engineers 
alone accounting for from 150 to 
200. Radio-TV turnout for the GOP 
meet totaled about 850. 

Fry is expected here tomorrow 
(Wed.) to set up headquarters at 
the Bellevue-Stratford. He has 
sent out an informal letter to all 
delegates and Other principals ad- 
vising them to be wary of the 
"merciless"' tele eye, cautioning 
them against reading newspapers 
during speeches, advising speakers 
to be clean-shaven, etc. Fry will 
advise speakers on dressing most 
effectively for tele and WiU offer 
makeup to those wishing it. 

Whether President Ti-uman will 
wear makeup before the video 
cameras Isn't known, but it'll be 
there for him if he wants it. 

So far, 128 networks and indi- 
vidual stations have been accredit- 
ed for the conclave, according to 
Harold McGrath, superintendent of 
the Senate radio galleries. One 
reason for the expected increase in 
radio-TV personnel is the South's 
greater interest in the Demo pro- 
ceedings. 



I&M'S 3 NEW VEEPEES 
Three new vice-presidents have 
been appointed by Lennen & Mit'- 
chell. They are Thomas P. Bough- 
ton, executive assistant to Ray Vir 
Den j president; Darnlel M. Daley. 
Jr., account executive, and Peter 
V. Keveson, radio copy head, 
, ^11 are effective immcdiateljr. 



Thelma Ritter's Pic 

Thelma Bitter winds up her 
radio assignments today (Wed.) 
and leaves for tlie Coast tomorrow 
(Thurs.) for a comedy part in the 
20th-rox picture, "To Three 
Wives." She'll be jfone about a 
month. 

Actress, who made her screen 
debut last fall in the same studio's 
"Miracle on 34th Street," is the 
wife of Joseph A. Moran, vice-pres- 
ident of Young & Rubicam. 



NBC's Denny Qevatbn 
Further Accentuation Of 
Web's Accent-on-Youth 

Naming of Charles R. Denny, 
former chairman of the Federal 
Communications Commission who 
joined NBC about eight months 
ago, to the executive vice-presi- 
dency of the network, is seen as 
further reflecting the web's accent- 
on-youth stance in which, over the 
past year, a number of youthful 
minor execs were boosted into 
prominent policy-making posts; 

At 36, Denny takes over the exec 
post held by Frank Mullen, who 
resigned recently to head up the 
G. A. (Dick) Richards three-station 
operation. As such, Denny will be 
the web's No. 2 man; second only 
to prcxy Niles Trammell, 

Succeeding Denny as veepee and 
general counsel will be Gustav B. 
Margraf, who has been NBC's legal 
rep in Washington. 
I The Denny-Margraf appoint- 
iments were announced Friday (2i 
[following a meeting of the web/s 
I boarfl of directors; •" - 



FBI m^n have been around Man- 
liattan. radio circles in increasing 
numbers in recent weeks, asking 
questions. These questions, it's re- 
ported, primarily concern many of 
the 225 persons currently on the 
NBC and CBS payrolls as part of 
the two webs' "Voice of America" 
programming setups. 

The Government sleuths hava 
stepped in because, effective Oct. 1, 
the tm> networks are relinqtiishintl 
the "Voice" programming func- 
tions and turning them back to tho 
State Dept. In return, the Stata 
Dept. is planning, to absorb a» 
many of these 225 people «s1ts ap> 
propriation will permit <the two 
networks hope to find jobs for fh» 
remainder) ' but before patting 
them on the government payroll, 
the State Dept. wants to make sure 
it won't be inviting any further 
Congressional investigatUms and. 
hearings. 

NBC's Latin-American " Voicif" 
broadcasts touched off the recent 
D.C. alarm and subsequent healings 
which resulted in the webs' de- 
cision henceforth to confine them- 
selves to renting its facilities and 
operating the engineering aspects 
of "Voice" broadcasts for the 
State Dept., with the latter taking 
over the international program- 
ming functions. During the interim 
period between now and Oct. 1 
the webs will continue to supply 
the State Dept. with the "Voice" 
programming service, but on a 
curtailed basis, with the govern- 
ment assuming responsibility for 
program content, and meanwhile 
building its own staff. 

Oddly enough, most of tlie 225 
programming aides employed by 
NBC and CBS during the eight- 
month period they took over the 
."Voice" programs, were originally 
in the State Dept. employ. The 
-two networks were each given 
$1,300,000 a year app)ropriations to 
program and service the "Voice'" 
shows, amounts which just about 
defrayed the .cost of operation. 

Counter WOV Bid 

Tlie Involved WOV-WNEW 
(N. ■¥.) duopoly situation of years 
standing has moved another step 
forward, with counsel for Herman 
Bess' General Broadcasting Corp., 
which seeks to buy WOV, filing a 
motion with the FCC asking for ' 
dismissal of the competing applica- 
tion. Latter application has been 
filed by the Victory Broadcasting 
Corp., comprising Ralph Weil and 
Arnold Hartley, manager and pro- 
gram manager, respectively, of 
WOV. 

Bess, asking the FCC to nix the 
Weil-Hartley application, claims 
that the latter's bid is an illusory 
one; that actually no real compet- 
ing application has been offered; 
that the only thing offered by Vic5- 
tory has been legal commitments , 
involving transfer of Richard 
O'Dea's stock. As siich, It's ar- 
gued, the bid only matches the on« 
originally made by. Bess, 

Bess has affixed sworn affidavits 
by O'Dca alleging that the latter 
has had no dealings with Weil and 
Hartley and points out that O'Dca 
is a member of Bess' General 
Broadcasting Corp, 



Damon Vamps Soaper 

For Strawhat Fliiig 

After several years in the part, 
Les Damon is quitting one of the 
lead.s of the "Big Sister" daytime 
serial and may do summer stock. 
Auditions for a replacement ar^ 
being held this week by the Comp^ 
ton agency. Procter & Gamble is 
the sponsor, and Mitchell Grayson 
directs the show. 

Damon formerly played Nick 
Charles, the suave sleuth in "Tliin 
Man," but was replaced by Les 
Tremayne. He continues in run- 

ning parts on "Right to Happiness" 

•'"■',;] and "FfiftiSi faces lp|e," , 



22 



BABTO REIIKWS 



■OLLTVroOD SHOWCASE 
'With Micfceir Itooney, emcee; Buddy 
•Colt, Dave Barry, Barbara 

Fuller. Julie Wilson, L.ud Glusk- 

iii orch; panel .of Judces; Bob 

liemond, announcer 
Writers: Jean. HoUoway, Bill Man- 

hoff 

' Producer: Larry Bems 
SO Mins.> Sun., 10 p.m. 
SUNtalnink 

CBSf from Hollywood 

CBS has finally found the for- 
mula for Mickey Rooney in radio. 
As ifi replacement for his ill-fated 
"Shorty Bell" I-want-to-be-a-news- 
paperman sexieB, the network hais 
completely revamped' its thinking 
- About Rooney as a radio person 
• ality. It is now projecting him as 
a sort of Don Ameche (only doubly 
so) to emcee a talcnt-fmding 
"Hollywood Showcase" Sunday 
night program with a three-man 
"board of producers" on hand to 
judge the potentials of the as- 
pirants. 

However, it's all Rooney, and it's 
his show from the opening to. the 
closing gong. He's .all over the 
place, dueting with pop singer 
Julie Wilson In a tune from his 
upcoming "Words and Music" pic; 
beating out the drums as accom- 
panist for Buddy Cole's pianistics; 
thesping with dramatic aspirant 
Barbara Fuller in, ^for want of 
a better description, the . Death 
Scene from Maxwell Anderson's 
"Winterset." and otherwise .spicing 
the stanza with a characteristic 
Stooney bounce as he laments the 
plight of talent that's never given 
. a chance and summarizing his ovn 
show biz career. 

As a matter of fact, in reflecting 
back^ one wonders how any one 
«lse manages to get a crack at the 
mike— or, for that matter, why it'-s 
necessary. For this is strictly 
Rooney's "baby." In each depart- 
ment there are any number of per- 
sonalities who can outstrip, him, 
tatentwise, but because Rooney is 
Rooney, witl^ his inexhaustible 
stamina, cockiness and verve, he 
wraps up "Showcase" in the palm 
of his hand. As for the show's real 
pro element, there is always Lud 
Gluskiu's orch. 

For the initial stanza (4), the 
"board of producers" was com- 
prised of Jerry Wald, Warners pro- 
ducer; Herman Hover, boniface of 
Ciro's (Hollywood) nitery, and 
Arthur Ungar, editor of Daily 
VAHnJiTj Who picked Miss Wilson, 
the singer, as the most potentially 
promising of the talent. Rose. 



TOm TVm TIME ITS AtWATS AtBEET 

Witbi Carmen Cavallaro and orch With Arnold Stang, Pert Kelton. 



DIZZY DEAN 
With Frank Eschen 
Writer; J. Roy Stockton 
IS Mins.; Sat., 5 p.m. 
. JOHNSON'S WAX 
NBC. from St. Louis 

(Ritssell Seeds) 
Dizzy ' Dean, the fireball pitcher 
who became a great play-by-play 
spieler by murdering the King's 
English, is now holding down • a 
regular 15-minute weekly session 
. of sports gab and chatter, mostly 
about himself. Dean is an amus- 
ing gent with his verbal monstrosi- 
ties but the fact that this show is 
scripted by J. Roy Stockton makes 
the slanguage a bit suspicious. 
Stockton, however, iS' careful not 
to pour the hillbilly grammar on 
too thickly wliile Dean, on his part, 
shows skill in giving an improvised 
look to a prepared gag. 

On the preem stanza (3), Dean 
gave .some biog details which re- 
vealed fronkly that he's his own 
most ardent fan. He pitched, sez 
he, some of baseball's historic 
, games even after his arm went 
lame. Maybe that was some ,of 
Stockton's gilding of the lily. In 
Straight vein. Dean chattered in- 
formatively about the current 
league standing, answered some 
questions from the mail bag and 
■wound up by giving fatherly ad 
• Vice to aspiring pitchers. Dean, 
above all, is a personality and will 
cash in with his eccentricities. 
Frank Eschen handled the plugs 
l>riefly and to the point. Herm. 



(15); Cavaliers quartet; Bob Lido, 
vocalist; Jack Costello, announcer 
Producer«director-writer: Dick 

Paterson 
30 Mins.; Tues., 8:30 p.m. 
TUMS 

NBC, from New York 

(.Roche, Williams St Cleary) 

The "poet of the piano" is biick 
on the summer-night airwaves as 
vacation pinchhitter for "Date with 
.fudy," and it's' a tunefully refresh* 
ing 30 minutes he cilfers. Carmen 
Cavallaro has consistently added to 
his "following during the last sev- 
'eral years, and this stanza won't 
disappoint them. He's as rippling 
as ever at the ivories, and he; sees 
that his agenda includes some of 
tlie numbers his devotees; kn^iv 
best, tlu-ough his recordings^ su<jh 
as^^-on the teeoif stanza last week 
(29)— "The Tango of Roses." 

Selections of numbers through- 
out the sequence sliowed an accent 
on oldies and bettbr known tunes, 
.such "as the opener; "Stepping Out 
with My liaby." The Cavaliers, 
however, came through with a late- 
comer, "Village Green," with 
smooth vocal harmonics. Bob Lido 
dropped his violin to pipe tlie solos 
satisfactorily. . 

Contrasted with this melodic 
fare, the sponsor's plugs for Turns 
"for, the Tummy" aren't quite as 
digestible. Unacc<)untably one of 
the spokesmen for the product was 
a Southerner strangely reminiscent 
of Lucky Strike's tobacco buyer, 
Doan. 



Bea- 



THE JANE PICKENS SHOW 



Jan Murray, Jack Miller orch; 
Georee Bryan, announcer, 
Writers: Jacqueline Susann, 

trice. Cole, 
Producer: Irving Mansfield. 
SO Mins.. FrI., 8:,10 p.Hl. 
Sustaininr ' - 

CBS. from New York 

The popularity of "My Friend 
Irma" seems to have -sparked a 
yen for the type of intimate situa- 
tion comedy that involves a dumb- 
bell (fill in either a sister, brother, 
brother-in-law or sister - in - law, 
roommate, etc.) The humor, if any, 
stems from a variation-^one up 
in multiple shades— of , the old 
moron joke, and if one' probes 
deep, enough one will find that the 
butt of the comedy is someone 
who's basically a gi'eat guy with a 
heart of gold. 

It was probably figured that Ar- 
nold Stang would be a natural for 
this new Jacqueline ■ Susann - Bea- 
trice Cole scripted series called 
"It's Always Albert," wliich CBS 
has slotted in the Friday 8:30 seg- 
ment for the summer. Stang has 
brought a distinctive comic quality 
to radio as the Gerard of the Henry 
Morgan '.show, ' ' 

But as Albert, the would-bc! 
composer whose inability to get a 
job keeps brother Jan Murray and 
girl friend Pert Kelton behind the 
marriage eight-ball, Stang is niore 
of a caricature of Stang. There's 
something desperate about the 
scripting; the comedy, save for one 
funny sequence in a department 
store, somehow doesn't seem to 
have the relaxed, lighthearted 



With Jane Pickens. Jack Kilty> quality that's neede'd 



Norman ' Cloutier Orch, Choir 
(6), Phil Leeds (xnest), Robert 
Warren (announcer) 
Director: Edwin L. Dunham 
Producer: Robert K. Adams 
Writer: Edward Eager 

0 Mins.; Sunday, 5:30 p.m. 
Sustaining 

NBC, from New York 

The Jane Pickens Show" is a 
pleasant, unpretentious newcomer 
to radio, being conspicuous by . the 



True, the- script team betrays a 
knack for utilizing all the knoAvn 
component parts: savvy when it 
comes to fast Broadway dialog. and 
inserting the right punch lines. 
But they've lost out completely on 
the one real essential need-^to in- 
vest their central character with 
likeable, warm qualities that would 
excuse his subnormal characteris- 
tics. That's wliy "Irma," for exam- 
ple, came through with flying col 



always melodic soprano of Miss ors." In "Albert." there's only the 
Pickens and the baritone of Jack suspi ' 
mity. It needs more and sharper ijope 
comedy than it revealed on its , ppj-t 



suspicion that the guy is really a 



opening 30-minuter, but basically 
it's a musical interlude notable for 
solos by the star and Kilty, plus a 
number of pairings by them.. Each 
has a full voice, and it's a special i LET'S D. 
delight to liear a pair of their call- 1 With 'fw 
bre in these times of trick vocal- 
ing. A comedian is a guest each 
week, and on the opening show the 
comic was Phil Leeds. He was the 
show's weak spot. 

Miss Pickens' voice has always 
seemed especially suited for radio, 
and she .also handles her speaking 
lines nicely; ditto for Kilty, who is, 
incidentally, -featured in the Broad- 
way hit, "Make Mine Manhattan." 
Norman Cloutier handling a big, 
full orch is also no small factor in 
the pleasantries, that fall upon the 
musical ear. 

Leeds does a song novelty 



Kelton and Jan Murray, 



who complete the trio, do an okay 
job. Rose. 



ANCE, AMERICA 
'e.v Benefce orch, Skitch Hen- 
derson «rch; Fred Bobbins, 
emcee 
30 Mins.; Sat., 10 p.m. 
Sustaining 

CBS, from New York 

This half -hour d.nnce session, 
which expands to a full hour conie 
next Saturday, is CBS' warm 
weather bid to the bobbysosteis. 
Chaperoned by disk jockey Fred 
Bobbins, the teeoff on -Saturday 
(3) picked up Tex Beneke from 
Hershey Park Ballroom, Hershey, 
Pa., and Skitch Henderson's outfit 
from the ;Hotel Penn.sylvnnia, N. Y. 
Show's blueprint worked in four 



THE AMAZING MB. TUT* 
With WHIard Wright, John Beal, 
Norman Field. .Ice Granby, Gail 
Bonney, Ken Harvey. Georgia 
EUis, 'I'ommy Bernard, Herbert 
Bawlinson,. Chttrle« Seel, Pat 
Lowry; Boy Rowan, announcer; 
Lud Glnskin, conductor 
Writer: Arnold Perl 
Director:. Tony .Leader 
30 Mins.; M«n., 9:30 p,m. 
Sustaining . 
CBS, tram Hollywood 

As the summer filler for the first 
half of the "Lux Theatre"^ time, 
CBS' premiered Monday. ni|;ht;i:S) 
an 'adaptation from the Arthur 
Train riiagazine serial character, 
Ephraim Tutt. It should span the 
summer hiatus acceptably, but isn't 
likely to hook a sponsor unless the 
network sales staff beats down 
some agency doors. Despite the 
years of talk about the legit, film 
and radio potential of attorney 
Tutt, this program sounds like a 
?ow-bUdget rewrite of "Mr. D. A." 
and "Mayor of the . Town," but 
minus either the law-enforcement 
aura of the one or the star per- 
formance-personality- pf the latter. 

Tutt, of course, is the canny and 
cantankerous Np\y England lawyei- 
of endless Saturday Evening Post 
stories. In this typically radio 
version he's maneuvered by a coi"- 
rupt judge 'and prosecutor into de- 
fending : an apparently hopelessly 
guilty murder .suspect, tliough ex- 
actly how that's going: to send tlie 
iudgc to the S<>nate and the prose- 
cutor to the Governor's mansion 
wasn't clarified for the listener. 
Anyway, as even, a Clifton Finnc- 
gan could have predicted, the 
cagey old 'attorney outsmarted the 
nrosecutor and out-talked the 
judge, to win a mistrial for his 
client and .?ivc his young assistant 
time to get a confession from the 
real killer. 

. Although it was done with con- 
siderable production splash, the 
yarn didn't sound fresh, even mod- 
erately inspirort, or narticularly 
interesting. The .scripting was 
competent, but not vigorous or 
bright. The character.s weren't 
.sharp or provocative and the per- 
formance generally lacked drive or 
bite. In sura, it seemed a routine 
treatment of rather old matorial. 

Hobe. I 



We<ln«8«lay, July 7, 1948 



SPOTLIGHT REVUE 
With Dick Jurrens orchestra, Mar- 
garet Whiting, Joe Mooney Quar- 
tet, Jimmy Castle, Ai Galante 
guests; Joe King, announcer ' 
Praducer-director: Newt Stammer 
Writer: Frank Wilson 
30 Mins.. Fri., 10:30 p.m. 
COCA-COLA 
CBS, from New York 
m (D'Arcy) 
The Dick Jurgens orchestra, s\ib- 
bing for Spike Jones and Dorothy 
Shay during the summer hiatus ' 
bringSt ti>eat, light style of enter- 
tainment to the kilocycles, -emi- 
nently suited to the season A 
snjiooth tigf^'egation of musicians 
presents a good variety of tunes in 
sprightly, well - orchestrated ar- 
rangements. Contrast is fmthpr 
added by the guest stars, to in.tke 
it wholesome summer evening ii$- 
.tening.'-:''^ 

Opener Friday (2) had the .Turg- 
ens crew rambling through "Woody 
Woodpecker Song" and "AH 
Dressed Up,'f with the band's fe.i- 
tured isolists, Jimmy Castle and AI 
Galante, doing nice turns with 
"Love Somebody," "A Tree in the 
Meadow" and "Side by Side." 
Guest star Margaret Whiting sang 
"It's You or No One" and "Love 
Letters in the Sand." The .Toe 
Mooney Quartet delivered with 
"By the Sea" and "A Man with a 
Millions Dollars." 

For hinterland pull, Coca-Gola 
brought to N. Y. two teenagers 
from Memphis, chosen from munic- 
cipal, park canteens, and these aii- 
peared briefly on the promm. 
Commercials were brief and in- 
formal, to fit into the program's 
light mood. • • Bron. 



wrapped around special comedy I tunes apiece from each band 

dressed up with Bobbins' Icky in- 

tros. 

While Beneke rates well up 
among the top bands, the accoustics 
on the Hershey remote failed to 
do the crew justice for the aggre- 
gation's tone was noticeably thin 
N Y U ON TllF AIR and tinny. Beineke's numbers 



material, but it fails to get over. 
On a show such as this, where the 
tendency might be tbwards .too 
much music and song, ineffective 
comedy can be, especially apparent. 

Kohn. 



CABIN B-13 

"\ Razor in Fleet Street" 
With Arnold MoSS, others 
30 Mins.. Monday.. 8:30 p.m. 
Writer: John Dickson Carr 
Director: John Diete 
Snstaining 
CBS, from N. Y. 

This ' new mystery series which 
teed" off Jilonday <5) is, .summer re- 
olacement for "Arthut Godfrey 
Talent Scouts." It's a 30-miHwte 
stanza on sustaining basis and 
back-to-back with Bromo Seltzov's 
"Inner Sanctum" stanza gives CBS 
a full hour: of thrills and chiUs. 
New series is authored bv John 
Dickson Carr, mystery writer: di- 
i reeled fav John Dietz and editod by 
LIFE BEGINS AT 80 Charles S. Monroe, with incidcn- 

With Jack Barry, Dan McCuIloueh i "'""ic by Merle Kendrick. 

quests. ' i ' A Razor in Fleet Street." ini- 

■10 Min.s.: Sun. 3:.30 p.ni; EDT | tialer of the series, wa.s a thriller 
Sustaining ' I embodying the dangers of the 

Mutual, from New York , BgnUey.s, a young Amciipan dipto- 

inat and his British bride. Upon 
arrival from the U. S. in London 
they are warned by Scotland Yard 
operative that a jack-the-ripper, 
wJio doubles as bank robber, has 
been polishing off his victims with 
a razor. Bentlev bears striking 
resemblance to the criminal and 



This switch of "Juvenile Jury" 
provided uneven listening on tlie 
premiere last Sunday (4); but in- 
dicated pos.sibilitles if carefully 
doctored The basic ptinciple is 
the same as in "Juvenile ,Iury" 

that is, the appeal is primarily in ; '? warned not to roam at large un. 



CvirhSirverFov^^lilton Zucker. SWrrep^L°r^'l. 

Blues" -vhich the old Glenn Miller 



ALLEMT'S CAVAXiCADE 
With Soy Ren0. Hal tiashwood, 

June Mendoza, JaclTCarpentier's 

Onh 

30 Alius.; .Fri., S p.m. 
JMen'tt Medicated Candy 
2 UB. Sydney 

This strictly burlesque show 
makes for good radio listening. 
Material, mostly forgfotten by the 
present generation, is set for the 
style of Hoy Rene. longtime king, of 
Aussie two-a-ddy burlesque under 
the old Fuller regime. Rene, 
known everywhere, plays a Jewish 
character named "Mo." lie's been 
doing this character ever since the 
jway-baek days when the AuJisie 
-*}f!'h-^lood fans liked their stuff 
i Sienty blue. 

and June Men- 
V n2„ T^""'' toils for the comic. 
irfu^ Carpenlier's orch in 
same as they once 
^^ckout in btfrly. 

Ajm<^ tollow- 

,,.V' :,;,;: 




Martin ' Bush, Sandra Arnau, 
Ellifitt Grnskin, announcer; Ar- 
thur Lee, music 
Writer: Warren Kuhn 
Director: Walter Weil, assisted by 
• Gilbert Aryon 
25 Mins.; Fri., 8:05 p.m. 
Sustaining' 

WLIB, New York j 
The radio club of New York | 
Univ. has had this series on the air 
for the last couple of months and, 
on tlie basis of last Friday night's 
(25) broadcast, it is fairly obvious 
why the program hasn't aroused 
much comment. The trouble is not 
the lack of a consistent format, 
Which is drawback for a commerr 
cial series but not necessarily one 
for a workshop stanza such as this. 
Nor is the difficulty the obvious 
technical and budget limitations. 
The chief fault is the basic one of 
lack of creative imagination. To 
the first-time listener, "N Y U on 
the Air" sounds like merely an in- 
ferior network filler. 

The broadcast caught offered 
two dramatic sketches, both ac- 
ceptable for college stude efforts, 
but neither notable even on that 
basis. The first was a biographical 
drama, "Measure for Miracles," by 
Warren Kuhn. In fairly standard 
terms it told the story of Samuel 
Morse's founding of the N, Y. Jour- 
nal of Commerce and finally his 
invention of the telegraph. The 
second piece was "reproduced" 
from ' a recent. "Candid Micro- 
phone" pickup from a Disabled 
Veterans' Administr.-ition office, 
which apparently su)ff6red by the 
Substitution of actors for the orig- 
inal blind and oncJegged ex-Gls. 
Music for the show was via i-ecordi- 

' Hobe. i 



band did on the wartime V-disks. 
It was well balanced terp fare, de- 
spite the faulty pickup. 

In making the shift to thfe Penn- 
sylvania, Bobbins' own peculiar 
jargon crossed the bridge with a 
crisp: ''let'.s see what's the pitch on 
oKitch. Henderson's opener, "Be- 
yond the Blue Horizon," afforded 
the emcee another peg to hang an 
aside remark to listeners: "We'll 
get up on a turquoise cloud and 
sec how blue that azure is." His 
trothy comment helped offset the 
clumsy arrangement. But a con- 
slant spirit of levity borders on 
the monotonous and the disk jock's 
problem will be to keep himself 
contained. As a signoff he urged 
the rug cutters, "for the best in 
bands keep calibrated to CBS." 

Glib. 

Jjr^^'Ff^** BALL GAMES 
i'riM'I??'^^'''"*^' WMimy Dudley 
STANDARD BREWING CO. 
W.FW, Cleveland ^ 

Jack Graney and .Timmy Dudley 
team up nicely in broadcasting the 
ball games of the Cleveland In- 
dians. Graney, a former Indian 
player, knows all the angles of the 
game. Dudley, with a smooth mike 
technique, rounds -out the picture 
nicely. ■ 

_ With the .season progres.sine, 
however, the two have developed 
several minor irritants. Graney 
loses the play when the action is 
ta.st and hectic. Dudley overplays 
the terms "long ball hitter" and 
"skys one." Both men also have 
a tendency to over-emphasize 
players' nicknames and persnn»lity 
it«mst ,< . MtfrJc,* I 



the performers' age (in this case, 
over 80) and -special viewpoint. 
And, of course, the best partici- 
pants are the uninhibited ones. 

As in "Juvenile Jury" the ques- 
tions are on matters of opinion, not 
tact. Thus, on the show caught 
the five guests sparred with such 
questions as should a wife work if 



til culprit is apprehended. How* 
ever, he ignores warning and sets 
out to beard the ripper in his den. 
In ensuing situations he comes 
near being the next victim when 
he' wanders into Old Scratch's ton- 
sorial parlor on Fleet Street. 
When body of former suspect is 
found razor-slashed in barber's 



tightly. Dietz paced the stanza in 
suspenseful manner while Ken- 
drick's music carried the mood. It 
all added up to good listening for 
the mystery fans. Edba. 



her husband makes a good living P","'"'^'' -''.S J? up Suspense- 
have women chaneed much in Hip ' P*"^** maintained throughout, 
last 50 years, lio\v Ion" should -i ' . sufficiently in- 
man allow his gii l to ansvvp • hi, ! to hold interest, 

proposal, is women's suffrage a ' ,AVn»{d Moss as Dr. Fabian, 
good idea etc o"'"asc " i ship's doctor, narrates in intere.st- 

What might be called the denarl- l"^ fashion. Other roles are neatly 
mental questions didn't turn oii ^o handled by Joseph Curtin. Naomi 
well, as the guest" iailPo tn ^n .i.S Campbell, .lohn Stanley, Cameron 
to the mention oi- a pec He date A«<'rews Phil Clarke and Wil- 
'way in the past, and seemin4v ^'^""^ ^c^P^^A 

Pjt Replies came to the quorv'^ bf 
what two wishes each would ch6o.sc- 
Particularly in the case of the 92- 
year-old from Brooklyn, some of 
the answers sounded ,is if pie- 
pared , Also, the signoff "philo.s- , 

op iy, to (he effect that we're as ' SPORTS NEWSREEL 
f.llj'^ T ^fP\.''"''^ "link, seemed I With John Garfield 
trite and anticlimacic. 

„,.i?J;?"fu"'v"'?. ot^togcnarians ex- 
pressed the traditional attitude of 
the aged (and of their sex)- toward 
the questions. Thus, they mostly 
thought women have changed in 
the last .^0 years— and for the' 
worse. But the 92-ycar-old cracked 
he too* btttex: it was 

women's' <!iiffrQBo''' v.,!i.'^'^i ■ ^?^°i"'' vacauoii. uuriiig i'>^ '" 

womaS should hp pL»-i " " .^terim he has arranged for a.qu.-.r- 
fact he luEBPstert of Ilollysvood personalities o 

velNo the aSf»?i"J*"*''',^^2°l'''- for him until l^e gets back, 
studio audi^ce * '""""''^ 

If more of such lively old geezer<i 
are used, on the program, provided 
the suspicion of planted questions- 
and-answers is avoided, "Life Be- 
gms.at 80" cohld be a reasonably 
popular series. But Jack Barry 
must be careful about wisecrack- 
ing at his guests (as he did in suc- 
gestmg that one woman's 89-year- 

with the kids on his "Juvenile 
Jury.' Comments that might be 
acceptable on a show with general- 
age participants someUmes seem 

SmIW? addressed to 

tiids or tiie aged. - , ; , 



l.'i Mins., Fri., 10:30 n,m. 
Writers: Barney Naigler, Mae 
Davis 

Producer: Charles Buck 
COLGATE 

NBC, from Hollywood " 

( .S'lieniictft jp Marctiiette ) 
Bill Stern, who generally inaster- 
-minds thi,s stanza^ is on a four- 
weeks vacation. During the in- 



who turned in a hangup job on 
Friday (2) night's session. . 

Stanza carried Stern's patterned 
format, comprising sports news to 
the "Once in a Lifetime" vignette. 
Latter concerned the prank late 
played with Jimmy Barry, a pug 
of yesteryear. Garfield narrated 
proceedings in slick manner, vith 
plenty of shading on the dramatic 
nuances. 

Whether it was Garfield's o^vn 
fund of knowledge, or the srcnpt- 
er.s, he came through in fine man- 
ner with plenty hep sports atiec- 
dotia as well as a nice i"*"'; fo"^ 
Ws pic„,':*,B<»tor, axfd So«l, m\>c>i i 



Wedneaday, Jnfy 7, 1M« 



23^ 



TEX AND JDOC 

MTith Tex MeCeaiT. Jinx ratten- 
bur$r, nOett Camdl and the 
Escorts, JcSmay Guaniieri and 
quintet; cuestiurs InriB^ fierlin, 
Fred Astaire. Jniy GaitaMd, Attn 
Miller; Baa Scrmiur, uuMoneer 

Producer: Cy Pitts 

30 Mins.; Wed^ 9 PJB. 

BRISTOIvIttYE&S 

NBC. from Neir Xi»ifc 

(Young It Bubicofli) 
FiDiiig IB for theii' second season 
as summer sub for "Duffy's Tav- 
ern," TvK and Jinx (FaOtenbarg) 
McCrary present again their in- 
dividual brand of informal pro- 
giain which fits happfly into the 
season. The impromptu qosdity 
and .easy feeling permeating their 
program — plus the "inside" on 
celebs with their hair down — make 
for a charming baIf4H>ur. And 
Wednesday's (30) opener was no 
exception. 

Progn'am was given over largely 
to Irving Berlin in what \vas a 
beautii'ut plug for his new film 
"Easter Parade" opening concur- 
■ rently that, etenmg in New York. 
But the plug was perfectly legiti- 
mate, and program had sufficient 
originality and appeal to offset the 
sameness of these evenings of 
tribute. Berlin was present in the 
N. Y. studio and there was a tienp 
with the Coast. Judy Garland and 
Fred Astaire (the film's stars) pip- 
ing in fi-om Hollywood with songs 
from the pic. Ann Miller, another 
of the pie's features, not only sang 
but tap-dsnced. The air was filled 
with badinage from the persons 
Involved, with McCrary and Jinx 
guiding the conversational-ball 
cleverly. 

Old and new Berlin tunes were 
repiiacd- in brief, by the principals 
and by Johnny Gnamieci and liis 
quintet, and Helen Carodl and tbe. 
Escorts. 

Commercials were vmven in 
tieatly, one in particiilar.. a iingle 
sung by Tex and Jinx, bong par- 
ticularly cnte. 6nm. 



DR. STANSnSB, MEDICAL EX- 

With Canr mentUitv Aadrer Chris- 
tie, Erie Dressier; MUMnAieer^ 
Lee Vises 

Writers: •fieeicre. HatiBMB Coxe, 
Charles & Maaufee. Ckarles Gbss- 
man 

ProdiHser-Direcfor: Albert Ward 
Sustaiiuns 

CBS. fr«B New Yetk 

Breezily written' and airily played 
by a good cast, "Dr. Standish. 
Medical Rxaminer," moved into 
CBS' 8 p.m. slot last Thursday (1) 
replacing the net's "F.B.r. in Peace 
and War," previously in that time 
segment and now on an eight-week: 
summer layoff. This whodunit 
sert&s is not:gcni of originality, but 
its production and general makeup 
should afford it a fair share of at- 
tention from nqrsteiy fansw 

Last week's initial installment 
revolved around the usual corpse, 
three suspects including a politi- 
cian's pretty daughter, :i^us the ef- 
forts of the authorities to solve the 
situation. Of course there's the 
rivalry between medical examiner 
Gary Merrill and homicide ini^pec- 
tor Eric Dressier as to wholl crack 
the case first. Comj^eations crop 
up whc.i Merrill has his fenune 
assistant, Audrey Christie, hustle 
olf with the . gal suspect, but the 
M.E 's expert sherloeking pins the 
crime on the right gity in time for 
the fadeout. 

A trio of seripters— Charles S. 
Monroe, Charles Gussman and 
George Harmon Coxe — packed an 
average amount of suspoise in the 
yam which was based, ttpon the 
latter's Dr.,Peter Stanilz:^, a char- 
acter who's well known to mystery 
piece readers in the national mags. 
Merrill was suave and methodical 
in portraying the title role. Miss 
Christie was believable as his aide 
while Eric Dressier did a standard i 
job as the inspector. Others in 
minor roles measured up to the 
principals. Gilb. 

SEATTLE STOBY 
IS nfins., 7:3a pun.. Viridaar 
I*roduGers: SlePberscHi-Croekett 
KOMO. Seattle ^ ■ v . 

This series on. the history of 
Seattle not only gives listeners 
some solid entertaining informa- 
tion on what the town was like in 
the old days, hut also does a fine 
job both in the straiglit narration 
and in some dramatized spots m 
wljich he changes voice to fit the 
character. . .. . • 

Script and produclvon by Marje 
McPherson and Dave Crockett are 
of topdrawer quality, with this epi- 
sode, on Seattle's loss of the ter- 
minus of the Great Northern Rail- 
road to Tacoma and resultant start 
of eonsU-uclion of a railroad by the 
town's few hundred inhabitants 
With pick and .shovel, hol«Js in- 
terest from the start. Use of real 
pstate agent who has been cleaning 
Sp on ^le of land which that road 
might buv; his decision to move to 
Tawma and conversion to never- 
sav-die spirit of town, ending up 
with a pick i^Wshjn^j^cre^^^^ 
bility andreaBSmt» Pi»8'am'' ' 



.HOLE. CALL 

WUh Burecss MeiedUb. K*r 
Shields Orek; SB we tMe *; Mar- 

leiie Dietrich. Irvinir BerUii, Joey 
Faye, gwests 
Writers: Jeba Cecil IMa, EdwslRl 
Eaeer 

Producer: Georee Voutaas 
3tt Siins.. Thurs.« S pju. 
ARIHY, AIR FORCES 
NBC, fraa New Vmtk 

(N. W. Ayer) 
While the "Aldridi Family" va- 
cations, NBC has slotted this "Roil 
Call" series into tbC' Tlmcsdiay. at 8 
segment, with, the V. S. Army and 
Air Force Recruitment services 
picking up the talent tab. It's a 
musical potpourri with a military 
flavor, with Burgess Meredith 
emcecing the program and other- 
wise making himself generally use- 
ful. 

The initial broadcast was a 
tribute to Irving Berlin to com- 
memorate the sixth anni of the 
i birth of "This Is the Army," with 
; Berlin guesting, along with Marlene 
f Dietrich and Joey Faye. There will 
j be diifere&t guests each week (Bea 
i Lillie and Herb Shriner this week) , 
iwith Roy Shields and a 28-piece 
orch as the musical backbone and, 
as it turned out, the show's top 
asset. 

If "Boll Call" wasn't a particu- 
larly tempting morsel on the initial 
stanza, Uamc it on the fact that it 
suggested something h a s ti ly 
whipped togetheri with no definite 
pattern or continuity and a. particu- 
larly slipshod job on the scripting 
end. On the nostal^c, sentimental 
side, it had its moments of value, 
as when Berlin reprised his "How f 
Hate to Get Up in the Morning" 
and the 30-year-old "Kit<dien 
Police" song from tlie first war's 
"Yip, Yip Yaphank." 

A three-way banter routine with 
Bferedith, Mi^ Dietrich and Joey 
Faye was something less than in- 
sphred comedy, in. fact mostly 
corny, witfa a Dietrich song tte only 
saving grace. Dot wtiai tS^ found 
time to permit Shields atnd his 
musiokers to toss off some Berlin 
and other melees, then "Ron 
Call" really «otHtded like somethiag 



worth resptrnding to; 



. fiose. 



ON YOUR ftlARK 

With Bad CUIartar; aUMHneer, Pasl 

litritaef 
Prodneer: Luther 
lH«ii.-tbni-Fri., 2:30'i>jn> 
SBSTAINING 
WOR. N. Y. 

Here's the umpteenth audience 
participation, show: Malaiig.its bow 
on WOR, N. Y., Monday afternoon 
(5), "On Your Mark"- emerged as 
no better than the usual quizzer. 
Contestants were banded three 
questions tor quizniiaster Bud Coll- 
yer and if successfully hurdling 
the trio were eligibte for a fourth, 
or jackpot question. 

Oa the receiving end of the 
queries were a housewife from 
Massachusetts, a bricklayer from 
Astoria. L. I.; a lady .fiKou- Hart- 
ford, Conn., and a letter carrier; 
frwn the Bronx. None was particn- 
iariy articulate. 

Prizes for the preliminary ctueS' 
tions included cash awards up to 
$5, depeBdtnj< upon the spin of a 
wheel, plus two tickets to "Al- 
legro." Jackpot was a $430 Ansley 
tetevision set, but no (me qaalifiied 
for it. As an extra incentite it was 
announced at the program's close 
that a $35 overnight case was be- 
ing added to the loot. 

Sample, questions: "What's the 
fourth largest city in the U. S.? 
Name three magazines whose titles 
j^tart with the letter 'L"." One way 
of improving the show would be to 
assemble more literate questions 
along with more literate contest- 
ants. CoUyer handles the quizzees 
with a rapid« ixrafessional glibness 
while tbe proditetion sheen is 
negligible. Gilb, 

SONGS BT VINCENT FLAIR 
With Maity llbma OtA; CmiB 

Davis. amiMBecr 
Pradnecr-dicecter: ABxa. C. New- 
roth 

IS .afiBS.: SOS pjm. 
FLAK & VIVIAN DANCE 

STimio 

WINS, N. Y. 
{Allied Radio Adv. Associates} 

This is a quarter-hour of song 
warbled by Vincent Flair on be- 
half of a Brooklyn dance studio he 
operates in association with bis 
partner, Vivian. Show is a modest 
one signatured appropriately 
enough by "Ballerina." A former 
vocalist With Chris Cross' band, 
Flair relied almost entirely upon 
ballads for his stint. Some num- 
bers in a faster tempo would tend 
to eliminate a soporific tinge lent 
lo the stanza by Flair's soft, sirupy 
delivery. 

Accompanying Flair is Marty 
Alma's small combo. It did well 
enough by the singer but when on 
its ovra with "Tea for Two," failed 
to do justice to the Vincent You* 
man's piece. Geoff Davis bandied 
three lengthy plugs for the danc- 
fog iteademy. '■' '<?ilb. ■>■ 



Wltlt Snooky LanMB, Darathy Dti- 
iard. Dixie Dwis. Vaxi^eers, 
Beasiey l&ttfth mn^i amMincer. 

Emte-Ktilty 
30 Hilts.: Wed., I0:3« Pwm. . 

Smrtainiifg 

NBC. Iswa NaiAvine 

Whipped upf by Nashville's WSM, 
"Appointment With Music" is a fas- 
cry from that station's homey 
perennial, "Grand Ole Op'ry,*' and 
likewise tbe show's melodies hear 
little resemblance to the lifUbiily 
laments of another Tennessee radio 
fave, Boy Acuff. Keynote of this 
summer replacement for Jimmy 
Durante time is "someeesy Ustenin' 
and no giveaways." •' ■ 

In making a surprise departure 
from an accepted, bucolic format, 
WSM in general made good on its 
promise to hand dialers some 
"Southern Comfort" in its musical 
layout. Session was hosted by war- 
bler Snooky Lanson, who contrib- 
uted a braee o£ tunes as well as 
proving himself an affable emcee. 

The soft lights-sweet music 
theme is accented throughout by 
a lengthy cast welded around 
Beasley Smith's orch. Vocal quin- 
tet of the "Dixie Darlin's'' bandies 
"Mary Lou" in solid fashion while 
the band creditably gives out with 
other times retaining the smooth 
vein. Lanson polished off "Where 
Uie Apple Blossoms Fall" along 
with "That Ole Black Magic." 

Dorothy Dillard's delivery of 
"Yesterdays" proved a bit tedious 
inasmuch as the number was too 
long drawn out. Varieteers, a Negro 
vocal group, did a standard "AU 
Dressed Up in a Broken Heart." In 
short, listeners in search of quiet 
and mental calmness wiU -find this 
half hour df song and nmsie a .wel- 
come appeasement from the rau- 
cous qinzzers. 



WHO SAID THAT? 

VWk Bob' TroKt, madenten H. V. 

Kannbom, Kabert Saark, Le- 

land Stawe, John^Smjae; Peter 

RMerts. awMNBcer. 
Dineetar: Dan GBlfit 
Editais: Fred and Darathj 

FiieBdlr . ■ 
3* JliMs,: Fri.. tm pjm. 



NBC firoB New Torfc 

It's a sprightly, novel summer 
session NBC has here. No doubt 
its appeal is somewhat limited, 
since it caters to the intelligence 
of well-informed. listeners. But it 
is a refreshing departure from mn- 
of-the-rmill entertainment. 

The format is that of an "Infor- 
mation Please" devoted entirely to 
quotations from the current week's 
news, except for a listener-parti- 
cipation ai^e (which seems to be 
vital to eveiy program these days) 
offering prizes for historical 
.quotes. Bob Trout, from his long 
experience as aif oa-the-t^t re- 
porter, proved himself a handy- 
man with the adlib on tbe kickoff 
session last Friday (2). The four- 
man panel, studded with wJfc. per- 
sonalities, p&eformed brightly, 
tossing in a nice measure of fast 
quips. (As when, referring to Gov. 
Warren's remark upon nominatiort 
that he "knew how it felt to be Mt 
by a streetcar," one of the panel 
suggested it was "Streetcar Named 
Desire.") Strang^ enough, H. V. 
Kaltenbom, while be put in a 
couple of good bits, shined leaf^ 
among the panel members in 
guessing the authors of recently 
publicized remarks. Ttout's easy, 
offhand manner in presiding lent 
a warmly informal atmosphere to 
tl^e proceedings. 

Stanza offers a teaser test for 
any daily newjspaper reader and 
highli g h ts significant comments on 
current affairs. As such, it makes 
a lot more sense than most of the 
coimtless and aimless quizzes 
cluttering up the ether. Doan. 



TBE.HOPE or imjux 

WKh Eati GMMbi: Gel Badires. 
annaweer 

Writer: Harl God^n 
Dliectan JaaeiHk Graham 
Praducer: WUHaai Templetan 
IS Mlns;: S<ui„ C:3* 9Jh. 
ARABIAN AMSaEHCAN OIL CO. 
ABC front New Tack 
(Kudiier) 

It was clear, with the teeoff of 
this program last Sunday (4), that 
the Arabian American Oil Co., 
which has figured in news of the 
lisrael-Arab confiict, is out to do a 
public relations job for itself. The 
firm, which has no products to sell 
the American listening public, ac- 
claimed in the opening and closing 
announcements that the program 
was being aired "in the interest of 
better understanding of the prob- 
lems of our time." It explained that 
it is an American outfit which 
"sends 400,000 barrels of oil week- 
ly into world trade." It observed, 
indisputably, that "oil from the 
Middle East can be a big factor in 
the peace," but did not say how it 
was being so employed. The impli- 
■ cation, it seemed, was that AA, 
being American-OKmed, was natur- 
ally on the side of the angels and 
would contribute in no way to the- 
outcome of the Arab-Jewish war. 

Earl Godwin, ABCTs top Wash- 
ington observer, apparently felt 
called upon to ex|dain that his 
hands weren't tied by his sponsor. 
He noted that ABC commentators 
are "presumed to be capable" of 
interpreting the news as they see 
fit, and annoanced that he would 
' express ''an independent view- 
point." The {KTOgram. he stid. was 
"intended to be instructive" and. 
would look upon "tbe cfae«fal 
side" wfaUe try&s not to be "Poly- 
anna .-about tlte news." ' 

Having issued these disclaimers 
and explanations, Godwin "begged 
indolgsice" to dis^eose virith the 
news <a the day! It was the Fourth 
of July, he pointed 'Out. and an oc- 
casion to recaR' tbe first Fourth 
-and its histaie sienificance. He 
devoted the xcnainder of the pe- 
riod to a xamlding ^discourse open 
the oeeasi^ and (dosed .wittt the* 
word that he'd originate next 
week's edition from theXtemo con- 
vention headquarters in Philly. 

Which meaos that Godwin won't 
get aroottd to his independent in- 
terpretation «{ .the situation so 
near to his spaasHfs intexests un^ 
til at least the vjeek following. 

J>03R, 



Traoserflioi Review 



THE NATIONAL SINGERS 
Wttt Fred Webher Male Ch^ 
DjbmittHrs: Iris Hasan, Hal Sawn- 
dcrs 

Pntdncer: Charics TWifhrhwn 

15 ''BliBa.' V 

This new Mtchelscm series, an 
e.t. package of 104 I5-minpte 
shows, introduces to U. S. ' audi-' 
ences an English male octet'which 
has become well known ahroad 
through tours of Britain, the conti- 
nent and Australia. The series, 
released by Michelson's outfit June 
15, includes special Christmas and 
Easter programs. Featured vocal- 
ists are Albert Miller, Arthur Ward 
and NesI Easton. 

The program vriU strike V. S. 
listeners as sort of a British- 
accented double barbershop quar- 
tet affair. It wilt no doubt come 
as an amusing surprise to dialers, 
to hear "I'm Headin' for the Last' 
Roundup" with a Broad A. Never- 
theless, the octet presents eight 



of numbers is 'Strictly in the old 
fave gteore. Dottmi ■ ' 



well-tuhed pipes in crystal-clear 

close harmony, and the selection phone her only instrument of res« 



RADIO CRT PLil^VHOIISE 
With Jan ma»v; Kay Shie!d.<:, ma- 

sical direetar 
Prodiieer: Riebaxd IKcDanach 
Direetar: Harry W. Jmrikbi 
3* Mins.. Sat.. I* pJB. 
Svsiainins 

NBC. from New Yaik 

The "Playhouse" edifice has 
been installed in this spot to cover 
the ground during tbe summer ab- 
sence of Kay Kfsee (Colgate). As 
explained in advance by NBC, the 
filler will have no set formula or 
format but merely offer in straight 
dramatic fashiim scripts that Bicii- 
ard McDona^ and Harry W. Jun- 
kin, producer and director, respec- 
tively, of the series, consider worth 
auring. 

The teeoff program (3) would 
have merited an extx»-£vecial huz- 
zah for wiitine. direction and per- 
formance were not all these ele- 
ments restiniseent of a poredecessor 
presentation which through the 
years had earned CBS mucb-bat- 
tipping. Junkin's own "Long Dis- 
tance" was the opening narra- 
tive here, and hard as one might 
try to lean in his favor, be- 
eaiuse of bis twofold skill in 
writing and directing oC the 
piece, there would he no es- 
caping from iMtting its close 
similarity to "Sorry, Wrong Num- 
ber." Even Jan Minor, who play 
ed the hysterical woman with the 
tele^Hmie in Junkin's version, 
sounded at times very much like 
Agnes Mo<nrebead, with whom the 
lead of "Wrong Number" is in- 
delibly associate. 

If it weren't for the artificial 
finish tiiat Junkin fastened on his 
work, "Long Distance" might have 
even, fkom-tiie vwvQMnnt of. sns- 
pense dtnd general pacing, deserved 
recognition as a better piece of 
^imtbig than: its predecessor. 
Junkin, in any event, pacowed that 
as a director he not only knows 
how to handle his material with 
maximum effect but has a style 
of his own. Thi,<? Canadian, who 
also marks himself as stickler for 
realism, should in time move into 
that limited circle of topnotcb dra- 
matic radio directors on this side 
of the border. 

With all tbe obvious comparison. 
Miss Minor is deserving of a Ing 
hand for the performance she gave 
of a woman who bad but 30 min- 
utes in which to save her husband 
from electrocution for a crime he 
did not commit and' -with a tele- 



LETS TALK HOLLYWOOD 
With; GearjE* iimitefr « ^ ,, 

James Stewart, {idtth Gwytm 
By Aveibaelc an a— ce r , _^ ^ 
Writus: Btarthi Wail^ Saul Stdt 
Direetar: WObit*. fiiariBt . . 
30 MIns.; Sun.. 7 p.m. 

Amerietm Tobacco Co. and 
BBDftO ««ency really dag into d» ' 
lend4eaBe barrel in borrowing this, 
one. CTnfortnnately, its entertain- 
ment quotient is about on a par 
with its origfaiality. "Let's .TJdk 
Hollywood" is the Lucky StrflM : 
summer replacement for the Sua- . 
day night Jack Benny show. It 
turns out to be a Hollywood-slasteo' 
version of "Information, Please." 

But in keeping with the current 
giveaway trend, it goes in for mar* 
elaborate payoffs. For example, 
the guy who submits the questioiE 
that stumps the experts (there's a 
different panel each week and on 
the , initial broadcast the panel . 
skidded three times in a rowF gets 
RCA's top-priced tele set. a year's 
pass (for two) fox bis favoiltn 
hometown fi3bnhouse^ and a veter- 
ans' ho^ital he designates is the 
recipient of enough cigarets to tafcn 
care of all its patients. And to ' 
further accentuate tbe giveawaqr 
angle, therefs a .ttcan with FI|«I»- 
play mag, with a ISve-year cuh"' 
scription for everyoste who sulmuts 
a question that gets used. 

George Murpliy is tlie permancnz 
emcee. who presides ovcr^tbe panel 
and does his best to fadiman tba 
proceedings (first panel was oom- 
prised of , James Stewart. Eddie ' 
Bracken. JSditb Gwynn and David 
ButlerL One' would snspect; that, 
out of such a parlay would eoaae 
some gUb banter and the siart at 
light, airy exxhange tbsA, toe ear- 
ample, has heen "Info's" ^tieC 
stock in trade. 

' However, the feeling was ' in» 
escapsble that the Oscar Leviutt- 
John Kieran combo was Sftrely 
missing, not only inhelphig adiievc • 
a qualitative honMH;. hot in hetpinc ' 
to extricate Onsse supposedly i^al- 
in-the^wool Hollywoodites from a 
lot of fruatratii^ moments, even ' 
though the questioas taemed aa. 
"eiementary, nqr dear Watsna" tsK- 
Murphy pSajs the whole thins 
straight. 

Summertime or wintertime, it's 
still the same- trip-iianunered - 
Lucky commercials, bniit ancmad '' 
the Feccnt]ir<iKqaiiied "first agaia 
with tobacco bmH''* musteal bar. . 

Rose.; 



cne. It was an admirably etched, 
characterization. Odec. - 



NEW ADVENTUKBS OF THIN 

MAN 

With I^ TTeaKome. daHfia 
can. matoiK .gieacKr, .athwwt iilHl' 
Hevlihjr, annaaaxen'RCA-Kgii*', 
km. oiefa emiaiiteA» 

Pradneer-dircetor; BIBtmm 

Writer: Mffton Lewis 

Ssperviswv DaaUett BaaaOfM 

3t niins;; TaeK, 9 ikaiL 

PABSr 

NBC, from New YaA 

(Wturwick Ic Legiler) 
Nick Charles is in tBe woost box 
of his entire caareeF— sad it^s m 
long and fandllax we. -He cair^ 
chase crocfts because of NBC's no- 
crime-bef ore4:30 mle. So he's se- 
duced to coming into very sli^bt 
contact with some sttady eharaetera 
out of his exciting post, while try- 
ing to make an amusing extstemea- 
out of what used to be some fleet- 
ing encounters with his charming 
frau, Nora, About all the listener 
who rememb«rs4nnt-wiwn can da 
is mourn, altmg with JHUk, the good 
old days when, he was "the "Beerfflr 
,of Third avenue. . who made the 
: underworld tremble." 

In the second rouud last wedt 
(29) of his "^ew;" strictly on the 
domestic side, adveitores as sum- 
mer st<mdlin for Eddie Cantor., 
about tbe only recognizable rem- 
iiant of the Thin Man's former 
existence was his opening and clos- 
ing scenes— in bed with Nora. In 
between, lie got mixed up in smna 
almost too extraordinary conse- 
quences of becoming an involim- 
tary baby-sitter. Some tough gxcyii 
and cops, including Sheriff Eh Wil- 
liams (Parker Fenneily). crossed " 
the crime-lese scen& Just one of 
the few faard-to-believe develop- 
ments was that, whereas thcra 
wasn't a cop living wlm didnt 
know tbe old Nick Charles, now 
not a single mie recognized htOL 
That just shows how much the poor 
guy changed. 

Lcs Tremayne (in the role Les 
Damon did for so long) sod Claudia 
Morgan (who's had the role before) 
struggled valiantly with their Kaes 
as the new Kick and Nora, but tbe 
material didn't give them much, of 
a chance, it was' so superficial jffid ' 
unrealistic. Rest of the cast w*» 
easily recognizable "characters.'* 
The striving for brittle, sophisti- 
cated dialog left the sequ^ice witlii 
ffiily a shred o£ credibility. 
. Fiabsfs plugs are inoffeusfvehr 
>(h>tby. ''^JMoil.'' >'* 



S4 



TKiMVtSWUSi 



Wolnesdayf July 7, 1949 



ABCs Preferential TV Tune Options 
For AM BankroDers in Web s 1st 
Major Bid for Share of Tele Plum 



.1 

ABC UDCorJced its first major bid. 
for a share of the television bank- 
roUiflg plum in a detailed states 
ment calculated to reach the desks 
ct every. Important timebuying ad- 
vertiser ' and agency exec on his 
return from the Fourth of July 
nbUday. As a come-on-in-fast in- 
ducement, the web offered prefer- 
ipntlal time options to current AM 
iiankrollers and a one^f ourth-off 
rate discount to advertisers grab- 
bing time on WJZ-TV, N. Y., be- 
fore the iitation starts operation 
next month. 

Over the signature of sales vee- 
pee Fred Thrower, the net set 
forth the status of its TV network- 
ing operations, plans for expan- 
sion, programs currently on the air 
and available (and their price 
tags), and ABC's tele rate card 
No. 1. 

Web is now programming 12 
Iiours M week, Thrower reported, 
liut will expand this to 28 hours 



ABC* TV Price Tags 

ABC hauled out the price 
tags on its c\irrent tele pro- 
firams in showcasing its TV 
Itatus and first rate card over 
the weekends The seven shows 
available and their tabs: 
I "Hollywood Screen Test," 
t dramatizations starring film 
' aspirants from legit, radio and 
niteries, with Bert Lytell as 
' etticee, $1,100; "What's New," 
' featuring new inventions and 
gadgets, $1,000; "Cartoon Tele- 
tales," showing children how 
to Sketch characters from dra- 
matized stories, $500 for the 
^l-st 26 weeks, $600 for the 
next 26; "That Reminds Me," 
human Interest yarns by Cal 
Tinney and guests, $1,400; 
"Hayloft Hoedown," hillbilly 
.variety, $1,250; "Play the 
Gitme/' charade quiz^ $9S0, 
and "You're Invited," variety 
show emceed by Homo Vincent, 
$850. 

Additionally available are 
12 Ne\y York Giants pro foot- 
ball games, nine to be carried 
live and three by film, and 30 
pro basketball games from 
Madison Square Garden. Pack- 
age prices were not stated, but 
are available on request, the 
net said. ' 



weekly as soon as WJZ-TV hits the 
air in August. Four more ABC 
owned and operated outlets are 
elated to tee off before the end of 
the year, at the rate of one a month 
— WENR-TV, Chicago, in Septem- 
ber; WXYZ-TV, Detroit, in Octo- 
ber; KECA-TV; Los Angeles, in 
November, and KGO-TV, San Fran- 
. Cisco, in December. 

Three eastern outlets— WFIL-TV, 
Philadelphia; WMAL-TV, Washing- 
ton and WAAM, Baltimore, the lat- 
ter signed as an affiliate only, yes- 
terday (Tues.)' — will be connected 
(Continued on page 26) 



Priee Fallows Gaxton 
AsTexaco'sQuondani 
M.C.; Want Berle Back 

Television's "T e x a c o S t a r 
Theatre," in a switch from the 
original plans, is now signing 
emcees on a week-to-week basis, 
Instead of four weeks at a time. 
William Gaxton, for example, han- 
dled last (Tuesday) night's show 
and Georgie Price is slated to em- 
cee next- week's stanza. Both draw 
a reported $1,000 for the one-shot 
out of a $5,000 talent budget. 

Kudner agency,- which handles 
the Texaco account, has been fur- 
nished with several availabilities 
by the William Morris office and 
will select emcees for at least the 
rest of July by the end of this 
week. Gaxton and Price, inciden- 
tally, sub for George Jessel, who 
was called back to the 20th-Fox 
studios on the Coast f or film pro- 
duction work. 

Show is aired iii the 8 to 9 p.m. 
flot on the NBC'TV web. te^aco 
Is trying to work out a deal for 
Milton Berle to become permtttiettt 
.fince«iiithef«ai. 



Frederic Ziv 

dlKHtttf 

"Flint* in Your 
Television Future*' 



an editsrlal ftaiiire in tha 
3ci Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION 

of 

USriety 

ta be published this month 



Tele Rates Up As 
Sets Increase 

In line with Ithe steady iMtost in 
television set circulation in the 
metropolitan N.Y. area, both 
WNBT (NBC, N.Y.) iand WCBS- 
TV (CBS, N.Y.) announced this 
week a hike in their time rates, 
to be effective Oct. 1. NBC, mean- 
while, will up 'its network rates at 
the same time. 

NBC also latched on to another 
affiliate with the inking of a pact 
to service WJAR-TV, Providence. 
Station, owned by the Outlet Co., 
owners of WJAR, NBC's sound 
broadcasting affiliate in Provi-' 
dence, expects to take the air 
about Sept 15, at which time it 
will receive. NBC net programs via' 
radio relay from' Boston, which is 
now connected to WNBT via micro- 
wave. 

Despite the boost in. rates, the 
increase in number of sets makes 
the time charges comparatively 
lower, according to' CBS-TV com- 
mercial manager George L. Moskor 
vies. He pointed out tliat the pres- 
ent base rate of $700 per. hour for 
WCBS-TV was established April 1, 
when there some 147,000 sets in 
circulation, making the rate about 
$4.76 per thousand. New rate of 
$1,000 per hour, effective Oct. 1, 
will see more than 300,000 sets in 
the area, which will make the 
charges then equivalent to about 
$3.33 per thousand, a drop of some 
43%. 

WGBS - TV, meanwhile, has 
boosted its rates for time, signals, 
effected June 1, to $115 for Class 
(Continued on page 26) 



FAIRBANKS STARTS 
2D TEIEPIC SERIES 

Hollywood, July 6. 

Jerry Fairbanks Productions 
starts shooting its second 26 week 
series of television films for NBC 
this week. „,... 

Series, titled "Going Places With 
Uncle George," films will be de- 
signed for tot viewing along with 
sight-seing trips to zoos, circuses 
and places of general interest. 
Dick Elliott has been inked to play 
Uncle George. 

NBCTrialBaDoon 
On CeUuIoid Web 
Nix«d by Agencies 

Looks like the bankroUers are 
in a mood to nix efforts to set up 
celluloid networks. It's learned 
that NBC quietly sent up a trial 
balloon on this score during the 
past week and the agencies shot 
it full of holes with their loud 
squawks. Word subsequently went 
out that NBC had pigeon-holed the 
proposal. 

Web's idea was to require bank- 
rollers to take on every new af- 
filiate the net added, servicing the 
sponsor's show to them via kine- 
scoped film at a cost to the client 
of $180 for the master reel and 
$25 for each print serviced. 

Agencies' attitude, according to 
a typical one, is that such a plan 
forced the advertisers to pay for 
NBC's facilities and would have 
an end effect of "driving every- 
body into films." 

"We don't see,-" harped an agen- 
cy's radio topper, "why we should 
go to the expense of putting on a 
live show for a few outlets and 
have to pay additionally to have 
it aired on film of inferior qu'ality 
on the other stations." 

Thus far, the network hasn't 
come up with a substitute plan. 
But if advertisers are going to hold 
out for live pickups, it means ex- 
tensive network of commercial TV 
programming' is off until coaxial 
and microwave delays are set up 
from coast to coast. That, accord- 
ing to NBC itself, is several years 
away, « 



SYLVIE ST. CLAIR TO 
SING ON THE RIVIERA 

Sylvie St. Clair, the WABD 
(DuMont), N. Y., chanteuse, clip- 
pered to Paris last week to play 
some Riviera engagements. She 
may be featured with Michel 
Emer's orchestra which opens the 
Palm Beach Casino, Cannes, July 
10 and remains there until Sept. 
9. Emer is the French songsmith 
who composed a number of Edith 
Plaf's best known songs. 

Miss St. Clair has been offered 
renewal by DuMont but is hesitat- 
ing until she gets commercial 
committments. 



WOR Preps Paul Winchell 
For Video Sweepstakes 

WOR, N. Y„ thinlis ft may have 
some hot television competition 
for Edgar Bergen if the latter de- 
cided to enter Charlie McCartlqr 
in the video stakes. 

Mutual key has pacted ventrilo- 
quist Paul Winchell tq stand in for 
John Gambling on the latter's 1:15 
p.m. cross-the-board show while 
Gambling vacations all this month. 
Winchell and his ■ dummy, Jerry 
Mahoney, took over the spot Mon- 
day (5). 

Station execs are said to feel 
that Winchell has strong possibili- 
ties of developing Into a toprated 
tele act. Arid, of course, WOR-TV 
and its Washington, D. C, sister, 
WOIC, Will be on the air before 
lootf. 



Frisco Channel Winners Still Dark; 
20th May Get One Via Oakland Setup 



Mnli Speedy TV 
ProducticmCode 

Production code for the tele- 
vision industry, designed/to impose 
a system of self-censorship that 
will eliminate much of the current 
criticism against performers' use 
of blue material on the air, is to be 
developed during the next several 
months by a special committee of 
the Television Broadcasters Assn. 
Code will be submitted to the full 
TRA membership at tile organiza- 
tion's annual meeting in December. 

Committee is headed up by CBS 
exec veepee Lawrence W. Lowman 
and comprises NBC tele exec 
Noran E. Kersta; Robert L. Coe, 
station manager of WPIX (N Y. 
Daily News), and Neil Swanson, 
exec veepee of WMAR-TV (Balt- 
imore). Code, the first official 
guide for TV programming on an 
mdusti-y-wide basis, was suggested 
by TBA prez J. R. Poppele more 
than two years ago, but no action 
has yet been taken ot its formula- 
tion. 

Kersta, incidentally, has just 
been elected a member of the TBA 
board. He succeeds NBC veepee 
John F. Royal, recently resigned, 
and will continue in office until 
the nej^t election in December. 

Spicer Quits KSTP Post 
Due to Lack of Material 

Minneapolis, July 6. 
Difficulties in obtaining program 
material for television brought 
about resignation of Dorothy Spi- 
cer as program director for KSTP- 
TV. She had been KSTP pubUc 
relations director prior to taking 
television assignment 



Hugh M. BeviUe, Jr. 

Diracfor of Rtstarch «> NBC : 
goei late Ik* prapesMaii •! 
TV Rcitnrch: 

"So Many Want to 
Find Out So Much 

From So Few" 

■ •-.*■ . * *..■•■ 

■R editorial fMtim in 

3d Annual Special 
RADIO^ELEVISiON 

EDITION 

to be published this month 



Other televisum news on 
page 5. 



WATV Status 
In State of Flux 

Confronted with the fact that 
less than 50% of the television re- 
ceivers in the metropolitan N. Y. 
area can pick up its sieaal, WATV, 
Bremer Broadcasting's tele station 
in Newark, N. J., has postponed 
any live studio programming until 
at least the fall and has halted the 
majority of station expansion. 

With the operation's curtail- 
ment, program manager Paul Bel- 
anger has resigned, effective today 
(Wednesday). According to Belang- 
er, his future plans are still indefi- 
nite but he has several offers from 
N. Y. tele outfits, including the TV 
department - of one of the major 
ad agencies. 

Still at a loss to explain the 
apparently freak electronic situa- 
tion that's cut into reception of its 
signal so tremendously, WATV has 
asked RCA engineers to check all 
its transmitting equipment during 
the next six-eight weeks. Reception 
has been reported at various times 
from places as distant as Balti- 
more, but since most of the .N. Y. 
sets . can't pick- up the signal, 
WATV has had considerable diffi- 
culty trying to sell air time. Situa- 
tion is the first serious one of its 
kind in the industry. 

As a result the programming and 
production staff has been trimmed, 
with. production designer Lawrence 
Goldwasser already gone,, as well 
as several minor' production staf- 
fers. To date, no painters^ camera- 
men, stagehands or studio cfimera- 
men have been hired. 

Situation is further complicated 
by WATV's union difficulties. Sta- 
tion *■ signed a blanket contract 
about a year ago with the Inter- 
national Brotherhood of Electrical 
Workers, giving that union juris- 
diction over all TV jobs. Inter- 
national Alliance of Theatrical 
Stage Employees has since slapped 
an injunction on WATV, charging 
unfair practices. Station has stayed 
aloof from the dispute,: but the 
jurisdictional battle has not been 
settled. 



CBS, DUMONT CONTINUE 
EXEC RESHUFFLING 

Both CBS-TV and DuMont con- 
tinued to' indulge in the favorite 
midsummer sport of exec reshuff- 
ling during the last week. CBS 
assigned Edmund Chester, hereto- 
fore director of snortwave broad- 
casting and Latin American affairs 
for the web, as director of news, 
special events and sports. He's to 
coordinate all these facets of pro- 
gramming in a move designed to 
further the web's TV network ex- 
pansion. 

DuMont, meanwhile, switched 
stations lelations chief Halsey Bar- 
rett to the post of manager of the 
newly-created sales service depart- 
ment, In a local move, Lynn 
Cleary, with DUMont for a year, 
was assigned as a special assistant 
to handle continuity, literary and 

;Ir H^r,^^''*^ programs for 

WABD, the web's key N, Y. outlet. 
Jack Rayel, meanwhile, has been 
named assistant to network., pro- 
grammmg chief James L. Caddi-s 



By BOB STAHL 

Washington, July 6. 
Which of the five applicants will 
win the fight for the two hotly- 
contested San Francisco television 
channels remaining is anybody*8 
guess, following the windup here 
Friday (2) of 20 days of gruelling 
testimony both in D.C. and Frisco, 
Decision isn't expected to be ren- 
dered to the FCC for at least six 
months by FCC examiner Jack 
Paul Blume, who ran the entin 
four weeks of hearings. 

Out of the morass of conflicting 
testimony offered by the appU« 
cants, including CBS, KROW (Oak- 
land, Cal., indie AM station). Para- 
mount, Ed Pauley's Television 
California and 20th-Fox, one thing 
seemed certain: that much of the 
case may revolve around the avail- 
ability of transmission facilities in 
the East Bay (Oakland) area. Three 
construction permits already grant' 
ed in Frisco covei: the metropoli- 
tan area only,; meaning that if the 
remaining two are assigned to 
Frisco, Oakland' wUl have no local 
coverage. 

In a surprise move, 20th dis- 
closed on the stand that it planned 
a separate studio in Oakland. Op^ 
posing counsel : tried valiantly to 
prove this was a mere straw-in^the* 
wind, proposed by 20th after lis* 
tening to the previous testimony 
of otibier applicants. If 20th can 
make its case stick, it's believed to 
stand a good chance of drawing ' 
one of the TV assignments. Radio 
manager Irving Kahn testified 
Friday (2) that he'd been advised 
by KROW general manager Wil- 
liam Gunzendorfer about the im- 
portance of an Oakland operation 
as far back as April, before the 
hearings started. Objection was 
raised, ' however, about including 
20th's Oakland plans in the record. . 
Blume declared that, if after furt 
ther study the objection was up- 
held, all such reference would be 
stricken out. 

Closing two days of the hearings ' 
were sparked by 20th's big guns, 
including 20th prez Spyros 
Skouras, National Theatres prez 
Charles P. Skouras, research chief 
Earl Sponable, tele chief Alfred H. 
Morton and Kahn: Skouras freres 
provided the same highlights they 
did during the eal-lier sessions in 
Frisco, proving again their innate 
personal showmanship. They both 
drew plenty of laughs from the 
hearing room (crowded for the 
first time) with their answers, hut 
still socked across several impop* 
tant points. 

Spyros Skouras, in a surprise , 
move, revealed that 20th is work- . 
ing on color tele for home re- 
(Continued on page 26) 



Elsa Maxwell as a 5G 
Telehostess in Package 
On Berg-Eikel Agenda 

Gertrude Berg and Vera Eikel 
are packaging a fall television 
series starring Elsa Maxwell and 
built around her party " staging. 
Miss Maxwell is currently in 
Europe filming intervie\^s with 
celebrities in London, Paris and 
Italy for the opening sequences of 
the weelt]^ show. It's understood 
that before she sailed several 
weeks ago, she laid plans for the 
show before two friends and pros- 
pective buyers, David Samoff of 
RCA (NBC) and William S. Paley 
of CBS. 

It's learned, too, that her close 
association with several film indus- 
ti-y toppers has won her some back- 
ing for* her new tele-pix activities 
Cpoperation of Jack Warner and 
Darryl Zanuck is already in effect 
on the summer shooting abroad, it's 
said. . 

Following the filmed interviews, 
the show will turn to Miss Max- 
well's parties, with her typical 
bevy of name guests, originating; 
from various points such as her 
own apartment, the homes ol 
prominent friends, and places of 
national interest. Her daily syndi- 
cated "Party Line" column will lie 
in with the tele format. 

Cost details will be unfolded this 
week when Miss ■ Berg and Miss 
Eikel huddle with several inter- 
ested agencies, but the estimated 
price tag on the package is $5,ouii 
weekly. ThC ' producers report 
they've had several participating 
sponsor offers, but no commii- 
meuts liave been made. 



Announces its 
3rd ANNUAL 



RADIO - TELEVISION 

PREVIEW 

1948-49 Season 
rllldl IllllllU 



Feb. 24, 1922 



FIRST TELEVISION 

Feb. 25, 1931 

AND FIRST AGAIN WITH AN EXCLUSIVE SERVICE FOR THE RADIO AND 

TELEVISION INDUSTRY 
To Be Published This Month 



Advertising Rates Remain the Same. Make Your Space 
Reservation At Any Variety Office 



NEW YORK. 19 
154 W. 4etti St. 



CHICAGO, 1 
36(1 N. Michigan Ave, 



HOLLYWOOD, 28 
6311 Yucca St 



TSLK¥ISIOX - RADIO 



Bafde for Qam^ Wts JkkrM. 
Heat, Verlnage; FCC Asked For 34 



Washington, July 6. - 

Television redistribution and re- 
Ullflcalian hearings dragged badly 
last -weelt before the Federal Com- 
tnunications Commission. About 
200 witnesses, attorneys and engi- 
neers attended the fir$t two days, 
but proceedings were so slow and 
technical that a mere handful were 
left by the week's end. 

Testimony on use of directional 
antenna for television, put forward 
by CBS and WTOP, was deferred. 
Geneiral testimony on this will be 
taken in about two weeks. 

DtiMont has prepared an elabo- 
rais; brief foi- 20 television chan- 
nels instead of 12. DuMont pro- 
poses to. get the additional chan- 
'nefcs from government services. It 
will present the proposal this week 
as the Hearings reconvene tomor- 
row (7). ■ . 

T. A. M. Craven, director of 
WOL, and chief Cowles exec in 
D. C, stated that FCC should and 
could provide at least 34 tele chan- 
ndteL FCC coimsel Harry Flotkin 
foiufht to keep that one out of the 
rec(H^, but was overruled. Craven 
also asked one additional channel 
eacb for Boston and Washington. 
WOI" has no tele channel here. 

Fvoceedings perked up a bit Fri- 
day when the WTOP request for 
chaoael 12 for Washington instead 
of Fredericksburg, with the Vir- 
ginia city getting channel two, was 
talEen up. WTOP, owned by CBS 
anil ' the Washington Post, at- 
tempted to prove (!hannel l2 with 
diieetioBal antennae would be suc- 
cefssfol m the Capital. 

Attorney Henry Fischer, for 
Radio Television of Baltimoi'e, 
drew forth testimony from WTOP's 
coBsuIting engineer that. to bring 
12 to Washington would deprive 
100.000 Marylanders of two of 
three services. If channel six 
were added to Baltimore, bringing 
total tliere to four channels, some 
50,000 "people would be out of a 
video service area. 

Attorneys for Baltimore stations 
also pointed out that Washington 
had the most favorable setup on 
the east coast, from the standpoint 
of channels per population. 



Edward Staslwii 

Dinsfor of iducaliotr, WftX^ Ik 
write* on- 

"Television in 
Education" 

in thm 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION 

of ■ 

out this month 



New position of eastern sales 
manager for television has been 
created in CBS Radio Sales, spot 
sales division Of the network, and 
will be taken over on Aug. 2 by 
George R. Dunham, Jr. 

Dunham joined CBS at WEEI„ 
BkslMB, m. HS&Z, aauk has teoi atr 
seassmt weee m VST New YodE of- 
fice SBKft 



Frisco TV 

Gontiniied: from page 34 



but passed the details on 
to Stunable. Latter declared, when 
lie took the stand, that there's a 



Gpen Season For 
Air Stars Abroad 

Willi most of the top bracket air 
shovKs oSS tm lihe smmasr;, Mte 
talent iis ta&wg adteantei^ t& the 
hiatus j«nr a mtaas liiivaaSan tsS: the 
Euros«ant caiatlBCB£. Sanas sfiars: 
have vaiiusllc' tmws- Wt mm^ Mi l&e 
majority is motivated merely by a 
desire to loll about in cohtineotal 
capitals. 

Eddie Cautor sailed from Nes* 
York Saturday (3) aboard tbe 
Stockholm on a trek to Scandi- 
navia. Earlier Edgar Bergen left 
for a tour of the same -area. Tempo- 
rarily freed from his chores on the 
Fred Allen show, comedian Peter 
Donald sailed Saturday (3) on the 
Mauretania for a short VacaAionL. On 
the previous day Friday? (2)) tBse 
Nieuw Amsterdam carried a heavy 
complement of ra'dioites when she 
left Hoboken for Southampton, 
Havre and Rotterdam. Among 
those aboard were Ed Gardner, 
Sam Perrin, scripter for the Jack 
Benny show; and Jack Remley of 
the Phil Harris- Alice Faye pro^ 
gram. 

Benny,. Mary laiviiagistiSHBie,. Ilamns 
and Miss Faye ^ksmie& tSt' ai Ha^ 
earlier aboard tbe ^aeeK Hlfi^heOi 
for a British vaiadie: tow in: 
the lirst trio will partiofpate. Also 
passengers on the same ship were 
bandleader Kay Kyser, accom- 
panied by his. wife, Georgia Car- 
roll. Other departures last week 
were those of the George K'canes 



Actor Pay Han 

A proposed television setup un- 
j der which actors would he em- 
1 ployedi OH' a contractual saiCarsr 
1 basis, as in the film industry, has 
been turned down by the video 
' committee of the performer unions. 
Tlie offer was made by the net- 
worfcs last week to represenitatives 
of the jstinti telie csimndttee »f the 
Msoeiaiied. Act&rs> & Artrates of 
Amerifea. 

After asserting . the suggested 
setup was not worth discussing, the 
actor reps finally agreed to present 
it to the full committee for con- 
sideration. However, they indicated 
there is no chance of the network 
bid being., taken seriausJy„ adding 
tlot tihesr' resaeii it as nusEsdy a 
pnvlmumagry negot&dtraa^' mane. 

Aceoitd&ig fft actocv uniim leadl- 
ess, thegr axer tfeteiairaaxed ti^ estab- 
Bsh ai geg- Bi i a fli' au iii fee Toaeas, of op- 
erations' nt television, similar to 
that in existence in radio. They 
point out tliat this principle has al- 
[seas^ Been msmgawsA by t&e teS»- 
esaHsas, afr least woaffiSeiaiip, as. 
viiieo aslnselis Hove wegiLa^ be« 
VaaSi fees-^-^fi»w Bawbee tfiion. « 
3 w^Wf m BSBBthi^ saljae^ kasa& 
Ifs expected that negotiations 
for a television production contract 
will proceed slowly, though the 
telecasters have already recognized 
the 4A's as reEwesenting, the actors, 
ami haste taeftly accepted its sceiB^ 
as bargainiiae unit. Whenever the 
two groups agree on a general 
basis of employment they will 
presumably get down to practical 
dickering for specific pay scales. 
Meanwhile, there will be consider- 
able preliminary arm -waving. 

With George Heller, chairman of 
tlift 4A'& ewamittee, on vacation, 
BoUMng; Biuiiee' 'wiillS; haig^eni &k aot- 
olite' weeBi or lOBei. 



M b ^ a ^spoim^ As 
Far as Detroit B.O. k Cimceraed 



Bobetl P. Heller's 

. ' ptK* en 

^^Videomeniaries'* 

tiataMirsM oai (ia> dacum'ntary 
••diniiiu* •> (Miaptad 
to TelMMM 

•■■'.»•::*■■*,■.■■-.. 

an aditerial featar* in 

3d Annual Special 

RADIO^IELEVISION 
EDITION 

to be published soon 



ftB€ Tefe 

ContuocA fi:oiK aofie : 



by cable. Four other aiHh'ates will 
be "temporarily serviced -with 
film" — WBAP-TV, Fort Worth, 



etese aflfinity" between pix color, P^edi toe a Paris bjom&smae^ \ mmaea&o&s, siaarttiaa® im Ndwembcr; 



on v*ich he's researching", and tele 1 *?f "^f"* WSBS7-T\r, 

color, adding that his findings in I ae^-^ss; Bd;«y; mnMesr wJifle Bleir 
the pix field would be applicable | hitrftaiadi Kadi tbe c«8SBediF_Iea<£ ma 
to tdle. He declined, however, to i 



famish details of his work and op- 
posing counsel allowed the ques- 
tion to drop. 

Kalin's Complete Outline 
Kahn, on the stand four hours Fri- 
day in a session which lasted until 



tlEe Bamaidmtaar Mi^ 

Xlm 'FBesdag; fcnmeir J&reelaiitee 
announcer and one time overseas 
radio correspondent, sailed Thurs- 
day (2) aboard the Britannic to 
join the Economic Cooperation Ad- 
ministration headquarters staff in 



llp.m„ so that all concerned could i Paris where; he'll be special media 



Gcrain home for the holiday week- 
end, presented probably the most 
complete outline on progtatHtiiDiig 
viam, rate card structure, etc. 
Opposing counsel had been aiming 
for Mm, since all during the previ- 
ous sessions he'd been advising 
20th counsel Vincent Welch on 
what questions to ask in cross- 
fKKamination of other witnesses. On 
the basis of his lengthy April sur- 
vejf of Frisco programming pos- 
sibilities, though, he was apparent 
ly ftiHy prepared 
coimsel dropping their examina- 
tions one by one in the face of his 
facts. 

Blume himself led the cross- 
examination of Spyros Skouotas; 
taring to ascertain why 20th Is 
\f£U!ng to spend so much money 
for tele, which will probably prove 

' a financial loss for the first several 
years. He pointed out that 20th 
{iraposes to spend about $1,000,000 
£or total construction costs in 
Frisco, with equipment costs alone 
more than CBS' proposed cash out- 
lay for both equipment and studios. 
Skouras denied emphatically be 
bad any idea that the FCC will, 
base its decision on who can afford 
to spend the most. In answer to 
Bbnne's apparent fears that 20th 
woidd over-commercialize its pro- 

. ecamming because of its heavy in-^ 
vestment, Skouras said quite the 
tmfrary would be the case. "The 
pexxoa wfio has the laceer invest- 
IM»4tttMt4i9(cel ht qrnaiitjr of scrv- 
tce to tiuike it pay off," he said 



officer under W. Averell Harriman 
He'll act as a- liaison with. Ameri- 
can ran^io^ ttSa^ssm, jSims' aisd! 
matgazines'. 



Mew 

KFBJB-TV,, Saa Diesi^' stanting. 
neKk January. 

(Oueir th* weelteiaid^ the web also 
asMKHjitcB^ WNAC-TV, Boston, has 
become an interifn affiliate, pend- 
ing outconte Qi a tri!e i^ifiiteation 
by WCOP, ABC's AM outlet & the 
hub city.) 

Midwest Spread by October 

By October, the web stated, it's 
expected ABC-TV programs will be 
a,vaiilali)>le to> au<]ien£e& ia Cleve- 
laadt. Tojledo. amdi M&Jtwankee. The 
number of stations linked by co- 



WMSAimouiiGei^ 
Wm in Arbitration 

Under an arbitration award, 
WINS^. EJew YoBk,. bas beea or- 
dered, to g£«e leinatatepwaM: anA 
fmaneial restitutwa t» two an- 
I nouneersi firedl last liall m violati«ti 
of the atatBMi^ eoniteaiei witlli the 
American Federation of Radio 
Artists. One Of the men, Paul L. 
mimr^ was awarded $2,290.72, but 
fie; has not accepted reinstatement 
'beeanae it would necessitate the 
dSsc&aafSe of his replacement. The 
rfflther, Ijewis L. Fisher, was award- 
e«E 955(R.16, and was rehired last 
January. The arbiters' decision was 
unanimous. 

The avrard to Miner was figured 
ion the basis of 18 weeks imme' 
[cffiate^ jni&n: to his' discharge, 
i\«^eai Ms avecage earnings Were 
per week. He was reim- 
bursed for fi -e weeks' total unem- 
ployment, 31 weeks of employment 
elsewhere at a lower rate, $152 
spent to obtain other employment, 
but minus $210 given him in sev- 
erance pay at the time of his dis- 
charge. Fisher's award, foi- four 
weeks^ niBeimpiostiBeiitt was Sgsixed 
on a. period! off IT weelES', during 
wliiiic!^ he earnedl am atvejta^ of 
$iaiik.04 per wee4. The $2ta sev- 
eramce pa^jr wset diedluete^ fro« the 
award to Pifm. also. 

When the two announcers were 
fired, last October, AFRA protest- 
ed that the action violated its 
agreement with the station. How- 
ever, Dwight Martin, vice-president 
^ a£ tlie* eHflililiet^ in notiiSyiiBg the men 



PHARMACOLOSS 
JOIttG 

Ruthrauff & Ryan ad agency suf- 
fered a body blow to its radio bill- 
with opposing ! ings in the past week, Josing the 
hefty Pharmaco account close on 
the heels of Auto-Lite's shift of its 
"Suspense" (CBS) show to Newell- 
Emmett. 

PtBirmae«i>, whM spmtt mts 
$1,250,000 on a triumvirate of Mu- 
tual shows this pasit. seaeMm, toafe.] 
its Feenamint and d^smt aceoants 
to Duane Jones, effective' Aug. 1. 
Pharmaco is ofif the air for the 
summer, and fall commitments 
haven't been made. But it's be- 
lieved probable that the Newark 
outfit will pick up "Official Detec- 
tive'' and! eSttaeir "Gbarlie Chan" or 
the iiui Biick«s show, if n6t all 
threiBr 'wfiett ,falt rolls arpund. 

R&R retains its other Auto-Ht6 
billings, including a platfered 
"Gasoline Alley" radio program 
placed locally. Shift of "Suspense" 
is attributed to behind-the-scenes 
difficulties between the agency 
and spoosor Is soreE^ng ttw Oew 
Isjbam' x^^taeinincia^ fiac .IHek. 
Haymes. ■ 



OfeSeaam,. a n d i thexir ^e&axsit. expSmmii M was • 

doe to iHnsiEess ooadSlfions. neces- 

sitadffing efesmges Sm oiuiit parogiam 
structure.'* Bo* dies^e a pseier- 
eniiall r^nurin^ e&tnsae m the uiHin- 
station contract, other announcers 
were soon afterward employed. 

Uiider the arbitration clause in 
the AFRA pact, the case was heard 
last May 11 before a three-man 
panel of the American Arbitration 
Assn. The arbiters were Louis 
Okin, designated by AFRA; Mef- 
foBd B. JtuaspHi,, dMsem % "VSTiiSi^ 

. aud .fesse Lane, selected by the 

aisial cable o* Eadio- relE«r„ oc serv- -^AA. "The station was represented 



iiced with, SIbi>„ will reaeii i^t^raxt- 
mately 20 by next Jan, 1, and per- 
haps BO or more by the end of 1849, 
It was estiimaited. 

The net tossed out its option and 
discount offers in three "proposals 
to advertisers": 

"1.. Advertisers, usiui^ ABC AM 
facilities may order or option spe- 
cific unsold time, periods between 
now and July 15, lfl48, on a "first 
come, first served" basis. Options 
will remaw i-n faree uatill Aug. 1, 
strbipeeti, ftoYTever, to call on 
one week's notice. 

"Z Noor-ABC AMT advertiseas. 
may order any- tassffld peridud be- 
tween' now and July 15, 1948, and 
ABC will accept the order imme- 
diately if the time is not under 
order or option, otherwise within a 
maximum of one week's time. After 
July 15 we wUl a£ecpt options or 
orders from mm-fUBC advertisers 
in aceoirdatnee vtWst st».dard AM 
procedure.' * ' 

"3. All advertisers ordering 
WJZ-TV prior to the date the sta- 
tion commences . operation (on 
which date the rate increases to 
$1,000 per evening hour) will re- 
ceive rate protection on the basis 
of SISO per en»iBe iKKir lor tlie 
iffiicst sin "^""tM tbat'tbe sUtioa &> 
itt operation. 



(No. 4 i'rt o series by Variett 
correspo'rtdevit.'! showing how tele- 
vision is pro jectwg itself in the 
key cities of the country.) 

By STAN WORKIS 

Detroit. July 6. ; 

With only 8j550 TV sets in this 
area'— and 1,600 in dealers' stores 
and public places---there is little, 
if any, competition with pis 
houses, niteries and sports events, 
a local survey reveals. 

In the face of speculation of 
TV's power and where it will 
strike if and when it does, might 
be verbal hooks buttonholing ring- 
leaders in sports, films and night 
life in other parts of the country 
but not in V Detroit. Big moguls : 
here maintain video plays right 
into their boxoSices at this stage ^ 
of the game. 

Sports events riggers say the 
TV sets scattered throughout tiie 
city only whet the appetites o£ 
wrestling, boxing and baseball en- 
thusiasts. Some go so far as to 
say they are now reaching ' poten- 
tial fans and future customers . 
flurough the medium of tele^tbe 
kids, that is.' 

Squawks that grapevined here 
before installation of first TV sets 
have long since quieted down;. 
Whereas it was thought that videO' 
would tie Detroiters to their ann- ' 
chairs, it is now evident this fu- 
turistic gadget is serving as an 
intro to something better tor pvo- 
moters. * 

Sets installed in bars and niter- : 
ies here have in most cases not 
even paid for installation charges, ; 
operators insist. Only time they 
get a bar draw is when a big sports 
event is slated at night and then, 
the boys and gals hang around for 
the duration of the event instead 
of taking a quick one and heading.' 
off for the movies or elsewhere. 

Niteries line up with the spoils 
moguls in lauding TV riglit now. 
Consensus is that tele is for the 
stay-at-homers anyway and biz will 
not suffer until screens start com:- ; 
petitive entertainment or give- 
aways that will lure the customers 
from the night spots. 

I'ilms haven't been affected at 
thie b.o., managers assert. Nothing 
wiM keep them from Gable and 
Turner until they see Gable and 
Turner on the screens in their own 
living rooms, they declare with 
confidence. 

Tele so far, in Detroit, is still a 
laboratory experiment when it 
comes to b.o. values of entertain- 
•ment and until TV puts on real 
programs of general interest in 
BiJlace of juvenile and kitchen ear 
testainment it won't get much of 
an audience insofar as Detroiters 
are concerned. 



Tele Rates 




by Alvin E. Cormeny, of Pruitt 
Desvernine, Hale & Coursen. The 
ease was handled for AFRA by 
Mbramier Becker, of Jaffe & Jaffe 
attorneys for the national but lent 
to the local for the occasion. 

WEPO's TV Site 

. Cincinnati, July 6. 

bcnpps-Howard Radio, Inc. has 
completed purchase of property for 
the site of a video station trans- 
DMttear whEcfe Mortimer C. Wattejrs. 
vice-pr^ident and general mana 
ger of WCPO, says will be in op- 
eratwiBi % tlie ewi of the year 

The site is in Walnut Hills be- 
tween locations of transmitters for 
Crosley's WLWT, Cincy's only tele 
station at present, and the video 
station of WKRC now in use for its 
DM station. Elevation is 840 feet 
and the Scripps-Hsward video, an- 
tenna tower will be 560 feet,, about 
the same as the otlm%, 

BIEMING'S EGA SABBATICAL 

James Flemhig has given up his 
various announcmg assignments to 
go to Paris as radio and film repre- 
sentative of the European Co- 
• wmaen AdMiaiiistettimi: a£at. 

£te1I be gone a year. 



SS Contlnoed from page 24 

A time and .$70 for B time, 
vertisers who had signed for tinae: 
signals at the previous rates are to 
receive sis months' protection from 
June 1. 

New WNBT rates provide for a 
base hourly charge of $1,000 dur- 
ing Class A time (6 to 10:30 p.m.), 
as compared with the present rate 
of $750. Three-quarters of the base 
rate Is to apply during Class B. 
time, with one-half the base rate 
to be in effect at all other times. 
Charges for WNBT studio facili- 
ties, according to spot sales direc- 
tor James V. McConnell, are to re- 
main the same. 

For other stations on the web, 
tbe base charges will be upped ast 
follows; WPTZ (Philadelphia) from 
$300 to $400 per hour; WRGB 
(Schenectady) from $150 to $200; 
WBAL-TV (Baltimore), from $20» 
to $250, and WNBW (Washington* 
from $200 to $250. Basic hourly 
rate for WBZ-TV (Boston)- of $200 
and for WTVR (Richmond) of $10(| 
remain the same. 



Merle Jones 'Casting 

Minneapolis, July 6. 

Merle S. Jones, WCCO manager, 
has invented new kind of "cast" in 
fishing. . 

CBS Veepees J. Kelly Smith and 
Howard Hausman arrived for ■ 
fishing party to find Jones Vflth his ' 
Ies ia ft cwA dne t* xeecai SasmT' 

cast and foEiscd ft intbelaEe. 



Wednestlay, Jnly 7» 1!MM, 



tt 



IT'S THE NEW FULL-HOUR MUSIC- AND-MONEY SENSATION.., 

''THREE FOR THE MONEY'' 

(Saturday 9;00-iOsOO p.m. New York Time) 



Il?s big. . . it's bright. . , it's double barrelled — with a 
bang and action and entertaiiiuient in. each part of the 
ehow*'> 

I It's tlie big money give-away, and it's simple. 
Listeners are asked fo nume the order in which 
three tunes tcUl be pkiyed. Prizes range from $100 
to $300 and on up to $800. The jackpot starts at 
$5,000 and builds up $500 each w-eek— until won 
or until the limit of $50,000 is reached. 

2i It's one of the fastest, most exciting dance music, 
shows ever j»iit together— with the Mark Warnow 
orchestra; with Msfiry Small whose air record is 
long and brilliant; wilh Russ Emery, radio's n^xt 
. "swoon-bait'" and with The Slardusters, one of the 
.air*8 finest quartets. Bud CoUyer ("Superman") 
makes a great Master of Ceremonies. 



Combine these two elements and' you get a ehpw that 
made a hit on its first br.oadcast. For the advertiser, two 
points stand out to make '"Three For The Money" a 
powerful commercial vehicle: 

\ Give-aways reach high' ratings faster than almost 
any other type of program. You* build your audi- 
ence in a4iurry, Th^ trecords prove this and 
"Three Foi: The Money" is building fast. 

7 

Mm Because all prizes are cash— and only cash— there 
isn't the problem, of the sponsor's product' and 
commercials' competing with mentions and plugs 
of' products given as prizes (as in most shows of 
this type) . The sponsor has the field to himself. 

We'll be glad to give you the whole storj . J ust <;all our 
Sales Department, 



AU Hm Afi dwa 1km pjuuimts 



"IT'S A LIVING 

Playing gorilla partfi in the movies... raising tvoririp for sale 
...leaching people lo whistle.., testing mattresses... what 
ways to make a living! 

There seems to he no end to the odd and vinn.siial oecupations 
people havc'll's A Living'" is the story of these occupations, 
told by the men and women themselves, in interviews con- 
ducted by Ben Alexander, faiixins ;\[.C. of '"Heart's Desire."' 

But an odd job alone doesn't |et a man or woinan on the pro- 
gram; he or she must have a Hair for catching and holding 
the interest of listeners, for telling a good story. 

"It's A Livhig'' has human interest. It has humor. It's low in 
cost. It is a good investment for the advertiser who want* 
audience and who wants to sell his product. 



TALENT JACKPOT 



An unusual "awiateur show"— this program presents foin- or 
f]\'e carefully sc]|ect«d acts of both amatetir and professional 
caliber. . . 

Prizes are big enough to attract excellertt performers— $500, 
plus a week's engagement at a leading theater or nightclub 
for the winner; amounts up to $250 for the others. AX'innerg 
qualify for a second appearance on the show^a chance to 
win another $1,000 and a two-week contract. 

"Taleni; .lackpol, " is produced like a rcfjular variety show. .. 
rehearsed, timed, groomed. And backed by a full-size 
or<-hestra. 

]\[ake a point of catching '"Talent Jackpoi'"'~and judge for 
yourself what it can do as a vehicle for you. 



WORLD'S LARGEST NETWORK 



•>^r' ■■■■it ci-. . -Sy, 



28 



BAOIO 



Wednesday, Jnly 7, 1948 



hside Staiff-^Ao 

F. Chase Taylor and his "Col. Stoopnagle's Academy" got themselves 
oW lo a false start on Mutual last Friday night (2) as the result o£ some 
bickering from the outside about the format of the show. ''Plan had 
been to make the sustainer a spelling-bee with a classroom background^ 
but at the 11th hour a couple of freelance package producers raised a 
strong demurrer, claiming that the schoolroom idea was too close to 
their wares (Happy Pelton has such a background on WABD, N.Y.). The 
uproar resulted in MBS' .putting the spelling-bee thing on ice and to 
substitute for it on the scheduled Stoopnagle debut a run-of-the-mill 
quiz format.' Tlie web hopes to have the argument settled in time for 
a second start this Friday i9). 



ABCers are doing a slow burn over a New Yorker jibe that week 
that the web had abandoned plans for airing a documentary on Com- 
munism "because it was unable to find a single first rate writer who 
wasn't either pro-Communist or anti-Communist." The mag concluded; 
"That ABC, after a prolonged and most diligent search, failed to un- 
cover a script writer without an opinion of some sort on Communism 
is, we suspect, the highest tribute that radio script writers will be 
receiving this year, and we congratulate them on it." ABC emphatically 
has not abandoned ttie project, says public affairs > vccpee Robert 
Saudek. Freelancer Morton Wishengirad^ ^ho was assigned to tlie 
scripting job' in May, now is polishing oflE the- copy for the hour-long 
documentary*. It will go on the air either Aug. 1 or 2. 



WCBS, N. Y., is riding the crest of an alltime billings and ratings 
wave. In the latest Pulse poll, for June, the Columbia key's shows all 
but swept the daytime field, picking off eight of the Top 10 spots. 
Arthur Godfrey's 11 a.m. Chesterfield stanza tops the list and the 
T:30-45 segment of his local ayem show is in third, following Harry 
Clark's 8:45 a.m. news. Only non-CBS airers making the grade are 
ABC's "My True Story" and "Breakfast Club." " . 

/Nielsen's latest index for the metropolitan area, according to WCBS' 
general manager Arthut Hull Hayes, shows the station out front 
morning, afternoon and. night. Station's steady rating climb is attrib- 
uted, at least ui part, Hayes saidi to th% fact that WCBS controls all of 
Its local shows, buying no packages on the outside. 

While he could not disclose actual figures,' Hayes claimed biflings 
of the CBS flagship have reached a record high. 



Listener's correct guess Saturday (3) night that the phantom voice 
on CBS' "Sing It Again" was Bernard Baruch's enabled the web's Helen 
Sioussat to disclose how she got the elder statesman,- a friend of her's, 
to wax a ditty for the stanza. 

Seems he's something of a quiz show fan himself and so he agreed to 
It. He went to CBS' N. Y. studios last May to make the jrecording, even 
taking the precaution to have his chauffeur park, several blocks away 
so he wouldn't know where Baruch was going. 



ATTENTION-VIDEO 



High Spted 16 M.M. davefoping ma- 
chin*. Will develop negbtiv*, positive 
or reverial prints. This machine Is 
ideal for lele-transcriplion. This ma- 
chine. i> custom built of stainleit steel, 
i* entirely self-contained, Ihermostat- 
kally controlled and portable. This 
machine is available on lease, outright 
tale or combined with the services of 
an okperienced technician. Address 
replies to:— 

HUGH H. GWYNNE 

IS WEST 12TH STREET 
NEW YORK 11, N. r. 




'On the Island with You' 
"This Time for Keeps" 
Mgf.: LOU CLAYTON 



Code 



Continued from page 19 



huddle, however, the webbers re- 
portedly expressed as much con- 
cern over Oie code's strictures ■ on 
giveaway shows as they did over 
the headache of bringing existing 
contracts into line with the new 
standards of practice. The effect, 
it appears, is that the nets, which 
have been able to. get truekldads 
of giveaway merchandise scot-free 
in return for plugs in doling it out, 
will have to start plunking out hard 
cash for the loot. 

For it's unlikely that the many 
manufacturers .who've been soft 
touches for giveaway booty and 
only too glad to kick in as a cheap 
means of network advertising will 
contribute their products if they 
can't get brand-name mention on 
the air. And the code states: 

"Any reference in a program to 
any product or service under any 
trade name, or language sufficient- 
ly descriptive to identify it should, 
except for normal guest identifica- 
tions, be considered part of and 
included in the total time allow 
ances aS herein provided." 

The ruling eliminates a spon- 
sor's wori'y over his own product's 
identification on 'a g i v e a w a y 
stanza. But it also promises to hike 
his tab. At least one case is 
known in which a web was able to 
make its price on a giveaway more 
attractive when it was .discovered 
that bountiful booty was. obtain- 
able for the cost of telephone, calls 
to the manufacturers; 



JRoy Peterson, 55, Fatally 
Stricken in Milwaukee 

Milwaukee, July 6. 

Roy Peterson, 5&, assistant mu- 
sical director and staff arranger of 
WTMJ here, died of a heart attack 
June 25 at liis home. Peterson, 
who had been ill for two weeks, 
was on the staff of the station for 
20 years. 

Among his other duties he wrote 
originals for the "Grenadiers" pro- 
gram and for 16 years was a trom- 
bonist in the "Grenadiers' " band. 
Before coming into radio Peterson 
played in vaude theatre pits. 




BILL MURRAY'S SON TO 
STUDY VOICE IN ITALY 

William Murray, son of Bill Mur- 
ray, head of the William Morris 
agency's radio-television depart- 
ment, sails Friday (9) on a Greek 
freighter to study • voice . for a 
couple of years abroad, ■ Young 
Murray (who refuses to use "Jr." 
in his name) has schooled abroad 
until interrupted by the war. -He 
is 22 and has grand opera aspira- 
tions.' His mother is Italian, and 
the boy is well versed in several 
languages, conversationally, as well 
as for libretto, purposes. 

The Greek freighter, the Hel- 
lenic Wave, takes 16 days to 
Genoa, its first stop. Only 12 pas- 
sengers are accommodated. 



Mutual 

Continued from page 20 



daytime coverage, based on "listen- 
ability," to be 29,337,940 radio 
families, or 86.3% of the total. 
Also, for the first time, tiie net dis- 
closes its nighttime claim— 28,600,- 
000, or 84.1% of the families. Other 
networks' nighttime figures aren't 
given. The net states th&t the day- 
time total is "Grade I as of May, 
1948, and the night the Ground- 
and-Skywave figure as of March, 
1948." 

The daytime figure, therefore, 
has been revised upward, incor>- 
porating station additions and 
power gains.' Last fall when 
Mutual unveiled "listenability," its 
totals were 28,398,000 without :dual 
affiliates, and 29,089,000 with duals 
included. At that time, the other 
nets were rated as follows: NBC, 
29,275,000; CBS, 28,688,000, and 
ABC, 28,412,000. 

Since none of the other nets has 
expanded in recent months at the 
rate Mutual has, the conclusion ap- 
pears to be that, by its own meas- 
urement standards, MBS Is the No. 
1 web, 

The net isn't, however, in any 
apparent hun-y to unwrap the 
nighttime "listenability" story in 
full. Feeling is that it would be 
"selling everybody down the river" 
to rush out with totals based on 
the 1946 BMB estimates. At the 
same time, it's felt that summer- 
time lis a poor time to get a good 
audience for the Big Story. So the 
web will wait for county-by-county 
breakdowns of the new '48 esti- 
mates and set the Nighttime List- 
enability debut for the fall. 



Durr 



Continned from page 19 



ing, . sparked particularly by Fly, 
who saw his influence on broad- 
casting as something which won't 
be erased for decades to come and 
who conceded that, more than any 
man before him, Durr breathed a 
life and consciousness into the 
radio industry. 

The luncheon was arranged by 
the radio committee of the CivU 
Liberties Union, with Thomas 
Carskadan and Morris Novik, of 
the CLU, and Charles R. Denny, 
exec veepee of NBC and former 
FCC chairman, joining in the 
tributes. . . 



» j+.4»t)ttt<iWhat*s 80 remarkable about diving; into a bowl of Wheaties)*' 



FCC In Statement of Praise 

Washington, July 6. 

Retiring FCC Clifford Durr was 
praised by fellow Commissioners 
last week in a statement that read 
in part: "He wholeheartedly de- 
voted himself to the task of giving 
.substance and meaning to the 
statutory standard of the public 
interest under which the Commis- 
sion administers the field of radio 
broadcasting." 

Chairman Coy had the statement 
adopted 'into the. records of the 
fihal " meeting Durr attended, last 
Wednesday <30), Durr has been 
with the Commission since 1941. 
Miss Frieda Hennock has replaced 
him on the FCC. 



Froiii The Produation Centers 



Continued from page 20 , 



West Point cadet. . , .Eddie Freckman, formerly with Wade Advertising, 
has joined WBBM's production staff, 

Vaughn Monroe originates his CBS airer from here July 12 and 19 
. , .TRa^io -department of Morris F. Swaney shifts to N.Y. in mid-month 

ftex Allen, of the WLS Barn Dance, opening a disk shop in the 

Loop. . . .-"Bfarvest of Stars" emanates from tiie Civic Opera House July 
"Freedom Is Everybody's Business," new marching song penned 



21,-, 



by web musician Tommy Filas,' has been accepted as official anthem 

of the American Heritage Foundation NBC installing an emergency 

lighting system of battery-operated lanterns in its Merchandise Mart' 
studios. . . .Gil McClelland (Mutual), Bob White (ABC), and Betty Ross 
(NBC) will lecture at the Creighton "Univ. Radio Institute in Omaha 
Friday (9). , . .Film of Illinois Gov. Green delivering the GOP keynoter 
was 'telecast: by WBKB before the guv gave his live version in Philly 
, . . . Jacque Jarco is the newest addition to Maraleita Dutton's stable of 
radio flacks , . . Cruising Crooner Jack Owens and his 13-year-old 
daughter Mary Anne blend voices in a disking of "Won't You Be My 
Darlin'V" that hits music counters next week .... Motorola's sale! for 
the six months ending May 29 totaled $26,000,000, with net profits of 

$1,550,769 Six German broadcasters from the French, British and 

American zones here to attend the NBC-Northwestern University Sum- 
mer Radio Institute. 

m WASHINGTON.,. 

NAB proxy Justin Miller appointed to finance committee of Commit- 
tee to Inquire into murder of George Polk. NAB has voted $1,000 to 
fund. . . Bill Herson, WRC morning man, off for three weeks' vacation 
at Delaware Water Gap. Holly Wright and John Batchelder filling in 
on Herson chores, latter takiitg his video -stint, .. Senator Joseph C 
O'Mahoney, considered a leading candidate for Democratic vice-presi- 
dential spot, on WTTG television show yesterday (6) .... Edgar Camn 
has joined WNBW, the NBC video outlet here, as art director He 
formerly did sets for summer theatre groups .... Also added to pro* 
ductlon staff is Charles Christenson, who comes from WBAL-TV Balti- 
more. He is scripting Johnny Bradford's "NBC Television Journal" 
Foreign Affairs Editor Felix Morley, of Sunoco 3-Star Extra, vacation- 
ing, with Ray Henle and Ned Brooks taking over the Morley work on 
the air and filling in on occasion with guests from the Embassies in 
Washmgton. . . Benjamin B. Wolf, in charge of the FCC Grand Island 
Monitoring Station for the past 18 years, retired last week. 



Turnover 

Continued from page 



-J 



Daniel Tuthill, Jo h n McKay, 
Frances Rockefeller King. 

CBS: Edward Klauber, Paul W. 
Kesten, Douglas Coulter, Mefford 
Runyon, Paul White, Gilbert 
Seldes, Lou Ruppell, Joseph Bur- 
gess, Stanley McAllister. Leonard 
Erikson, A. D. (Jess) Willard, 
Harry Butcher, Francis Barton, 
Hoy Passman, Roy Langham, Ben 
Feiner, Leonard Hole, William 
Forbes, Sterling Fisher, Albert R. 
Perkins, John C. Turner, A. N. 
Steele, Charles Vanda, Herbert 
Polesie, Jierome Sill, Herschel 
Williams, J. G. Gude, Chester 
Renier, Hiram Motherwell, Earle 
McGill, harry Puck, Robert J. 
Landry, Frances Wilder, Ernest 
Martin, John Becker, Howard G 
Barnes, Richard Sanville, Paul La- 
Porte, Carl Beier, John Mosman, 
Halsey V. Barrett, Dave Fredericks, 
Paul HoUister, Nick Keesely, 
Jame.<i Ilarl. 



WGN 



Continued from page 21 



1941. Switch to duplication sup- 
posedly was based on a listener 
survey, but ole debbil budget cast 
a heavy vote in the poll. Contra- 
dicting rumors of her shift to 
WGN-TV, Marion Claire continues 
as WGNB director. 

Ted Mills meanwhile has re- 
signed as program coordinator of 
WGN-TV and Buck Gunn is sim- 
ilarly out as WGN's program di- 
rector. Both resignations report- 
edly were brought about by man- 
agement policies that reduced pro- 
gramming to rubber-stamp chores. 

Jay Faraghan is doubUng as 
traffic manager and acting program 
manager of „ WGN-TV. Walter 
Preston, WGN's commercial man- 
ager is said to be set as Gunn's 
successor. Mills is in line for a 
top post at WNAQ, NBC video ven- 
ture that bows here in fall, 

Buffalo-^Randolph Swift, form- 
erly an account exec with the Moss 
Chase Agency, Buffalo, has joined 
the sales staff of WBEN and WBEN- 




"Cowhoy Hymns," by 
The Texas Rangers, 
is the first album of its 
kind! This exciting new al* 
bum by Bibletone features six . 
oufstaoding cowboy faymo 
selections. 

Just one more accomplish* 
raent of The Texas Rangers, 
America's largest and finest 
group, playing and singing 
Western tunes! They've built 
a national reputation that can 
be put to work for your client, 
through their top quality tran* 
scribed tunes. It's appropriate 
that The Texas Rangers music 
is transcribed vertically for 
high fidelity , America's only 
vetticai cut transcriptions of 
Western music. You'll find 
ttiem ideal for either FM or 
AM. Th^ are priced right for 
your market, and your station. 

Wtra/Wrife or Phone 
for Complele Details 



ARTHUR B. CHURCH PRODUaiON 
IMNtM Clir f MO. 



Radio Prodwction and lalent Agency 



We have excellent opportunities in New York office for 
executive with experience In talent and program sales. 
All inquiries will be kept confidential. WRITE BOX J-77, 
DAILY VARIETY, Hollywood, California. 



Wednesday, July 7, 1948 



RilDlO 



B. A. Conference 



Continued ,trom page 21 ; 



tions from other government of^ 
flees have been borrowed for the 
occasion. 
. The organization of the confab 
has been taken care of by the Ar- 
gentine Assn. of Broadcasters, 
wliose prexy is currently Jaime 
yankelevich, of the Belgrano net- 
work- However, all arrangements 
have been made by> Ramon Mayo, 
a government official, secretary 
general of the ^nationalized Tele- 
phone Service, and for many years 
an official of the Posts, and Tele- 
communications Administration. 

The confab was inaugurated of- 
ficially June 30, with President and 
Senora de Peron attending. Peron 
delivered a speech lauding free- 
dom of expression on the air. Both 
President and Senora Peron were 
presented with costly gifts (pre- 
sumably proffered by the Argen- 
tine Association of Broadcasters) 
at the opening session; he, with an 
18-carat gold microphone, she. with 
the Argentine colors in sapphire 
and diamonds. Evidently tlie Sen- 
ora, once a radio actress, is less 
enthusiastic about broadcasting 
matters than She was formerly, as 
she arrived when the session was 
well on its way, collected her gift 
and departed without troubling to 
meet any of the foreign delega- 
tions. 

The gabfest was so much under 
official control that the opening 
cession was devoted to speeches by 
the chairman of the Argentine 
Broadcasters' Assn. and the pres- 
ident, but when Balerio Sicco, 
chairman - of the Ititer-American 
Assn. of Broadcasters, rose to re- 
ply on behalf of the foreign dele- 
gations, he was balked by Mayo, as 
secretary general of the confab, 
who called for adjournment. ; This 
considerably burned up the Uru- 
guayan delegation (of which Sicco 
forms a part) as the Inter-Ameri- 
can Assn, was created by the Uru- 
guayans' initiative. 

The following day the confab 
was expected to get down to work, 
but found the greater part of the 



day was taken up by the preson- 
tation of costly gifts to all the dele- 
gates attendmg.- Once these amen- 
ities were over, the parley was 
able ;o get under way, allliough 
there ware further delays while 
the delegates tried to get the hang 
I of the loudspeaker system which 
enables tliem to hear the various 
speeches translated into English or 
Portuguese, or Spanish, as the case 
may be. In the case of the Eng- 
hsh translations, these are ex- 
tremely disjointed and garbled, 
' The first sign of fireworks was 
when Roman Bonachea, for Cuba, 
objected to the appointment of 
Mayo , as general secretary of tlie 
confab, arguing that the latter has 
no connection with private broad- 
cjasting interests, which are sup- 
posed to be represented at the con- 
ference, and that as a government 
official Dr. Mayo should have no 
part in the direction of the debates.* 
These objections were overruled, 
despite the protests of the Uru- 
guayan delegation. Gilmore Nunn 
of the U. S. NAB Was uanimously 
elected vice-chairman of the meet- 
ing. 

So far the confab has found dif- 
ficulty in getting down to work, as 
it must constantly attend official 
receptions, cocktail parties and 
banquets. The first of these Junkets 
was a reception at the Government 
House, followed by a luncheon at 
I the Alvear Palace hotel. Tliis, in 
turn, was followed by a coclctail 
party given by Oscar Nicolini, pres- 
ent administrator general of Posts 
and Telecommunications (Argen- 
tina's radio czar). Later the dele- 
gates Adjourned to Radio El Mun- 
do, where they were treated to an- 
other "wine of honor," following 
presentation of a special radio 
broadcast with native folksongs 
and dances. 



Paley 0.0/s Coast Shows 

* Hollywood, July 6. 

William S. Paley,' CBS board 
chairman^ arrived over the week- 
end for Ihe start of four network 
summer shows from here. He will 
remain several we^ks. 

Instead of returning east this 
inonth to move his family liere, 
Hai ry Ackerman. CBS production 
chief in Hollywood, will remain 
here indefinitely. He continues as 
a member of the network program 
board. 



Radio Denied l^t to Edit Libel 
In Political Beasts in FCC Rnle 



'StHdio One' 

Continncd from page 19 



Judy Gaylor to Jaffe Agcy. 

Judy Gaylpr has joined the Sam 
Jaife agency as assistant to Lucy 
KroU, head of the New York office. 
She concentrates on- radio. 

She was production assistant on 
the "Ford Theatre'' I^st season. 



Ford stanza, CBS is reportedly 
figuring on folding its full-hour 
"Studio One" program, whifch he 
has directed since its start two 
sea.sons ago, but which never ac- 
quired a sponsor^ The idea would 
be that tlie switch of JVtarkel to 
another show would provide the 
opportunity to jettison "Studio 
One" without undue formality. 

Both Erickson and William Chal- 
mers, executive on the Ford ac- 
count, vehemently deny any sug- 
gestion that "Ford Theatre" is 
about "to become a sponsored 
"Studio One." But others in the 
agency argue that if tlie show is 
produced by CBS staff members, 
with the former "Studio One" di- 
rector in charge, the distinction 
between the two 60-mlnute pro- 
grams may ' be ' largely nominal. 
From indications,, the sponsor will 
give the final word on; the produc- 
tion setup in the next day or so. 
Apparently not only the production 
personnel of "Ford Theatre," but 
the continuation of "Studio One" 
is in the balance. , 



Boston — In recognition of its 
successful presentation of adult 
education courses over Hub sta- 
tions, the American College Pub- 
lic Relations Assn. presented its 
Annual Award for bistinguished 
Service in Interpretation of Higher 
Education to the* Lowell Institute 
Cooperative Broadcasting Council 
of Boston, . 



Washington, July 6. j 
Federiil Communications Com- 
mission last week issued a final 
ruling that a broadcaster can't 
censor the contents of a political 
broadcast, and isn't liable for 
damages because of the content. 
Only minor revisions over, the 
original statement were incorpo- 
rated in the ' d e c is i o n . FCC 
said Congress tied the hands of 
the broadcaster in the Radio Act. 
The ruling on liability was not as 
definite as in the original state- 
ment. Libel laws under federal 
jurisdiction only were included in 
the text. 

The speaker is "completely li- 
able for the contents of his re- 
marks,'' FCC said. 

It was pointed out that under 
the law a station may refuse to 
carry any political broadcast, for 
any given office in any election. 
Once the outlet is committed to 
political broadcasts, however, it 
may act only^ to prevent use of 
"obscene, indecent or profane lan- 
guage." 

When the proposed decision was 
issued, the National Assn. of 
Broadcasters vigorously protested. 
So did many individual station 
owners. Since that titne a footnote 
has appeared in the NAB code on 
"political broadcasts. All the' NAB 
code requires is thAt announce- 
ment be made . ox the fact that it 
is a political broadcast. However, 
tlie new footnote reads: "Because 
of the present confusion concern^ 
ing the laws .with respect to politi- 
cal broadcasting, broadcasters are 
advised to consult their lawyers in 
'all cases where they have the least 
doubt as to the proper method of 
handling." NAB has made no com- 
ment since release of the final 
decision. 

Tlte decision WAS' in- connection 
with the renewal of the license of 
WHLS, Port Huron, Mich., which 
has been operating on temporary 
authority since 1945. One broad- 
cast before a city election caused 
complaints that its content .wa|3 
objectionable. Script of a proposed 



future broadcast was then exam- 
ined and the station Oanceled $11 
broadcasts in that election. 

the Commission found the ac' 
tton was censorship, but since the 
rule had never been clarified >and 
tlie station did not act in wilful 
disregard of the Act, FCC decided, 
it was renewed on the air. 

The five FCC members acting in 
the case were unanimous for li- 
cense renewal, but differed on the 
broad policy. Commissioners Paul 
A. Walker and Edward M. Wetister 
didn't take part. 



Prep 'Mrs. America' For 
Radio or TV Day Strip 

Daytime cross-the»board show, 
for either radio or television, or 
both, built around "Mrs. America," 
is being prepped jointly by Roger' 
White Productions and I^eonard 
Traube Associajbps under a deal 
with Mrs. America, Inc.. giving the 
two outfits five-year air rights to 
the title and each year's tillehold- 
er. Mrs. America, Inc.* is beaded., 
by Bert Nevins, of Bert-Nevins, 
Inc., originators of the beauty- 
housewife contest. 

White-Traube show, tentatively 
titled "Meet Mrs. America,", is 
currently in the process of 'be^ng 
scripted by two Writers and will: be' 
set for marketing following the' 
1948 "Mrs, America" conteist at As- 
bury Park, N. J., Sept, 12! 

Olga Drace Into Hosp, ' 
Then to London Confab 

Olga Dnice, producer of the. 
General Foods "House of Mystery" 
show on Mutual, entered Lenox 
Hill hospital, N., y., this Week for 
major surgery. 

She's scheduled U> leave tot 
London next month to attend the, 
International Congress on Mental 
Hygiene, where she'll participate 
in a public educational panel.- 
While in London, she'll recocd'two^ 
"Mystery" . Oufwa, usilig*' B»lti8b>. 
talent.'' V''- ■■'i.: ■..'^■'i-i:».:.V:; 




laurels? 

they won 'em 

listeners? 

they have 'em 

1^ sponsors? 

they want 'em 



IT isN' jr OFTEN that you can nab awartl-whining programs 
for your clients at prices so, so low. Here are three WOR sh.ow« 
that just copped laurels in "The Billboard's First Annufil ' 
Local Program Competition". They're for sale: Fast. 

NEWS ON THE HUMAN SIDE, 6 PM imkitays 

Says Billboard: "its all-aroijjid excellence is abetted by the use 

of wire-recorded interviews on newsworthy subjects with ■ 
aulhoiities in different fields." 

ROBERT S. ALLEN, 7:45 PM Sundays 

Says Billboard about Allen's Washington news and 
commentaries: "vibrant style — courageous — names names." ' 

THE FIVE MYSTERIES, 2:«0 tH Smbfi 

Says Billboard about this unique quiz: "interestin|; idea- 
clever use of waxed material in building'a program.** 

You know how everybody likes to latch on. to the winner . 
Better get your bid in early. Call LOngacre 4-8000; 



WOR 



• h9itrd by tfie most people 

whw Uim moat ptopio are 



miftoaf 



30 



Wednesaaf, July 7, 1948 



COL. STOOPNAGLE'S STOOP 
With F. Chase Taylor, Dave Bal- 
• lard, Bichard Collier, Gregg 

Mason, Eda Heinemann 
Producer-TVTitct: Arthur Moore 
Director: Charles Polachecfe 
30 Mins., Wed., 9 p.m. , 
Sustaining; „ , 
CBS, from New York 

There^s the makings of a charm- 
ing and entertaining video person- 
ality in F. Chase Taylor's Col. 
Stoopnagle character, out the ma- 
terial that Arthur Moore strung 
together for. the teeoft of this se- 
ries last Wednesday (30) didn't do 
much to advance tlie possibility. 
If there was anything that the 
event did indicate was that the task 
of the comedy writer iK» television 
Is manifoldly tougher than for 

Moore had apparently proceeded 
from the premise that all a show 
with Stoopnagle needed was an ex- 
hibition of his inventions and a 
pi-ocession of stooges to join the 
star in zany gestures and dis- 
jointed dialog. Without a story or 
plot upon which these bits could 
be hung on, the show had a pup- 
pet-like air about it. Everybody 
and everything seemed to be grop- 
ing along, minus form, rhyme or 
dii'ection. , , 

On paper the fdPmat of "Stoop" 
must nave looked promising. The 
Idea, basically, was to have Stoop- 
nagle, lounging on the front porch 
of an old frame house, exchange 
small talk with neighborhood char- 
acters and guests.' That's just 
about what happened on the first 
installment, and with that failing 
to give off sparks of promise, it's 
hard to imagine what the show 
will do for an encore. It could 
drop' that paper format and con- 
vert itself into a charade quiz. 

Taylor himself turned out. quite^ 
adept at transforming his standard 
radio character into a likeable and 
amusing video personality. Pro- 
jected was a good-natured, slow- 
moving fellow, somewhat on the 
dim-witted side; He was consist- 
ently at ease before the capieras 
and his timing was pretty snug, 
considering the material he had to 
work with once he passed ftom 
talking about his commercials. He 
might, with benefit to liimself, 
eliminate the Spoonerism routine. 
It missed iire all the way. 

Among tjie characters that 
■popped in and out id the image 
were an insurance agent, a letter- 
carrier, and a spinsterish,dame, the 
last dragged in to serve as a 
fawincingboard for the spooner- 
isms. The fadeout gag was strictly 
from hunger and a dud. Angered 
by the output of a diskjockey sup- 
posedly in an> adjoining studio, 
Stoopnagle lets go with a . flower- 
pot. There's a crash of splintering 
glass and the next moment a huge 
hulk of a guy approaches Stoop- 
nagle menacingly and plops the 
contents of the pot on his noggin. 
The tableau was reminiscent of the 
early flicker days, but the reaction 
produced was not one of nostalgia 
but rather ol headshalung sym- 
pathy for the two victims. Odec. 



EXPLORING THE VVl 
With George Russell, emcee; Wil- 
son R. Constant, Marts Almeida, 
Delora Bueno, Roberto Galeno, 
Charles Perry Weimcr, Fernando 
Alvares Orch, guests 
Producer: Georee Russell 
Director: CleOge Roberts 
30 Mins.; Wed., S p.m. 
Sustaining 
WPIX, X. Y. 

Behind the imposing and serious 
title of "Exploring the UN," 
WPIX JS staging a light variety 
program in a neat but conventional 
format. Designed to give a glimpse 
into the culture of the various 
countries comprising the United 
Nations, this show is featuring 
foreign guest performers and 
travelog film clips as background 
material. There's not a wisp of 
politics and the cultural facets be- 
ing presented; are strictly on the 
popular side. Show, however, has 
a ' serious-minded tieup with the 
American Overseas Aid - United 
Nations Appeal for Chiidi'en. 

On thk! preem stanza (30), Brazil 
was represented by a roster of 
native artists who sang and hoofed. 
The offerings were akin to the lay- 
outs in the top Broadv/ay niferies 
featuring Latin talent. Chanteuse 
Delora Bueno and baritone Bobei-to 
Galeno delivered two effective 
numbers apiece while Wilson R. 
Constant and Marta Almeida 
dished out the rhumba-samba terp- 
ing. Aided by films, explorer 
Charles Perry Weimer gave a brief 
and interesting' description of bis 
trek into the Brazilian interior. 

Kmcee chores were liandled in a 
casually pleasant maimer by 
George Russell. Fernando Alvares 
orch (direct from the Copacabana, 
N. Y.) provided solid musical back- 
grounds. Production oversight, 
however, failed to turn down the 
orch's volume during Weimer's 
lecture and almost drowned him 
out. Herm. 



RUBE GOLDBERG'S PICTURE 

CHARADE 
With Peter Allen, announcer; 

Betty Wragee, prize girl 
30 Mins., TiKs., 8 pjn^ 
WPIX, New York 

The outlook for this one doesn't 
appear to be bright. Rube Gold- 
berg is undebatahly one of car- 
toondom's most distinguished prac- 
titioners, but he doesn't sliape up 
as an adept video entertainer. 
Goldberg can't make with the 
words as fascinatingly as he does 
with the charcoal. The result is a 
draggy and almost consistently 
dull half' hour. 

Format of this drawing game is 
simplicity itself. 'Viewers are paid 
off with merchandise for picture 
charade used and collect an addi- 
tional prize if the submission 
stumps the guests. Latter are al- 
lowed two minutes to Identify the 
subject of the sketches, with Gold- 
berg giving the clue at tlie half-- 
way mark. Goldberg's f our :^ests 
on the unveiling show (29) had a 
pretty rough time of it, tagging 
but two out of the seven pictures. 
Group comiirised Barney Rosl*) Art 
Mooney, Lisa Kirk, from "Alle- 
gro," and Candy Jones, a model. 

Odec. 



TEES CANTEEN 
With KatU Norris, Danny Webb 
lUtteUui'Ea Stashell 
Writer: Kathl Norris 
25 Mins.: Tnes., 7:05 p.m. 
WPIX, New York 

Shooting for the teenage "set, 
this uneven variety show with plot 
can keep the kids happy and be 
stay-«at-honie stuff with the in^own- 
ups if scripter Katfai Noriis can 
give the show a Henry Aldrich 
hypo. 

With teenage actors fdr back- 
ground drama and story continuity 
and teenster guestars drawn from 
the over 100 teen canteens in the 
N. Y. metropolitan area, show 
should be lively talent entertain- 
ment if it is made sharper in the 
scripting. Scripting is the main 
drawback, but this may improve as 
the series sails are set. 

Miss Norris, who experimented 
with this package at WRGB, 
Schenectady, is an old hand at teen 
shows. Almost a teen herself and 
a mpst appetizing telegenic dish, 
she is a consultant for those inter- 
ested in developing canteens in the 
N. Y, area. 

Danny Webb can be' solid, with 
his imitations, but his attempts at 
dry humor fall flatter than a truant 
officer's arches. His stuff gets a 
rise- from the kiddies up to 12 but 
teensters are wiser than he thinks. 
On session cau^t he was juvenile 
enough but didn't ring the old 
school beU. 

Teensters' general chatter was 
only pseudorgroovy, lacking the 
real punch and ingenue of top teen 
scripting. Dance insert by one of 
the teensters, Rita Bonavoglia, 
came off well after a smooth intro 
trom the script. 

Disk background of top tunes 
made igood dance music and 
bridges. Sets, make up, and light- 
ing were good, while camera shots 
got boring. 'Very little variety of 
long shots and few closeups with 
almost no dollying gave a stiff 
effect to the show. Fact that Miss 
Norris and the kids didn't play to 
the camera at first made things 
even worse for the camera men. 
Direction was fine in a few spots 
but uneven throughout. Show is 

f.r?!?.*"^^.^?'^ * drink sponsor. 
With a little pump-pnming it can 
come out tops. ■ 



TELEPIX NEWSREEL 
With WPIX announcing staff 
Editor-writer: Joe Johnston 
10 Mins.; Daily, '»:30 p.m. 
Sustaining 
WPIX, N. Y, 

Tremendous newsreel advantage 
hold by WPIX because- of the 
news-gathering facilities,of its par- 
ent N. Y. Daily News is already 
evidenced by the station's daily 
10-minute newsreel. Station has 
two airplanes at its disposal whicij 
can bring filmed news of any event 
within a reasonable area for trans- 
mission the same day. Thus feat, 
accomplished only sporadically by 
other N. Y. Video outlets, has be- 
come such a commonplace occur- 
ence on 'WPIX that the station 
doesn't even bother to brag about 
it anymore. , - . 

Newsreel format follows basic- 
ally the same news format as that 
incorporated in the Daily News. 
Following a roundup of the day's 
events on the national and inter- 
national scene, the reel then turns 
its attention to tlie feature mate- 
rial for which the newspaper has 
won its fame. On the night caught 
(3>, for example, the reel included 
such timely events as a Swedish 
ship fioundering off the coast of 
Delaware (which happened that 
morning) and a Brooklyn mother 
who gave birth to triplets. Just 
as in the newspaper, the WPIX 
cameras went right into the hos- 
pital to interview the mother in 
her bed. 

Commentary is handled by the 
WPIX announcing staff on a ro^ 
tating basis with Guy LeBow do^ 
ing the narration capably on the 
show reviewed. Writer-editor Joe 
Johnston did a good job on the 
scripting but thf editing left much 
to be desired. Tliere were too 
many blank spots on the screen 
between stories. Music back- 
ground, too, could have been bet- 
ter selected. If WPIX could 
handle sound-on-film; in fact, and 
use : only natural sound effects for 
background, as is done by the Fox 
Mo'vietone-Camel Newsreel, its efr 
forts would approach perfection. 

Stal. 



Cleve. Promoter Comes 
To&q»sWitfaTV;3f, 
HikeorNoWresding' 

Cleveland, July 6. 

Television and wrestling popped 
a rhubarb here when Promoter 
Jack Ganson told WEWS no more 
TV shows unless his fee was upped 
to offset a 30% cut in attendance 
receipts. 

According to Ganson, increase in 
number of video sets, .particularly 
in taverns and in the outlying 
areas, has reflected in a sharp fall 
i» the number of season-reserva- 
tion patrons; patrons, according to 
Ganson who "come to wrestling 
matches because it is their hobby." 

Station officials have countered 
with statistics showing decline is 
way below Ganson figure, and that 
the heave-ho gate has been hit by 
series of other top athletic events 
falling on the same night . as the 
grunt card, 

Ganson declares he's willing to 
go ahead again with television if a 
guarantee of $900 is given to him 
for approximately 450 tickets, with 
WEWS or taverns footing the bill 
and passing out tickets via "Annie 
Oakley" route. Tavei'n keepers 
now reported polling their mem- 
bership to determine whether they 
are willing to stand the ducat 
freight. » 



WINNER TAKE ALL 
With Bud Collyer, Qufaanaster 
Producer: Gil Fates 
Director: Roland Gillett 
30 Mins., Fri., 9:30 p.m. 
Sustaining 

CBS, from New York 

It might turn out a boon for tele- 
vision if a few. more shows like this 
were brought over from radio. 
The reaction from televiewers 
would in all probability be*such as 
to discourage the intrenchment ot 
the quiz giveaway in the newer 
medium. "Winner Take AU, 
which does co-op duty across the 
board on CBS-AM, gave video fans 
a glimpse of its doings last Friday 
night (1) and what they encount- 
ered wasn't conducive either to es- 
tablishing this as a "must" •weekly 
stopofr or to advancing the art 
of audience participation presen- 
tation in network television. , 

Outside of a special decor, the 
quizzer's format was in no way 
adapted for video. The result was 
an almost consistently static tab- 
leau. About the only time there 
wa.s any movement was when a 
model came trotting out to exhibit 
the winner's prize. Another excep- 
tion, and a very brief one at that, 
was a snatch of sambaing by a 
young couple. If tlie camera had 
latched on to the blonde member 
of that dancing team for a few 
more shots, the viewers might have 
appreciated this as some compen- 
sation for the dull proceedings. 

The cameras found themselves 
pretty well frozen to widtli of five 
or six' feet, vrithin which space 
were encamped the quizmaster. 
Bud Collyer, and two contestants. 
Collyer, never budging from the 
stance he took behind his manu- 
script rack from the outset, plied 
his questions and interpolated 
comment at a pace that suggested 
that he had- a train to oatch, or an- 
other broadcast awaiting him in a 
distant studio. What added to the 
staticism of the occasion was the 
fact that one of the two contest- 
ants was always the same person, 
a young fellow from Nebraska, 
who, as it happened, nobody was 
able te best. Watching him hold- 
ing the fort became somewhat of 
a bore a.fter the second round. 

Mixed in with the oral queries 
were several of the illustrated 
kind. Even that dldn't-perk up the 
interest. Neither did uie flashing 
on of lights as part of the game 
catalog the program as a specially 
apt entry for the video . sweepr 
stakes. Ode:c. 



D. C's 13,750 Sets 

Washington, July 6. 
About 13,750. television sets are 
currently installed and operating 
In the WaidUngton vtetropoUtan 
area, according to * survey by the 
Washington. Television Circulation 
Committee which teptesents the 
three operating stations in the 
area. 

Committee is composed of Sam 
Cooke Digges, WMAL-TV; Gordon 
Williamson, WTTG; and James 
Seller, WNBW. Monthly estimates 
are made on the number of sets 
here, ifunoislbing material for use 
iny iWf iHmK&Sm departments. 



20th Preps St L. Bid 

Washington, July 6. 

20th-Fox Will file soon for a tele- 
vision channel at St. Louis 
According to the film company 
construction costs will be $850,000. 
Recently it formed a new corpora- 
tion, 20tli Century Fox of Missouri 
and filed for Kansas City. It is a.-;- 
sumed same corporation will file 
for St; Louis. 

If the FCC grants all its tele re- 
quests the company would have its 
full complement of five stations, 

20th construction costs are esti- 
mated at: Boston $1,017,308, San 
Francisco $1,090,636, Seattle $750.- 
000, and Kansas City $850,000. 
The total including St. Louis is 
$4,557,944.11. 



WEWS, DTJMOIJT TALK DEAL 
Cleveland, July 5. 
James C. Hanrahan, Scripps- 
Howard Radio v.p'., is discussing an 
affiliation deal with the DuMont 
Network for WEWS. 

The association would start off 
on the basis of S-H's local tele 
outlet taking DuMont telescribcd 
programs. 



John Reed King 

VIEWS 

"Audience 
Participation Through 
the Looking Gtass" 

in relation to tkt video field 

,an •ditericri feolwe in 
3d Annual Special 

RADiaTELEVlSION 
EDITION 

out this inonfli 



TRY AND DO IT 
With Jack Bright, m.c., lAomaS 
Lender Jones, musical director 
Director: Herb Leder 
30 Mins., Sun., 8:30 p.m. 
MAXWELL HOUSE COFFEE 
NBC, from New York 

(Benton & Bowles) 
Only thing that distinguishes 
"Try and Do It" from other stunt 
participation programs is the pres 
ence of perhaps the talkiest m.c, 
in the business. Jack Bright, who 
fills that role here, catapulted him 
self into last weekend's debut (4) 
as though he had dedicated himself 
to breaking the electronic talk rec- 
ord, and there was no letup from 
his yappey - de - yapping excepting 
for the minute taken fop the in- 
sertion of a filmed blurb. 

"Try" wouldn't rate above grade 
C in its particular class even with 
a more gracious and ingratiating 
m.c. The stunts on the opening in- 
stallment were not only intrinsi- 
cally unfunny but they were cw 
ried off with an almost consistent 
lack of ease and professional tim- 
ing. The gags included such re- 
sourceful bits as having a woman 
putting on a bowtie for a male con- 
testant and a guy exchanging shoes 
and socks from one foot to the 
other within the space of a minute 
Included in the repertoire was the 
routine in which several men 
gr9uped in a ring put on their 
neighbors hat at given signals, the 
old melon gag involving a wife and 
her baldheaded husband and the 
whi.sthng-through-'Crackers thing 

While the event didn't have 
much in mirth-building, it gave the 
fullest latitude to that something 
which IS close to the average ad- 
vertiser's heart, frequent mention 
and display of his product. The 
payoff of prizes wece in merchan- 
dise plus a can of MaxweU House 
Coffee and the distribution of both 
takes place at a booth over which 
the product name is prominently 
displayed. In product identifica- 
tion, at least, "Ti-y" should score 
high. 

Setting for the game-playing is 
a picnic grounds, with the music 
furnished by a well-sounding group 
stationed m a village bandstand. It 
perhaps would be to the profit of 
tlie show if more time were ac- 
corded to the band. The relief from 
the constant din set up by the m.c. 
might be very much appreciated, 
and also add some color to the 
intended picnic grounds at- 
mosphere. Odec, 



TUNE DETECTIVE 
With Siemund Spaeth 
Director: Sherling OUver 
20 Mins., Sat., 7:40 p.m. 
Sustaining 
WPIX, N. Y. 

Here's an excellent example of 
how television programming costs 
can be reduced to the lowest pos- 
sible minimum and still result in 
good entertainment for viewers. 
By simply putting Sigmund Spaeth 
and a piano in front of the cam- 
eras and letting Spaeth ramble in 
his own style about the origm of 
well-known melodies, WPIX has 
come up with a neat little package 
that should be a natural for sev- 
eral categories of prospective 
banki'oUers. 

W.k. music authority and author 
of several books on the subject, 
Spaeth follows basically the same 
format he established in the series 
of film shorts he made several 
years ago. On tlie show caught 
"(3), he took top hits of the current 
season, tracing their basic melodic 
pattern as far back as bird-calls 
in the Garden of Eden and then 
pointing out how the same pattern 
was incorporated, with minor 
variations, in other classical and 
popular tunes up to the present. 
Although it probably wasn't 
cricket, Spaeth identified the mys- 
tery tune on the "Stop the Music'' 
adio show the previous week. 
Tune was identified the following 
night by a N. Y. listener, who 
might or might not have sat in on 
the WPIX show. 

Spaeth demonstrated a pleasant 
] >ersonality and maintained viewer 
nterest constantly during the 20- 
minute running time with his in- 
teresting script. Because of its 
simplicity, the show is basically 
an easy' one to produce but WPIX 
director Sherling Oliver dressed it : 
considerably witli various trick 
camera effects. At several points, 
in fact, there was no apparent rea- '. 
son for the trick shots and they 
only sei-ved to distract from the 
proceedings. Stal. 



EDGAR'S TEEN-AGE CHABM 

SCHOOL 
Director: Dick Rose ' 
25 Mins.; Thurs., 7:05 pju. 
Sustaining 
WPIX. N. Y. 

This show should curry favor 
with adolescent gals— but hardly 
anybody else. As such, it's un- 
doubtedly spotted badly since 7 
p..m. is usually post-supper family 
time. Aside from this imavoid- 
able (at Oiis stage) programming 
error, this show does a competent 
job within its narrow framework 
of objectives. It'll undoubtedly 
get the kids to primp and polish 
up on their lipstick ahd eyebrow 
pencil technitjue. 

Edgar, acting as the muse of 
social grace and painted beauty, 
performs the cosmetic magic with 
skill and considerable charm. 
Using about a half^ozen subjects 
in each session, he transforms 
ugly ducklings into glittering prin- 
cesses by the flick of his comb. It 
comes as a disappointment at the 
end to discover that in one case he 
switched gals via a camera trick 
right hi the middle of a demonstra- 
tion. It was a damaging stunt. 
However. Edgar does have a lot of 
coiffures on the ball. Herm. 



U.OFMINN.YIEDSON 
KSTP GRID TELECASTS 

Minneapolis, July 6. 
KSTP wiU televise Univ. of 
Minnesota football games this fall. 
Stanley Hubbard, station president 
and general manager, says. Deal 
will be completed when KSTP sub- 
mits a satisfactory sponsor, accord- 
ing to Hubbard. 

Univ. of Minnesota athletic de-' 
partment Iiad been hesitant about 
having the games televised, partic- 
ularly the earlier and less impoi'- 
tant ones tliat may not be sellouts 
if the weather is bad. It finally 
gave Hubbard the green Ught, how- 
ever, he says. 

KSTP is also televising Minne- 
apolis American . Assn. baseball 
games, but has not been able to do 
business with the Minneapolis and 
St. Paul wrestling and boxing 
clubs. • 



Femme's Play-by-Play 

Femme will do the play-by-play 
for WPIX's live pickup of a girls' 
Softball gapie from Cedarhurst Sta- 
dium, Long Island. Saturday (10) 
at 9:06 p.m. Producer Bay Barrett 
picked radio actress-writer Jane 
Martin for the stint because she's 
a terrific baseball fan. It'll be her 
first tele chore. 

Game will- be toetween the Ar- 
thur Murray Girls, the home team, 
and the Washington, X>. C, team 
of the American Girls Softball 
League, 



Vetlnesday, July 7, 1948 



OlKCHBSimAS-MUSIC 



81 



Bernstein Would finance Peatman Lag I 
Privately to Balk Contactmen s Union 



Drive "by members o£ the Music|^ 
publishers Contact Employees' 
^ion to discontinue Dr. John 
Peatman's method of rating radio 
gong performance struck a snag 
as the result of an announcement 
by Louis Bernstein, of Shapiro- 
Bernstein, that he was prepared to 
finance the project privately, The 
union claims to have the support 
of 11 major publishers in its cam- 
paign, but there now seems to be 
some hesitancy among a few pubs 
pn this list to go through with the 
thing. 

Bernstein, who has violently op- 
posed the -union also in Its proposed 
plan' to prevail upon tradepapers 
not to publish the Peatman list, 
Contends that the latter performs 
an Invaluable service for the pub- 
lisher as well as radio program- 
mers, since its findings are based 
on quality plugs. He discounts the 
Union's argument that i\s members 
would benefit from the elimination 
of the list through increased em- 
ployment. Bernstein holds that a 
publisher will always measure the 
efficiency of an employee by the 
quality and not the number of 
plugs obtained, list or no list. 

One of the reasons that the 
Union has sought to put the Peat- 
inan compilation out of existence 
Is that it has become a habitual 
source of guidance for radio pro- 
ducers. The union figures that 
without this source these producers 
would have to depend on their own 
Judgments In picking tunes, and 
thereby make it easier for publish- 
ers trying to break in newer num- 
bers.... 

K -is Bernstein's view that, by 
doing away with all forms of per- 
formance reports, the music indus- 
try would create for Itself nothing 
but a vacuum, and that so long as 
the* industry must treat with as po- 
tent an exploitation channel as 
radio it cannot afford to do without 
a checking device. His underwrit- 
ing- includes furnishing radio pro- 
ducers with copies of the weekly 
Peatman reports ■ 

BILLS GOP FOR SONG 
CONVENTION DIDN'T DO 

Minneapolis, July 6. 

N. Lyle Regal, Twin City com- 
poser, has sent a bill to the Na- 
tional Republican Committee de- 
manding reimbursement for $1,000 
which he' claims he spent to pro- 
mote his state centennial song, 
''My Minnesota," at the Phila- 
delphia national eonvention; 

On the strength of the Commit- 
tee's alleged promise that the song 
would be sung during the conven- 
tion and copies of it would be dis- 
tributed to delegates, Regal says he 
expended $600 for trips to Phila- 
delphia for himself, a singer and 
accompanist; $100 for a music 
arranger and $200 for copies of the 
song. 

The song wasn't sung and the 
copies weren't distributed. Regal 
says. He charges "powerful in- 
fluence" blocked singing of the 
song when it was feared the reriUi- 
tion would start a convention band- 
wagon for Harold E. Stassen for 
president. 

' By way of proving, however, that 
"My Minnesota" is strictly non- 
partisan in musical text. Regal now. 
Is trying to arrange with the Dem- 
ocratic National Committee to have 
It sung at the Democratic conven- 
tion in Philadelphia Jidy 12. 



Aivy 



West Due For 
Edison Hotel Return 

Alvy West returns to the Edison 
hotel, N.y., for a 12-week engage- 
ment beginning Sept. 23. He and 
•his vmit were there last spring for 
their first appearance in the east, 

Outfit's radio series with Jerry 
Wayne, five evenings a week on 
CBS, continues through July, with 
option's thereafter. 



Orrin Tucker, Merc Pact 

Chicago, July 6. 

Mercury Records pacted Orrin 
Tucker orch last week. Maestro 
cut 16 sides, on his own, before 
the record ban, which he is bring- 
ing with him 

First release is "Moon Is AI- 
*ay Bigger on Saturday Night" 
and "Little Girl." 



Carl Haverlin 

Pr«(i<fenf of Broadccrsr Music, fnt. 
.end 

Fred Ahlert 

Ptasideat pf ASCAP • 
give their views on 
Television in Relation lo 
Songa and Song Publiahen 
* * « 
tditoricil ftoturci in 

3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBER 
fo be published soon 



Fred Waring will have the music 
i publishers' contactmen as his 
guests today (Wed.) on his place 
iat Shawnee-on-the-Delaware, Pa., 
jfor an outing. 
I The maestro has for years also 
j made it a practice of tossing lunch- 
j eon for contactmen so they could 
collectively pitch their tunes at 
him. 



Local 802, N.Y., Opens 
Exper iment in 
Therapy for Hospitalized 

An experimental, month-long 
program of musical therapy starts 
in New York today (Wed.) under 
the joint auspices of N. Y. Local 
802, American Fedeiration of Musi- 
cianSi and the N. Y. Department of 
Hospitals. While the use of music 
in N. Y. hospitals may be an ex- 
periment, a Veterans' Administra- 
tion spokesman pointed out that 
his organization has already dis- 
eovered that music has "a definite 
therapeutic value'^ to its 100,000 
patients. 

The VA maintains, on the basis 
of its results With Veterans' Hos- 
pital Camp Shows, that music re- 
laxes patients and thus makes 
them "-more susceptible to medical 
treatment. In addition, it's been 
found that melodies often break 
through the wall that the mentally 
disturbed build around themselves. 
As a natural sequence to this, the 
VA now classifies music as one of 
two ingredients essential to every 
Camp Shows imit— the other be- 
ing sight, with its combination of 
color and movement. 

Type of music depends upon the 
nature of the patients' illness. 
While inmates in general and 
surgical v/ards can "take" virtually 
the same musical categories as 
civilians, the conditions and re- 
quirements of the tubercular and 
mentally disturbed have eliminated 
instruments that produce loud, ex^ 
citing effects or over-stimulation. 
Strings have proved to be more 
soothing. 



Muzak Tdk Buy 



On Plui^ers Put (W Pubs 
* In Mojes to I^conrage Firb^s 



Negotiations are on for sale of 
National Wired, Radio, World 
Broadcasting System subsid, lo 
Muzak Corp. The move that pre^ 
cipitated the purchase talks be« 
tween Muzak and Decca Record 
Co., which owns World, was a de- 
cision of the wired-music group, 
which holds WBS franchises in 
New York, Philadelphia and Chi- 
cago, to merge its accounts with 
Muzak in Novwnber. Contracts by 
the group for the library run out 
at that time. 

The group which has the fran- 
chise in the three towns consists 
of Joe Lang, Paul Harron, Lang's 
associate in the' operation of 
WBIG, Philly, and Jack Kelly, the 
moneyman in the setup. Under the 
deal with World the group pays 
10% of Its gross Income from sell- 
ing wired music to restaurants, 
cafes, stores, etc., to the Decca 
subsid. 

Stanley .Toseloff, who has been 
operating bis own store-broadcast- 
ing outfit in Connecticut, is report- 
ed to have come into the Muzak 
picture and also allied himself 
with the Selly-Lang interests. - 



SEVIN TO CONCENTRATE 
ON COL KID DIVISION 

Ben Selvin, who Joined Colum- 
bia Records some months ago on a 
general studio assignment. Will 
concentrate henceforth on devel- 
opment of the company's kid rec- 
ord division; 

OR conducted a survey into the 
kid field through department stores 
several months ago, and the find- 
ings will in part figure as a guide 
mark in the company's building of 
a Juve repertoire; 



Vitacoustic's Operations 

Chicago, July 6. 

Vitacoustic Records, operating 
under Chapter 11 of the Chandler 
act, last week filed an account cov- 
ering operations of the last three 
months with Ref^^e Chester -Mac- 
Chesney. 

Statement showed a loss of $10,- 
000 for The period. 



Paul Whiteman 

wlio titould linaw aboHl ovory 
pliaM of ihow busineu' 
IMS Ttlcvtfion 01 

'Show Business in the 

Parlor'* 

* * * 

. an •dtteriol footure in Hi* 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION 

■of...;' 

to be publiiAod this htooth 



Austin's New 'Heaven' 
Not Hurting Four Star 
So No Beef Is Planned 

Hollywood, Jtily 6. 

Bill McCall, proxy of Four Star 
Records, reveals he won't do any- 
thing about Gene Austin waxing 
"My Blue Heaven" for Universal 
label although etching violates 
term's of pact by which Austin 
plattered tune for Four Star about 
three years ago. 

Austin cut "Heaven" for Pour 
Star on an old AFM Form B con- 
tract, which stipulated that he 
could not platter it again for five 
years on another label. Four Star 
is no longer circulating Its version 
of Austin orioling the ballad which 
projected him to prominence 20 
years ago, hence feels the Universal 
release doesn't step on its toes. 



Nick Campbell Sets Up 
Own Co< in Porgie Split 

Nick Campbell, formerly part- 
nered with Al Porgie In Campbell- 
Porgie, is setting up his own firm 
to be called Campbell Music about 
July 15. His first plug song will 
be a revival of "Things I Love," 
which he brought out about a 
decade ago. 

Currently hunting office space 
and lining up personnel, Campbell 
has named Ralph Harris his Coast 
rep. Al Porgie recently acquired 
Campbell's stock in the Campbell- 
Porgie firm. 



:: 8. 
:: 9. 

10/ 



Best Sellers au (mMadmes!!^Ll!*5 



WOODY WOODPECKER SONG (6) (Leeds). , . . ............. Kay Kyser. . . ..... , .ColunlWa 

YOU CAN'T BE TRUE DEAR (13) (BUtmore). Griffin-Wavne ...Rondo 

NATURE BOY (12) (Burke- VH) , King Cole Cavitol 

MY HAPPINESS (8) (Blasco) Jon & SonAra Steele Danwri 

TOOUE OOLIE DOOLIE (U) (Chas K. Harris) !. Hortof^- : .\ Contin^^^^^^^ 

LOVE SOMEBODY (3) (Kramer-W.) . . . , b. Day-B. Clarie Colwmbta 

WM. TELL OVERTURE (S> (Tune Town) , . Spifce Joitcs ........... .Victor 

LITTLE WHITE LIES (H) (BVC) : {tZZ^ZtIcv llliy/.r/.V^Z 

YOU CALL EVERYBODY DARLING (1) )Mayfalr) Al Trace „ . , .Regent • • 

IT'S MAGIC «) <wit«.,k) ["^X^T-. :::::::::c<;^ \ \ 



Coming Up 



PUT 'EM IN BOX (Remick) ; King Cole Capitol 

BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS (T. B. Harms) , . , . Art Mooney M-G-M 

HEARTS WIN (Miller) Petty Trio Universal 

BLUE SHADOWS (Santly-Joy) Bing Crosby Decca 

^Jo Stafford Capitol 



:: HAUNTED HEART (Williamson) 



TELL ME A STORY (Laurel) 



DICKEY BIRD SONG (Robbins) 

SERENADE (Leeds) 

MAYBE YOU'LL BE THERE 

HEABTBREAKER (Leeds) 

FOR EVERY MAN A WOMAN (Melrose) 



\Perry Go7m) ............ .Victor 

iSarmriy Kaye ...^Victor 

( Ames Bros.>.f« ........ . ,J3eeca 

( Freddy MoiBKift . . , . , ... , . .Victor 

\ Larry Clinton , Decca 

Buddy Clark ...Columbia 

(BVC) ....i . .... ...... .. .. ..... . . Gordon Jenkins Dccctt 

Andrews Sisters. ... . . ... .Decco 



5 Al 

( Ferko String Band. , .Palda 

Tony Martin Victor 



MAHARAJAH OP MAGIDOB (Mutual) {ToA'f^T.. 



, , . . Victor 
. Columbia 



RUN, JOE, RUN (Preview) Louis Jordan. .......... .Decca 

:■ BABY DON'T BE MAD (Paramount) Franftic Loine Mercury ■ ■ 

Wigures in parentheses indicate nwriber of weeks song has been in th4 Top 10.1 
"♦tfl tl H t M ill lltftt illllt t M ««««t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦■ 



Chicago, July 6. 

Chi branch of the l^usic Pul|>* 
Ushers Contact Employees union 
has embarked on a campaign to 
discourage further dropping of its 
members from publisher payrolls. . 
Contactmen last week asked or- 
chestra leaders and music librar- 
ians in radio stations to refuse to , 
"cooperate" with publlsiiing firms 
4hat have cut down their plugger 
staffs in recent weeks. As part of ' 
this pitch the contactors are pass- 
ing out lists of the firing pubs and 
their current plug tunes. • . 

Surviving pluggers are loud in 
their wails over the load that has 
been foisted upon them. They com- 
plain tliat their New York offices 
not only expect them to do double 
or ti-iple the coverage they've been 
accustomed to but have set up ex- 
travagant quotas, such as pro- . 
ducing 12 plugs weekly .for each 
new tune. Such plugs, say the con- 
tactors, must be live performances, 
with no credit allowed for disk 
jockey plugs, which, according to, 
the protests, is not ttie. way things 
are done with tbelr New York con- 
ireres. 

Bob Miller, MPCE executive sec- 
retary, yesterday (Tuesday) ex- 
pressed surprise at the' acUon of 
the Chicago members, tbi said that 
such tactics . ijrere without the 
knowledge or support of the 
union's executive board, that it in^ 
volved a form of secondary boy*: 
cott, which, Jnetdentally, u, outp 
lawed by the Taft-Hartley. Act, 
Miller said bo would have to have 
further information before he 
could make any explicit comment 
in that direction. 

MPCE's executive board met last 
Thursday (1) for a preliminary go- 
ing-over of the changes to be pro- 
po.sed for the union's new ctmtract 
with music publishers. The present 
agreement expires Dec. 31 and the 
convenant requires both sides to 
submit desired insei-tions and 
amendments by Oct. 1. Thursday's 
was the first in a series of meet'* 
ings to determine and jphrase the 
revisions. 

LARRY ADLER JOINS 
AFM AFTER 20 YEARS 

San Francisco, July 6. 

Acting on James C. PetriUo's 
invitation to hamonica jtlayers to 
tiecome members of the American 
Federation of Musicians, Larry- 
Adicr, who is appearing at the 
Fairmont hotel here, has put in a 
membership application with Local 
47, Los Angeles, his home town. It 
ends a 20-year effo|i: by Adler to 
have himself inscribed on the 
AFM's rolls. . 

Petrillo's open - house move 
toward harmonica-blowers was in 
large part motivated by the fact 
that recording companies since the 
ban have been resorting to this 
instrument for baclcgroand music. 
Adler, however, has done no rec«. 
ording following the AFM shut- 
down, * 



'Laugliing Samba' In 

New U.S. In¥asion 

"The Laughing Samba," a num- 
ber which never caught on when 
originally introduced in the U. S., 
has been built into a European 
fave over the past 12 months and 
is now tnaking another invasion of 
the American market. Published 
on the continent by Editions 
Seidem, of Switzerland, the song 
clicked on the Riviera last year, 
and visiting Britons carried the 
ditty back to England. . 

On the strength of "Samba's" 
British sales appeal, London Rec* 
ords cut the Latino tune using Ed- 
mond Ros' band. Timed with a 
U. S. release of the disk this week, 
the waxery has distributed some 
1,000 platters of the Ros recording 
to American disk jocksT Published 
here by Mills Music by arrange- 
ment with Editions Seidem, the 
song was written in 1945 by Benny 
Meroff, Anne S^.r, Vincent Riziso 
and George Johnson. 



S2 ORCSKSTRAS-I^XSJSXC 



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W«Jn«Mlay, July 7> 1948 



%mi Reviews 



ART MOONET ORCH (1*) 

Sttfa Bod Bcces. GaUl Sisters (3). 
IKBwre Hotel, N. T. _ 
Art Mooney have "set back" 
niusic a couple of decades with his 
noDulari'sation of the banjo and the 
aance forms prevalent in the roar- 
inff twenties, namely with his click 
iMing* of "Four Leaf Clover" 
and "Baby Face," but sunultaneous- 
Tv he's amassed a wealth of follow- 
ers from the youngsters who never 
•aw a banjo other than in pawn- 
-hnn windows. And be has obtained 
• the high regard, too, of some very 
iedate citizens who regiurded them- 
selves as hot stuff during the 'coon- 
coat period. .... . .„ 

It's this combination that will 
make the Mooney dansapation a 
iioxoffice item in the spots where 
the tourists and mature spenders 
COniiregate. Mooney can only de- 
nfead on the juves to give him 
backing at the wickets when he's 
EOt a hot record riding a crest. 
Since "Clover" and "Baby Face" 
have declined on the bestseller 
lists the teensters aren't a pre- 
% dominant factor at the Biltmore 
with the Mooney engagement, hut 
there's merry click of oldsters in 
that room. . . , . 

Mooney is instrumental m pro- 
viding the reincarnated juves a 
whift" of the flapper era^ In evei-y 
set he provides one item featuring 
the banjo, another with glee club 
backing and for the rest of his 
tunes he relies on current _ pops 
with arrangements calling for a 
steady and unmistakable dance 
beat. He's easy to dance to and also 
okay for that portion of the dinner 
trade that likes to converse with 
their victuals. Whether business 
Will be as big for late-hour displays 
Btill remains to be seen. 

With the Mooney crew comes the 
chirping of the Galli Sisters (3), 
whose pipings are also reminiscent 
Of the '20s. A modern note is In 
the singing of Bud Brees, who has 
a nicely modulated voice and a 
robust delivery. , „ _ , 

The relief chores at the Cascades 
is by the Harold Nagle crew, which 
dwells mainly-in the Latin vein. He 
does competently in that depart- 
ment.. -fose. 

HARRV OWENS OBCH iVt) 
With mio.Hattle, Alex GeuM 
St Francis Hotel, San Francisco 

San Francisco goes as soft over 
Hawaii and its tunes as New York 
does over Havana and its rhythms. 
Nostalgic pitch aimed by Harry 
Owens is therefore bulls-eye mate- 
rial for the local gentry. Tunes 
wanted and asked for are same old 
Hawaiian reliables from "Song of 
Tlie Islands," to "Sweet Leilani," 
to "Aloha," all of which find the 
check-payers gayly weeping .into 
their champagne. 

Local throb-'angle is further glo- 
ried by Hilo Hattie. widely bked 
here for her 'IPrincess Pow-pfoo-li" 
and "Cockeyed Mayor" ditties, 
"Isle of Golden Dreams," et al, 
with not even a single American 
tune thrown in for seasoning. 

Owens' combo of piano, trumpet, 
two violins, bass, guitar, steeL-gui- 
tar, three sax (doubling on fiddles) 
and drums, provides saccharine 
melodies easy to listen to and 
equally easy to dance to, evidenced 
by crowded floor for all sets. In 
Short, hes big stuff here. 

Biz good. Covef $1.75 Saturday, 
and $1.50 nightly. .Ted. 

RAYMOND SCOTT QUINTET 
With Dorothy CoUinis 
Hotel Edison, N. Y. 

Booking of Raymond Scott into 
the Green Room, Edison hotel, 
N. Y., represents a policy change 
for this small, street floor spot. 
Previously the accent was- on danc- 
ing, with rhythms usually supplied 
by one of the lesser name groups. 
The customer bait is now itEimanly 
a "concert session" built around 
avott's own repertoire plus his 
Crew's .iazz musicianship. 

Scott quintet undeniably does a 
class interpretation of the leader's 
tunes such as "Twlli^t in Tur- 
key," "18th Century Drawing* 
Room " among others. However, a 
Uttle of this goes a long way and 
two sets of the bizarre creations 
tend to border on monotony. Suc- 
cess of the Edison's new policy 
apparently hinges on whether 
there are enough Scott fans within 
a reasonable radius. 

Reorganized about five months 
Jgo, the quintet is basically similar 
to the group Scott made his name 
within the late '30s. Later he 
witched to a larger band, but now 
le s back with the smaller unit due 
Jp^ popular demand" although the 
lighter overhead undoubtedly is a 
more logical explanation. 

Outfit consists of Jerry Winner, 
clarinet; Joe Palmer, tenor sax; 
§«my John, drums: Ernie Di 
'«lc6, trumpet; Don Russo, bass, 
While the leader handles the '88. 
Bwa* deUveiy of sudi Scottiana as 
WW Dance for Wooden Indians" 
and "DmenUay Flece to the Crew 



and Passengers of the First Experi- 
mental Rocket Express to the 
Moon" is well conceived and leaves 
little to be desired. Latter tune 
particularly epitomizes Scott's 
style.':. • . 

Vocal department is handled by 
Dorothy Collins. An attractive 
blonde, she sultrily warbles "Man 
I Love" and several other stand- 
ards. Although the Scott-com- 
posed score from "Lute Song" is a 
difficult thing to sing, she im- 
presses with his "Mountain High, 
Valley Low" from that legiter. 

Scott, himself, rates a bow for 
his explanatory introductions of 
each number. He enunciates well, 
contrary to most mumbling band* 
leaders. Quintet bucked rahiy 
weather and the Louis-Walcott 
fight in its two opening days and 
the scattered patrons in evidence 
were no indication of the unit's 
true draw, Gilb, 

CABMEN C A VALLARO (16) 
Hotel Astor Roof, N. Y. 

The blare tliat punishes the ear^ 
drums is certainly not Carmen 
Cavallaro's dish, and maybe that's 
why the personable pianist-maestro 
continues as one of the more 
danceable outfits. Smooth, moder- 
ate tempos are his forte ... and 
that's the key to his popularity. 

There's no denying that without 
him at the piano to pace it, this 
band would have difficulty project- 
ing; but Cavallaro's tinkling of 
the 88's, plus his unassuming 
personality, sell casually, easily. 
He can always create an audience 
around the bandstand - that is 
equally ready to hoof or watch him 
ripple those keys. 

This is an orch of four violins, 
five rhythm (including the mae- 
stro's piano), four reeds and three 
brass and all of it giving' out a 
neat, danceable beat. 

There's no attempt at projecting 
the layout for "show" purposes, 
other than in the leader's pianoing, 



Best British SheefseDers 

( Week Ending July 1 ) 
London, July 2^ 

Galway Bay,.,.. .Box & Cox 

Heartbreafcer. , , Leeds 

Nature Boy, , .Morris 

Golden Karrings Victoria 

Time May Change . , Connelly 

4 Leaf Clover F.D.&H. 

Teresa .Leeds 
Ballerina ........... Maurice 

Near You , , . .Wood 

Toolie Oolie, Southern 
Dream of Olwen Wright 
My Achin' Heart ... Connelly 

Second 12 

After All Cinephonic. 

Lai'oo , . .Dash 

Serenade of Bells. ... . Morris 

Civilization . ^ .Morris 

Silver Wedding Wall/ . . .Unit 
Tree in Meadow .... Connelly 
Reflections on Water , . Maurice 

Miranda . . . , , . . . Kassner 

You . Do i . . : . . . . , , . . Chappell 
Ask Anyone. . . . Feldman 

Echo Said No , Wood 

You Can't Be True . . Chappell 



•■cai&mMis-BfiJSic 



ss 



and it's just as well. The payoff in 
a hotel room lies in getting the 
dancers up there, and with the first 
beat of every Cavallaro dance set 
the floor crowds up fast. Kdlm. .. 



Cats Win Suit 

Chicago, July 6. 

Chicago Superior Court Judge 
Wilbur Crowley last week dismissed 
Sid Fisher's suit against the Ilar- 
monicats for share of their record 
royalties. Fisher claimed trio and 
he. had made a partnership agree- 
ment. Juror ruled that AFM con- 
tract showed Fisher as ah employee 
of Jerry Murad, leader of the Cats. 

Judge also threw out case 
against Universal Records and Bill 
Putnam, proxy; Mutual Entertain- 
ment and W. Biggie Levin, vaude 
booker. 



Baddy Clark— "Where Flamingos 
Fly," "Whefl MoonUght FeU oft 
the WaterfaU" (Columbia), Clark 
seems to have a winner in "Fla- 
mingo" and 'a pleasant slice of 
sentimental reverie to match it up 
on the other side. The crooner 
sails into Jimmy Kennedy's tropi- 
cal travelog with all the dramatic 
pleading and melodic power at hia 
command. It's a good act and a 
good song he does, and the spin'<- 
nings on jock'turntables and jukes 
will be plentiful. 

Marths Tilton — "Ready, Set, 
Go," "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" (Capi- 
tol). Choosing of titles that hot 
only rhyme but have the same 
number of words must have be- 
come something of a charade dur- 
ing the. rush to beat the AFM's 
recording ban. There have been 
a number of such combinations 
among recent releases. As for La 
Tilton's latest pair, they represent 
the type .of song she does best 
"Ready" rocks with an irresistible 
iteat both in vocal and. Dean Elliott 
background, while "Gabriel" is de- 
livered with a rhythmic polish that 
merits filing the side among a sta- 
tion's standards. .\ 

Croidon Maoitae — "Hankerin'." 
"I Went Down to Virginia" (Capi- 
tol). MacRae takes a holiday from 
"June" and "Moon" and taps up 
for the occasion with a slow-tem- 
poed ditty about a hombre of the 
purple sage and a slightly bouncey 
narrative regarding a rather un- 
eventful journey. Neither perform- 
ance carries much stylistic sock, 
but the baritone does a smooth, 
ingratiating job by "Hankerin*." 

The Bavenfr— "Send for Me, If 
You Need Me," "UntU the Real 



» ♦ »♦♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦ ♦ « »♦♦» ♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦ ♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ ♦♦♦i : 

iiSoi$swithLiy^Ra£oAflieB£e i 

'. Thirty songs of the week {more in case of ties), hosed on the ; • 

copi/riffhtcd Audience Coverage Index Survey of Popular Music 
4 Broadcast Over Radio Networks. Published by the Office pf R«- J. 
seorch, Inc., Dr. John G. Peatvmn, Director. 

Survey Week of June )Wf-JiiIy 1, 1M8 

A Fella With an Umbrella— t "Easter Parade" Feist 

■ ► A Tree In the Meadow : Shapiro-B 

: : Baby Don't Be Mad at Me Paramount 

Beyond the Sea • Chappell 

Blue Shadows On the Trail- t"Melody Time" Santly-Joy 

Bride and Groom Polka Simon 

Dolores Famous 

Don't Blame Me .Warren 

Dream Girl— t' Dream Girl" . „ 

Haunted Heart— '►"Inside U.S.A." Williamson 

I May Be Wrong A«ivanced 

T I Went Down To Virginia. . Jefferson 

' ■ Only Happens Dance With You— t"Easter Parade" . ^rlm 

I It's Magic— t"Romance On High Seas" Witm^k 

It's You Or No- One • • R«m»cit 

Little Girt Leeds 

Little White Lies 

Love Of My Life— t"The Pirate" B. Harms 

Love Somebody IStiSS'^"^ 

My Fair Lady , , United 

My Happiness , , . .• iurte^VH 

Nature Boy • t ^ 

Now Is the Hour i • • . , L,ecas 

Put 'Em In a Box— r "Romance On High Seas" Renucfc 

-r Rhode Island Is Famous For You— i-'Inside U.S.A.". Crawford 

■ ■ Serenade (Music Played On a Heartstring) Duches* 

; : Steppin' Out With My Baby— t"Easter Parade". . . , Berim 

. . Toolie Oolie DooUe , r 

• ■ Woody Woodpecker • - n,?i;JL„r« 

:: You Om't Be True Dear Biltmore 

You Were Meant For Me 



Yours 



. Miller 
, Marks 



: : The reimining 20 tongs of the week, hosed on the copyrighted . , 

' • Awdience Coverage Index Survev of Popular Music Bfoodcast ; ; 

! : Over Radio Networks. Published by the Office of Research, Inc., - j 
Dr. John G. Peatfiifflw. Director. 

; : At a Sidewalk Penny Arcade .5?S^ 

Babv Face . . i, .Bemick , 

; : Better Luck Next Time-t"Easter Parade" Feist 

t Bye Bye Blackbird ' ' • ; ; ] ! ] ! ! ! :Kd 

SgFor Joy • ; : : : : : : ; : : : : : : : : : : ^on^^^^ 

musters'- y . . . . RobWn^ 

Dream Peddler V. . .,. Melrose 

Evelyn ,.. •■ -^^^ 

Heartbreaker . ,. " r^r^A 

I'd Give a Million Tomorrows tmSs 

Just Because • • ^^t^n 

Laroo Laroo LiUi Bolero 

i My Guitar r.oW^e 

% Old Ferris Wheel • r^ZT 

* On the Little Village Green B°^™«^ 

spring Came Pemaa 

Take It Away ■ • • • wmtr 

Takin' Miss Mary To the Ball WordS-MusiC t 

We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye .... , . . ■ • mXm I 

What's Good About Goodbye-t"Casbah" 

You're Too Dangerous Cherie • 



Jocks, Jukes ar^Dkks 



By Ben Bodec 



My Favorite Five 

By BILL BKANT 
(iCDKA. Pittsburgh) 

"Laura" (Johnny Bothwell) 

"Moonlight S e r e n a d e" 
(Glenn MUler) 

"Trumpet Rhapsody" (llar^ 
ry James) 

"I'll Never Smile Again" 
(Tommy Dorsey) 

"Basin Street Blues" (Herb 
Jeffries) 



of melody and beat which should 
go places. It's coupled with Anne 
and Don Vincent's version of 
"Cuckoo Waltz", . .Muriel Adama* 
first pair for Apollo, "Awaiting My 
Time With Y'ou" and "Crazy About 
That Man," projects lots of heart 
appeal, even though the style la 
reminiscent of the earlier Sarah 
Vaughn. Miss Adams' pipes are 
on the thin side but what she lacks 
in tonal substance She makes up 
with smart phrasing and feeling — 
Hank D'Amioo'a "Hank's Pranks" 
and "Jukebox Judy" (National) 
should tickle the fancy of both the 
collectors and disk-spinners who 
cater to the . more sophisticated 
jam trade. The two sides si^e 
with a super^quality of instFumea-< 
tatlon, as would be expected from 
such supporting company as Cozy 
Cole, drums; Don By^iSf t««or sax; 
Frankie Newton, trumpet; Dave 
Rivera, piano, and Sid Weiss, bass 
... Another extra-special under the 
same label is Charlie Ventura's 
"East of Sues" and "S'H Never Be 
the Same," featuring such special" 
ists tis Kai Winding, tromlione; 
Shelly Manne, drums, and Lou 
Stein, piano, on what is the more 
exciting side, namely, "Suez." ■ 



'• * Lefltt Mwicol. t Fllmusicol. 

**** 



Thing Comes Along" (National), 
"Send" stacks up as a .swell sample 
of group . torching, with the bass 
lead uncorking one of his best 
flights in heart harmonics. It"8 a 
juke natural: Other side is tdso 
a nifty, with the oldie treated to a 
slick blend of close harmony aoA 
insinuating rhythm. 

Jerry Wayne and Dell Xrlo — "I'd 
Lave to Live in Loveland," "YoU-'tb 
Heart and Mhie" (Columbia). 
Wayne may 'find himself with a 
successor Itit to "You Can't Be 
Time, Dear" in this revival of the 
WiU Rossiter ballad. "Loveland" 
contains la. both melody and verse 
the basic eleiQents of "True." The 
coupling is of the same weepy, 
heart-on-sleeve school, and like- 
wise, if the trend: toward this 
species of sentimental fare hum't 
meanwhile changed, could bloonl 
into a magnet around the juke- 
boxes.' ■ ■ 

Billy Eckstine — "Sophisticated 
Lady," "Jitney Man" (National). 
The Duke Ellington standard was 
put to wax without benefit of a 
symphonic group, as has been Eck- 
stine's plight since switching to 
the M-(5-M label, and the warm, 
sensitively contrived interpretation 
he turns out here is really one for 
the book. The frantic jump that's 
attached to. it is a chip off Eck* 
stine's old band and as sttch will 
meet with hefty approval from the 
bop mob. 

Barclay Allen — ^"It Began in Ha- 
vana/' "Nola" (Capitol). The e»- 
Freddy Martin piesfder over the 
ivories has pawaged' something 
solid in rhythmic pleasure in this 
combination of Latin, idiom and 
t>ackroom music-making. There's 
an impressive exhibit of piano wiz- 
ardry and guitar understudy in 
"Havana" that should gamer it 
much attention from the jock 
gentry. This is the second of the 
master that Allen turned over to 
CapUol and, productionwise, it's 
far- superior to the predecessor. 

Plittt«r Pointo 

Ray Bauduc and His Bobcats 
(Capitol), bowing in as both a 
leader and a vocalist, wraps a 
singular brand of oldtime jazz 
anrand the old, traditional "L'il 
Liza Jane" and the somewhat less 
dated, "When My Sugar Walks 
DowTi the Street". . ,WaIt Dana is 
offerings under his own label "Holi-^ 
day Polka," a extra-Uvely mixture 



Nanedin$l,000;OOOSuit; 
'Manana' Lift AUeged 

iKis Angeles, July 6. ■ 
Peggy Lee and her husband, 
Dave Barboiu*, were last week 
named defendants in a $1,000,000 
suit filed in connection with the 
song, "Manana," in . Federal court 
here. Action was brought by 
Sterling Sherwin Harry K. Mc 
Clintock, both ASCAP members, 
who charge that the melody of 
"Manana" is a note-for-note in- 
fringement of their own published 
"Midnight on the Ocean." 

Also named in the suit are the 
Barbour-Lee Music Corp,, Capitol 
Songs, Inc., which published the 
song in litigation; Capitol Records, 
RCA, as parent corporation of Vic- 
tor Records; Decca Records, Seeco 
Records, Bandwagon Records and 
10 Doe corporations; 

Sherwm and McCIintock, who 
have been collaborating for years, 
say that "Midnight" was contauied 
in "Songs of Road and R^ge," a 
book which Sotttfaem Music pub* 
lished and has- shice reissued. 



BEmiOMCAIN 
GAC CMH SQfTLEMENT 

General Artists Corp. and Music 
Corp. of America have worlced out 
a deal which smooths the way for 
the transfer of the Tex Beneke 
band to the latter organization. 
Beneke's obligatioii to GAC had 
until November of this year to go, 
but that impediment has been 
bridged foy A casta settlement to 
GAC. Letter's pr^, Thomas G, 
Rockwell, adqiitted Friday (2) that 
the band was MCA'S now free and 
clear but he declined to disclose 
the amount of the consideration. 

Don Haynes and the widow of 
Glenn Miller, who between them 
own the orchestra, are reported to 
have received a bonus of $25,000 
for signing with MCA. 



Berlin 'Only Gof 600G, 
And Win's Complainin? 

: New York. 

iSditor, VAHIETYt 

The story on your front page to 
the eff^t that I ^11 receive a 
million and a half dollars for 
"Easter Parade" Is untrue. Consult 
your backfiles and you will find you 
carried the exact facts concerning 
my deal with M-G-M. 

I receive no percentage. The 
picture may gross five million or 
ten million, and,l certainly hope 
so, but I shall receive no more 
than I have already received— 
$600,000 for the package which be- 
came the successful musical 
"Easter Parade." 

Whatever assistance I have ren- 
dered the promotion department is 
due solely to a desire to be co- 
operative, M-G-M has done a mar- 
velous Job in the production and 
the promotion and I am extremely 
grateful to (hem from heginnmg 
to end. 

Irving Berlin. 



34 



oRCHEsntAs-iMirsic; 



Wednesdayi July 7, 1948 



Petrillo Gives Special 
OK to SOMe Jump 
For SJiep Fields 1-Niter 

Hollywood, July 6. 
Although the American Federar 
tion of Musicians, since its Asbui-y 
Park convention, has been refus- 
ing to give band'bookers an auto- 
matic okay to wink at Union rule 
that orchestras cannot be jumped, 
on one-nite treks, more than 300 
miles a day, the stunt was pulled 
over the ' weekend. James G. Pet- 
rillo personally gave the nod for 
Shep Fields to leap the 500 miles 
between a Baton^ N. M., date on 
Sat. (3) to play at Biggs Field, out- 
side El Pasp, Tex., the following 
(4/ night. 

General Artists Corp., booking 
the Fields' itinerary, had laid out 
the dates; but was attempting to 
re-route Fields after AFM nixed 
numerous 300-mile-plus overnight 
hops. The U, S. Army commandant 
at Biggs Field, advised by GAC of 
situation, fired off a 100-word wire 
direct to Petrillo, explaining he 
wanted Fields' band for a dance at 
his NCO Club; the plea was pegged 
on the "good ior morale" motif. 
Petrillo promptly okayed the re- 
quest. 

Dallas Tops' Start 

Dallas; July 6. 
The State Fair Park band^of 36 
pieces has begun a series of sum- 
mer "pop-' concerts last 'Sunday 
(4 ) , to be continued each Sunday 
until Sept. 5. A series of 10 other 
concerts will be staged by the 
band in other parte in the city, 
on Mondays through, Labor Day. 
The Sunday concerts are being 
staged at the Midway band pavilion 
at State Fair Park. 

Zeno King, assistant conductor 
of the Southern Methodist lUniv. 
band, will conduct the first six 
concerts, followed by Ralph Beck, 
conductor of the American Legion 
band, for three weeks and Paul 
Harris. The concerts are free to 
the public and are being paid for 
out o£ funds of the American/Fed- 
eration, of. Musicians; 



RETML SHEH BEST SEUEBS 



Survey of retail sheet music 
sales, based on reports obtaineA 
from leading stores in 12 cities, 
and showing comparative sales 
rating for this and last loeek. 



National 
Rating 

This Last 
wk. wk. 



Week Ending 
July 3 



Title and Publisher 



T 
O 
T 
A 

P 
O 
1 

T 

S 



1 


1 


"You Can't Be True" (Biltmore) . . 


1 


1 


2 


5 


1 


1 


. 1 


2 


2 


1 


1 


. 1 


113 


2 


5 


"Woody Woodpecker" (Leeds) .... 




3 


3 


2 


4 


2 


.■■3" 




-4 


2 


4 


2 


89 


3 


. 2: 


"Nature Boy" (Burke-VH) 


2 


4 


1 


I 


2 


5 


5 


8 


1 




3 


6 


83 


4 










-.4 


3 






2 


I 


3 


4 


2 


5 


73 


5 


3 


"Toolic Oolic Doolie" (C.K.Harris) 


4 


R 




4 


g 


8 


6 


7 


!> 


6 


5 


7 


55 


6 


8 


"Dickey Biird Song" (Kobbins) 


5 


6 




8 


8 


"3 






8 


9 


8"' 


3 


4.1 


7 


6 


"Little White Lies" (BVC) 


6 




6 


6 


6 




8 




9 


3 


6 




38 


8 


7 


"Now Is the Hour" (Leeds) 




7 




7 


3 


4 






e 






9 


30 


9 


10 


"Haunted Heart" (Williamson)... 


7 






9 


7 


9 








5 


9 


4 


27 


10 


8 




3 


9 


10 


10 


10 








10 


8 


7 




21 


11 


13 


"Put 'Em in a Box (Remick) . . .... 




8 


7 










!> 










13 


12 


















4 


6 










12 




























13 




















4 




7 






11 


14 


12 




8 










C 








10 






9 


15 


11 


"Love Somebody" (Ktamer-W) . . . 






5 










9 










8 



EYE BARRY GRAY AS 
N.Y. EDISON JOCKEY 

A disk jockey series to originate 
in the Green Room of the Edison 
hotel, N. Y., between midnight and 
3 a.m., seven nights a week, com- 
prises a setup slated for Barry 
Gray. It ' would broadcast over 
WAAT, Newark, and is tentatively 
slated to start about Aug. 1. 

Gray did a similar show last 
season from the Gopacabana, 
Miami Beach. 



Mills' Rah-Rah Tieup 

Mills Music tied in with an all- 
day "My America" celebration 
whipped up by WLIB, N. Y., Sun- 
day (4). In a half-hour shot, the 
publishing firm presented contem> 
porary patriotic . music by Morton 
Gould and Edwin Franko Goldman. 

Show was wire-recorded at Mills' 
offices and arranged by Norman 
Wai;embud, of the Mills staff. 
Company's general manager, Mack 
Stark, alsO' handled a brief inter- 
view with Gould. Station itself 
cancelled all commercial programs 
in ol>servation of Independence 
Day. 



SAVIN WITH VARSITY 
AS OBERSTEIN'S AIDE 

Lee Savin, former .recording 
exec with Majestic and Musicraft 
records, has joined Varsity records 
as assistant ti) Eli Obei-stein, who 
recently reactivated that label. 

Oberstein is planning to put out 
a 39c record, with the recording 
bqing done overseas. ■ 



Martin Warner joined Bob No- 
lan and the Sons of the Pioneers 
as the unit's tour manager and 
booker. 



Thornhill Mulls Cut 
In Band When Reforlniing 
After Summer Vacation 

Hollywood, July 6. ,' 
Claude Thornhill, who .sailed 
with his wife last week for ex- 
tended Hawaii vacash, probably • 
will cut down size of his orchestra 
when he re-forms next autumn. 
Outfit batoneer broke up last 
month numbered 17 (five sax, two 
French liorns, one tuba, three 
rhythm, two trombones, three 
trumpets and leader at the keys); 
the next probably will be cut to 
10. 

Since breaking up, batoneer has 
had several powwows willi Wil- ■ 
liam Morris agency. Handler.s liave 
stressed that having a crew of 
fewer men will mean smaller pay- 
roll and therefore more liotel loca- 
tions for outfit and fewer one- 
niters. That idea seems to tickle 
Thornhill. 

As outlined now, Thornhill will 
re-form with five strings; four 
saxes, one trumpet and keys. 
Frank Warren will be back Vocal- 
ing. 



BMI, Louisville Hotel 

Sign Pact, End Suit 

Louisville, July 6. 
. Suit over playing five songs at 
the Seelbach hotel was dismissed 
in. Federal court Friday (2> by 
agreement of BroadcaA Music, Inc., 
and Epley Hotels .Co., owner of the 
hotel. 

Attorneys said th^ fipley chain 
agreed to sign a contract for use 
of BMI-owned live music, and 
defray a substantial part of the cost 
of attorney fees and pay back 
royalties to BMI. Latter had sued 
the Seelbach for $1,250 and asked 
for an injuction against f urther use 
of its music in an action filed last 
December. 



Lanin's Dem Job 

Philadelphia, July 6. 

Howard Lanin has been named 
conductor and contractor for the 
60-piece band scheduled to play 
Convention Hall for tlie Demo- 
cratic National' Convention. 

Convention begins Monday (12). 



PRESENTS 




ALONG WITH OUn POPULAR STANDARDS 
RHUMBA AT THE WALDORF • RHUMBA FANTASY • ILLUSION • THE STORY OF SORRENTO 
IT'S EAiSY WHEN YOU KNOW HOW • ESCUCHAME • VEM VEM • TIC-TOC RHUMBA 

AU PIfiOFESSIONAL MAURIAL AVAIIMIE 



CHICAGO 



□RA MUSIC CO., INC. 

650 Broadway, New York 19 



HOLLYWOOD 




BE.NNr MILLER 



LAUREL MUSIC CO 



S6 OBCSISSTRAS»MVSIC 



We«Iiie8f1ay, July 7, 1948 




Milton Saunders' crew opened at 
the Hollywood hotel, West End, 
N, X, after a year's tour of the 
major Sheraton hotels. . .Erskine 
Hawkins hits a string of one- 
nighters after closing a week's 
stint at Uie Apollo theatre, N. Y., 
tomorrow (Thurs.). Plays City 
Armory, Portsmouth, Va., Friday 
(9), moves to Ocean Breeze Beach, 
Va. (Jl), Bayshore Pavilion, Buck- 
roe Beach. Va. (12); Waltz Dream 
Arena, Atlantic City, (15). and 
starts a week's stand at the How- 
ard theatre, Washington, (16) . . . 
Ink Spots stay at Orsatti's, Somers 
Jt.. N. X, until July 15, then switch 
for a {ortnight to the Surf Club, 
Wildwood, N. X. opening the fol- 
lowing night. . .Gene Krupa on the 
one-night trail. Hits the Brock- 
vllle, Ont., Armory tonight (Wed.), 
Beva RoUerdrome, Auburn, N. Y., 
tomorrow (Thurs.); Saj'ler'a Lake, 
saylersburg. Pa. (0). 



" Chicago 

Eddy Oliver's orcb, in its last 
week with Hildegarde at the Pal 
mer House, opens at the St. Aa 
thony hotel, San Antonio, July 15 
. . BlUie Holiday returns here for 
a one-niter at the Pershing hotel 
July 12, following a week at the 
Tia Juana Glub, Cleveland. Song- 
stress goes into the Strand theatre. 
W. Y., .for three weeks in mid- 
month. . .Danny O'Neil set for two 
weeks at Last Frontier hotel, Las 
Vegas, Sept. 10... Mary Osborne 
trio and Harry (Hipster) Gibson 
opened at the Blue Note July 6 
. . .Kai Winding-Buddy Stewart 
sextet held over another week at 
Milwaukee's Show Boat. . .Lionel 
Hampton into the Paramount thea- 
tre, Toledo, July 8, following one- 
weeker by Vaughn Horton^ . .Her- 
bie Fields into Silhouette Club 
July 16...Armand Kline, former 
manager of Mood Music here, has 
formed a bdnd in Albequerque, 
M.,. for territory work. . .Heidt 
and his radio discoveries set for 
two weeks at the Oriental theatre, 
starting Aug. 5 . . . DardaneUe and 
her Trio into the Celtic Room 
Monday (5) for an indefinite stay 
...Songstress Toni Rami joins 
Wayne Gregg's orch at O Henry 
Ballroom this week. 



IT'S A MOST 
UNUSUAL DAY 




flOOLE- 



mUSL DISK BEST SEUEBS 







erty Music Shop) 






^ ■ 


enel's .Mus. Shop) 




















Survey of retail disk best 
sellers, based on reports obf 
tained from leading stores in 
12 cities, and showing coni' 
parative sales rating for this 
and last week. 




10 ■ 

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National Wcefc Euiliiig 

July 3 

'This Last : ■ 

wk. wfe. Artist, Label, Title 


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1 2 


KAY KYSER (Columbia) 


3 


1 




1 


3 


1 


2 


1 


1 


3 


2 




92 


2 1 


K. ORIFFIN-J. WAYNE (Rondo) 


5 


■ ■ 


•1 


2 


2 


2 


1 


« 


2 


1 


3 


5 


91 


3 3 . 


DICK HAYMES (Decca) 


2 






3 


4 


3 


4 


3 


3 






2 


64 




KING COLE (Capitol) 


1 


••- 


8 


S 






5 


•- 


6 


16 


9 




54 


5 S 


SPIKE JONES (Victor) 




3 


4 


7 




•• 


9 


•• 


4 




•• 


1 


38 


6 6 


JON-SONDRA STEELE (Damqn) 






>• 


5 


•• 




3 






•■ 


1 




37 


7 » 


ANDREWS SISTERS (Decca) 


7 


■■• 




4 


8 


6 


10 


9 


5 




4 


10 


36 


O / 


DORIS DAY-B. CLARK (Col) 




7 






10 




7 


>- 


•• 


5 




4 


26 


9 15 


PIED PIPERS (Capitol) 




■ i 
















2 


■• 


3 


24 


10 13 


PEE WEE HUNT (Capitol) 
"12th St. Rag" 




2 


2 








6 










■ f 


llA 10 


FREDDY MARTIN (Victor) 


6 




•• 


8 










7 








12 


IIB 11 


TEX BENKKE (Victor) 

"St. Louis Blues March" 






8 


•• 




4 




•• 


9 








12 


12A .. 


DORIS DAY (Columbia) 






3 


•• 


9 
















10 


12B 17 


AL TRACE (Regent) 

"Yon Call Everybody DarUng"- ■ ■ • 




••■ 


10 










2 










10 


13A .V 


PATTI PAGE (Mercury) 




8 
















6 






8 


13B 13 


PERRY COMO (Victor) 






7 


9 














9 




8 


14A ,15 


GORDON JENKINS (Decca) 
"Maybe You'll Be There". . ..... . . 




16 




















9 


7 


14B 9 


ELLA FITZGERALD (Decca) 










5 








10 








^■7' 


14C .. 


LARRY CLINTON (Decca) 
















4 










7 


140 14 


BLUE BARRON (M-G-M) 




















4 






7 


15A .. 


ANNIE VINCENT (Mercury) 
"You Call Everybody Darling 


> 




5 






















6 


15B .. 


VAUGHN MONROE (Victor) 






5 




















6 


15C 14 


ART MOONEY (M-G^M) 


















8 




8 




.6 

























FIVE TOP 
ALBUMS 



PROGRESSIVf 
JAZZ 

Stem Kcnion 
Capitol 



SONG HITS OF OUR 
TIMES 
(7 Albums) 

Decca 



3 

THE PIRATE 
J. Garland-6. Ktlly 

'M-G-M 



GOOD-NEWS 
J. AUyion- 
Plow Ford 

M-G-M 



MASTERPIECES 
GItnn Miilw 

Victor 



CAVALLARO, ROBBINS 
FORM PUBUSHING CO. 

Bandleader Carmen' Cavallaro 
has formed a music publishing 
firm in 50-50 partnership with 
Jack Robbins. Company last week 
was chartered in Albany .to pub- 
lish musicali dramatic and literary 
works. 

New organization will be called 
Cavallaro Publications and for the 
time being is to be inactive. Pub- 
bei-y has a capital stock of 200 
shares, Zissu & Marcus were fil- 
ing attorneys.. 




The Rockin' CItaIr Lady 




1; 



4ii«t Coneludtd Original Four-Wctk 
Eiigag*m«nf at 

CAFJE SOCIETY, NEW YORK 

and H«ld Over Thru August 29 



Bands at Hotel B.O.'s 

^ . Covew Total 

_ . „ . , Weeks Past Covert 

v"""* ^ ^ nr u r ,.n?°tfi. ^^^'^ On Hatl 

Xavier Cugat. ..... Waldorf (400; $2) .... 5 3,320 15,570 

Skitch Henderson . . .Pennsylvania (500; $l-$1.50) .... 1 1 445 1 44.") 

Ray Eberle* New Yorker (400; $1-$1.50) .... 9 1,375 12 375 

Jolmny Piaeapple. Lexington (300; $1-$1.50) 86 800 77 450 

Lawrence Welk. . .. Roosevelt (400; $1-S1.50> ..... 16 1 550 23 925 

Carmen Cavallaro. .-.Astor (700; $1-$1,50) 7 3,945 27 595 

* New Yorker, ice s?ioM». 

Ckicaso 

Chuck Foster (Boulevard Room, Stevens, 650; $3.50 min.-$l cover) 

Neat 3,900. * v-vvci/. 

Jani at Philharmonic (College Inn, Sherman, 650; $3.50 min.). Soot 
closed July 4 with poor 900. 

BJaekstone, 300; $3.00 min-$2 ■ cover) 
Kay Thompson and the Williams Bros, continues a sellout Sock 4 000 

George Olsen (Beachwalk, Edgewater Beach; $1.50-$2 50 min ) Out- 
door dancery had a break with the weather and zoomed to tenif 14 oon 

Eddie Oliver (Empire Room. Palmer House, 550; $3.50 min.-Sl cover) 
Hildegarde goes into last week with fine 5,000. ^ 

Los Angeles 

Mieruelito Valdes (Ambassador, 900; $1.50-$2). Good 2 550 tabs 
Ja« Garber (Biltmore; 900; $1-$1.50). Hefty 2,800 covew. 

Location Jobs, Not in Hotels 

iChxcago) 

Marty Gould (Chez Paree; 500; $3.50 min,). No visiting firemen in 
town this week so covew slipped to 4,800, ' 

Henry King (Aragon; $1-$1.15 adra.). Edgewater Beach, with Beach- 
walk nearby, affected ballroom. Light 9,000. 

Al Trace (Blackhawk; 500; $2.50 min.). Opened (30) and first week 
took m fine 2,600. wtcn. 

George Winslow (Trianon; $1-$1.16 adm.). South side dancery hold- 
ing up \neU with excellent 14,000. ^ 

{hos Angeles) 

Leu Bt^wn (Palladium B.. Hollywood, 5th wk.). Strong 9 500 
^eri Amaz (Casino GArdens B., Santa Monies, 1st wk.). 'Good 8,700 



Disk Jockey Reviews 



ALAN STEPHENS SHOW 
30 Mins, Mon. thru Fri., 4 p.mi 
BENSINGER'S FURNITURE CO. 
WINN, Louisville 

Alan Stephens is one of the 
town's more popular personalities 
in the disk jockey field. He's aired 
daily 30 minutes and on Saturdays 
for a full hour on WINN; one of 
the town's smaller watt stations 
and he snares a goodly share of 
listeners. 

Stephens has a > full, time .iob as 
manager of a furniture store's rec- 
ord department, anj(l he plugs his 
product, as well as recommending 
good buys in his sponsor's fuiiti- 
ture line. 

Guy has a refreshing approach. 
Doesn't go overboard for any par- 
ticular type record, but as he puts 
it "I like 'em all.": 

Had as guest Joe Sanders, cur- 
rently at a local night spot, and 
had the "Old Left Hander" tell 
about his early radio and recording 
days when teamed with Carleton 
Coon. Interesting bit of ceminisc> 
ing and a nice plug for Sandei-s 
local one-week stand. 

Stephens sounds youthful on the 
air, but has had considerable air 
and band experience. He registers 
with sincerity, and takes an active 
role in local teen-age social activi- 
ties. His i-ecord sessions are defi- 
nitely of high rating. with local 
dialers. Hold. 



"HOW'S THAT" 

With Harry Howe 

Director: Bill Silbert 

60 Mins.; 2 to 3 a.m., daily except 

Tuesday' 
Local sponsorshiii ' 
WJLB. Detroit, Mich. 

Newest disk jockey program 
here is patterned much after th« 
style of BaiTy Gray's Miami show. 
Affable Hariy Howe has that some- 
thing tliat makes him click, regis- 
tering from first show. He has a 
good background; he had been in 
TV for sometime previously and 
has played the nightclub circuit 
here with his comedy antics. 

Program originates from Detroit's 
newest "after hours" night spot, 
serving food only. Celebrities are 
knee-deep in the place and Howe 
has an inexhaustible supply to call 
before the mike. Show caught 
had Phil Harris, Slapsie-Maxie 
Rosenbloom, maestro Bobby Sher- 
wood, Frank Remley, of Harris' 
radio show, as guests. 

All through intei-views phones 
keep ringing and one-way conver- 
sation with caller is broadcast ' 
This, too, provides opportunity for 
Howe's brand of dialogue, which if 
fast and crackling. 

Pop melodies intersperse the 
program based on requests of lis- 
teners. Stan. 



A GREAT 
RHYTHM BALLAD 

CONFESS 



OXFORD MUSIC CORPORATION 
U19 Broadway. New York 



"SLAP 'ER 
DOWN AGIN, 
PAW" 

CHOICE MUSIC, INC. 

Garat Bomero, Vtot. isgt. 
BMW SUiUet BiTd. me BroailVriDr 
Rvn^wooa 46, Cal. New York, N.y. 
OBestview 1-0314 COIumbnti fi-78S0 

ircfttonid In M-G-H'* 
"BI6 CITY" 

DON'T 

BLAME 
ME 

Mus ic by . • • 

JiMMr utmsou 

ROBIINS 



EXCLUSIVE MANAGEMENT 

I^SSQGIATED BOOKING CORP. 

JOE GLASER, Prei. 
Mpw York 22 203 No. Wabcnh 

'?-^6Q0 Chicago 



Wednesday, July 7, 1948 



¥AIJ»limiJE 



S7 



Atlantic City Speeds Up After Rainy 
June for Sockiest Holiday Weekend 



Atlantic City, July 6. 

After a disastrous, rainy June, 
AVhich dented hotel, niteries and 
beach receipts, the season really 
cot under way here past weekend 
with everything pointing to boff 
biz foi" remainder of summer. 

It started with a three-day holi- 
day, Saturday, Sunday and Mon- 
day, with weather ideal at the 
shore in contrast to the intense 
heat in metropolitan cities. This 
combination is certain to produce 
record crowds in July or August. 

And record crowds certainly 
were here for the Fourth. AH the 
spots had more patrons than they 
could handle. The hotels turned 
people away and the overflow 
packed the less desirable avenue 
Spofcs and rooming houses off the 
walk and throughout the inland, 
jpiers and film houses also did 
capacity business. 

Last week was one of openings, 
one or two a night, as the hotel 
grills and the walk and avenue 
night spots got underway for the 
10-weefe season. 

On the 'walk Hotel Ambassador's 
air-conditioned 22 club opened 
Wednesday night (30) with good 



PE6GY 

O'NEIL 

Currently of 

JIMMY RYAN'S 
EASTSIDE 

55 East 54th (Off Park) 
New York 

Peace of Mind 

■y Chat. Marray> l«Uiy Goldman 



The Old Ferris Wheel 

■y Nick *aA Chai. Ktmy 

A Nickel for a Memory 

By Perry Alexander, Bob Hilliard 
md Ann Bearddey 

Special MalMial by MIIT FRANCIS 
Vocal Ceadi: JOHN QUINIAN . 



crowd including most of the re- 
sort's hotel folk. Joey Singer's 
band, songs by Lynn White plus 
Latin American dancers, are of- 
fered for $5 minimum. 

Chelsea Grille next door had 
summer opening Friday night (2), 
with Pupi Campo orchestra, Jerry 
Cooper and 4 Music Makers. 

President hotel's Round-the- 
World room got underway with 
Sacasas- rhumba band, Argueso's 
Latin American orch and Los Bur- 
rancos, Afro-Guban dancers. Tray- 
more opened its Submarine room 
with most local big shots on hand. 

As for night cKibs, Count Basic 
and band is at the Paradise, reput- 
edly the oldest nightclub in Amer- 
ica. 

Bath and Turf club opened 
Thursday (1) with Di Castro sis- 
ters, Jackie Small, Marian Calla- 
han, Alma Santa and Paul Martell 
rhumba band. Lambs club has 
Jackie Davis and Betty Cobb plus 
television. Cliquot layout has 
Barton Bros. Jose Pillado rhumba 
orch are back at the Hialleah. B. 
S. Pulley and H. S. Gump are top- 
ping at the Jockey club. 500 club 
has Del Casino, Steve Murray, 
Chris Kerrigani Ann Hathaway, 
Danny Hoctor and Betty Byrd> No 
cover policy. Ink Spots are top- 
lining at Orsatti's, Somefs Point. 
Club Nomad has Steve Gibson 'and 
Red Caps plus Roy Branker, with 
no cover or minimum. Babette'sis 
Kay Carole and "Tommy," other 
acts including Frances Martin. 
Sandra Kiraly, Ronnie lUng, Mil- 
dred Hay line and Benny Morris 
band. 

Dude Ranch also got under way 
offering floor show plus Alex 
Barth's Musical Outlaws. 



Foimer Bandleader Takes 
Over Tenafly, N,J., Nitery 

Bobby Hadero, former band- 
leader, has taken over the Moulin 
Rouge, Tenafly, N. J., from the 
Buddy Baker interests, which op- 
erated spot for several years. 
Baker will concentrate on his other 
nitery. Red Latern, Paterson, N. J. 

Spot will close for two weeks 
for refurbushing. Upon reopening 
it will spot a satirical version of 
"Ten Nights In a Barroom,," pro- 
duced by Robert Conklin. Also an 
olio of oldtimer acts along lines of 
current policy at the Old Knick 
Music Hall, N. Y. Joe Wright will 
book sppt. 



NICK LUCAS 

Now AppMrlng 

"KEN MURRAY'S 
BLACKOUTS OF 1948" 

El Caplian Theatre 
Hollywood. CoL 



COMEDY MATERIAL 

For All Branches of Thealrtcdli 

PUN-MASTER 

"Tho ORIGINAL Show-Biz 6ag File" 

Noi. I to 22 @ $1.00 each 
3 DIFFERENT BOOKS OF PARODIES 
(10 in each book) $10 per book 

JPREH roPir OF "HIJMOB BCSI- 
Xhe Show-Bis Gagaidiie wltb 
eacli I^S.OO minimum order. 
B«nil lo« for Ugts ot other comeily 
mMnrlnl, Hnntfii, panH|lei> mlnBtrd 
.mtteri bIa«k-ovta, etc. 

NO C.O.».'S 

PAULA SMITH 

.100 W. S4tli SttCet. New Tetik I* 



Weinger Irons Out Snafus, 
Launches lOOG Stock Deal 
For New Copacabana, Miami 

Miami Beach, July 6. 
Stock issue being offered to 
private buyers for rebuilding of 
fire devastated Copacabana here 
picking up momentum, with 
Murray Weinger going ahead with 
plans for the new club, designed 
by Norman-Bel Geddes, for a De 
cember opening. 

Stock is not being offered to the 
public, but to private parties as a 
confined issue, with a limit of 10 
shares to each buyer at $100 par, 
First of top names that played the 
spot in recent seasons to buy in is 
Hildegarde and her manager, Anna 
Sosenko. 

Current estimates call for a half- 
million dollar expenditure before 
new Copa is ready for debut. Re- 
cent litigation among owners of 
the land on which the club" is sited 
has also been cleared up. There's 
possibility that Weinger may 
buy tlie property. 

Healy's Cafe, N.Y., Opens 
Sans Shows Until Fal 

Healy's Cafe, N. Y., occupying 
the site of the former Thomas 
Healy's Golden Glades, opened 
last week after encountering dif- 
ficulties that had delayed the 
opening for months. 

Spot is operated by Gerald 
Healy, son of the late Thomas 
Healy, and Dan Healy, vaude and 
nitery comedian, not related. For 
the present they're operating bar 
and cocktail lounge sans enter- 
tainment but plan instalUng bands 
and shows^in Old New Yorker room 
in autumn. - 

Healy's Glades was one of the 
plushier spots of the lush Prohibi- 
tion era. 



ircus Animals 
Led to Safety 

. cr 

In AeCe Pier Fire 



Atlantic City, July 6. 
While five lions roared in fear 
and trainers led a -baby elephant, 
trained dogs and ponies to safety, 
firemen fought a stubborn blaze at 
the end of Hamid's Million Dollar 
Pier early Wednesday morning 
( 30 ) . Blaze was finally gotten un- 
der control after giving George 
Hamid, Sr., bad scare as spot just 
opened featuring the International 
Industrial Exposition. Hamid said 
damage amounted to $4,000, most 
of it equipment and costumes. 

Animals are owned by Edward 
Widaman and are appearing with 
exhibit. Fire started at extreme 
end of pier beneath circus plat 
form. It spread to circus tent and 
a chrome-plated dancing platform, 
both destroyed. For a time it was 
feared that lions would also be 
lost but flames were under control 
before reaching cages. 

Firemen could hear the roar of 
the lions as they fought the blaze 
amid dense, impenetrable smoke 
in the darkness. When the fire was 
controlled it was found that one 
of the three cages housing the 
beasts had been seared but the an- 
imals only badly frightened. 

So badly scared were they that 
a few days later a pier visitor got 
a bit too «lose to a cage and one 
of the - lions reached out and 
clawed his arm so badly that he 
was hospitalized. 



AGVA to Crack Down on Fraidi Talent 
Reneging on%Papents to Paris Govt. 



Olsen & Johnson Producing 
Show for Canadian Expo 

Toronto, July 6. 

Inked to produce the grandstand 
show at the Canadian National Ex- 
hibition here during August-Sep- 
tember, Olsen and Johnson planed 
in from New York and planed back 
the same day after looking over 
the C. N. E. layout where a new 
$3,000,000 grandstand, facing Lake 
Ontario, Is nearing completion 
after the old one burned down. 
They were accompanied by Leon 
Leonidoff of Radio City Music Hall. 

They may produce a combined 
water revue and ice show but this 
isn't definite. They have lined up 
several circus acts for the first 
half, with second to be the usual 
Olsen and Johnson zany-fest. Un- 
derstood they will have a 48-girl 
line, which is where' Leonidoff 
comes in. Their own show is not 
lined up yet but will incorporate a 
troupe of midgets they brought 
back after recent visit to England. 
Nelv C. N. E. grandstand seats 
26,900. 



♦ American Guild of Variety Art- 
ists last week gave Dave Fox, 
union's asst. national director, the . 
greenlight to speed up lagging co- ' 
operation with the French govern* / 
ment. Also to crack down imme» 
diately on French talent here that 
hasn't been living up to their pact 
by failing to remit to AGVA a per- 
centage of salariesi set by the pact, 
for transfer to their mother coun- , 
try. Move was activated by a blast 
from the French government that 
AGVA had been reneging on th« 
pact covering earnings and takeout • 
pay of U. S. talent in France and 
French artists in America. # . 

Fox retaliated by citing th* 
shirkers "imfair" and notifying 
their representatives, agents and - 
employers that they won't be per- - 
mitted to continue employment 
with them unless they adjust cur- ; 
rent claims. Topping the list ot 
those branded "unfair" are Lu- 
cienne Boyer, songstress; Sido* 
Remy, currently appearing at Villa 
Venice, Chicago, and fouir acts witb 
the Ringling Bros., Barnum St 
Bailey Circus. Latter are Natal, 
the monkey man; Claude Vallois, 
Chrysis De La Grangs and Ros* 
Gould Trio. It's withholding such " 
action on Suzy Solidor, chanteuse 
(Continued on page 40) 



MAXINE 

SULLIVABJ 

CURRENTLY 
PENT HOUSE CLUB Indefinitely, New York 
lADICh Siimloys. 3^:15 WNEW 

PeraeRDl MaiMS*i"cM: 
JOE MARSOLAIS 



Audience Braves Two-Hour 
Downpour for Judy Canova 
Show in Oklahoma City 

Oklahoma City, July 6. 

After breaking records here on 
July 4, Judy Canoya last night set 
an all-time record in nearby Dun- 
can, a town of 17,000, by playing to 
10,000 persoHs^more than half the 
population— who sat through a 
blinding rainstorm in an outdoor 
stadium 'to see the film and radio 
star With her unit of 40 persons. 
Star and her troupe, as drenched 
as the audience, played for more 
than two hours on an uncovered 
stage at the height of the storm. 

Despite the downpour fans began 
arriving an hour before show time 
and not one left during the per- 
formance. "This is the first time I 
have ever taken a dunking in Dun- 
can," the comedienne told her audi- 
ence. 

Miss Canova and her show leave 
today for Tulsa where the aidvance 
sale for the one-night appearance 
is $10,041. The star's tour of one- 
night appearances, which has al- 
ready taken her thror gh Texas and 
New Mexico, will extend into Ar- 
kansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Geor- 
gia, North and South Carohna, Vir- 
ginia, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, New- 
York, Pennsylvania, Illinois and 
Canada, 

Baton Rouge Niteiy 

Razed in 300G Fire 

Chicago, July 6. 

Club Ballerina, Baton Rouge, La. 
which opened June 25 was de 
stroyed by fire last week. Esti- 
mated loss is set at $300,000. Buddy 
Hisey orch lost their instruments 
and arrangements. Jane Brady, 
dancer, lost her costumes. Origin 
of fire was not determined. 

Vuci is tran.sfering the band and 
acts over to his other nitery. Club 
Belvidere, and receipts for the first 
three days will be turned over to 
the musieians and acts to cover 
their losses. Ballerina will probr- 
ably rebuild in the talL 



Winston, Spiegel Bros. 
Take Over Rathskeller, 
Philly, From Kaliners 

' Philadelphia, July 6. 
The 16-year-old night club dy- 
nasty of the Kaliner Bros. (Max, 
Joe and Sy) ended Saturday night 
(3) with the sale and closing of the 
Little Rathskeller, one of Philly's 
oldest and most successful niteries. 

The Kaliners, who reputedly 
amassed a fortune via their trans- 
formed drug-store basement, re- 
ceived $44,000 for the spot. Pur- 
chasers were Jackie Winston, 
comedian, the Spiegel Bros., local 
concessionaires. 

The Little Rathskeller began its 
career right after prohibition ' re- 
peal, when the Kaliners opened up 
in the basement of their corner 
pharmacy. Spot caught on fast and 
the Kaliners continually enlarged 
until the Rathskeller ran virtually 
the length of the block and in- 
cluded B merry-go-'round bar and 
and other features. 

Many of the name nitery acts 
played at the Little Rathskeller 
some time in their career, gener- 
ally in the earlier, less remunera- 
tive years. The Ink Spots, among 
others got their start there. 

Continued Illness of Max, oldest 
brother, plus a divergent interest 
in real estate holdings, prompted 
the Kaliners to give up the club, 
probably the town's mo.st consist- 
ently profitable after-dark opera- 
tion. 




YOUMAN BROS. 

AND 

FRANCES 

Now In 2d Wmk 
STRAND, N6W York 

Openiiig SHELIOURNE HOTEL 
ATLANTIC CITY—JULY fflh 



~7 

Pfofess/ono/ Pfiofograpli-s fay - 

JOHN E.REED 

IN HOLLYWOOD 




are considered 
b/ the trade 

When on the coast. ..vitit 

JOHK E. REED STUDIO 

6633 SUNSET BOULEVARD 
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 



39 



W'AWBOBVOMM 



WeAaeadsf, July 7, 1949 



(in lipor M Rev^ &de 
loCiirbfiartenDgttfCafeli^ 



Colijjtnbus, July 6. 
Ohio Liquor Separtment has re- 
vamped regulationi. to prevent 
owners o£ nightclub licenses .from 
t^ing places ' within six montha 
after getting) licenses. Dale Duni- 
f on, state liquor director, said ex- 
ceptions may be made- in unusual 
'Cases. 

Begulation was prompted to pre- 
vent "as near as possible undue 
trafficking and profiteering in 
liquor licenses." 'Dunifon de- 
clared:.'.' • ■ • 

"We have no- desire to interfere 
with anyone's business^ :tights. and 



"THE SHOW WAS STOTPEir Vf A 
THWSER : OP AmAUSt lY A 
.CHimUL AMERICAN GIRL 
NAM«r MtRIClAi WITH A 
iOiVELY FIGUM AND HER FART- 
NCR CAPPELLA. THEY COULD 
HAVE CONTINUED. ALL JHGHT AS 
PAR AS THE AUDimCi WAS 
CONCERNED." 

ly LEONARD MOSLEY. 

Loiidoa Dally Expms, 

Juaelf. 

"DANCERS ARE STOPPING THE 
SHOW . . . THE AUDIENCE ROSE 
TO APPUUD CAPPELLA AND 
♦ATRICIA." 

SUNDAY PICTORIAL. 

Jm«21. 



A LA CARTE" R«vu« 
at thD SAVOY THEATRE 

LONDON 



privileges, but we certainly are go^ 
ing to do what we can to pievent 
liquor permits from being .rartered 
to the highest bidder," he added. 

Dunifon then cited instance in 
which a tavern owner had offered 
his place for sale at a price of $13,- 
000. He was issued a night club 
permit, which carries a $1,000 an- 
nual fee, and permits him to re- 
main open until 2:30 a.m., .and his 
sale price immediately jumped to 
$20,000. 

First crack down under new set- 
up was the liquor department's re- 
jection of an application for sale 
and substitution of a night club 
permit issued April 20 to Thomas 
Lockwood, operator of the Horse- 
shoe Grill here. About 4.000 li- 
censes changed bands last year, 
Dunifon said, 




HEENE and HOWARD 

Ttameilr Dance Antien' 
H»l.» OVXIB 4th WK£K 

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL 
NEW YORK' 

Ibanhs to XKON I.tmNIDOI'I' 
Dir.: MATTY ROSEH 




WILLIE 
SHORE 

Latin Quarter 
M«w York 



Fntmreef G.V.bin,N.Y., 
Dnbioiis Unless Payoff 
Of $5,100 Salary Claima 

Future of the Greenwich Village 
Inn, N. Y., as a nocturnal spot is 
handling in the air. Inn has been 
shuttered for some time and un-. 
likely to reopen under aegis of 
present lessees, a 'corporation 
headed by Eddie: and Ro(^ Cam-< 
era. It's reported the' latter may 
unload to new interests, probably 
to a syndicate that would convert 
into classy chowmeinerle. 

Early foldo of the show room 
last January was due to action of 
American Guild -of Variety Artists 
for salary claims against the oper- 
ators. Most of the indebtedness, 
however, did not accrue at the Inn 
but rather from an ill-fated attempt 
to operate the Ross-Fenton Farm 
in New Jersey, Frances Faye and 
B o r r a h Minevitch's Harmonica 
Bascals were booked into spot last 
June. When authorities clamped 
the lid on gambling casinos, the 
operation couldn't pay off. On that 
fold, according to Dave Fox, assist 
ant national director of AGVA, the 
Camera freres owed Miss Faye 
$4j000 in salary and the Rascals, 
$1,500, 

When AGVA attempted to level 
on the Inn for these dims, they 
were told that the R-F fiasco had 
been Rocky Camera's Solo opera- 
tion and tliat since he was no 
longer connected with the Inn. 
union allowed G.V. spot to reopen 
and continue until December when 
Jean Pairker, last to be featured 
ttiere,' filed a clain;t for $600 due as 
part salary on an tmfulfilled con^ 
tract: AGVA's investigation in that 
matter revealed that Bocky Camera 
was still iri on Inn operation and 
closed the spot until it could pay 
off all claims, which it never did. 



Kenny's Estate to Kin 
New Albany, Ind., July 6, 
Charles Elbert (Blue Bert) Ken- 
ney, former vaude and minstrel 
performer, who died June 18, Idft 
an estate listed at46,000. 
Beneficdaiies are- his brother and 




Joe Laurie, Jr. 

•r fka "Dswa llMMHry Umm" whI 
"Can Yon T«# TMi" L«arln 

wrvtyi'' . 

**Vaudetiille and 

TelevtsUnC* 

■•'■.* ■.'.* •■#■■. ■ ■ 

«H Miitafitil ftatarc In 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION 

to be published this monfh 



memOLL'S STAFF 
CARRIES (»( IN HTOD 

Hollywood, July 6. 

Operation of Earl Carroll's 
nitery is being handled by the 
club's staff with Virginia Lear, 
business manager, as acting head. 
Ptesent setup will continue ^ until 
the will of Carroll, who was killed 
in Ml air crash two weeks ago, de? 
termines otherwise. Sam Wolf, 
Carroll's attorney, is expected to 
file the will this week. 

Wolf has been named as execu- 
tor of the estate of Beryl Wallace, 
who was killed in the sanie crash. 
There are no indications wiio will 
be executor of the CaiToll estate. 



Beaches, Resorts 
Cel Their first 
Br^dc (rf Season 



Beaches and resorts in and near 
New York and ; the New Jersey 
coast got their first seasonal break 
over the past weekend. 

Coney Island, the Rockaways, 
Rye Beach, South, Graham and 
Midland beaches, latter - trio in 
Staten Island, N, Y., played host 
collectively to moti than 3,000,000 
people. Coney and the Rockaways, 
of course, got the major crowds. 
Despite the warnings of the Health 
Dept. anent pollution at the beach' 
es, the sweltering mobs gave it the 
go-by and cavorted in the surf in 
large -numbers. Bathing pavilions 
did their boffest take in many 
years. Rides, shows, cafes and res- 
taurants also got their share of the 
crowds. Even operators of juice 
joints, frozen custard, hot dog 
stands and like spots were jovial. 

Hudson River Day Line and ex- 
cursion boats leaving from N. Y. 
docks were taxed to capacity, also 
new line running to Roekaway 
Beach. Marine authorities and reps 
of boat companies were on hand to 
circumvent over - loading. Conse- 
quently many late-comers were left 
on the pier. Palisades. Park, N. J,, 
and adjacent salt water pool did 
sock biz. So did the rubberneck 
wagons in Broadway area. Sights 
seeing companies pressed extra 
buses into service and augmented 
staffs of steerers so as not to over- 
look any wayward coin around. 

Broadway, itself, was the pro- 
verbial deserted village, as far as 
promenaders were concerned. Most 
were cooling off in air-conditioned 
cinemas or legits. 



ANDREWS QDT 6f BXY 
DUETOMOHgR'SDEAIif 

' And^'ews Sisters dropped out of 
the Boxy, N. Y., bill after Friday 
(2) night show upon learning their 
mother had suffered a paralytic 
stroke at her home in HoUywood 
Trio planed out Saturday morning 
and reportedly were at her bedside 
before she died. 

AcGOrdiqg to Sanuny Rausch. 
Boxy booker, it had been expected 
that the singing trio, who had been 
headlining the show, would fly 
back to N. Y. immediately if their 
mother had recovered. But when 
she died Saturday (3) that changed 
matters and girls withdrew entire- 
ly from bill. 

Incident eaused' some confusion, 
causing theatre to post announce- 
ments in theatre lobby to effect 
they would not appear but thus far 
Jias been carrying on without a re- 
placement. It's stated that an- 
other act, not of beadUne calibre, 
may be added to show later in 
week. ■ ■ 



Village Grove Reopens 

Village Grove, Greenwich Vil- 
lage, N, Y., which reopened after 
having been shuttered for some 
time, has reinstated floorshow pol- 
icy on weekends for summer, but 
plans going full y/ee3i in autumn. 

Spot is pli^ng four acts on 
weekly change basis and has also 
installed svi^ing and rhumba com- 
bos for customer dansapation. 



Borge Back From Desnuuk 
Victor Borge, who returned last 
week from Denmark,- opens toraior- 
row CHiurs.) at the Mounds Club, 
Cleveland. The date is for two 
weeks. 

He's also 4set for a jguest spot 



Heavy Advance for Autry 
Rodeo in Salt Lake 

Salt Lake City, July 6. 
Gene Autrey's World Cliampiop- 
ship Rodeo, slated to appear at tiie 
State Fairgrounds July 19 - 24, 
started its advance sale last weeki 
and early reports indicate the cow- 
pokes will bit the jackpot at the 
b.o. 

The fairgrounds can handle 
about 8,0,00 a performance, and at 
$3 top the maximum gross can hit 
in the neighborhood of 80G. 
Rodeos are always top draws here. 



ToAjCScortFud 

Atlantic <»ity, July 6. 
John Hariris' "Ice Capades** 
open season here -in city's audi- 
torium with lienefit performance 
tomorrow (7) night. Ice-show will 
run for 10 weeks, closing Labor 
Day. ' 

Harris, for- past three years, lias : 
turned his talce from preem show 
over to the Press Club of Atlantic 
City's Boy Scout fund. Total each 
season is between $5,000 and 
$6,000 and is used by Scout couit- 
cil to rebuild Camp Waiter E: 
Edgey local scout's camp. 



Saninac lake 

By Happy Ben way 

'Saranac Lake, N. Y., luVy (S. 

George Fee, chairman of "We 
The Patients," has appointed Carl 
and June Kessler, Joe DeNicolo, 
Tom Curry, Ines Groethiiig and 
Aon' Bowe to -assist him in arrang- 
ing lawA ptx^ set for late July. 

Arthur Proffltt progressing' nice- 
ly and upped for meals; ditto for 
Andy Grainger. 

After two months of hospitaliza- 
tion in the Memorial hospital, 
N. Y. C, Jack Clancy returned 
here • la::t week. 

John (lATSE) Binkley back at 
the lodge after 10-day furlough to 
Lancaster, 'Pa. 

Walter Hoban, ex-Rogerite, 
floored with a relapse and - bedded 
at Bellevue hospital, N. Y. C. 

The A. H. Hillcoats and Fred- 
erick Bose planeri in from N. Y. C. 
to visit Dr. Francisco Montana, 
who is doing nicely. 

Two new niterys iiave been add 
ed in this area; KoUege Klub and 
Tuffy's Tavern. 

"Highlights of 1948," musical 
revue produced by Eddie Vogt at 
the local Town Hall, was a sellout. 
Proceeds go to General hospital 
here. : 

Walter Yost, Jr., and Robert 
Handley, gen. mgr. of the Yost 
Guruit, in to ogle the lodge and 
visit Charlie Eaufhold. 

Birthday meetings are in order 
to John Binkley, Helen Grupp and 
Andrew Grainger, all at the 
Bogers. 

Helen Pelechowicz cheered by 
visit from the William Strongs 
who shot in from BlerchantsviUe, 
N. J. ' 

Sydney ohen, former patient at 
the Rogers, now at National Jew 
ish hospital, Denver. 

B^ank (Par> Hynes drew good 
medical report that ups him for 
meals and mild exercise. 

Helen Morris, legit actress 
upped for meals and film shows. 

Mac Kaye, broUier of Danny, at- 
tending a convention at Saranac 
Inn, took time out to Visit gang 
at the sanatorium. 

Dolly Gallagher elated over 
cUmc report wliich ups her for 
meals and out of san visiting. 
W«l|« to those who am ill. 



BE8T 




TiM SoHd Soags of llw UamuM 

CAFE JAMES 

42 East 50«h St; 
New York 



The Old Ferris WM 

By Nick and CImIm Kmny 

Mdmnarte Rose 

•y Taumy Iyhmm 



Gee, It's Tough Whefl 
The Gang's Gone Home 

(The KuMM* City Torcbl 
ty Tomy Lymoni 



Sp*&t\ Malarial 1^ MUT RANaS 
Vocot Cttacb: JOHN QUINtAN 





"THE JACK 
OF CLWS" 

TMREE 
RIVERS INN 
SYRACUSE 
Avoilobla Jaly 15 

TOM i'iTZPATRICK 

BMkcd by 
GENERAL ARTISTS 
CORPORATION 



For Woreestor Contonnioi 
July 25-Juiy 3 Is! 

Fireworks bids for Worcos- 
ttr CoHfonniol arc. now b** 
ing oecoptod and will b* 
opened 12 noon July 12tli. 

Contact JAMEi D. O'RRIEN 

Km. 5..Clfy HoU. WomHlwr. Mm. 



AMERICA'S TOP HEADUNE SINGING GROUP 



CurMMly 

SURF CLUB 

WILDWOOD, N. J. 

All MnJOT Nattrwka, 
Xhcatm aM ciiAm. 




1 



BOYS 



i 



, RCA 
V1CT0II 
FAVORITES 



ranw—l D ha rt l iB — ■ 
Mew XM M. r. 




' KAY. ' HinnV' 

c«™ STCWART 

SEXTETTE 

FMturing GENE (RED TOP) AMMONS 

« STA6i DOOK. Milwaulte* 



Vednewlfty, July 7» 1948 



Night Qub Reviews 

Slapoy jW«xIe'iB, L.A. 

"Los Aufleles, July 1 



S9 



Pttitl Draper, Micfcei/ Kots! (6), 
Trances Wo?/ne, .Trixic. DicJc 

wcefcnislits, $ 4 Satur ^ys. 

Tust about everybody's tastes are 
Altered to in this layout, the re- 
sult being an okay bistro bill tliat 
runs an hour. , „ ';V 

Top-spotted Paul Draper dis- 
olavs a potent flair for humor in 
this engagement. Opening at a dis- 
ailvaiitage when his music failed 
to arrive in time for rehearsal, 
Draper worlced only with pianist 
John Coleman. His patter in in- 
troducing each routine, and a num- 
ber of humorous asides, quickly 
won over that segment of the au- 
dience inclined to regard his teip 
style as too highbrow, and he Avent 
to score a solid hit.' Routines, 
of course, are topnotch and dem- 
onstrate clearly why Draper stands 
•at the top of his field. Best of the 
numbers are the "folk song" 
dances and the. "dancehall" rou- 

Making a nitery bow here, 
Mickey Katz and his crew live up 
to expectations with a yockful rou- 
tine. It's pure corn but the kernels 
lire carefully siiranged and the hu- 
mor flows freely. There's, mor? 
than a slight tendency to follow 
the Spike ^ones formula but num- 
bers are carefully plotted and each 
member of the crew knows how to 
deliver. Katz wisely has worked 
out new numbers for the stint, 
leaving "Tico, Tico," and other 
platter hits to creep into, the act 
in answer to audience demands. 
Result is fresh material that 
pleases. i ' . 

Frances Wayne holds the vocal, 
spotlight, smacking across four 
numbers with ea.se to earn a beg- 
off. Opener, Trixie, gets the show 
off to a fast start with a. whirlwind, 
juggling routine. 

Dick Stabile's orch backs show 
and handles terping tunes. Kap. 

Caseades Room* N. Y* 
(Hotel Biltmwe) 

\Kichard Himber Band (16) with 
Fat O'Connor; Harold Nagle Band 
(6); Duval; no dinner inMiwmwi; 
11-1.50 cover after 10. 

. Ricliard Himber has long since 
fancied himself a magician, and 
as a bandleader on this date at tlie 
Biltmore he's plying his amateur 
trade with professional acumen. 
You need magic to fill this room 
With' danceable music. It's so 
spread out that it makes it rough 
on any performer, whether on the 
bandstand or thti; floor. 

Outside of that, though, Himber 
is fronting the music with an af- 
fable personality and a brand of 
dansapation tliat's plenty okay for 
the visiting firemen wlio frequent 
this hostelry. Himber, himself, is 
contributing a little magico stuff 
on liis own in a novel little bit 
and he generally ingratiates him 
self with what at this catching was 
a remarkably subdued (for him) 
personality. And a subdued Him- 
ber is no mean feat of legerdemain 
in itself. 

The layout' consists of three 
fiddles, girl harpist, four reeds, 
four b;-ass and three rhythm, plus 
Himber. It's a sweet-music outfit, 
of course, with Pat O'Connor, the 
girl vocalist, handling her songs 
in perhaps too-deadpan fashion, 
• The bill's only act, as such, is 
Duval, who also performs magic. 
He's a standard performer in the 
Continental and American cafes, 
and he does nicely here. 
' Harold Nagle is the standby 
band, a longtime holdover. 

Kahn. 



numbers are also done expertly. 

Margo Wade impressed with "her 
spintaps, but a change of costume 
to a slack outfit that could ehhance 
her whirl and precision routines. 

Tony Ijopez and his ot%h back- 
grouitd in top manner and handle 
the- dance seshes smartly. Lary. 

Venetian Room, .S. F. 

(FAIRMONT HOTEL) 

San Francisco, June 28. 
; Larry Adler, with Estelle Caen; 
Dick LaSalle Orch ilO); ' $1.50 
cover, ^2 Saturdays. . 



It is quite an accomplishment 
for an -entertainer to achieve 
popularity as a musician with an 
instrument as limited in scope as 
the harmonica. That Larry Adler, 
has achieved wonders with - it is 
attested to by the increased popu- 
larity he ha.i achieved. -His cur., 
rent stand in the plushy Venetian 
Room of the Fairmont hotel is no 
exception. . He is attracting the 
cafe society set with his range of 
aumhers-f^lassieal, popular and 
boogie— aided by some pleasing 
chatter, which holds throughout 
Some of ills . items are less music' 
than musical acrobatics, but they 
like it and clamor for more. 

Tossing off such tunes as "Begin 
the Beguine," "The Girl With the 
Flaxen Hair," "Roumanian Rhap- 
sody," "Hand to Mouth" (his own 
'comp'osition), "Malagiiena," etc., 
Adler wins plenty salvos. His 40 
minutes on stage is meaty and ver- 
satile stuff. Flanoing bf Estelle 
Caen provides excellent backing, 

Music by Dick LaSalle's orch 
provides sweet and perky music 
for the customer dancing. Ted. 



have ability to act, too, aji4 play 
a part. ■ v. - 

Walker says his records indicate 
several potential, fresh comics 
who, if handled properly, are ripe 
for the fall. Sweeney and March, 
capable actors who have knocked 
off their previous rough spots, 
and perfected their timing, are 
one team, Danny Thomas, adds 
Walker, can't miss, if given a 
good' air character and supporting 
players. Another is Jack Paar. 
Paar, says Walker, started last 
year with no air character— just 
good timing and a voice. There 
were also flaws in his air format.- 
If a good air . character is de* 
veloped ior him, and he conforins 
to it, he'll go place;^. 



House of Harris, ^.F. 

, San Francinco, July I. 
Rose Marie, Al Wallace Orch 
(7); Cover, $1. 



The savvy which comes from ex- 
perience was evident at the House 
of Harris, when Rose Marie took 
over without fuss or fanfare to 
click solidly In her 35-minute song 
session. Neatly gowned in a . blue 
spangled item, and with solid 
special material, she easily, hit the 
applause jackpot. 

Teeing off with "Mama Says No, 
which sets her solidly, she follows 
with rhumba-rhythm "Open Up The 
Door Mama," 'Never Make Eyes 
at The Guys What Are Bigger Than 
You " and "Nellie Paid the Mort- 
gage on The Farm" a hill biilyish 
comedy number. All scored big. 
Encores with "My Blue Heaven 
for additional plaudits. For begoft 
she does her slick impresh ot 
Jimmy Durante to top everything, 

Room well-fllled at opening con 
sideling biz slump all over town. 

Al Wallace orch does usual good 
showbacking and equally adept on 
the dance tunes. xea. 



VarifBty Gills 



New Aets 



ROSE THURSTON 
Comedy-Dancinc 

'9''Min8.:' 

Village Barn, N. V. 

Rose Thurston makes liberal use 
of grimaces and exaggerated man- 
nerisms in a turn which evidently 
is designed to rib the hillbillies^ 
A slim brunet, her style is vaguely 
reminiscent of Cass Daley. Does a 
couple of bucolic vocals, "I'll. Stay 
Up in tl.e Hills" and "What a 
Beautiful Hunk of a Man" for fair 
results, . 

Gal also does a zany dance. As 
a finale she seats herself on a chair 
in the middle of the floor, -changes 
her shoes, then does some deadpan 
terping while still Seated. It's a 
fair act for .a not too choosy audi- 
ence. ■' Gilb. 



PAT &BVD 
Comedy-'Daneing 
10 Mins. 

Village Bam, N. Y. 

Pat and Bud are a youthful 
mixed team whose repertoire com- 
bines a takeoff on radio commer- 
cials along with some fair terp 
routines. Couple opens with a 
little stepping then follows with a 
burlesque of . the early morning 
"Mr. and Mrs." breakfast shows. 

Poking satire at radio is gener- 
ally good for audience laughs, but 
Pat and Bud are inclined to stretch 
the. ribbing, thus sppiling its.effec' 
tiveness. Lean male' and his blonde 
partner close with a fast Lindy for 
so-so returns. Pair needs plenty 
of further seasoning. before they're 
ready for the better cafes. Gilb. 



Clover Club, Miami 

Miami, July 5. 
Carlos Ramirez, Jay Jayson, 
Margo Wade, Aurora Roche-Cor- 
Me Dancers (14), Tony Lopez 
Orch; $3 iiiiwi-rriTtm. 



Though featuring only three acts, 
the new Clover Club show hits a 
winter season pace via lavish and 
imaginative production sequences 
staged by Aurora Jloche and Car- 
Jyle which feature their exotic 
East Indian terpings. 

On the specialty side, Carlos 
Ramirez toplines and scores in 
usual lusty fashion. Though handi- 
capped by a cold, he displays a full 
tanging voice for top reception. 
Whether a light, rhythmic chant 
or Latin Classic, he is rewarded by 
nefty palming. 
■ - Jay Jayson, young comic who 
has been -held over, and this time 
out offers - a new assortment of 
routines that garners laughs and 
JPplause. He's eliminated most of 
bis former bluish stuff and gets 
Wer in neat style. 

Standout would naturally be the 
Aurora Roche-Carlyle troupe if for 
costuming and groupings alone. 

Jopper is an Indonese roul,ine that .•'Zi:r2j;ji'^ 'ujbmUM'itv^hnb'm»st 
ftaturts- dttb MnhiMzes tiiiss. -Other is- iwfc-iast jofce-tel»er-»UP mvsn 



Hew Comics 

CoUttaiued Inm pa«» I 5S 

against him, came back new this 
past season. 

There are roughly three groups 
of comi?.s a^^■lil^lble this fall, ac- 
cording (o Walker. |a) the big- 
time topflight comedians; <b) the 
middle-!?roup Who have been on a 
.season or so. sponsored once or 
twice, with Hoopers of 8 or 10, 
and (c) the younger, new come- 
dians who have had enough air 
experience to perfect tln'ir timmg 
and technique. From the stanil- 
point of economy, with the pre- 
valent tendency to cut budgets, 
Walker believes the new group 
lias tlie liest potential. 

That Hooper Risk 
Tendency is down in Hooperat- 
ines as well as in .sponsor pay de- 
sire he savs. If you buy a top- 
bracket comic, you're paying top 
price and risk the lo.ss of Hoopers, 
loss of a supporting stooge or 
writer to another progr.-uii, or to 
tele etc The middle-bracket 
com'ic, in the $3/4.000 price-tag 
show, had some flaw in ins pre- 
vious appearances lo account lor 
the 8 or 10 Hooper. The listner 
has to be resold that he's differ- 
ent and better, which is tough to 
do while the comic still wants 
his 2G or 3G a broadcast. 

The third bracket, .says Walker, 
hasn't tasted success yet. He can 
be bought at a price, allowmg for 
extra coin to be spent on good 
writers, on good supporting stoog- 
es, to help make a show. I he 
only thing necessaiw, in putting 
Oh a young comic, sa>s Walker, 
is to make sure they have a good 
air character bci'orc they go on. 
Plus some good support and writ- 
ing. Some new comics forget. 
Walker adds, that a good comedian. 



FRED & SLEDGE 
Dancing 
5. Mins. . .. . 
Apollo, N. Y. 

A Negro male tap team clad in 
dark suits and flaring red ties, 
Fred and Sledge is an average turn 
which differs little from .similar 
dancing acts. Boys open with some 
brisk footwork, then contrib a nov- 
elty vocal. They do a bit of in- 
dividual challenge stuff, and blend 
later for some fast stepping to win 
an okay reception at this Harlem 
vaude house. 

Team impresses as a satisfactory 
unit for theatres and nitcries using 
sepia talent, but aren't quite ripe 
for the deluxe spots. Gilb. 



WEEK OF JULY 7 



(Cumerali tii eoancetl** with bill* bclon lmllc«to o|i«Bfn( daj at *h*w 
whrllicr full »r upllt week. 

Letter In imKiitb«it*lniU«-iitfii <>lr«iitt:JI) iBilapcailMti (1,1 Uttmi (H) Msiai 
m Pmnmrnrntt <») MKO; W) 8Mi| <W> WatMr) (WIH), WaUer lUiids 



YOHK CITV 
Caiiitut (L) 8 

F.pna Moriie 
I'aul Wlnchell . 
en-y A$aliotiey ■■■ 
l>«nhHla 

Hltlnnay Ennln Ore 
Mimic HaU (I) « 
Helene ft Howard 
Van.Grona 

laricaretL Sande 
It T«tle]'-Karaos 
rii'ne X^orest . 
T & K Vallett 
Oor))s do BaUet 
lioclccttts 
,Sym Ore 

Fariimocnt' <r) 7 
jT^am Donahue -Bd 
.To jStaftord- ,. .: 

t^anfi.'BroB . 

Ual Uasittie 
Dean Martin - ~ - . 
ieiu'y Lewis 
( Uirol Lynne 
.Yrnold E^'ioda 

Htraiid (W) • 
IJob Urosby Orp 
Tovman» & Fr'nces 
P4LMI Reffan 
Toy . tt Win* 

BROXX- 
Crotoiut- <I) IS-IS 
Bob- Howard 
llsrlc Hollow 
Doria & Lee ' 
(3 to 1111) 

((t'KISNS 
.lamafca <I> T-IO 
CiU-one &,.Stari^ 
KlcU Laynp 
<i\oris. Parker 
Wttildy ISbnen 
Kt Leon Troupe 

Gloria Vlllar 
'l*he St Oiairo: 
(3 to nil) 

ATLANTIC flITt 
m*tl rler (I) 4 
V l/mtt'rd & J Hall 
7i3dward Bros 
Steve mvans 
,V[ .Shaw f>ancera 
The Madcaps' 
IIAI.TIMOR1!; 
llipD<Kli*oine <1> ft 
Uoinaine &. Babbit 
.liirimy Leeds 
.Morey & Eaton 
f.ester Cole.J^ Dobs 
State d) 8-10 , 
RKIi'd-Adalr H'nc'r 
Dennis Thompson 
Danny Shaw , 

11-14 
A Donnelly tt Bob 



Sonny Kl'Onlc 
A.nthotiy & Itosers 
Itoy Thoraen it 
B.VrAVIA 

t»t»y.ttt» (IV> 
la only ' 
Tex Killer llevne 
■■ CAM»KM . 
TonerN (■) 
G & it t!arroll 
Lady ItM-anoen . 
HarriB «; Itfown . 
-Lew NfclBOU, 
4 Kahtinos 

CMraKo (P) t 
PeKsy I*« 
Dave Barbour 
Step .Tsros 

Orlenliil (I> » 
L>!clc Haj'ntes ■ ; 
.^rU<i Dann 
lOn^eralil Sin 
.Con & Lll 'Rernard 
Carl SanUH- Ore • 

Strntul (W> I.I only 

Tex Hitler Itcvue 
MIAMI 
Olympfat <P> 1 

Lewis & Van 
tJeo..Dor-nioi!<f.e Co 
Dave Harry . 
Art .Tavreit 
Uochfllc & lleho 

MIUIILISTttN 
»'«r (P) B only 
Tex Hitter Revue 

rKUKSKIfX 
PeekNklll . <P) 1-8 
Tex Hitter llevne 
FIIILAnBLVHIA 

Oarman <l) 8 
Tljn iVliriinba Airee 
Crllticrt «r. Lee 
.Sammy "Wltite 
Carlton Mm'niy 
IMICKl'IOlin 
Falace tl) -O-il ■ 
InternatlOTi'l ItevelH 
< Ii'ant .Stonpers 
Lauuer TW'in.s 
•Toe & ,Toey Alaolc 
Si T,anrtVy. 
Ohni'it I'.roivn 

W.'>HIIIN4i'rON' 

Cnnltol (L) 8 
Barrett ft 
('anfiislil. Sinlth 
,Sue, Jlyan 
Cradiiooits 

KlKliSXON 

n'vmy <WR) «-!« 

Tom MaTcine 
Mit-lBin, (xwlnn 
'.T ■WnliOr *, T) Drew 
Meyers & Wa liter 
RiBolctIo Bros & 
Ain)ee Hi» 



Cabaret BiOs 



HEW TOSS CITt 



BRITAIN 



No Test Case 

; Continued {ram iisiKe .'> ; 



tee. Based on Par's pi-evious stance 
on the matter, however. It's be- 
lieved that the theatre might again 
pick up a pool show, with or with- 
out permission. Thus, the long- 
awaited test case may still be in 
ihe works. 

Par tele veepee Paul Raibourn 
has indicated repeatedly his views 
that the pool has no right to -pro- 
liibit the theatre from telecasting 
a pooled pi'ogram. According to 
Raiboum, such program material 
constitutes public service stuff. 
Thus, any action by the pool to ban 
pickups would lay the broadcasters 
open to anti-trust proceedings un- 
der the Sherman Act. Pool, for its 
part, resolved before the GOP con- 
i'lave started that there were lo be 
no pickups for any place at which 
an admission charge is made. 

Par violated that resolution .Tune 
24 when it tr.in.smitted the accept- 
ance speech of Gov. Thomas E. 
Dewey on the Broadway house's 
.screen, as broadcast by the pool. 
Show Was transcribed via Par's in- 
termediate film method of theatre 
tele. Move aroused vociferous 
complaints from the pool members, 
but it's believed they cooJed off 
sufficiently before last Friday's 
meet to bypa.ss the alleged viola- 
tion as something which had 
already been done. Thus, their 
future action will lie in attempting 
to prevent a repeat pei;fprmance of 
the un.sancti<miBd jiickups. 



RIBMINCIH/tM 
iHopoilrome <M) S 

:t Sliades 
Merry Haen 
lilsle U(i-\ver 
Ifunald reers 
Sc'o.U Handera 
H'4!;ette ,'l'arri 
A i-naut Xlron 
uVlaiirlce Coiloano G 
Vvonue Watts 

BKICIITON 
ll!ippodrome <M> 6 
liiu'erne. Slcaters 
<*barlle. Kunss 
1>orotby Oray Co 
vVenees 

Xewinan TwJtia 
Lew ParJu-r 
i) & .1 O'Goi-man 
Balmoral 4 

iiR.AnFoltn 

Alliambra (!tl) S 

And So -We tJo On 
iHsy lionn . 
T *, 1> KciHtall 
-Vorry ■- .. 
A & f! Remble ' 
Fcteiwn Hroa 
I<^raneannH ■ 
.Jaolc J\'<'li.v To 
C'AIIIHI''F 
New (S) S 
Monie .(U^y 
tleo Doonun 
!•! Arnlpy * (llorla 
Paul Winjjrave Co 
;i I'iralefl 
tlpo JIftiiton 
I):ifrmfir * Roll 
M'JJ'nii.ld ft (Jrttham 

riiiswu'K 

Kiii|>lre <S|'R 

Uawii-a & I.aiidauer 
.Mnmiy ,laiin'.=f Co 
tjodlrey &' Kcrby - 
.fo.^e Aforeno tJo 
i>iil) CJrey, ,, 
.Vnrman .Carroll 
!i "Valors 
Vic Hay 3 

TsniMiriMiH 

Alliambra t^l) S 

'ti-uolierjaelE 
.)acl: fliiUoiifCe. 
lii.'n yoj:t Co 
.Mervyn Snundera : 
riel<'n Nornian 
J 'ail I it. tiray 
.lartfnriyn Pnnbar 
Dave .)iii-l;|i-y 
1?%"^' T, J^rf'.^ton 
Hoy A 1 If 11 
la.Sliirif.ls 
MNHIilinV PAItK 

Kniiiire <M) S 
S'-rf^no .Toy 
.Martha fla.ve 
I''ranlt i'rcst^m 
IrictUe il.ltnter 
■rei-ry Itall 
,1 iiilliiit;a &■■ l.>iaiia 
Ulrnardo K- Co 
D & II ,Moiiii-"ai 

Kmiiire (M) 8 

Mplvltle * llnlsar 
.\i,'Ii(tlas livoH 
sian \v>ilif. & Ann 
Ivarl Baiii-y 
A V- Astov 
A J J'fiwej's 
H,nvi<^ 'Co .. 
.lujitny Itobbinn 
La I'elive l*ouj>t*e 
IJjKIIS 
Kmpire . iM ) 
2 I>an4-ette» : 
Clit-falo 
.'^a.vrcn 

'I'oninjy Flf-ida , 
V Sr .r Ci-«KlonIan 
,ytan Tsavangh 
nonage , 
Rerr 



Caf* Soclrta 
. (Uawntowm 

.Mildred Bailey 

Avon Lonir 

Calvin .Tackaon 

lildmnnd Hall Or* 
I Cliloa iioll 
I ivatliarine Chans 
Uiacli &00 

r.a.iirie Long 
t^antona 
l-Matl Tuclt 
I Xoro Morale* 

,r- Frane 

I wiiB<-ahan« 

liiartin A Lewi* 

Monlea Lewie 

Hetty Bonnie , . > 

Ward Ponovan 

Ray Malone . . 

M Dtirao Ore 

Alvnrea Ore 

DIauuiud lIorMnliM 

.lay Marsiiall 

<.Trace- A Nicco 

choral Octet 

11 t^andler Oro 

Alverea Mera 

Jueneer Ballet Line 
KIwny 

rlinrio^eern 

l^utetaon - & Jaoka'n 

Harold Kttt« 

Hetty Mayv Oro 

Jaek TMptt'z Oro 
'Kl Vhten . 

fernanda Creajia 

Conde Ltitn . . 

Victoria Barcels 

itita ft Ilo!tllio 

Lo» Tanclioa 
llBvnna-.'UadrM 

Ohito Inar 

ciirlstians 

Italph Vont OrO' 

A^achito Ore 

ir«t«l Brim't-Placa 

iJi'idie Stone^ Ore 
Hotel; niltniora 

nicliard Himber O 

Harold -Na^cl Ore 

Hotel rommodor* 

B Raeburn Ore • 
Hotel KdlaoB 

nay Scolt H 
No 1 I'iftii At* 

Tony Craiiff 

.IFf.'i'el \Vel>nter 

IJrtwnov- * 1i*onvlll* 
PentiionK* Club 

Alaxtno !=4u1ltvaiD 
Ranha node! 

Oa^'ar Wnl^^er 
lUvlera 

.Taokle MJlea 

- Vaea bonds 

i aracie Baed* : 



Tony Mavaaf ■ 
Joey iQUberti 
Tonl Kelly ; . 
Donn Arden Ltn* 

Hotel .A*t«r 
O- Cavaliaro Oro 
Lenny Herman Ora 
Hotel lurk«r 
Aay lilberl* Oro 
Ico Revu* 
Muriel .Jfnok 
llatel. l»eiiai.yKtiaf» 
b'lciteh HeUdeciion O 
. Hotel tjt Morlta 
Menconi Ore 
Be.tty tieorg* 

Hotel ' l!it Jj;e(l* 
Hal ,Baundera Or« 
PttLncea Aladdus 
Ias^Io & fefittu 
M\lt ijliaw Oro ■ 
Popito Arvelio Ot* 

Hotel Xaft 
Vincent Lopest Oro 
ChM'lie. Uretv ; . : 

Hotel Warwick 
Alan McPaiea a 

Latin lluarlrr 
Ifls Kny, Hiitton Or 
Willie ijhare 
Danny Illceardi 
Al 'Mocvan . ' 

co.stoiio,.'rn--in> 
Patricia Adair 
Ridliiirda-Adutr Do* 
U Fpichett* 
I'UPl Campo Or* 
Bon VlvAnt)^ 
B Havlow Oro 

Leon 4> Iiddl*'*. . 
nddie Davis 
Art AVancr Oro 
UOHlta Moreno ' 
Oee & Whia 
,rudltli Ulali- 
Albcrfas , . 
Harry Frime 
Khenard T.ino 
Old RouinaHiaw 
Sadi* Banh* 
.Toe L:il>oTt«, Or* 
D'Aqnila Oro 

Verflnlllc* 
Su»y Solidar 
noli Grant Or* 
I'Mvchlto Oro 

Vlllaice llarn 
Hal (-Yralia,m Ore ^ 
Cuvley Clement* • 
Saphrony- 
Pat'Donnle 
Burt **ampron 
Uor.'e Thnrwton 
PlntB Pete 

WaltTnrr-Aetort* 
(tvy LoiMbaiil On 
Mtaelia ^orr On^ - 



CHICAGO 



Itluckhuwli 

Al Trace Orch 
.Inclcie Vun 

Uay Morton Ore " 
Kay TIiompBon 
Winiains Urus 
Ifotfil BiNinitrli 

Don McGi'ftnB Oreli 
Kic'har<l Gordon ' 

llelNlnc* 

Prof l-iachwiu'd* 
.laviiR Walton- 
Kvclyn Terry 
Alike Young 
nni ('.hnndler Ore 

(*po Olsen Ore 
flobby May 
AjiilVea Dncris 8 
Horn the Dog 
^!et*y Gray 
D o (• o t IJ J' f l 1 1 rt 

Onncerip. (12} 
ThqronH f6) 



.Ch«K Par«« ' 
Danny Thomam ; ' 
Martlia Kltig 
Ma>.^o & ffavr 
liSvoy livoh fyy^ ■ 
M Goitlfl Ore (14> 
T,.ann A<1amn 
D ChlftMla Oomho' 

.ra.-A'A P]itlli'ni'iti O 

Carl Marx 

Hotel nteimm 

Utuly TlttrliHrOn 
The t'mnoTis (2) 
.rc;in Arlon 

Skating: BtvdfiLr* 
Pahnier lioUM 

TJbei'acft * 

M AVhoa Oimm. 10 



Theatre Quiz 

Vontinned from i>»i;e i 



tun 



LKICKKTKR 
I'alnee <H) R 

,Tiin)(Lk../kM4n«.,Cp 
6 Blley Air HcTTcr 



Irlfj a.adler 
Len YonnK.. 
A. I jS'ortiian 

.\iii'iiin>i o Durry 
Kardoma ' ' 
Ho (Jcre 3 . ■ 

LOMION 
HIPIHifirenie tiM> 
Vit! Oliver 
Vat KIrlinood 
l''i-fid Wmney 
.M cilaclirino t'>rc 
'Marilyn ITiKhtower 
Michael Hentlne 
.lulle A.ndrewa 
■lean tjar-son 
Santleo Bd . ' 

1'unndlum (M) S 
'riianlis for Mwuiory 
Kilffar P.c'r{?t'ii 
Charlie Wi-cariify 
(} H icillotl 
tJertie tjiiana 
Nellie Wallai-e . 
Klla .SliU'lrt« 
itand<ilf Sutton 
O'JTKrrell iV. IVnvers 
■Jj'rrddio rt.nibnrn 
V VmhfrK'v ti I'am 
Friinl? Marlmve 
Alavlc l.dut.s-c. clias 
MAN<!iii':»i'i'i':K 

Hippodrome <H) 6 

New Mfidhatlcrs 
Svfl H''vnH)Ur 
.MaiUiKllpr!) Hil 
Coiisti) in-e Kvans 
Kavie Al^ OHi'ur 
Cat O'Brien 
Krlc Plant 
• I'aUiee <i>l) 6. 
Piccadilly llayrlde 
'Nat .Tai-M'-y 
i Hurried nea 
i I'afe'olH.s 
Afai-ittiinc T.iiu-oln 
,iat-U Frani-uid 
NKW <-A.'<-n.l5 
Kini>ire (M) R 
iKUOl-iin'-e f» KliHS 
ifaroiil. Bni'a .. 
«lady« Jlay . . 
j-vilchail Aloore 
Matt -Nixon 
Koull»H|-|yi(»nIc Ore 
.0'K"ffe .Si.i * 
H Klchard.H 
Art-tal Kctnyaya 
.Miiiiriiw l-'i'i'"''h 
.ir]nnr\- Kiliolt . 
J & .M Kiii^-on 

^o■l'|■|^(^^i,^.»l 

Kiiipire (>M) 5 
Ta Mil. Itali tfiioni: 
J'^ranlJc llovvHrd 
Adrieiine & Leslie 

Atoi'srcn A> Dorlf* 
IrvInK (Iirvvood 
HIIKI'I'IKI.K 
Kiniiirr t.M) !> 

Diiiicini; T<'jn-H 
Ihn'l-y Hitu-lair 
XicolcftM }UH'V 

.viiF/i'irROH iirsii 

Kmpire (K) 0 

.laclr Durant „ 
.lack I.H Uiie 
H Silver * .\t I>ay 
.Un].'.H X. Williaina 
.1rteinWi< ' 
Ttonnle i.ciilie . 
:i (iiirclaa . 
r,e«- Ra.vii'i- * B< it.v 1 

iiimlm(?Jil"V'''(.«)' n ' Government wants the Big Five to 

iJsinK'B All Here 
DuKl^ip \\«l;€'Ueld 
Billv Xflrfon 
■loe BlRi-l( 
Mills ft. faill'-lie 
f>l»rniura lliipa 

ATonarclirl 
Roy .rplteriee 
Chuck (r>>lil 
,W»<l(iC f'ijicolme 
Tonv VauRlin 
.jCelli. Hart.. 
11 rjlbson Co 



I interest which w{i$ created out ot 
I bankruptcy or innocent investment. 
I In effect, the Government was 
construing the U. S. Supreme Court 
as requiring divestiture in all other 
instances of .ioint ownership besides 
the narrojv ones listed in these two 
(luestlons. Same information had 
\ been sought several wcelcs baclc 
' along with tlie theatre freeze and 
! flatly nixed by Judges AuKustus 
i Hand and Henry W. Goddard. 
Hence, the defendants will refuse 
to honor tlie requests for info on 
these points now made. 

Government action is the first 
step in an efEort to build docU'- 
I mentary evidence before statutory 
I hearings unroll. In a covering 
i letter which accompanied the re- 
I quest for data. Dept. of Justice in- 
j tlicated tliat it would present 
i further interrogatories in tiie near 
i future. Those will undoubtedly re- 
j fer to outright theatre holdings and 
I Icgalites expect these questions to 
be even more sweeping than those 
I now asked on partnersliip interests. 
Other information which the 



; itemize include a list of theatres 
: jointly held by a major and an 

indie; dale of jncorporation; name, 
. address, amount held by each 

shareiiolder; description of stock; 

date of acquisition or sale of xtock 
I by a major or partner; and nature 
I and extent of defendants' interests 
7 in jdlht holdi jigsl - 



40 



Wednesday, July 7, 1948 



Paramonnf ^ N.Y» 

" Jo Stafford, Georgie Kave, Lane 
Bros, {i), Sam tJonahw Cfrch with 
Bill Lockwood; "A Foreigm Affair" 
(Par), reviewed in Variety June 
16, '48. 

The Paramount is back to its 
fjRjniUar stage diet this week, to wit, 
the combinatio!!! of a name pop vo- 
calist, a dance' band, a comedian 
and a dancing act. The show fol- 
lows the established pattern of 
closing With the |i«aie^i;inger and 
preceding that act with the come- 
dian. As for the entertainment 
that derives from this particular 
package, the collective quality is 
several notches above average. The 
customers may not execute nipups 
in the aisles to express their pleas- 
ure, but they do seem to get quite 
a kick 'out of Jo Stafford's uniquely 
lyrical way with a set of verses 
and respond . with plenty of chuc- 
kles to Georgie Kaye's waggery 
and the Lane Bros.' acrobatic and 
terpsical cutups. 

For Miss Stafford it's a repeat 
stand after a three-year interval. 
The interim has seen her capture 
top Hooperating among femme ra- 
dio vocalists (she resumes on 
Chesterfield's "Supper Club" in 
the fall) and enhance her position 
appreciably as a recording (Capi- 
tol) personality. It has .also 
brought her an immeasurable 
amount «f .self^ssuranee and re- 
laxation in working before a thea- 
tre oiudience. 

"When cat^ht Miss Stafford was 
In tiptop voice. Eacli number paid 
off in substantial dividends. Two 
nu^nbers, each a ballad, which is 
her forte, stirred 'em to furore di- 
mensioES. The first was "Haunted 
Heart," ^nd the other, "In the Still 
of the Night.;; When Miss Stafford 
moves in on songs of this type 
she's pretty much in a field of 
her own. Her "Gentleman Is a 
Dope" provides more of a change 
of pace. For the finish. Miss Staf- 
ford dons a farmer's strawhat and 
tears a verse of the hillbilly nov- 
elty, "Temtashun," which she and 
fied Ingle shrilled into a jukebox 
nit about a year back. It took her 
oil' liere to a huge salvo. 

(Jeorgie Kaye proved somewhat 
of a slow starter on the same oc- 
casion. It wasn't until he had gotten 
over his drunifii-e comment on the 
odd. predicaments that come with 
the rush-rush manner of living, and 
, embarked on his gagging about 
taicidrivers, waiters and theatre 
ushers, that they wai'med up to him. 
By the ' time he got into his p.sy- 
chlatry routine they were rocking 
at almost every zany gesture. His 
retirement was also accompanied 
by a solid wave of applause. 

Much more effective in getting 
the laughs rolling their way from 
the outset were the Lane Bros. The 
pair have the touch and the know- 
how in selling themselves. Even 
their sideline of tapdancing im- 
parts an air of malcing. every mo- 
ment count. However, it's the 
team's ropeskipping acrobatics that 
serves as a surefire combination of 
spectacle and food for mirtii. The 
turn's a natural opener -for any 
spot. 

Sam Donahue, who has been 
slowly but surely making ills way 
up the dansapation ladder, is al- 
loted but two numbers in' which to 
show his band's wares. The te6ofI 
is a hardhitting assortment of 
brassy jive, but it's thi-ough his ar- 
rangement of "Flamingo," which 
immediately follows, that Donahue 
shows that the band contains 
smooth integration, balance and 
color. Along -witli himself on the 
sax Donahue in tliis item spotlights 
his first trumpeteer. Staff vocalist 
Bill Lockwood wraps a sturdy bari- 
tone around the "Flamingo" lyric, 
adding more than a mite to the 
number's strong receptioQ. Odec, 

Oriental, Chi 

Chicago, July 1. 
Three Stooges, Sportsmen Quar- 
tet, Fontaines iS), Vic Hyde, Mari- 
lyn O'Shaughwssy, . Carl Sands 
Orch; "Thunder in the Valley" 
<20«O. 



trumpet to the orlginal iwo until 
with "Stripes" he's blowing four 
and winding a drum major's baton 
at the «ame time. While 88ing 
he grabs a slide trombone to ac- 
company him on "Four Leaf Clo- 
ver" and "Near You." For sock 
ending he does a four trumpet 
number topped by fancy terping. 

Fontaines add ballroomology to 
their acrobalanclng, doing both in 
graceful style. 

Cai-1 Sands house orch contribs 
medley of George M. Cohan tunes 
as fitting overture for holiday bill. 
Marilyn O'Shaughnessy, contest 
winner, making pro debut, displays 
stage presence and a pleasing voice 
on vocals. Zabe. 



lllppodr«Hne» Biklto. 

Baltimore, Jultf 3. 
Dot & Pave Workman, Milbournc 
C/iristopIier,' Canfield Smith, Ac- 
romaniacs (3), Jo Lonibardi and 
house orch (12); "TJic Kuller 
Brtmh Man" (Col). 



It's practically an all-male show 
here again bi|t okay in playing. 
Pleasing opening is provided by 
Dot and Dave Workman, who ring 
bells, play goblets and give out 
with other novelty music, just 
right for the family t^-ade in a hol- 
iday' week. Milbourne Christopher, 
smooth working magico with plenty 
of stage presence and good patter, 
utilizes the deuce for stuff with 
small props, getting the most out 
i of short lengths of rope for tricky 
knotiF-and break-aways, 

Canfield Smith follows with sock 
setto with his dummy "Snodgrass," 
who takes on more animation than 
the average ventriloquist's doU. 
Material is fresh and closing spot 
of vocalizing is a real show stopper, 
Hajl to beg oil when caught. Socko 
clincher is provided by the Acro- 
maniacs, swift working trio of 
tumblers who provide a three- 
high flash and a somersaulting 
closing bit that earns a series of 
highly audible curtains for a bango 
windup. 

Biz very solid. Bum. 

Mietdgan, Detroit 

Detroit, Jitly 2. 
Billy DeWolfe, Martha Tilton, 
Paul Remos & Toy Boys, Phil Har- 
monic Trio, Larry Paige Orch; 
"River Lady" (U-I). 



Billy DeWolfe, comedian, pro- 
vides main sparkle in current bUl 
here. His wisecracking mugging 
and impersonations jackpots for 
top returns. 

His "Mrs. Murgatroyd," who "is 
not a drinking woman," is top fool- 
ery and his other skits and chatter 
send him off to solid- returns. 

Martha Tilton, songstress, is run- 
nerup in*her vocal contribs. Badio 
thrush has personality and know- 
how as well as splendid voice to 
sell her wares for solid apprecia- 
I tion. 

Faul Remos and his Toy Boys 
' add pace with their novelty turn 
wherein the lower casers bounce 
out of suitcases and into a dancing 
and balancing act that wins salvos. 

The Phil Harmonic Trio goes 
over nicely with- neat selection of 
numbers, including "Sleepy Time 
Gal" and "The Sabre Dance." 

Larry Paige orch provides ex- 
pert backgrounding. Stan. 



Except for the Three Stooges, 
rest of this bill is excellent sum- 
mer fare. Stooges offer nothing 
new In their eye gouging and other 
mayhem, water spraying, and re- 
liance on blue material. It's the 
odd dress and prattfalls that get 
the guffaws, not the oldhat take- 
off on "Wait ':.'iU the Sun Shines, 
Nellie." 

Sportsmen Quartet, radio group 
from Jack Benny airer, click in 
hep fashion. Open with parody 
on "Why Did 1 Ever Leave Wyom- 
• }ng. then a comedy on version of 
Adobe Hacienda" and finish with 
"Good Night, Ladies." Encore with 
barbershop harmony on "Dear Old 
Uirl" for cock returns. 

Vic Hyde registers with multiple 
playing of instruments and dry hu- 
»or. He runs through "Margie," 
"Bmiiing," and "Stars and Stripes" 
tndi^il)tii/,eacli itat»\,waii6 anotfaer 



Olympia, Miami 

MioTOi, July 3. 
Joe E. Hoioard, Leon Fields, June 
Lorraine, Hammond's Birds, Ron 
& Mary Norman, Les Rhode Orch; 
"Fort Apache" (JZKO). 



Nice blend of variety marks cur- 
rent week's bill at the Olympia. 
With vet composer Joe E. Howard 
as marquee lure, plus neat buildup 
to his spot by the youngsters on 
layout, biz should thrive on holi- 
day weekend. 

Howard, despite his years, re- 
tains charm and ease. Can : still 
belt out a sock version of a pop^ 
whether It be his or another com- 
poser's and keeps the pace mount- . 
ing via opener "Hello Baby" 
through the effectively old-Uroey 
mannerisms and strutting that has 
aud to singing with him. Keeps 
them palming all the way to a 

sock iKJWOff. 

Comic Leon Fields impresses as 
an amiable laughmaker who knows 
hi& way around. Tosses in zany 
impreshes, gags and other clown- 
antics for hefty returns. 

Femme comedy slot is well han- 
dled by June Lorraine, who, 
though offering up' standard im- 
preshes, adds fresh twist via de- 
livery and mugging. Best is the 
Durante takeoff. 

Aero team of Ron and Mary 
Norman go over solidly with flips 
and twists neatly executed. 

Hammond's Birds holds novelty 
slot in some clever tricks., * 

Les Rhode and house orch pro- 
vide usual good backgrounding. 



Aqaasliow, M.Y. 

(Flnshinef Meadows Parte) 

Freddaris Trio, Johnny Woods, 
Salici- Puppets; Marshall Wayne, 
Len Carney, Joe Flynn, Betty Ball, 
Norma Dean, She lag h Kelly. 
Whitey Hart, Stan -DwdoJc, June 
Earinci, Bobby Knapp; "Smiley" 
Cannon & Aquazanies ( 4 ) , Water 
Ballet (35), Louis Basil's Orch; 
ovened at the Aquacade, Flu.'jJiinj;, 
N. Y., June 30, '48; $1.50 top. 



In the fourth year of his tenancy 
of the erstwhile Billy Rose Aqua- 
cade on the site of the World's Fair 
grounds in Flushing Meadows, 
N. Y., operator Elliott Murphy has 
come up with one of the best dis- 
plays of the series. Productions, 
lighting^ scenic embellishments, as 
well as crack performers in the 
aquatic division, make for a pleas- 
ant and divarting performance in 
the cool amphitheatre. Scaled at 
60c to $1.50. show is a bargain es- 
cape for sultry nights. 

Lou Basil, who batoned orch at 
Loew's State, N. Y., until vaude 
was limboed from the house last 
December, heads the 12-piece. 
mostly brass outfit here and is 
equally adept when backgrounding 
the tank Interludes and orch con- 
tribs on its own. In addition to 
the tank features, there are also 
four standard vaude acts to space 
the pool numbers, Jimmy Ross, 
emcee-baritone; Johnny Woods, 
singer- impressionist; Freddaris 
Trio . cyclists and Salici's Puppels. 

Show tees- off with Basil and 
crew rendering symphonic version 
of Gershwin's "Summertime" as 
prelude to a colorful water ballet 
enlisting entire ensemble of 35 gal 
swimmers in attractive precision 
formations, which garners merited 
applause. Freddaris Trio, male 
team, follows and scores in fancy 
and trick cycling. 

Featured swimmers and diving 
champs then take over. June Ear- 
ing and Bobby Knapp, toppers in 
this division of show, spot nifty 
aquatic stunts, both solo and team- 
ed, that provoke continued roimds 
of applause. Marshall Wayne, 
former Olympic champ;. Len Car- 
ney, Joe Flynn. eastern intercol- 
legiate champ; Betty Ball, Norma 
Dean, Shelagh Kelly and Stan Du- 
dek are among others clicking in 
diving and other water feats. For 
laughs there's a quintet of comics, 
billed as Aquazanies, and Nat 
"Smiley" Cannon, whose clown- 
antics . keep ' tilings rolling at a 
merry pace. 

Johnny Woods offers a lively 
.session -of satires on radio- shows, 
impressions of Hollywood greats, 
with a few vocals thrown in to 
make a solid impnesslon. Although 
a personable lad, in on overtime, 
he sells his wares expertly and the 
audience doesn't mind the stretch- 
ing. Salici's Puppets offer a whole 
vaude layout on a miniature stage, 
with dolls set up as standard vaude 
acts -from opening to operatic 
quartet in finale. They're as sock 
as ever here. 

Spacing solo stunts in ' the sec- 
ond half of show there are addi- 
tional water ballets with the Aqua- 
dorables doing their stuff again in 
more colorful costumes, "Night 
in Venice,'* with gondolas, etc.; 
Indian Pageant and FlowervBallet 
are colorfully costumed and neatly 
executed to win top response. 

Ross handles emcee chores 
capably. Also the vocals for prot- 
duction numbers. Policy will be 
change of bill weekly. Edba. 



Ciilcago, fill 

C/wcoffo,' Jwli/ 2. 
Pegg'y Lee & Dave Barbour's 
Quintet, Step Bros. (4), Jack Car- 
ter, Sensationalists (3), Henry 
Brandon's House Orch (13): 
"Green Grass of Wyoming" (20th). 

Daytime price cuts' instituted 
with the re<Sent return of vaude tO" 
this house continue to pack in 
patrons. Volume of biz so- far has 
more than made up for price re* 
ductions. 

Bill hops off via work of the 
skating Sensationalists. Femme 
and male partners get brisk re- 
turns with expert roller routines, 
topped by a spin in which one 
serves as hub and the other two 
as spokes. Orch. shifting from its 
usual teeoff spot, follows with 
pianist spotlighted In "You Can't 
Be True, Dear." 

Although some of his gags still 
wear khaki Jack Carter hits yock 
decibels consistently and rates 
steady response with his vocal car- 
bons of film familiars. Comic offs 
to salvos after takeoff on Churchill, 
Truman and De Gaulle, then re- 
turns with "April Showers" a la 
Jolson for encore. 

Step Bros, score in tap terping, 
with ensemble and. single work 
equally good. Gainer nice recep- 
tion. 

Peggy Lee's first, vauder in two 
years finds her pipes prime but her 
stafe presence rusty. Granted she's 
not the rhythm bouncing type, her 
languid styling, ^80 notably suited 
to "Mananlir 'los«S ''Jitapact tivlien 



sustained through a gerlc* of slow 

tempoed tunes, ■ 

Backing by Dave Barbour's qmn- 
tet, made up of drums, Clarinet, 
bass and two guitars, is discreet to 
the point of self effacement. A 
fast instrumental would perk up 
the routining. 

Miss Lee staps dose to her disk 
faves, ojpening with "Good Day' 
for good results. A pop medley 
and a solid go at "Why Don't You 
Do Right" take her off to fair re- 
turns. Rebound has her torching 
for an okay hand, followed by 
"Manana" with the aud chanting 
the chorus. Finale, in which her 
salute to the Freedom Train brings 
down the flag as a backdrop, was 
diffused and in need of further 
rehearsal at show caught. Boat. 

Apollo, 1S» Y. 

Erskine Hawkins Orch (17) 
with Carline Ray. Jimmy Mitchell: 
Slam Stewart Tfia. Patterson & 
Jackson, Fred & Sledoc, Spider 
Bruce & Co. "Key Witness" (Col). 



a very good idea of the typ* 
act. Works with considerable speed 
and garners fine share of the 
laughs. • 

Miss Tyner closes with sock key- 
boarding ■ of "Warsaw Concerto," 
"Clare dc Lune" and "Limehouse 
Blues" to bring down the house. 

Lotce. 



AGVA to Crack Bown 



Couthmed from page Si 



Familiar faces make up current 
sepia layout at this Harlem 
vaudery Inasmuch as all the acts 
are encoring here with the excep- 
tion of the terp team of Fred & 
Sledge (New Acts). Erskine Hawk- 
ins gets the show off to a fast start 
with "Junction Express." His Is a 
big outfit with five reed, four 
rliythm and eight brass. Femme 
chirper Carline Ray, a tall gal 
fetchingly gowned, embroiders 
"Love Is Funny" in a deep, throaty 
voice for a nice reception. 

Hawkins, himself, is plenty solid 
with a trumpet solo of 'Talk of the 
Town,'^ He paves the way for 
Jimmy Mitchell, who comes off the 
stand to croon an okay "I'll Dance 
at Your Wedding." For their final 
brace of tunes, the band cooks 
in neat arrangements of "King 
Porter Stomp" and "Temptation" 
to register with the payees. 

Slam Stewart's Trio, set up in 
front of a scrim, is a class combo 
pointed up by Stewart's unique 
handling of the string bass. Group 
does three numbers of which one, 
"Fine Brown Frame," is neatly 
yocalled by the femme pianist. 
Lone other instrument is a guitar. 
Leader is perhaps the only bass 
player who can put sex into a bull 
fiddle. His sock plucking of the 
strings win solid returns. 

Comedy slot is handled by the 
rotund team of Patterson & Jack- 
son. An affable pair, their com- 
bined weight is billed as 640 
pounds. Act's routines change little 
and they're still doing a burlesque 
of the Ink Spots and a takeoff' on 
Joe Louis. Nevertheless it clicks 
with the. customers and credit for 
that can be attributed to the lads' 
Jovial personality. Some of their 
bluer gags need editing. 

Spider Bruce, absent for several 
weeks, is back again with his 
standard comedy blackout. ' Wel- 
come addition to this house, both 
for the customers and tlie talent as 
well, is a new cooling system now 
in operation. Gilb. " 



Capitol, Wasli. 

Washington, Julv 2. 
Evalyn Tyner & Band (5), Don 
Cummings, FrankXyn & Moore, 
Pauh Sydell; "On an tslahd With 
You" (M-G). 



Capitol show this week Is built 
around Evalyn Tyner, one of the 
dressiest pianists in the business 
who got her start in this same 
house, number of years back. Show 
is called "Evalyn Tyner's Birthday 
Party" and has her doing every- 
thing from pianoing (where she 
excels) to emceeing the other acts. 

Miss Tyner, working with a bull 
fiddle, drums, two saxophones and 
another pianist, opens strong with 
"Bumble Bee Boogie." jazzed up 
version of "Flight of the Bumble 
Bee," tosses a couple of flat Com- 
edy lines at the audience and then 
introduces Paul Sydell, who has 
one of the best dog balancing acts 
seen here in years. He works 
with three dogs. With one pooch 
yclept "Susie," he shows some 
amazing tricks. Canine does flip 
flops in the air and other beats to 
wm applause. 

Franklyn and Moore, songsters, 
do nicely with a variety of offer- 
ings, particularly old faves. They 
open with a medley of "Pretty 
Girl Like a Melody," "Remember," 
"Always" and "Alexander's Rag- 
time Band." Other selections fol- 
low quickly, with the duo working 
in duet or feeding lines and num- 
bera to each other in pleasant style. 
Among other offerings are "Only 
Girl in the World." "Make Be- 
Ueve," "Follow My Secret Heart," 
"Anything You Can Do, I Can Do 
Better" from "Annie Get Your 
Gun," etc. Man has a strong bari- 
i tone and gal a thin alto; they work 
I smoothly, 

Don Cummings, an .able, fast 
comic, wows 'em with a drunk 
routine as seen via television. 
; Number involves an announcer 
doing video commercials for 
' whiskey and girdles. WMcU gives 



just closed at the Versailles, N. Y., 
who has promised to discuss mat- 
ter of remittances with tlie talent 
union latter part of this week. - ' 
It's been an open secret for some 
time that the reciprocal pact be- 
tween the French and the Ameri- 
can talent union hadn't been work- 
ing out, with both sides shunting 
the blame on the other. 

Pact was negotiated with the 
French government last yeai- by 
Matt Sheivey, then admiuisiralot* 
of the union. Upon his ousting . 
I from 'the union, AGVA's affairs 
were taken over by a committee 
I from the Associated Actors and 
! Artistes of America, who weren't 
I too familiar with operations of tlie 
1 pact. It's claimed that subsequent 
I legal entanglements anent Shel-< 
vey's dismissal had kept the com- 
mittee too occupied to delve ui to 
polidug of the pact. Hence the 
laxity in collections and remit- 
! tances to 'France. Now that th* 
I air has cleared a bit, AGVA is de-^ 
{ termined to hold to its end of the 
{ bargain to offset any possible ren 
{ prisal that might militate agauist 
1 their members playing France, 
j According to Fox, Mile. Boy er, 
i currently in France, 4)wes $14,000 
' in remittance coin tO her govern- 
ment. He said that when the chan- 
teuse was appearing in N. Y. 
niteries, she was called upon the 
AGVA carpet about it. When she 
failed to adjust the matter she wat 
put on the union's "unfair" list. 
To circumvent loss of employment 
via such action, she was permitted 
to continue working after paying 
$1,000 of the indebtedness and 
agreeing to clear up remainder of 
sum on weekly payment basis. She 
subsequently defaulted and i»- 
tumed to Paris. 

Question of Allowances 
As for the other acts currently 
involved. Fox claims there's a 
question as to whether or not their 
earning capacity is such as would 
require the remittances. Under 
the fact, which works the same 
both ways. Imports are entitled to 
$20 daily or $140 weekly for living 
expenses. Both Miss Remy and 
the circus performers claim they 
are netting less than that amount 
after deducting agent's fees. For 
instance, they claim basic salariea 
of $150 per week. If they can sub- 
stantiate such claims they wouldn't 
owe anythhig. However, AGVA 
has notified all that they'll have to 
file photostats of their contracts 
with the union before the latter 
will remove them from the "un- 
fair" list. 

Other French nationals accused 
of previously giving the pact and 
AGVA the brush while appearing 
in the U. S. last winter are Mau- 
rice Chevalier, who althougli under 
jurisdiction of the American Guild 
of Musical Artists, and not subject 
to the arrangement for his N. Y. 
concert appearances at the Golden, 
N. Y., was liable for the brief 
nitery date in Florida. Also Edith 
Piaf, chanteuse, whose manager, 
Clifford C. Fischer, is said to have 
refused to pay when Chevalier 
didn't, and Jean Sablon, who in- 
sisted he was no longer a French 
national through having takihg out 
citizenship papers here. 

Since AGVA has spurted its ac- 
tion here, itj's now demanding that 
special contracts of AGVA form be 
issued to French acts coming to 
the U..^ S. and forwarded to the 
union hens. This would apprise 
such acts of what la expected «tf 
them in way of remittance " coin 
and also apprise AGVA of their 
entering the couhtiy. 



Anti-Bigotiy Pix 



Contlnaed (rom paE« 1 ss 

for more tlian a year. Its weekly 
earnings are uow down to a few 
thousand dollars weekly. Total do- 
mestic take is expected to wind 
up at just under ^,000,000. 

Both :pictares did great bis in 
big cities and Hbout normal -^in 
small towns. Excellent word-of- 
mouth on the films is thought re- 
sponsible for the fact that they 
j showed strong staying power and 
[got extended runs In many sitiu- 



Wednesday, July 7, 1948 



usgiumate 



4,1 



BIG BmY SHOWS' FADEOUT DUE 



Equity Qiecks Up on Summer Stocks, 
Assigns Special Aide to Tour Sticks 



For the first time in years 4 
Equity is chocking up on summer 
stocks, having assigned Francis 
Clarke to the job. Clarke, is motor- 
ing through t:ie sticks and visiting 
an indefinite number of strawhats. 
pe had resigned from Equity's 
staff," but recently was given the 

rovirig assignment. music by Duke Ellington, which 

' Heretofore, except for an occa- | Perry Watkins and tlie bandload- 
sional summer, Equity had depend- 
ed upon the reports of its deputies 
with summer outfits. Even though 



LENA HORNE SOUGHT 
FOR ELLINGTON MUSICAL 

Lena Hornj is being sought to 
star in "Pattycake. ' 





msT T 




Actor-H^ Pact Huddles Finds 
Equity Switching Info Procedure 



strawhat operators are required to 
send Equity weekly reports, set- 
ting forth the names of resident 
stock actors, those engaged as job- 
bers (who appear for one or two 
weeks ) , amount of salary paid, 
number of apprentices (students, 
in those outfits which have drama 
school adjuncts), amount of with- 1 
holding taxes and other figures in- 
cluding the weekly gross, it was 
deemed Advisable to have a staff 
obSfervor in the widely scattered 
stock territory. 

It's expected the data obtained 
in this manner will be of value 
when stock regulations are .scru- 
tinized and possibly again revised 
next season. Strawhatters who are 
alleged to evade the rules pertain- 
ing to resident companies by slip- 
ping apprentices into easts will be 
especially checked up, also those 
who in the past ha\fe guaranteed 
memberships to Equily as a lure 
to their drama students.. 

When the stock rules were first 
revised last winter, there was an 
attempt to limit the number of new 
members, mostly tyros who were 
given contracts for strawhat ap- 
pearances for one week. Under the 
rules^ anyone with such a contract 
could* apply, and almost invariably 
was admitted to Equity mehiber- 
ship. New rule stipulated that 
such newcomers should make at 
least two appearances in two dif- 
ferent stocks before becoming 
eligible to apply. Idea was to keep 
down the number of new actors, 
who were blamed for stage, unem- 
ployment, but the regulations was 
dropped without explanation. 

Edward Everett Hale is in 
charge of summer stocks for 
Equity. Reports from the straw- 
hats are sent to him, and additional 
clerical help classifies the statistics. 



l er plan to present on Broadway in 
the fall. Another Ellington mu-, 
sioal, "Cole Black and the Seven 
DwarfSi" with book and lyrics by 
T. Hee and William Cottreli, has 
been announced for production by 
William Herz, Jr. 



Broadway grosses plummeted sd 
sharply last week that managerial 
plans for shows continuing through 
the summer were shaken up, and 
now the nuniber of survivors is 
anything but definite. Business is 
revue with | not expected to be anj? better this 
week nor until the latter portion of 
July. As, takings are under the 
levels where a number of attrac- 
tions can operate at better than an 
even break, even with actors on 
cut salaries and other expenses 
pared, abrupt cWsings are likely. 
Closing noticeisi are u^' for seven; 
or eight shows including seven or 
Ellington, currently appeanng m I eight shows, including former : Thursday' (1), is a political satire 
,.,^„„ ^.,„ K„„,, i„ TT o I goodly grossers. Definitely -shut- of a visitor from Mars facing the 



■♦■ Among Equity changes accom- 
I panying the resignation of Paul 
I DuUzell as executive Secretary (but 
not as treasurer) was a switch in 
personnel assigned to handling . : 
presss releases.' Alfred Harding,' 
editor of the associatioti's monthly' : 
magazine, who has been the press 



BOO 'AMBASSADOR' AT 
PREMIERE IN LONDON 

London, July S, 

Two new London legit entries, . . ,, . . _ ^ 

look doubtful. "Wonders Never \ contact, was relieved from duties 
Cease," opening at the Comedy last releasing any information about 
Tuesday (29), is an uninspiring necotiations between the actors 
comedy about romance and magic. 
Starring Moyna MacGill, it was 
cordially received, but appears un- 
likely to stick. 

" A m b a ssador Extraordinary," 
which opened at the Aldwych 



in about two weeks. 



ting this week is "Look Ma I'm : prospect of atomic warfare. Wittily 
Dancin' V and "Brigadoon" bows ] written by Douglas Home, author 

'of "The Chiltem Hundreds," play 
got a mixed reception and was 



out July 31. 

Not any musicals sold out last 
week and some .were reported as 
much as $11,000 under the pre- 
vious week, when the slump start- 
ed. Business would have dropped 
earlier but for sustained inclement 



weather than was prevalent acted) may overcoine its bad start, 
through May and June. Outdoor however, 
attractions got the first - weather 
break over the Fourth of July 
weekend; there was a concerted 
rush away from the city, starting 
Friday (2). 

Although several attradtiohs With 
casts on reduced pay are attempt- 
ing' to keep lighted, at least one 
which was prepared to continue, 
shuttered Saturday (3) after busi- 
ness nosedived. Show was "Joy to 
the World" (Plymouth), which 
played four months despite a mixed 
reception.; 

Few Holdovers for Fall 
Only a rash of two-for-one tick- 
ets has been keeping some shows 
from going deep into the red. The 
number of attractions using the 
bargain ticket lure was 12 last 
(Continued on page 43) 



'Ballads Gets 
Fresh Bankroll 



Summer continuance is problem- 
atical for a number of cuiTcnt 
shows on Broadway because of the 
summer slump, and among the 
questionable ones is "Ballet Bal- 
lads" at the Music Box. 

The attraction, which emanated 
from the Experimental Theatre, 
attracted unusual attention be- 
cause of the meteoric variations of 
Its weekly grosses. How a show 
can climb $6,400 to $15,400 within 
Jour weeks, dive down $5,000 the 
following week, then drop another 
$2,500 last week, was not under- 
stood . among showmen. Discontin- 
uance of two-for-one tickets was 
not material, since the bargain 
slips only went to ballet and other 
schools. 

Last week E. Edward Hambleton 
ghd Alfred Stem, who took over 

Ballads" f*om ET and went com- 
mercial with it on a $35,000 bank- 
roll, said the money was used up 
and they could not continue to 
finance the attraction any further. 
Over the weekend necessary 
money was raised, it's understood, 
by John La Touche, who wrote the 
show's lyrics, and so "Ballads" 
eontmues. H the show can weather 
the current week, which started 
poorly because of a sunny Fourth 
oi July, it siSl has a chance. 

. Company huddled after Satur- 
day night's performance and mo.st 
,01 the cast and chorus offered to 
Wvest their salaries (which were 
paid) into the show. All arc on 
niiniraum salaries of $60 weekly, 
put the stage managers, who fot 
(Continued on page 43) 



Mgrs. Raise Big 
Stew Over Some 
Pact Demands 

Third negotiation meeting for 
revising the basic agreement be- 
tween the managers and actors was 
held yesterday (6), and while some 
progress was made, it was clear 
that somie of Equlty'is many de- 
mands were meeting determined 
objections from manager-membeifs 
of the League of New York The- 
atres. Actors committee and dele- 
gation of 22 was the largest ever, 
and the League's 18 made It neces- 
sary to engagie larger quarters at 
the Hotel Astor for the sessions. 

Showmen indicated concerted 
opposition to Equity's aim to es- 
tablish a six-day wisek for perform- 
ances in all Stands. They contend- 
ed- that a layoff of 24 hours week- 
ly, such as applies In New York 
when Sundays are played, would 
hamper the chances of roadshows. 
Managers made counter demands 
and pointed out that comparative- 
ly few players are Involved out of 
town when Sunday performances 
are given. They also told the 
Equityites that when Sundays are 
played in Chicago and other 
"seven-day towns," Wednesday 
matinees are usually cancelled and 
when a ninth performance is 
played, extra pay goes to the 
actors. . , 

Another point being threshed 
out is the proposed requirement to 
hire an assistant stage manager, 
showmen arguing that that post is 
n6t necessary, especially for i 
straight plays, many of which are 
one-setters. It's contended that 
the clausfe for assistant stage man- 
agers is a sop to mollify that con- 
tingenti all being members of 
Equity. Last season stage man- 
agers formed a separate group 
recognized briefly by Equity, but 
the council ordered it disbanded 
on the grounds that it was vir- 
tually a union within a union. 
Some showmen figure the same 

application can be made to Equity ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

and Chorus Equity, ias the proposed ^^.^^.^ noted in that Instance that 



booed; at its premiere. This was 
possibly due to its dangerous polit- 
ical vein, with the audience touchy 
owing to the present European ten- 
sion. The show, Which is well* 



Hayward Okays Solo 
Performance by Hula 
Ams of 'Mr. Roberts' 



Name Dr«^% 
To Continue 

^^^^^^ 0^^^^^^^^^ 

Brock Pemberton, producer of 
"Harvey,'" may temporarily sus» 
pend the Broadway engagement at 
the 48th Street, showmah planning 
to resume In the same house if a 
name drw can be obtained to take 
over the leading part. Comedy Is 
now in its 194th week, longest run 
show on the list, K It continues 
through October, it would achieve 
a four year engagemait. 
• James Dunn Is Hearing the end 
of his appearance in "Harvey" and 
no successor has been defihltely 
chosen. Show's business has tatf 
ered in i scent weeks. It was ex- 
Rights for a single performance | pected that one of several Coast 
Mister Roberts" have been i stars would take over but most 



granted by producer Leland Hay- 
ward to the Honrfulu Community 
Players. Permission, was In re- 
sponse to the amateur group's 
plea that the show would be a 
boost for its drive for funds to 
build a new theatre. 
Hayward similarly okayed a per- 



negotiations between the. actors 
and the managers, who are now 
revising the basic agreement. 
Harding is sitting in on negoti- 
ations, but taking no part, being 
rather an Observer. 

Releases are being sent out by 
attorney . Rebecca Bro\irnstein for 
Equity and the chorus under her 
name but although coming from : 
her office with Paul N. Tuirner, 
who is titular counsel for the ac- 
tors unions, it's understood that . 
an undisclosed person is acting as 
press agent for Equity's side of the 
contested contract sessions. Ex- 
planation given was that 'Miss 
Brownstein .felt a better break 
would thus be secured by Eiqulty 
in the dallies. It's the first tlmie 
Equity has changed Its Information 
proc^edurea • » ' : * 

Managers are 'coh-sidering coun- 
tering Equity's move In press rela- 
tions through the League of New 
York Theatres but in former sea- 
sons when such! negotiations were 
proceeding, neither side sent out 
information on the statttft of the 
huddles. The tendency was to keep 
such informatibn secret as much 
as possihlc but Miss Browni^teln 
appears to have convinced Equity's 
council that "official" Informatioh 
from her would be advantageous. 

First release from Equity 
touclied on the major demands 
and denied they were "imaglna- ' 
live, inventive and Ingenious," a 
phrase credited to Brock "Pember- 
ton, head of the League. He said 
he may have so characterized the 
demands conversationally but not 
for . publication. Another reteinw 
said in effect that name, pl&yetei 
are -backing up Equity's demands 
for Increased mlnlmums and 
changed working conditions. Four 
such messages were 'Quoted and 
two dozen names of others were 
mentioned as ba6klng up the nego- 
tiating committee. - 



of those offered the assignment 
expressed' willingness only after 
being afforded an opportunity to 
^stVplay the part before audiences 
outside of New York. 

After Prank Fay went to the 
road, leaving the original cast 
early in spring, James Stewart 
foniiance by the same outfit of stepped in and commanded virtual 
"State of the Union" shortly after j capacity business. He expressed a 
the Russel Crouse-Howard Lindsay | desire to reappear in "Harvey" 

fomedv opened on Broadway. In ; and is a possibility in the fall- i u tn i .it" < 

eadi case it was figured the per- ^ Joe E. BroVn, In the play on the la""!" f cept either of 

fomance would not conflict with ■ road^ is hesitant about taking over | ^"j" t^'tke "veT the old b"^^^^^^^ 



ZBidsWeighedFor 
D. C. Belasco 

Washington, July 6. 
Washington is waiting to hear 
whether the Public Buildings Ad- 



a professional Showing, as no tour- \ on Broadway despite his. success I 
ing troupes play Honolulu, even i out of town. Prior to Dunn's ap- 



companies en route for engage- 
ments in Australia. 

Request for permission to pre- 
sent "Mister Roberts" was recently 
refused a little theatre company 
in Pittsburgh, however, despite 
the group's explanation that it in^ 
tended using the profits for con 
struction of a new playhouse. Hay- 



minimums of $75 in New York and 
$100 on the road, also doubled re- 
hearsal pay of $50, are the same 
for both. . ^ ., 

Rebecca Brownstein, m Equity 
attorney, heads the combined ac- 
tors and chorus delegation, she be- 
coming theU: sole chairman when 
Paul Dullzell withdrew as co- 
chairman. 

'Summer & Smoke' Set 
For 3 Tryout Dates 

• Dallas, .Tuly 6. 
Tennessee Williams' "Summer 
and Smoke" Will open for three 
tryout dates, in Buffalo Sept. 9, 
Cleveland Sept. 13, Detroit Sept. 
20, before going to Broadway, it s 
announced by director Margo 

Jones. , J 1 J 

Broadway opening is scheduled 



he has an obligation to , the man 
agement of the Nixon, Pittsburgh, 
where the road company is slated 
to play next fall, not to give any 
Other outfit a prior presentation. 

In general, amateur and stock 
rights to Broadway shows are not 
released until the original and road 
engagements. Even then, summejr 
theatre managements usually get 
first call. In the ease of foreign 
i rights, deals are normally made 
soon after the New York premiere, 
Or at least as soon as the show has 
acquired a reputation. 

However, Oscar Serlin is still 
holding up rights to "life With 
Father" in some Cotoitries, al- 
though the play closed on Broad- 
way a yelar ago and has been pre- 
sented in London. A bid f of the 
Scandinavian rights was turned 
down last week. Meanwhile, the 

for October. Play's first produc- ^^^^ ^ SirS 



pearance Jack Buchanan played 
the lead as a stopgap engagement. 

"Harvey" with Fay closes in 
Washington Saturday' (10), it will 
have completed eight weeks, a new 
local run record. 



B'WAY MGRS. LOOK TO 
COSTUMERS' BOOST 

Broadway managers have been 
advised by costumers to expect a 
further increase in that production 
department. Negotiations for 
higher pay by the costume workers 
union have not been completed, 
however. 

Union is demanding 10c per hour 
more, or $3.75 for each tailor and 
sewer weekly, also 1% to be added 
to the union's health fund, con- 
tributed to by the owners of the 
costume plants. According to the 
demands the combined payrolls 
would be increased approximately 



theatre, renovate it and run it as 
a legit house. 

Bids, both of which contained 
conditions, came from Joseph 
Curtis, New York advertising, man, 
and son of Jack Cohn, president of 
Columbia Pictures; and the Ameri- 
can National Theatre and Academy. 
PBA is expected to announce its 
decision within the next few days. 

Interesting gimmick Is this: the 
National theatre, operating on a 
"white only" policy, ends as a 
legiter Au&, 1, since Equity players 
will not be permitted to appear in 
the house after that date.. If a deal 
should be set up for the Belasco, 
it would probably be eight or nine 
months or more after that before 
the Belasco could be readied , for 
the public. 

Efforts have been made to as- 
sure legit during that hiatus by 
leasing the Lissner auditorium of 
George Washington University. 
However, this will apparently get 
nowhere since Dr. Cloyd H. Mar- 
vin, university president, declared 
on Saturday (3) that "When we 
lease for outside productions, we 



tlon anywhere was here, by 
aire '47. 



i N, y., eai'ly in the fall. 



$100,000 annually. , ^ ■ ■■ , ^ , 

Last season the costume union ; """st not commit ourselves too far 
was conceded a 5% wage tilt, no i 'n advance. This is something we 
worker getting less than $2 per i cannot do and still keep the audl- 
week additional. Studio operators ] tonum for Its main purpose, stu- 
have made a counter proposal of .$1 j "ent activities. „ , 

per week increase per person, or The Curtis bid for the old Belas- 
around $22,000 added to the pay- ' co, now a warehouse for the Treaa- 
rolls ' (Continued on page 43) • 



42 



We<IncMlay, July 7, 1948 



lis SbKwbts listed With Equity; 
Over 70 Semi-Pro or Am Umts Operate 



There are 118 professional sum- 
mev stocks listed by Equity, not 
counting half a dozen on the Coast. 
Wliile a few additional outfits may 
be added, the strawhat season is 
now in- full stride. Not included 
are 7Q-odd semi-pro or amateur 
countryside stocks; Some summer 
outfits are operating in cities but 
the large majority are spotted in 
the sticks, with a fair number in 
resorts. Last summer there were 
a total of 123 stocks, of which 122 
spanned the strawhat season. 

Most- strawhats are single units; 
that is, one operator or one man- 
agement, but four stockmen have 
two or more summer outfits in ac- 
tion. Jules J. Leventhal tops the 
quartet with three, lilus two rotary 
stocks in New York neighborhoods. 
His stocks are spotted in Norfolk, 
Va., Long Beach, L, I., and At- 
lantic City, in addition to the Flat* 
bush, ' Brooklyn, and Windsor, 
Bronx. 

Franklin Trask has three, two 
being in Mass., at Plymouth and 
Gloucester, the third at Stamford, 
Conn. Arthur Beckhard is operat- 
ing two, one-each at Martha's Vine- 
yard and Falmouth, Mass. Guy 
Kalmerton also has a brace, at 
Worcester and FitcUberg, Mass. 



time for Henry" and Brian Aherne 
in "Beaux Stratagem." 

At least three other plays are to 
be booked, with the possibility of 
a more extended season if weather 
looks good and Washington fails to 
come up with an in-'town legit 
house. 



'20th Century' 12G, Detroit 

Detroit, July 6. 

Summer session at Shubert- 
Lafayette continued with good re- 
sults with its second week's offer- 
ing, "20th Century," starring 
Mischa Auer and Haila Stoddard. 
The take was better than $12,000. 

Current attraction is Kuth Chat- 
terton in "The Little Foxes." 



Putnam County's Slate of 9 
Mahopac, Y., July 6. 
Ptitoam County playhouse here, 
starts Itft season tonight (6) with a 
Slate of nine plays, all selected by 
various New York drama critics. 
Opener tonight (6) is William Gil- 
lette's "Secret Service." Thea- 
tre's managing director is Jill 
Miller. 

Other plays scheduled, all one- 
weekers, are: "The Whole World 
Over," July 13; "Life with Father 
July 20; "Volpone," July 27; "Cap- 
tain Applejack/' Aug, 3; "Glass 
Menagerie," Aug. 10; "Night Must 
Fall." Aug. 17; "The New York 
Idea," Aug. 24. Final offering will 
be a new script, still unselected. 

Jan Spencer Scott will do the 
sets for the third seascm. Rita Dhu 
Wray of the Goadman theatre, 
Chicago, is returning to do the 
costumes. 



Tirst Lady' as Wellesley Opener 

Boston, July 6. 

Wellesley. College Summer Thea 
tre and Drama School announces 
the opening of Its. summer course 
July 5, with the theatre season 
opening July 13. First presentation 
will be "First Lady," starring 
Peggy Wood, to be followed by 
Robert Sterling in "Holiday," 
Madge Evans in "Barretts of Wim- 
pole Street" and Eddie Nugent and 
Lois Wilson in "Yes, My Darling 
Daughter." 

The Yankee Network through 
WNAC and WNAC-TV is sponsor- 
ing a special series of broadcasts 
directly from the drama workshop 
at Wellesley with scholarship in 
drama awarded writer of best let- 
ter on "Why I Like the Theatre." 

Sail lioft Theatre, Inc. 

Albany, July 6. 

Sail Loft Summer Theatre, Inc., 
has been chartered to conduct a 
theatrical business in Germantown, 
with a capital stock of $10,000, 
$100 par value. Directors arc Ed- 
ward L. Garaoll, Lester Lawence 
and Walter L. Neal. 

The Sail LOft strawhatter was 
launched last season by New York 
interests in a former loft overlook- 
ing the Hudson River at German- 
town, about 35 miles south of Al- 
bany. 



Saratoga Tryout 

"Duet for One," eight-character 
psychological melodrama by Eve 
Greene and Richard Blake, will be 
tried out by the Spa summer thea- 
tre, Saratoga, probably week of 
Aug. 16. 

Authors lire coming east for the 
premiere< 



Shady Lane's Stall Set 

Chicago, JiUy 6. 
Shady Lane theatre, Marengo, 
111., announced staff of Equity 
strawhatter last week. Boyd Crane 
is director; Ted Curtis, technical 
director, assisted by Culmer Ben- 
ton, of theatre arts dept. of UCLA. 
Stage manager is Otto Kuester. 
Jean Lovelace and John Morris are 
the leads. ' 

"Glass Menagerie" is set for 
July 7 through July 11, with 
"Goodbye Again," "East Lynne," 
"Out of the Night," "Tobacco 
Eoad," "You Touched Me" and 
"Apron Strtogs." following through 
Aug. 29. 



DETROIT SYMPH SETS 
9^EEK POP SERIES 

Detroit, July 6. 

Detroit Symphony Orch starts a 
nine-week series of tree open-air 
Pop concerts at Michigan State 
Fair Grounds beginning next Tues- 
day (13). Concerts are slated thrice 
weekly, Tuesdays, Thursdays and 
Saturdays, with a full 80-piece unit 
under baton of Walter Poole. 
Guest soloists will be used. 

Jointly sponsoring the series are 
the Detroit Federation of Musi- 
cians, president Henry Reichhold of 
the Detroit Symph and the State 
Fair Board. 



Lamb in Al Fresco 'Deck' 

Gil Lamb, last on Broadway in 
the recent, short-lived "Sleppy 
Hollow," will appear in "Hit tlie 
Deck" in al fresco presentations of 
the musical at Louisville, week of 
July 12, and Pittsburgh,' week of 
July 19. The Louisville date, pacted 
three months ago, was held open 
despite the Broadway play assign- 
ment intervening; because of 
LambTs draw there the past two 
summers. 

Lamb also had a bid for a vaiide 
circuit tour of Australia this sum- 
mer and fall, which he has passed 
"ve^ because he is interested in an- 
other Ud for a Broadway show in 
September. 



'SxaX Advance Sturdy 

J**., first musical 

OW**?SH* C- suburban 

Mce^1!^^;.tP*'*!* tonight (6) 
^<^RB fS?^w; Among future 

■Mary l&iOmA \& "m^txii^ySHB" 
E4w^d Kverett Horton to "Sprtag- 



Hayward in Huddles 

On Anderson Drama 

Leland Hayward was due back 
from the Coast last night (Tues.) 
by plane to huddle -with members 
of the. Playwrights.'* Co. on the 
question of his co-ptoducing Max- 
well Anderson's next play, "Anne 
and the Thousand Days." It's a 
drama about Anne Boleyn, with 
Margaret Sullavan and Katharine 
Hepburn being considered for the 
title part and Ralph Richardson a 
possibility for the role of Henry 
VIIL 

Hayward is also busy with prep- 
arations for the road company of 
Mister Roberts," with Richard 
Carlson in the Henry Fonda part, 
and the production of the Richard 
Bodgers-Oscar • Hammerstein, 2d, 
musical version of James Miche- 
ner's "Tales of the South Pacific." 
in which he'll be associated with 
Joshua Logai) and Rpdgers and 
lAammetsfein. 



Philly Orch Gels 4th VA. 
In 2 Years in Gabber Engle 

I Philadelphia, July 6. 

Donald Engle, former Washing- 
ton radio commentator and press- 
agent, has been signed as program 
annotator and publicity director 
for the Philadelphia Orchestra, 

Engle will take over in the fall, 
orchestra laying off during the 
summer stretch. Newcomer is the 
fourth pressagent the Philly orch 
has had in less than two years. 
Otljers were Jeri-y Gaghan, Ralph 
McCombs and Fred Fielding. ' 

Boston Pops Wmds Up 
63d Season WifbatSG 
Record for 55 Nii^ts 

Boston, July 6. 

Roston Pops season of the Bos- 
ton Symphony Orchestra wound 
up its 63d season this week with 
the alMime record gross of $315,- 
000 for n 55-night session. 

Orchestra of 90 men, conducted 
by Arthur Fiedler, filled Symphony 
Hall every night of the session with 
virtually no seats unsold through- 
out. Tuesday night shows were 
broadcast, sponsored locally by the 
Hub's Old Colony Trust over WBZ. 
Parent organization. First National 
Bank of Boston, airs Fiedler and 
60 symphony men Sunday after- 
noons throughout the fall and 
winter season. 

Tliis week the orchestra, reduced 
to about 70 men, moves into the 
Esplanade for a 21-night session 
free to the- public. It operates on a 
$30,000 budget for the outdoor con- 
certs with donations figured to top 
the budget. Last season donations 
came within $100 of the budget, 
250,000 people attending. Sidemen 
operate on special contracts for 
each symphony series, making dif- 
ferent takes on regular symphony 
concerts. Pops, Esplanade, Tangle- 
wood, radio and records. Only 
real layoff' for Hub symphony side- 
men comes in September, other 11 
months finding' them thumping on 
a virtual daily basis. 



My s Rdlnn Hood Dell in Doldrums; 
WatUBuaker Store Concert Threat 



Tacoma Symph to Carry 
; On Despite Seattle Secesh 

j Tacoma, July 6. 

I Tacoma Philharmonic Symphony 
Orchestra plans a full season of 
four subscription concerts; a series 
of children's concerts, and its usual 
appearances in Olympia next sea- 
son, according to Fred T. Haley, 
president. Eugene Linden has 
been engaged - as permanent 0<m- 
ductor. 

Last year Tacoma, with Olympia, 
was part of the tri-city merger 
that created the Pacific Northwest 
Symphony Orchestra, from which 
the Seattle Symphony withdrew 
last week. "Tacoma board is ex- 
ceedingly regretful to see the 
Pacific Northwest Orchestra's 
promising future threatened by the 
Seattle action," Haley said, adding 
that Tacoma would carry- on as it 
had in''the past. 



INHRSTATEJNDEL 
WnH THEATRE GIHLD 

Dallas, July 6. 

After almost 30 years of hit and 
miss legit theatre bookings, Dallas 
will return next season to the ma- 
jor roadshow routes. 

The Interstate circuit has com- 
pleted arrangements with the The- 
atre Guild to add Dallas, Fort 
Worth, Houston, San Antonio and 
possibly Austin and El Paso, to the 
Guild-subscription itinerai-y that 
embraces 25 cities from Boston to 
Seattle, but until now no city far^ 
ther south than St. Louis. 

Four shows are announced for 
next season. They are "Carousel," 
"Allegro," "Command Decision" 
with Paul Kelly, and "The Play's 
the Tiling," the last with Louis 
Calhem and Faye Emerson. The 
theatre will either be the Majestic 
or Melba. 

Interstate will not limit its lesit 
bookings to Guild-subscription 
shows. "Oklahoma!" Maurice 
Evans in "Man and Superman," 
and Bert Lahr in "Burlesque" are 
also on the tentative list for next 
season. " 



Current Road Shows 

(July 5-17) 
"Annie Get Your Gun"— Shu- 
bert, Chi. (5-17). 

"Blackouts of 1948"— El Capitan, 
L. A. (5-17). 

'•Carousel" — Int., Vancouver (5- 
10); Mayfah-, Port. (12-17). 

"For Love or Money" — Selwyn, 
Chi. (5-17). 
•IBarvey''— Nafl, Wash. (5-10). 
"High Button Shoes"— Gt. Noith- 
emr Chi. (5-17). 

"John Loves Mary"— Harris, Chi, 
(5-17). 

"Oklaboma!:^— Opera Hse., Bost. 
(5-10); Nat'l., Wash. (ia-17f. 

"Oklahoma!"— Aud., San Diego 
(5-10); Aud., Sacramento (12-17). 

Lives"— Biltfldore, L. A. 

(5-17). 

"Sweethearts" — Philharmonic, 
L. A. (5-10). 

(l^jWtaslow Boy»— Geary, Frisco 



Ann Sothem, Sister 

Pr«p Legit Musical 

Hollywood; July 6. 

Book and music for a<stage musi- 
cal, "Sky Blue Pmk," have been 
completed by Ann Sothem and her 
sister, Bonnie Lake, who compo.sed 
"Young Slan With the Honi" and 
"July and I." 

Production will b6 supervised 
here by Miss Lake but film commit- 
ments will prevent her Sister from 
starring in the piece. 



."Jason," current at Maiden 
Bridge (N. Y.) |>iayhouse, with 
William' Sturgess as the lead. Yale 
Wexler, formerly of the Pitts- 
burgh Playhouse, and Phyllis Love 
are two other newcomers- in the 
cast... East Durham (N. Y.) play- 
house, 30 miles south of Albany, is 
presenting "It's a Wise Child," 
Wednesday through Suniday, with 
a Friday matinee, this week. New 
strawhatter is^managed by Thomas 
B, Eldershaw and Jack Wasser- 
man... Dorothy Peterson starred 
this week in "All My Sons" at the 
Woodstock (N. Y.) Playhouse. 



French National Orch 
Is Set for 42 ILS. Dates 
This Fall Under Muench 

The French National Orchestra, 
with Charles Muench as conductor, 
is set for 42 dates in the U. S. this 
fail, in tlie first visit of a European 
orchestra to America in about 25 
years. Orch, whose proper name is 
L'Orchestre National de la Radio- 
diffusion Francaise, is equivalent 
to the NBC Symphony Orchestra 
here, as chief orch of the state- 
owned French radio; 

Tour will be sponsored by the 
French government, which is pay- 
ing passage shore-to-shore for the 
97 players. Jack Adams and Co. 
is managing the tour here, which 
opens Oct. 14 in Bridgeport and 
closes in N. Y. Dec. 5 with a ten- 
tative network date. Regular Car- 
negie Hall, N. Y., concert is set 
for Oct. 17. 'Most dates are pacted 
at $4,000 each, With three or four 
on percentage. Muench is under 
Arthur 'Judson's management, but 
got special okay for this tour. He 
is to become regular conductor of 
the Boston Symphony Orchestra 
for the '49-'50 season. 



Philadelphia, July 6. 
Combination of rain, Republican 
Convention and general slump 
have found Robin H^od Dell, out- 
door concert attracytion, running 
far behind former years in attend- 
ances. 

Despite the presence of names 
like Hazel Scott, Amparo Iturbi, 
Alec Templcton and John Charles 
Thomas, the highest number of ad- 
missions announced has been 4,<> 
500. 'These are the management'! 
figures. Music critics and outside 
observers, uniformly lop off 25% 
and more in their private estimates. 

Even granting the management's 
estimates, attendance is away off 
in comparison to the 8,000 to 15,- 
000 crowds the Dell used to draw 
on star nights in previous years. 
The GOP meant little or nothing, 
although the presence of Dmitri 
Mitropoulos and what is virtually 
the full personnel of the Philadel- 
phia Orchestra was thought to be 
big drawing cards. 

Proof that Philadelphians aren't 
deaf to the lure of good music was 
evidenced during the week of the 
convention, when an estimated 
crowd of 28,000 thronged the grand 
court of Wanamaker's department 
store to hear a program featuring 
Jan Peerce, Robert Merrill and Vir- 
ginia MacWatters, 

Emergence of the Wanamaker 
store as a buyer of costly talent is 
one of the phenomena of the local 
musical scene. Store has booked 
the Phil Spitalny all-girl orchestra 
for the week of the Democratic 
convention, which should bring 
another whopping tmnout of shop- 
pers and music lovers. 

Dell officials frankly frown on 
the Wanamaker threat, and consid- 
er it the added straw on their pack 
of troubles. Spitalny, for insttuiCe, 
was wanted by the Dell, but balked 
at the rain clause in the contract. 

Crowds of 62,000 and 72,000, re- 
spectively, for the Philadelphia. In- 
quirer'^s music festival, and the 
Daily News sponsored Mummers 
parade didn't help the Dell niuch> 
either. 



REALILUE^S ILLNESS 
CANCELS HOLIDAYMA/ 

Both performances of "Inside 
U.S.A.," Broadway's top grosser, 
■were caUed off at the Century 
Monday (5) because of the Illness 
of Beatrice LilUe, co-starred with 
Ja<* Haley in Arthur Schwartz- 
Howard Dietz revue. Afternoon 
performance was to have been the 
matinee usually played at midweek 
but switched because the Fom-th 
of July was celebrated on Monday. 
Miss Lillie was slated to appear 
Tuesday evening (6). 

Most of the patrons for the 
skipped matinee and night ex- 
changed tickets for subsequent 
performances. At night the Century 
boxoffice made refunds or ex- 
changes, also offering to exchange 
'U.S.A;" for tickets to musicals in 
other Shubert theatres such as 

"B'^}^ fj?*^*"" (Shubert), 
Make Mme Manhattan" (Broad- 
hm-st) and "Look Ma I'm Dancin' " 
(Adelphi). What with hot, sunny 
weather and the weekend holiday 
exodus, tickets could be had for 
virtually all 21 shows on the list 
Thunderstorms Monday came late 
n the evening, not affecting attend- 
ance one way or another. 

Littler's BVay 0,0. 

Emile Littler, London showman 
IS clippering mto N. Y. to see 
Broadway shows, being particularly 
interested in the past season's 
musical productions. He's due to- 
-day (Wed.) 

His most successful American im- 
port is "Annie Get Your Gun," now 
hi its 57th week at the Coliseum. 
London. 



Barry Sullivan wUl play the 
niale lead m S. N. Behrman's 
comedy, "The Second Man," next 
week at the Westchester playhouse 
here. Others in the cast oFfow 
will be Marto Hodge, Mildred 
Dunaock ntd Brooks West. 



GALLO MAKING BID 
FOR CHI AUDITORIUM 

Chicago, July 6. 

Fortune Gallo is making a bid to 
take over the old Auditorium thea- 
tre, dormant for the last decade, 
and use it for showcasing the San 
Carlo and other musical attractions. 
Cook County, 111., board of super- 
visors last week approved a tax 
settlement of $277,698, for back 
taxes amounting to $1,300,000, by 
the Roosevelt College, owner of the 
building. 

It is estimated that it would take 
about $500,000 to put the theatre in 
shape, including air conditioning. 
Costs of remodeling would be 
borne by the tenant. Shuberts and 
syndicate headed by Ralph Ketter- 
ing are also interested in talung 
the property "over. 

Award Set Adde 



Recent arbitration award;againsl; 
tenor Eugene Conley in favor of 
the San Carlo Opera. Co. was set 
aside by Judge Ferdinand Pecora 
in N. Y. supreme court last Thurs- 
day (1), Judge upheld Conley at- 
torney's claim that two of the 
arbitrators weren't impartial, and 
directed that proceedings be iteld 
before new arbitrators. Judge 
made his decision after putting a 
referee on the matter and study- 
ing his findings. - 

Fortune Gallo, San Carlo head, 
had claimed he advanced Conley 
$1,500 before latter went into the 
Army, for the tenor's postwar ser- 
vices, and that the latter renegedi 
singing elsewhere. San Carlo was 
awarded $5,000 contract damages 
in addition to the $1,500 advance, 
in the arbitration now upset by 
Judge Pecora. Ghis & Massler rep- 
resented Conley; Max Shongold, 
Gallo. 



Milfaaud Teaching 

In Europe since last "^October, 
composer Darius Milhaud returned 
to New York la-st week aboard the 
JVtauretania to teach at the Berk- 
shire Music Festival at Tangle- 
wood, near Lenox, Mass. 

While abroad he said he had 
written a symphony for the French 
government to coincide with the 
centennial celebration of the 1848 
revolution. 



Wednesday, July 7, 1943 



IJI«S1TI]I«ATB 



48 



Chi B.O. Varies; 'Annie' Advance Light; '*!«' ^- 
'Shoes'micmeylflaiary'lSG^'^""'"''""'"'" 



Chicago, July 6. +■ 
Puzzler here was the light ad- 1 . 
^jince on "Annie Get Your Gun" ' ' 
which opened yesterday (5). Only 
one legiter took a pre-holiday 
slump, "John Loves Mary," but 
still had a good week. "For Love 
or Money" picked up and might 
catch a summer run. "High But- 
ton Shoes" is still sold out. 

"Allegro" is waiting to come in, p„tu ^,^5 v "-.■r-. 

but no Iheiitre is available, with . ^^d i^g^^^'^^hu^er of tho^^ 
Studebaker and Erlanger stiU. be- . ^"eV Ik fi^^^^^^^ "i^^'e" 
&g remodeled. vicinity „f jjjao.OOO, due to yester 

rlnv'c t'^\ 



'HARVEY' $16,000 IN 
TTHWAmTONWK. 

Washington, July 6: 
"Harvey," setting up a longevity 
record at the' National, racked up 
$16,000 at the boxoffice for its sev- 



Denver, Jtily 6. 
' Annie Get Your Gun" did more 
m five shows than "Holiday on Ice'* 
did in 10, and with half the seating 
capacity per show. 

"Holiday" did a pooir $30,000 
with 5,800 seats, with a $2.50 top; 
Annie" did a fine $32,000 With 
2.900 seats, with a $4.20 top. Both 
were brought in by Arthur Ober- 
felder. 



Estimates for Last Week 
"Annie Get Your Gan," Shubert 
(2,100; $4.94). Returnee opened 
yesterday (5) with weak house. 

'Tor Love or Money," Selwyn 
(2nd wk) (1,000; $3.71). Did a litUe 
|)etter this week, with nearly $10,- 
000. 

••meb Button Shoes," Great 
Northern (7th wk) (1,500; $6.18). 
Keeps up on the top rung with 
$38,000. 

"John Loves Mary." Harris (21st 
wk) (1,000; $3.71). supped some- 
what this stanza, but Still an all 
right $15,000. 



day's (5) special holiday matinee. 

"Oklahoma!" is due back next 
Monday for a three^week gallop 
! which will carry up through July 
31 and the windup of the National 
as a legiter. 



Play out of Town 



Big Faiteeut 

; Conttitued from page 41 



week, or more than 50% of the 
total number on the list. 

Indications are that there will 
be an unusually low number of cur- 
rent shows that are reasonably sure 
of holding over into the new sea* 
son, and Broadway ' must depend 
mostSy on the 1948-49 crop of pro- 
ductions to keep its showshops 
lighted. There are plenty of new 
shows listed for the new season, 
but the threat of income, tax ruling 
on limited partnerships iigures to 
keep down the number of new 
shows, unless the situation is clari- 
fied, within a reasonable time, for 
pToductiv||ty is dependent: upon 
outside backing to a greater extent 
than is generally understood. 

Straight plays certain to hold 
over into the new season are 
"Streetcar Named Desire" (Barry- 
more) and "Mister Roberts" (Al- 
vin). Some of last season's dramas 
that clicked are still on the boards, 
but are routed for the road after 
summer, such shows including 
"Command Decision," "The Heir- 
ess," "Bom Yesterday," "The Re- 
spectful Prostitute," "Me and 
Molly," "Strange Bedfellows" and 
"Joy to the World." "Harvey" is 
npt definite, although "The Play's 
the Thing,'' which goes to Central 
City, Colo., for three weeks at the 
end of July, is, due to resume. 

Next Season 

Bookings for the fall arc mount- 
ing despite uncertain conditions 
and the coming presidential cam- 
paign. Most of Broadway houses 
suitable for musicals are booked, 
there being four cuwent song-and- 
dance shows being slated to hold 
over well into the faU season: "In- 
side U. S. A." (Century), "High 
Button Shoes" (SHlibert), "Annie 
Get Your Gun" (Imperial) and 
"Make Mine Manhattan" (Broad- 
hurst, whieb may get a new at- 
traction). 

"Magdalena," being readied on 
the Coast, Is cardM for the Ma- 
jestic; "My Romance" is due into 
the St. James; "Love Life" is slav- 
ed for the 46th Street; "Ziegfeld 
Follies" will probably bring back 
the Winter Garden to legit. Other 
musicals planned include "Heaven 
on Earth," "ICiss Me, Kate," "The 
Happiest Days," musical version of 
"Charley's Au-t," "Fifth Avenue," 
"Small Wonf ," "That's the Tick- 
et," "Forty- ve Minutes From 
Broadway" a J "Tales of the South 
Pacific," wh A Isn't due until late 
fall or wint 



Ex 9f the King 

Hollywood, Cal., June 30. 

Tloveesho* Theatre production of f.ircc in 
three' acta (4 scones^ by Howard Chaldceott. 
StnKOd by Opal Euani; uettluBB Iiy Khi-rmiin 
Luuder and Ualo- Gabbtird. Opciied &t 
liorsoiiboe Ttaoatrc, North ilollywood, Cul.. 
June S», '48; $1.*) top. 
i;het Bebtoii, ;...;.Tattn Hampton 
'Wally Macon, Steve AtexttUOer 

f^iiciUe Cooke. ,. V. . , .■. ChnrJotte Kiiy 

' 'fra^jlfcr' ' Dejaney . Hudy I'laskoll 

Nick , .Ralph GuRtafSfjii 

.Saily Squires.......;, Anne Sterling 

WllllainB...,. ............ .....C. H. Motter 

Klalne lalfin.:. , Donya Dean 

Ajs Intruder t Oale GaV>bard 

Another Intruder , . .Patrick Wltyte 

Grady i^rs CbrlRtlanKen 



With kings, ex-kings and would- 
be kings popping up in the news 
with monotonous regularity, this 
new script is at least topical. It is, 
however, far from being the zany 
farce it's supposed to be. 

.There axe one- or two laughs in 
the second aet, but for the most 
part the script is bogged down by 
dull, though pleasant, dialog. It's 
the old, story of a regal impersona- 
tion, the idea being to get thel 
phoney king married off to atitled- 
husband'^cquiring film . star and I 
then collect alimony. | 

It might serve as the basis for a i ury Department, is $25D;000 for a 
^mildly amusing film Programmer I ^^.y^^j. ,^^3^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^j. 



'Sweetbarts' $42,500, 
'Winslow Boy' $19,000, 
'Blackouts' $17,'000, LA 

Los Angeles, July 6. 
Summer season officially got 
under way last night (5) wlien 
Gene Mann opened liis Greek tlie- 
atre in Griffith Park for the third 
season of operettas under the 
stars. Opener, "The Merry Widow," 
faces stiff opposition especially 
since TalUilah Banfchead in "Pri- 
vate Lives" rekindled the Bllt- 
more last night for a three-week 
stand..-'\' 

Business has been slowly getting 
better all over town and indica- 
tions are that the summer season 
should be highly profitable. 
Bstimates for Last Week 

"Blackouts of imi," El Capitan 
(315th wk) (1,142; $2.40). Okay 
$17,000. . 

'TLcnd an Ear," Las Palmas (3d 
wk) (388; $3.60). The town's smash; 
SRO $6,300. 

"Separate Booms^" New Beaiix 
Arts (7th wk) (560; $3), Climbing; 
nice $5,300. 

"Sweethearts," Philharmonic Aud 
(2d wk) (2.670; $4.20). SUpped 
slightly to $42,500. 

"The Winslow Boy," Biltmore 
(2d wk) (1,636; ^.60). Second 
frame up to $19,000, to give it a 
$36,500 total for tbe stand. 



2 Bids Wei^d 

Si ConOnued fco'm pagt U s 



Hofiday& Weather BlopB'wayB.0.; 
'Ice' ^ in 9, in First Full Week; 
'Look Ma,"Br^' Foldmg, 'Joy' Ended 



but it has nothing to offer the legit 
field. 

Staging by OpalEuard isn't rapid 
enou^ produce a farce-flavor 
even in the one or two spots where 
script sparkles best, and the cast 



al of $100 monthly until renova- 
tions are complete. Then the re- 
mainder would be pro-rated among 
all the remaining months of the 
lease. Mindful of the .Government's 



just about manages to be credible. ; stipulation that any lease should be 

"■"P' i subject to a 'one-year cancellation 



notice, this Curtis bid calls for a 
reimbursement of the "unamor- 1 abruptly 



Woaders N«vev Cease 

London, June 30. 

Minster Productions (Molly May-Anlhony 
Parker) prflsentation of comedy in thrT'c 
ads by Martyn Coleman, niwcted by Jack 
Minster. At Comedy, liOndon, June 29, '48. 

Mr. JUadd. Martin Bradley 

fJarti Tiiacker Saliy Cooper 

lunt Cora ..Ambrosine PMIlpotts 

Granny ..Francis WnrinB 

Kitty Thacker. .Moyna Afacgill 

Mr. Batoabbilouk wniiam Mervyn 

DwiKht llowland , . .rhristophor Quest 

ifrSi Harris. 4 . ; .......... .CohBtanoe Lome 



tized portion" of modernization 
costs in the event the Government 
yanks back the building. 

ANTA bid $120,000 for a 10- 
year lease, to be paid at the rate 
of $1,000 monthly. In addition, 
after the cost of renovations are 
completed, ANTA would cut the 
Government in for 50% of net 
profits. The ANTA proposal also 



It was inevitable that Broadway's 
biz would dive the week before the 
Fourth of July. And with weather 
ideal Friday and Saturday (2-3) it 
was estimated that one'-third of 
New York's population decamped 
to country or beach resorts over 
the long weekend, so any chance 
to recoup from the slump of the 
earlier days last week vanished. 
Majority of attractions switched 
midweek matinees to Monday (5) 
when the holiday was celebrated; 
figuring on patronage from out-of- 
towners, but business was off with 
weather hot and sunny. Improve- 
ment is expected later In the: month 
from the seasonal influx of , vaca- 
tioners." 

Grosses went oft from $2,500 UP'^ 
ward for straight plays ("Mr. Rob- 
erts" and "Streetcar" excepted), up 
to around $11,000 for musicals, 
and there was a flood of two for 
ones, including Saturday. "Howdy, 
Mr. Ice," the new ice revue, scored 
with takings around $46,000. "Look 
Ma I'm Dancin'" closes Sat. (10) 
and half a dozen shows posted 
folding .notices. "Joy to the 
World" quit last Sat. (3). 

Estimates for Last Week 

Kev$: C (Comedy), D (Drotno), 
CD (Com««t»-DroTOa), R (Retiue), 
11 (iMusical), O (Operetta), 

"Allegro," Majestic (38th wk) 
(M-1,695; $6). Down over $10,000 
for takings approximating $18,500, 
for lowest take since openinig; same 
goes for most others; ticket sale 
extends to Sept. 4, but provisional 
notice up. 

"Ansel in the Wings,'* Coronet 
(30tb wk) <R-998; $4;80>. Bargain 
tickets were in evidence at many 
boxoffices, this one included; gross 
down to under $10,000. 

"Annie Get' Your Gun," Imperial 
(112th wk) (M-1,472; $6.60). Some 
long runners were affected propor- 
tionately as much as any others; 
slump sent gross here down around 
$31,000. Mary Jane Walsh batting 
for Ethel Merman, who's on vaca- 
tion. 

"Ballet Ballads," Music Box (7th 
wk) (M-977; $4.80). Oif further and 
operated deeply in red when the 
count was around $7,500; continu- 
ance doubtful. 

"Bom Yesterday," Lyceum (126th 
wk) (C-993; $4.80). Long a favorite 
laugh show but..no escape from the 
trend when new low was noted- last 
;weck; approximately $9,000. 

"BrieJdoon," Ziegfeld (69th wk) 
(M-1,628; $4.80). Slid downward 
and takings estimated 



around $18,500. Won't attempt to 
play through summer; closes down 
July 31. 

"Command Decision," Fulton 
(29th wk) (D-968; $4.80). Has made 
goodly run and likely to play 
through summer, but takings down 
with the field; $13,000 hidicated. 

"Finian's Rainbow," 46th Street 
(77th wk) (M-1,319; $6). Another 
run musical that was considerably 



ary basis as are some others; 
slipped to around $7,500 last week. 

"Mister Roberts," Alvin (20th 
wk) (CD-1,357; $4.80), Sock straight 
play sold out last week, witb 
standees, but tickets were avail- 
able in agencies; $34,500. 

"Strange BedfeUovra," Morosco 
(25th wk) (C-935; $4.80). Two-for- 
ones have been something of a 
lifesaver for some shows. Last 
week's takings, however, dropped 
further; .$7,000 Indicated. 

"Streetcar Named Desire," Bar- 
ryniore (31st wk) (D-1,064; $4.80). 
Always, capacity. Only a few less 
standees, but the gross is again 
around $27,500, great figure for 
drama. 

"The Heiress," Biltmore (40th 
wk) (D-920; $4.20). One of the past 
season's earliest clicks has been 
doing okay, but off around $3,000 
for an approximate $12,000. 

"The Bespeotful ProstHnte," and 
"The Happy Journey," Coi-t (16th 
wk) (C-1,064; $4:20). SUppcd as 
much as .others but management is 
hopeful of spanning summer. Esti- 
mated getting, around $7,500 last 
week. , 

REVIVALS 

"The Play's the Thbw," Booth 
(10th wk) (CD-712«i,$4.«0). Slated to 
continue here until , end of month 
then goes to Central City for three 
weeks with, Broadway resumptioq 
planned; around $8,000. 

NEKGHBOBHOOn . 

"Life Wltfa Falfeeri" Windsor. 
Bronx. 

'•Ann* lioeiista," FlatbMSli, 
Brooklyn. 



mK'lffrS49e,ST.LO0; 

St. Louis, July 6. 

A cloudburst following inter- 
mittent rains all day washed out 
the opening of the seventolght 
stand of "The Three Muslteteers" 
at the Municipal Theatre Assn.'j| 
alfresco playhouse in Forest Twtk 
last night (Mon.). 

"Hit the Deck" wound up its 
one-week stand Sunday with a neat 
record. A total of 70,000 payees 
laid an estimated '$49,000 on the 
li&e, . ■ ■ ■ 



German A£toi* i^ 

IHscator Workshop 

. A German character actor, vet*: 
eran of 20 years oil the BetUn Stage 
and in various A>!relgn-lattguage 
films, Erwin .Hiller arrived In Mfew 
York last week to join Irwin Pis- 
cator's staff at the dramatic work- - 
shop of the New Scftotrt for Social 
Rei^rch and seek a career on 
Bidadway, He xei^^ed as dieec» 
toCrint^etor at the Antetli^ Mt- 
tle Theatre, where the tJ. S. Amy 
puts on its own plays in Berlin, to 
cprae to this country. 
Hiller (he dropped the formal 

^ ,,„-i„u. „, „„o „u HjUer) in Cologne, from 1930 

imaginative, but hardly iTkely to | xhe""Govemment 'is holdW' the | buTsligStly 7n compSW'^^^ 



contains a gimmick calling for re- under the previous Week's takings, 
imbursement of "expenditures not Hated under $22^060. . 
yet recouped," if the lease should , '^"'H'L.*^*? J^^^^^ 
be cancelled (C-902; $4.20). Longest run com- 

. »,r.,. i.' ^ J 1.1. , i.u i , edy on list was smacked along with 
ANIA estimated that the cost of .^^st others and last week's count 
. .doing over the old theatre, now estimated around $8,000. 

Type of comedy known locally {nothing but a hollow shell, might! "Higli Button Slioes," Shubert 
as "whirasy-whamsy" is gay and j go as high as $380,000 to $400,000. j (29th wk) (M-1,387; $6). Was off 



make much impression. Kven | gelasco and the property next to 
Moyna Macgill's eharm fails to ^^^^ ^ future Treasury De- 
bring this story to level of adult pg^njent annex. Cancellation of 
entertainment, though her return j^^^.^ ^^jjj ^^jy ^on- 
to London after 20 years was m the ^^^^^^^ ^j^^ ^^^^ 
nature of an event. _ ^ ^ ; with tlip annpx 
Scene is a glorified junkshop m , with tne annex. 

Bristol, run by a feather-brained; 

widow who is in financial straits. 
She brings home a suitcase she has 
bought. Sole content is an antique 
ornamental bottle, from wliich a 
grnii emerges with the power to 
grant the traditional i^i'ishes in re- 
turn for his release. 
The genial djmn takes a 



'Ballads' Gets 

- Coiatlnned from pige 41 s 



more but agreed to slice their pay. 
fancy i Management still has around 
to Yhe widow, "buTf aderout after j ,¥8,000 as a sort of ace in the hole, 

abortive efforts to use one of the y,at money being on deposit to 

Early aU-umn, too, should see wishes to make him Jiuman. Then ] gyapgntee actors and crew sala- 



in secret at. a small basement play- 
house known as Stage X.- The 



going and estimated around 

500, keeping it up with leaders. . . . . 

Joan Roberts replaced Nanette Project never was discovered, he 
Fabray. { says, and he continued ' to act in 

"Htowdy, Mr; Ice," Center (2d , Germany under the names of Ott- 
wk) (R-2,994; $2.88). First full week ! win Babe and Harry Foerster, un- 
after excellent press, takings were i til 1944, when he was arrested and 
quoted around $46,000 in nine per- j sent to a concentration camp. Later 
forraances. Should be higher this transferred to a state prison, he 
week with extra holiday shows. was released when the Nazis were 

"Inside U. S. A.," Century (9th I defeated 
wk) (R-1,670; $6). Eased down | 



Bravo," Lyceum; "Edward My | a claimant for the grip appeare and 
■• - - - - ■ ■■ ' turns out to be the epliemeral 



on," B,eck;.-.'.'Life With Mother," 
Empire," "Town House," "Summer 
and Smoke," "Sundown Beach," 

Light Up the Sky," "Time for 
Elizabeth" and "The Leading 
I^dy," all of which are straight 
Ulays, plus "Hold It," musical list- 
ed to relight. 



'Carousel' 45G, Seattle 

- Seattle, July 6. 
With "Carousel" as the vehicle, 
«git did a swell comeback with 
seemingly little effort, in spite of 
heat (weather) and strike (Boe- 
lag's). 

With $4.25 top, the 10-day en- 
fageraent hit a big $45,000 in the 
iiooo-seatet Metropolitan. 



"slave"' in the flesh. So after all 
the widow gets her man 



Production of "Ballads" was put 
on by Nat Karson, designer aiid 
stager, who has a complicated con- 



All this is amusingly told by a ; stag , j^a^^eton and Stern, 
goodly octet of ^^nt^ste^har^^^^ ,^ ^^^^^j^^^ ^nd 

^P'^";H^"l'^S??mie K.?n this i has Scled his attorney to start 
her f^t West End np%aran?e,'but suit, claiming that his professional 
looks attractive^ and promising. sUtus was dented through mana- 
Cbrosine PWllpotts, as a tough gerial errors. Stem is a Chicagoan 
ouiz stanf radio, is excellent in a scion of the wealthy Rosenwald 
domineering, forthright fashion, j family. He assisted Karson in 
William Mervyn is a matter-of-fact , readying another experuncntal 
slave of the bottle in modem dress | ^jj^^^ 

and plays the part as though he q^^^ gj^jv^ that showed box- 
believes in it. C**"^' office strength was "Skipper Next 

— — ^~ — T" i A- to God," which drew on the 

Bard CoUege Playhouse, at An- , gjj.g„„th of John Garfield's appear- 
riandale-<*-Hudson, „^%Pi„ j nnce That engagement stopped 



somewhat at both matinees for the 
first time. Week's .gross rated 
off to $44,000; both Menday (S) 
performances were cancelled be- 
cause Bea Liliic was ill. 

"Joy to the World," Plymouth. 
Attendance dropped so much last 
week that management decided to 
end engagement; played 16 weel;s; 
$7,500 indicated. 

"Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'," Adci- 
phi (R-1,434; .$4.80). Final and 
23rd week; slide in business sent 
count down under $15,000 and 
management ordered closing; was 
slated through summer. 

"Make Mine Manhattan," Broad- 
hurst I25th wk) (R-1,160; $6). Was 
one of the musical leaders, but was 
caught in the pre-holiday slump. 
Takings estimated around $24,000, 
over $8,000 under previous week's 
pace. 

over $8,000 under previous week's 
pace. 

"Me and Molly," Belasco (19lh 
wk) f-1,077; $4.80). May not last 
much longer, players on cut sal- 



The actor's brother, Edgar 
Hiller, a tenor Imown profession- 
ally as Frank Linden, lias been ac- 
tive in concert and opera in Switz- 
erland the last few years, but plans 
to come to the U. S, soon. 



Boston, July 6. 
Long weekend and stretch of 
I good vactiott weather caused f all-^ 
I ing off at b.o. of "Oklahoma!" 

Last week's biz off from previous 
I weeks to light $20,000. Show 
ctoes this week. 



♦Lives' 19G, Frisc* 

San Francisco, July 6. 

Tallulah Bankhead, in "Private 
Lives," at the Curran, chalked up 
a strong $19,000 for her f ourtb 
week at the Curran last weefc 

"The Winslow Boy" reopened 
the Geary Monday (5>. 



44 



UBCillllMATK 



P^RIETf 



Wednesday, July 7, 1948 



By Jack Shor 

Memo to, ' 
Bob Wcitmon, 
Paramount Theatre, 
Times Square,; Now Y^rk 

Sorry you couldn't be here 
for weekend, but thought 
you'd like to know what hap- 
pened. 

July Fourth, weekend- was 
socko, but the rule-book had 
to be turned inside out to: make 
it so . * .' First show biz' edict 
says you can't follow the -big 
guys^but what do you do when . 
the weekend opens with a visit 
by Eddie C«uitor? ! ; . That was 
the kickoffi ]Priday as the than 
with the great big heart flew 
into Grossinger Airport on the 
.eve of hts sailing to Europe, 
and on behaU ' of 'Hadassah% 
Youth AUyah, brought Met 
baritone Bob Merrill and NBC 
starlet Elaine Malbin to parlay , 
a story-book hour of gongs and 
fun into a $30,000 pitch which 
means that SO children will 
I'each their haven in Palestine. 

Weekend rolled into high gear 
Saturday as capacity guest- 
rostei* took time off from golf- 
ing, swimming, sunning, riding, 
frolicking, to watch Billy Tal- 
bert best Frank iMiields in two- 
of;three fast tennis sets . 
Hblidays stiows, booked by 
Mort Curtis, started off with 
Lenny Kent getting top jyocks 
in Saturday show, with , heavy 
support from Beatrice ' Kraft 
dancers, Timmy . Rogers, and 
bdritone Charles Fredericks . . 
Pleasant :^ui:prise. came when 
Special Events Director Bob- 
Towers, introduced guesting Au- 
brey Eban, UN Delegate from 
new State of Israel, who drew 
thunderous applause as he as- 
sured listeners that his country 
would win out in spite of all 
problems . . . Following last 
week's visit of entire Habimah 
company in "Dybbuk," and cur- 
rent high interest .in Palestine, 
this was greatest historical nio- 
ment at Grossinger's since 
Chaim Weizmann's visit several 
years ago. 

Sunday, saw amateur; Unk^ 
champ , Willie- yTurnesa,' . with 
nephew llichard, in exhibition 
against Joe Turnesa and Paul 
Grossinger. Former team won 
out, With Willie firing a sub- 
par I^logue to golf duel, 
though, was Air Show by Gros- 
singer Airport planes led by 
Vern Wright, wartime personal 
pilot for Averell Harriman, cli- 
maxed by 4,000-foot double par- 
achute jump by Gabby Garbet 
... , Al Bemie, Mack Triplets, 
Three Swifta and Mayo Broth- 
ers combined for showtime 
kudos, with climax speech by 
Jennie Grossinger, on behalf of 
guests, wishing . success to 
Major Eban and expressing 
hope that the new state would 
have happy Independence Days 
real soon, even as we . . . Jen- 
nie was brought on by Barney 
Boss, who led spirited singing 
of "Star-Spangled Banner" and 
"Hatikvah." 

Meanwhile, dancing sparked 
by music of Freddie Calo, Ed 
die Ashman and Mai Malkin 
bands •— with Portugal's top 
composer, Frederico Valerie 
and brother Joao playing their 
tunes . . . Doc Marcus added 
to general hilarity ... High- 
lights at Grossinger Airport in- 
cluded Research Institute'.<i Leo 
Cherne bringing in family in 
his own plane, . and attorney 
Irving Greenfield flying in from 
Chicago, longest personal plane 
trip to the "G" since airport 
opened.: 

Just before Sunday show 
time, Grossinger golf playing 
pro Babe Didrikson flew in 
after" a mdtch at" Danbury, to 
go on location Monday morn 
with Columbia crew on Gros- 
I 'singer course^— doing three Bill 
Stern sports reels ... Monday'^ 
new arrivals watched a happy 
lome-going crowd, including 
Sroadway Sam Roth, Judge Isi' 
clore Bookstein, Doc Leo 
Michel, "Miami Sun" Sports Ed 
Charley" Johnson, Mae Questrel 
pile into Cars, and planes for 
the homeward trip. 



Strawhat Reviews 



Simdowni lleaeli 

Westport, Conn., July 5. 

J.awi'rjnco I-iiinBiifii', Armlriii aiurshiiU, una 
jIiii f. Wilson present the Ai'toi-s' Ktuaio 
I ii.-iKlii 'lio)) at a now-Dlay by Bes.1i6 BnuQr. 

1.>h'ci'loa by, Klla Kaz«n. Sflenqry ana Ught- 
I Ins bv Mdwatd T. Coopor. At the Coimliy 

I'lrabouao. Weatnorl, Conn., July fi. 
imii;VilC. . 1 . . i. . , ; .... V. . . .KOben !<•. bim"ii 

{'oc'ir. ................... .Kehemluh l'er.soie 

Jlerle. Ira-rtcntlor. . .MttHln; Bnl'sani 

waitress Treva rr.izee 

Vimilla. waitress. . .. ... . . , .Jennifer Ho,w.ir<l 

i.-iMj- -l-ourlst , -KUen Ma.liar 

I ll-len .Vivian Firlio 

!]>„), .. . .Kallilv CliUlnan 



Stevens acts and looks this char- 
acter. Thci-e is a tortured veteran, 
well played by Edward Blnns, 
whose reunion with his wavering 
wife is blitzed by mutual short- 
comings. Don Hanmer is okay as 
an unhibited GI. The veteran 
Ralph CulHnan is lost in a bit, 

Edward Cooper's single setting 
of an untidy Florida cafe is suit- 
able, and there are familiar 
snatches of local color. 

The Actors' Studio is off to a 
good if not spectacular star in 
"Sundown Beach." Donl. 



OHs..,. 

yjnatoi'. . , . . • • . • . i . . . . 

I C.rli 

1 Nnilhie. . . . . ... 

Xbna. . . .. ... . 

Oeovfye Washbuvn. . . . 

Ai'lliui' Bond 

I Ifiinlv; lieutenant.... 

I'illa. waitress. 
I Bqlle, -War- sergeant. 
I -Nancy. Wac corpora' 



Don Hanmer 
. .. i . . » .Joe Sullivan ! 
....... Mlctael Lewin j 

.Joan <'opolanci i 
. . . . . . . . . Anne He,i?lra | 

.Ell ward Blnns ' 
. . .It. Wurren Sicvens 

.Tom Aveva 

...... Lenku Peterson 

Kathleen Magulra 

Kim Hunter 



Tommy Ko Ipli ISobertscn 

Ida Mae Jul'" """'s 

Jluriel Clorls pachni: n 

TlinddouH Long Steven IMU 

Jrilur .Paul Walters. . . .. Julia b- n.i.'.r..:.- 

Keipar I'a CirUtr 

Kirsl Alvforce Pilot. ............ .Alex N cot. 

■Second AU-force Pilot. . . . .'. .Georse IIer*ey 

I nu, Madlne's brother-in-law. . .Lou Gilbert 
J'llot , ........ i . I . . ■ . ' - ■ • ' . .Hnrrln Clay 

j .■VnothBr pilot ,. rrank Perry 



Lawrence Langner's decision to 
insert the first stage production of 
the Actors' Studioj new young 
Bpoadway study group, into a tradi- 
tional summer barnyard schedule, 
is one of the most stimulating 
things that has happened to the 
summer theatre. 
Louis J. Singer has already 



Httiifl In Hand 

Clinton, N. J., .Tuly 4. 

Etldio Rich production oC mu^U-al coineUy 
in two ucts (11 scorita). Ilouii luul lyi'U.-s- bj' 
Leoncird .Gershe; mu.slc. Doan KuUer; siUKOd 
by Gus Schlrmor; spttingSi Jesae Beers; 
(lappca by. Douglas. Cwtlyi: amtnRe- 
montfl by David' Crnlf^f .and pean Fuller; 
cop.t:umc.H by Bavee Gostumo Co. At Clht- 
toti Mustc Hall. June 28-Jnly 8, MS; Sii.-lO 
topi ■ ■ 

■MVsV; Soehanan .FnincOa Carison 

Tho Sons, , . . . .ClitiTiicc Bodlne. PhUlp 

GebliarUt, Or., Bill Verlffan 

Henry Buchanan..... Jolin S. Clubley 

Jitiicey Buchanan^ ... . . . J.o(ninr<l Claret 

Grandma , . . Violet Roache 

Danny. , . . . ..Ray Arnett 

Sally , , , . .Milrjorlf* "Winters 

l*i'ist'llla. . 4 .. . . .Chan RIchfti*Oson 

Tommy. ^ ... . ^.Toni Randall 

G tnffcr ...... . . ; . . i . „ Ginger Khmey 

Sidney. Buchannn. .WlUlam Nioholn 
Bunny Brown ...... , . . * »,^Ijennve Ijoncvnjan 

Mary Brown. . . . . . . i., ; Beverly -Tunis 

Dr. PTai^llin. . ... v-i ^ . .Alan I>ro6ben 

Harley Brawn. ... . . , . . , . . .Stuart Is'fida 

BesHte'0&cnBon)3Urst> , . . . . . , . . .. . . .Hope Z<:e 

Jessica BUchaimn, * . ... ...... . . .Roinolu Bohb 



hside Stnff-Legit 



Kddic Rich, impi'csario at Clin- 
ton Music Hall, braved cohyentioin 
last week by sta^ng: a mtiSical, 
"Hand in ftand," at his strawhat 
boughr"Sundo'wn"Wach,''"Be^^^^ And Rich got away %yith it. 



Breuer's steadily interesting first I Patrons apparently enjoyed it. 
play, for a September production I , The small stage offered some 
in New York, on the basis of a nm- , handicaps, with constant changes 
through shepherded by Ella Kazan , fo*" ^1 two acts. I'wo 

and Cheryl Crawford, who gathered i P^rios prov.ide the music and the 
the members of the Actors' Studio chorus was limited to six, but Oiat 
together last winter. Some of these \ did not detract from the perfoi^- 
fledglings. must have grown «P , fif^^w ^^^^ 

during their first performance here the dialog fresh and the plot not 

tonight <5>, when a storm doused i°°rfS?^f„A*^,A2^fr w «P^L^'! 
the electric power for two acts and '^f^^A^? J'^5™^?;*f/i„*'"U* t^? 
the drama Bad to be unfolded by iP^^nty of fixing if it is ever to get 



Although he lives up in the Connecticut strawhat country, Dick 
Manev is strictly a Broadway show press agent and is distinctly snooty 
about summer stocks, as indicated in a N. Y Times magazine article 
last Sunday (3) He concedes that' around 40 strawhat theatres (he 
mentions but half a dozen) out of around 120 are "operated With in- 
tegrity and high professional competence but the remainder for the 
most part are artistic dodges, begat for gain, conducted along the gen- 
eral formula of an Elks picnic ... the acting ranges from erratic to 
revolting trapped in three-act relics Which can be mounted with 
a minimum expenditure of thought, money and invention, most of the 
actors who appear in the sylvan theatres are there through economic 
despertition The experienced know that in addition to their makeup 
kit and Wardrobe, they should be equipped with traps and fowling 
pieces, against the day they may have to live off the land ... a star 
may draw down as much as $3,000 in the bush, while the rest of the 
cast are living on herbs, roots and wild berries." 

When Equity adopted new summer stock rules, followed by revisions, 
the requirement of $20 pay for the allowed week of reheansals was not 
deleted. It was predicted that the stockmen would equalize the re- 
hearsal pay item by lowering salaries that much for the iirst week of 
performances. Almost every summer stock manager has followed that 
course, including the leading openair operetta operators. Contracts for 
actors with salaries up to $200 and more have clauses whereby the first 
week's pay is set forth in figures approximately $20 under the amount 
due the actors after the initial week.- Regulations formerly called for 
$3 per day subsistance pay during the rehearsal week to playei^ getting 
$75 or less, while the new rule applies to all in the company. 

Maurice Zolotow contributed an article headed "Broadway's Happy 
Hartmans" in the July 2 issue of the Saturday Evening Post, his suIh 
jectS being Paul and Grace Hartman, co-starring with Hank Ladd in 
'*Angel in the Wings" (Coronet, N.Y.). The couple, who have been 
appearing together for .25 years, were "Coast Defenders," a term de- 
scriptive of far western acts who were regulars on the former small- 
time theatre chahi known as the Ackermim & Harris circuit. Comic 
dancers are both from San Francisco, where his father, Ferris- Hait" 
man, put on musicals from 1885 to 1914i buying the rights from Broad- 
way producers. ■■. ■ 

Lambs club is refurbishing its living rooms« which have been in a 
state bordering on disintegration for years, even though members have 
lived there continuously and the house was generally "sold out." Rates 
are modest. It will cost approximately $350 per room for new furni- 
ture, carpets and decoration. Money has been subscribed by well- 
known members to take care of 40 out of the 57 rooms. Around $10 
per member is being solicited to defray the cost of fixing up the bal- 
anee.' Metal plates with the names of each contributor will be. placed , 
on the door of each room. 



candlelight and with the aid df 
flashlights. The storm muted all 
the music cues and naturally chal- 



there, 

The plot involves a love affair 
between a pair of highschool kids 



len"ed the exper encro^^ ^^o, to overcome parental objec- 



1 the players. 



I tion, create something of a scandal 
by registering at a liotel in New 



Miss Breuer (Mrs. Heniy Var- | York. There are some spicy lines'. 



num Poor) has used a familiar de- 
vice effectively to explore the or- j 
deal of d group of Air Force com- 
bat crews restricted to a con- 
■vfllcscem hospital in soutli Florida 
shortly after VE Day. These are 
the war-weary pilots, gunners and 
crew chiefs of the Eighth, Ninth, 
Twelfth, Fifteenth and CBI Air 
Forces, whose return to duty or 
civilian life is delayed when medl-; 
cal processing discloses some form 
of digression from the norm. 

Thanks to the playwright, the ' 
boys have access to a nearby bar 
where, in a series of vignettes, few 
of them closely related to any cen- 
tral powerful dramatic theme. Miss 
Breuer - discloses that personal dis- 
turbances before the war were, in 
most cases, the basis for their col-- 
lapse after combat. And hate more 
than love impels most of her char- 
acterSi Miss Breuer ruefully con- 
cludes. She does not do a repair 
.lob scientifically biit she does hold 
a playgoer's interest with a proces- 
sion of case histories colorfully 
sketched against a background of 
jukebox proportions. 

Although the strain of playing 
against a storm was sufficient, to 
set the initial performance offkey, 
the direction of this fragmentai-y 
drama is not yet up to Kazan's 
penetrating best. There is repeated 
evidence of his special talent but 
there is -a general uncvcnness of, 
playing which quickly identifies 
the willing postulant and the 
trained one. Some - of the new- 
comers have been ordered to fling 
themselves into their lines, thereby 
setting the performance further 
offbeat. And a third-act moment 
of suspense, when a frenzied vet-, 
eran may kill his wife, is dissi- 
pated by the playwright's caution, 
a bow to good judgment, perhaps, 
but not to good theatre. ' 

Standout in the big cast \s Julie 
Harris as a dreary, spindle-legged 
cracker who confronts her ignorant 
husband with a child spawned in 
his years in the CBI. Here Kazan's 
uncanny and relentless appraisal 
of desolation is at an arresting 
height, with Miss Harris skillfully 
completing a characterization that 
also finds the playwright in her 
best form. 

Jennifer Howard is also sure of 
herself as a wholesome barmaid. 
And there is nothing of the study- 
hall in the performance of the ex- 
cellent young actress, Lcnka Peter- 
son, as a yielding waitress. 

But Kim Hunter, best known 
player in the new acting troupe, 
recruited for this We-stport break- 
in from the cast of "A Streetcar 
Named Desire," does not register 
strongly as a WAC who woos a 
diffident pilot whose handicaps rob 
him of his chance to return to the 



but not too shocking. 

Lenore Lonergan has the leading 
role as Bunny Wagner. It is her 
first musical, but she docs well. 
Other headliners are Viola Roache, 
Leonard Claret, Beverly Janis, Ray 
Amett, William Nichols and Alan 
Dreeben. 

There are 20 in the cast, a large 
number for such a small stage as 
the Music Hall's, but Gus Bchirmer 
did a' pretty good job in staging. 
The dances by Douglas Coudy also 
are commendable. Powell. • 



Jack Yorke, general manager for Cheryl Crawford's "Brigadoon" 
(Ziegfeld, N.Y.), has resigned a similar post with Margaret Webster, 
whose Shakespearean troupe will play college and school auditoriums 
next season. Yorke will handle Miss Crawford's new musical, "Love 
Life," due into the 46th Street during autumn, and is also to be g.m. 
of "Sundown Beach," a drama trying out in summer stock. It's al.so 
due on Broadway in the fall. Play will be presented by Studio, Inc., 
headed by Ella Kazan and Robert Lewis, with Louis J. Singer, the 
backer. ■ 



For Better or For Worse 

Lake Hopatcong, N. J., July 2. 

LakefiUle production of comedy in three 
.'lets (4 dcenes) by Richard Stevei*s. Stars 
Bflgar Konnedy, Directed by Rk-harcl 
Stevers; aet do.<f igned 1>y-Handoli>h Gunter. 
Opened at Lakoglde Summer theiitre. Lake 
Hopatcong", N. J.. Juno SO, '48; .?1.«() top. 
Ilrirry Bevlns. ............. .KdKnr Kennedy 



Bob Bcvlna 
J.ine Bevin?]. . . . . . . 

Ann BevinH. ....... 

Merrill Hlng.'jhlne. 

'Louie 

Sam ,., 

Helen 

Jim Haines......'; 

M-ald 

Mi-;3. Hine^shine. . 



.Martin Steiner 
....Colleen IConncdy 
, . .Naney R. Pollack 
... Patrick O'Connor 
...... .KJdle llyani] 

"...Robert Alvln 

. . . . .-:-Hope C'amcron 

......Herbert Kver.-i 

...... Wlennor Bvan.s 

. .I'llaj-ne tlarvej- 



Mr. jrineshlne....... .lohn Adrilr 

Bell Boy........... N'lcky Albert 



Shows whidbi discontinue Broadway engagements in summer and 
then resume are not often able to recapture the boxoflice p«ce when 
relighting, but "The Play's the Thing" will attempt that operation. 
Revival will discontinue on July 28 and will jump by plane to Central 
City, for a three-week engagement, being due back at the Booth Aug. 
23. Molnar comedy fared very well for a time but business has been 
slipping the past three weeks. "Command Decision" was first men- 
tioned for the Central City trick. 



Goldie Stanton Clough resigned from Michael Myerberg's staff 
when she recently married, but the showman called her back to manage 
his Mansfield theatre for the showing there of "The Betrayal," all- 
colored cast film drama. ' 



Without Rhyme or 
Reason 

Saratoga Springs, N. Y., July 6. 

.John Iluntlnston production o£ fi-od Hiuc- 
brand'a musical revue. "Stars Bert "Wheeler: 
features Pat Hao'lnerton,' Lauretto & C!ly- 
mw, George Jason, Nina Varela. Gloria- 
Ware, with Blanche Lytell, Jlnnny Little,, 
Ton! Tucci, George ;^orh: A^ani Carroll at 
the piano, stageu by Hlllebronci; settings 
by i'aul McCJuire. Opened at Spa .summer 
theiiti-e, Saratoga, N, Y.. July 3. MS; S3 
top. 



' That fallguy of frustration and 
past master of the slow burn, Edgar 
Kennedy, has a chance to parade 
His film tricks in this little comedy. 

"For Better or for Worse" tells 
what happens : to the middle-class, 
and painfully commonplace Bevins 
family when grandpop pops oif and 
leaves a modest fortune acquired 
betting en the nags. Mrs. Bevins 
starts running through the money 
in an attempt to crash society and 
marry off her daughter to a sup- 
posed millionaire playboy. Harry 
Bevins (Kennedy) invests $5,000 in 
one of his habitual risky business 
deals. When the playboy's family 
turns out to be broke, thus freeing 
daughter to marry the man of her 
choice, and' at the same time 
Harry's real estate transaction 
miraculously pays off, everything 
works out just about you'd 
expect. 

It's all as broad and familiar as a 
comic strip of the Maggie- Jiggs 
variety. Hard to see it for Broad- 
way or the screen. 

Kennedy gets satisfactory sup- 
port from a company which in- 
cludes his own daughter Colleen in 
the ingenue assignment. Nancy R. 
Pollack, as his l^au, is a good matcli 
for him in their domestic brawls. 
Patrick O'Connor is amusing as the 
prissy playboy. The author has 



directed against an attractive 
Air Force be most love$. Warren enough low-budget setting. Paul. 



Presentation on Broadway of 
"Without Rhyme or Reason" would 
be just that in its present form. 
The Fred Hillebrand intimate re- 
vue, on its second night at the at- 
tractive Spa summer theatre, had 
undergone the shearing of eight 
numbers and- an hour's running 
time, but still was rough, slow and 
spotty. Some new material had 
been introduced, and other changes 
were to be made during the next 
eight performances. If local audi- 
ences are any criteria, summer pa- 
trons may find plotless show divert- 
ing; here they laughed long, ap- 
plauded heartily and overlooked 
much. 

Bert Wheeler, of course, ha.sn't 
lost his splendid timing senscj stage 
presence and warm personality, 
but he needs sharper and firmer 
material than he has. Through one 
of those citronella-circuit quirks, 
the water supply was partly cut for 
his "Waiting for Your Phone Call" 
skit. The gadget supposed to flood 
him from underneath did not func- 
tion according to plan. The custom- 
ers laughed at the downpour, but 
the Niagara of guffaws reported the 
first night -did not materialize. 
Wheeler, the epitome of pathetic 
futilijty as the lovesick swain trying 
"to call his girl for 18 years," in- 
formed the audience of the missout. 
He pulled solid laughs in his stand- 
ard . type of second-act monolog 
(with a broom and sandwich), 
sprinkling the chatter with inslde- 
stufl' quips at John Huntii^ton, the 
producer; Hillebrand, and other cast 
numbers. He and George Jason, 



comic magician (who also works in 
the lobby between acts), did well in 
an old-ladicis^hats sketch. 

Pat Harrington, who draws the 
biggest billing next to Wheeler, 
rings the laugh bell here and there. 
A nightclub comedian and tele- 
vision performer (Kraft Music 
Hall), he does well with the mate- 
rial handed him but there is not 
enough of it that's first class. In 
'Our Hit Parade," the sprightly, 
likable Hilrrington rams across 
"Shake the Hand of the Man Who 
Shook the Hand of Mr. Callahan," 
good if somewhat reminiscent. 
Forever," sung by Gloria Ware, 
does not sound promising, but "I 
Worry About You," warbled by 
Hillebrand, has a nice melody. 

Hit of the first half Hre Laurette 
& Clymas, dance team, who click in 
"Before and After Marriage," a 
satire on terpsichorean duos. They 
have^ an "Apache" number late in 
the show. Buxom Nina Varela 
caught the fancy of the near-capac- 
ity audience with a burlesqued 
Voice Culture." Toni Tucci reveals 
a good deal of epidermis in a flash 
teaser. Jason, a magician who 
should be in demand, also clicked, 
though he could project better. 
Adam Carroll at the ivories in a 
corner of the orchestra, gives a par- 
ticularly fine reading of the score. 

A patriotic first-act closer, "It's a 
Great Countiy Over Here," is the 
nearest thing to a production at- . 
tempt. Hillebrand, tall, grey-haired 
and m' evening clothes during the 
entire first half, emcees with spirit. 

Paul McGuire had no great 
chance with the rather bare set- 
tings. Jaeo. 



SAMUEL FRENCH 

SINCK! 1830 

Play, Brokers and ^ 
-Authors* Reprcaentativeti 

SS WmI Am, Stnwf. Nrw Vork 
K28 Sn«scl Blvd.. nallj-nroad <6. Cal 



Wednesday, Jtily 7, 194S 



4S 



Literati 



MealaBd-Shulmui'* ColUb 

Richard Mealand, former Para- 
mount stoiy editor, has collabo- 
rated With Max Shulman on a 52- 
page screen treatment of a'short 
story by Shulman that appeared in 
the June 12 issue of Collier's. 
Treatment is now being oifered 
the studios by the Levee-Stark 
agency. Yam is tagjged "The Thief 
of Broadway." It is a show biz 
drama. Shulman's mag story was 
labeled "The Small Time." 

Mealand has written two novels 
and a number of short stories 
since he left Par two years ago. 
This is his first effort specifically 
for the screen. 



FTC Cites Book Clubs 

Federal Trade Commission last 
Saturday charged six book clubs, 
including Book-of-the-Month and 
l^iterary Guild, of falsely claiming 
to offer "free" dividend or bonus 
boolcs. FTC complaint objects , to 
use of terms like "tree," "bonus 
-books," "book dividends," etc. as 
"false, misleading and deceptive." 
About six months ago, the : Com- 
mission ruled that words like 
'"free" could not be used where 
there were any strings to the offer. 
■ Named in the current citation 
were: Book - of - the - Month Club, 
Inc., and its officers; Doubleday & 
Co.. and its subsidiary. Literary 
Guild; :Nelson Doubleday, Inc., of 
Garden City, and its subsidiaries, 
Book Ijeague of America, Double- 
day One Dollar Book Club, and 
Home Book Club; Cadillac Pub- 
li!;liing Co.; and Walter J. Black, 
Inc., trading as the Classics Club 
and Detective Book Club. 



Romberg Fictionalized 

■ A novel based on the life of Sig- 
niund Romberg, "Deep in My 
Heart," written by Elliott Arnold, 
with Romberg aiding with data 
and advice, will be published by 
Duell, Sloan & Pearce next spring. 

Meantime, in addition to bis 
current summer radio chores, 
Romberg is working on a new legit 
musical with Dorothy Fields, while 
a film scoring job is pending. 



Portuguese Film Bights Soiisht 

American interests are negotiat- 
ing in Lisbon to buy film rights to 
two successful Portuguese novels, 
"Selva" t"The Forest"), by Fereira 
de Castor, a novel about adven- 
tures in the Brazilian forest, and 
"The Maia," a domestic novel. 

"The Maia" is the work of Por- 
tugal's leading novelist of the last 
century, Eca de Queiros, centenary 
Of whose birth was celebrated last 
year. The novel has also been 
adapted for the stage and the five- 
act drama was a big success last 
year in .Lisbon and On the road. 

Cott's 'Treasury of Spoken Word' 

Hermitage Press on Oct. 15 will 
bnng oftt a "Treasury of the 
Spoken Word," edited by Ted Cott, 
program veepee of WNEW, N. Y., 
and subtitled "an anthology of 
poems designed to be read aloud." 
Contents of the volume will be 
based on material from a transcrip- 
tion library by the same name to 
be released this fall by World 
Broadcasting. The book will also 
carry instructions, a la script .form, 
for the reading of the poems. Louis 
Untermeyer wiU. do the foreword. 

WNEW has been airing the 
"Treasury of the Spoken Word" 
material for a number of months. 
It's reported about another 100 
stations have taken options on the 
-series. ' : ■ • ■ ■• ■ 



Treaty finlndcs Chinese 

Although the Senate has finally 
pa.ssed the Treaty of Friendship, 
Commerce and Navigation between 
the U. S. and China, the clause 
covering Chinese translation of 
American literary works was spe- 
cifically excluded. That phase of 
the pact is thus left in the air. 
Under the Senate action, Chinese 
translation of American writings 
'wUl be interpreted io accordance 
with the provisions of the Treaty 
of Commercial Relations signed at 
Shanghai, Oct. 8, 1903, until 
further negotiations and agree- 
ment concerning translations are 
forthcoming." 

Tlie new treaty would have for- 
bidden the pirating of U. S: booics 
In their original language, but 
would not have limited translation. 
Furthermore, under the most-fav- 
ored-nation clause of the recip- 
Weal trade agreements, other na- 
tions would have had similar right 
of translation. It had been ex- 
pected that, despite pressure from 
publisher and author interests, the 
Senate , would approve the new 
treaty; as. Ote Stajte Department 
had argued that the U. S. would 
lose "face" with the Chinese gov- 



ernment if renegotiation of the 
controversial clause were re- 
quested. 



Arizona Times Sale Snair 
Arizona Times, reported sold last 
week by publisher Anna Roosevelt 
Boctciger, has reverted to its origi- 
nal owners following a nix of the 
deal by minority stockholdets. 
Group seeking to take over the 
p.m. daily was headed by Colum- 
bus Giragi, Times columnist, and 
Fred A. Eldean, N. Y. public rela- 
tions counselor. Giragi was to have 
chipped in with additional coin for 
the hardpresiscd paper. 

Plans now call for Giragi, who 
Jiad taken over as editor-publisher, 
to be retained in an advisory ca- 
pacity. Giragi made drastic 
changes during the few days he 
controlled the paper, eliminating 
one editor, cutting overhead, slash- 
ing salaries on a voluntary basis. 
Sixty employees were dismissed 
the day before Giragi took charge. 

Anna and John Boettiger own 
51% of the Times stock, including 
2% turned over to them by Klea- 
nor Roosevelt. Walter Klrschner of 
the Grayson chain clothing stores 
originally had the remaining 49%. 
Stock certified control of the paper 
could not be sold without consent 
of all stockholders. 



CHATTER 

Margaret Barton's "Garrick," 
will be issued by Macmillan in 
September. 

Lucy Greay Black has joined 
Knopf as assistant to William Cole, 
publicity head. 

Arthur Marx sold a story, "It's 
Better to Receive," to Red Book 
mag for early publication. 

Radio News, Ziif-Davis publica- 
tion, becomes Radio and Television 
News with the August issue. 

"Sheridan: His Life and His 
Theatre," by Lewis Gibl>s, will be 
published in September by Mor- 
row. 

Sarah Salzer is profiling Andre 
Previn; Metro's 19-year-old musical 
director, in this month's issue of 
Seventeen mag. 

Two new publishing firms, Den- 
is Yates Publications, Ltd., and 
Peter Nevill, Ltd., have been 
formed in London. 

Bruce Downs, eastern editor for 
Papular Photography, ^iff-Davis 
publication, resins to beeome pic- 
ture editor of Collier's. ' 

James iJugan writing Cosmopol- 
itan piece on Robert Goldstein, 
Unlversal's talent scout, titled 
" *No-Gun' Goldstein" for Ifovem- 
ber publication. 

Margaret O'Brten's "My Diary," 
illustrated with her own drawings, 
will be published by Lippincott in 
September. It will have an intro- 
duction by Lionel Barrymore. 

Robert I. Garver, radio director 
of Alley & Richards ad ageticy, 
writing a book on "Radio's Partici- 
pation Programs." .scheduled for 
Prentice-Hall publication this fall. 

Charles Samuels on annual six- 
week junket to Hollywood to 
select this year's candidates from 
all studios for Motion Picture 
Magazine's yearly series, "Stars of 
Tomorrow." 

Louis Broinfleld, while auto- 
graphing books at Lazarus Book 
Shop in Columbus, O., last week, 
let It be known that he has an- 
other novel, "Wild Country" ready 
for publication next year. 

Paul Blaushard's series of arti- 
cles on the Catholic Church, on 
the basis of which the Board of 
Superintendents banned The Na- 
tion from the libraries of the pub- 
lic schools of New York City are 
scheduled for publication In book 
form in the fall by Beacon Press, 
of Bostott; 

Leonard R. Harris has resigned 
as associate editor of Varsity to be- 
come publicity director for the 
trade book department of Prentice- 
Hall. K. S. Ghtlger continues as 
public relations head of the firm, 
and Dorothy M. McKittrick Is 
upped from his secretary to be 
assistant to Harris. Gene Elizabeth 
Wyatt continues as publicity assist- 
ant for the company's other de- 
partments. 



Trust Victories 

= Goutlnucjl rrom page S ts, 



nixed the move because the Gov- 
ernment, action has been sent back 
for new hearings and there 1b there- 
fore no final word on the suit. 

Utigating exhibs have been 
counting heavily on the tagging of 
certain trade practices as monop- 
olistic by the Supreme Court -as 
loading the dice in their favor. 
Company attorneys now believe 
that these exhibs will hold back 
untU ' final decision in the Govern- 
ment suit so that lullnga «od 



opinions made therein can be used 
in support of their private suits. 
Fifth & Walnut counted heavily on 
the weight of these opinions but 
lost out because of the court refusal 
to permit their admission. 
, In Contrast To 1947 

Remarkably enough, after a dis- 
astrous 1947 which saw affirmance 
of both the William Goldman 
(Philadelphia) and Jackson Park 
(Chi) decisions, majors have, not 
been hit with a single major blow 
during the current year. The 
winning string started with the 
Bordanaro Bros, suit in Buffalo for 
$489,<00 damages. In tWa acUon, 
all defendants but Warner Bros, 
and Paramount were let out. Triple 
damages of $84,000 were awarded 
against Par and Warners. Both are 
appealing, with a strong chance of 
reversal. 

Second victory also occurred in 
Buifalo whe^n the Rivoli Operating 
Co. (Stanley Kosenowski) took a 
beating in its $1,200,000 action. 
That suit resulted in- a Jury verdict 
against the plaintiff after the ma- 
jors introduced strong proof that 
Rivoli had engaged in percentage- 
chiselling. 

Third in the siring wa.s the 
Dallas action of B. R. McLendon. 
Court dismissed the suit after 
trial. McLendon allowed his time 
to appeal to lapse and later settled 
cross-claims for percentages on pix 
for $5,000. 

Active in handling the sti-ing of 
victories for the majors have been 
a number of attorneys well known 
to the industry. . Included are 
Louis Pliillips (Phillips, Nizer, 
Benjamin & Krim), Richard Mor- 
gan and Mortimer Lane, Para- 
mount; Robert Perkins, Howard 
Levinson of Warner Bros.; Gordon 
E. Youngman, William Zimmei^ 
man of RKO; Edward C. and 
George Raftery (O'Brien, Driscoll, 
Raftery & Lawler) for United Art- 
ists and' Universal; Louis 
(Schwartz 4) BYohlich for; Colum- 
bia; John Caskey (Dwight, Harris, 
Koegel & Caskey) for ZOtb-Fox; 
and Benjamin Melniker for Metro. 



H'wood Wails 

1 Contintteil from p«s« J ; 



fresh talent is called for from 
every standpoint now and that one- 
new click per year is well worth 
the investment in time and money 
for the upbuilding. That tlie idea 
has taken hold is evidenced from 
the fact that on studio contract 
lists right now are. 89 ^potential 
stars of the: future, compaired with 
less.than 50 a year ago. 

By-Pass Big Namcf 
In the current economic drive 
the majors as well as the indies 
are sidestepping- highly paid names 
and developing acting talent, espe- 
cially among teen-age thesps of 
both genders. Warners assigned 
Patricia Neal, a newcomer on the 
screen, to the femme lead opposite 
Gary Cooper in "The Fountain- 
head," a role ogled longingly by a 
dozen Hollywood names. Other 
comparatively new names booked 
for buildups on the Burbank lot 
are Barbara Bates, Doris Day, 
Geraldme. Brooks, Douglas Ken- 
nedy, Gordon MacRae, Ray Mont- 
gomery, Helen Westcott and Mary 
Stuart. 

Metro is heavy on sprouting 
femmes, altliough short on male 
juves. The roster includes Eliza- 
beth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Jane 
Powell, Peter Lawford, Janet 
Leigh, Marshall Thompson, Marsha 
Van Dyke, Arlene Dahl, Audrey 
Totter, Cyd Chari.sse, Claude Jar- 
man, 'Jr., Richard Beavers, Betty 
GaiTett, Dee - Tumell and Candy 
Toxton. 

Youthful thesps under contract 
at Paramount are Wanda Hendrix, 
Mona Freeman, Richard Webb, 
Laura Elliott, Margaret Field, 
Mary Hatcher, Roberta .Jonay, 
George Reeves and Mary Jane 
Saunders. In the Hal Waliis stable 
on the same lot are Mickey Knox, 
Kristine Miller, Douglas Dick, 
Suzanne Dalbert and John Brom- 
field. 

moth's Sprouts 
In the development process at 
20th-Fox are Colleen Townsend, 
Coleen Gray, Jead Peters, Debra 
Paget, Robert Arthur, Vanessa 
Brown and Richard Wldmark. RKO 
has Betsy Drake, Jane Greer, 
Gloria Grahame and Jack Paar. 
Under David O. Selznick's banner 
are John Agar, Rory Calhoun, Guy 
Madison, Gar Moore, Louis Jour- 
dan, Christian Kelleen and Hazel 
Brooks. 

At Universal-International the 
roster includes Marta Toren,*Shel- 
ley Winters, Stephen McNally, Ann 



SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK 

^ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦t»»* * «* By Frank Scully ♦♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦J 

Nutley, N. J.. July L 
In sprint! « Jting man's fancy lightly turns to tboufdhts of euphoria, 
which in case you skipped class that day is "merely im exaggerated 
feeling of well-being." And what Is exogamy, too, if hot this same 
exaggerated feeling'? 

Not only love gives this feeling. Dr. John Gregory on "Leave It 
to the Girls" gives it and* Constance Bennett, Binnlo Barnes, Sylvia 
Sidney, and a gal whose -name I didn't quite catch, seemed leaded 
with it. 

Dr. Gregory, who spiels his psychoanalytic routines with an Oxford: 
accent (or is it-Eton?), stumped the girls on words which would: not. 
have bothered them at all if they had been constant readers of Scully'a 
Psychiatric Word Book for Hollywood. 

Earning one's "E" here in fact is easier than earning it at Eton, 
By using this dictionary as a pony you should finish far ahead of tiin 
class, which must be still trying to rhyme "love" with "taeteroaexual- 
ity." This, too, is a symptom. It's called the "expansive delusion." 
You'll find it uudN": 

Eeholalia. The meaningless repetition of words, heard spoken by 
others, a symptom of dementia praecox. "Okay," "Check," "That'*- 
right," "Now he tells me," "Well, that's life!" "How's tricks?" "Nice 
picture, L.B." 

. Eebopathy. A nervous disease marked by a senseless repetition of 
words. Dialog of Hemingway characters^ Ballplayers on coaching 

:lines. ■ ■ 

Echopraxiat Meaningless Imitation ol gestures of others. Also a 
dementia praecox symptom. People who can't sing but imitate 
Crosby's "Bub-bub," Jolson's knee routine, Truman's piano-playing. 

Eclampsia. A (onvulsion, frequently occurring in later stages of 
pregnancy. Producers on coming out of the ninth bad sneakview of 
a picture, which seems to get increasingly worse with each editing, 

Ecmnesia. Loss of memory for I'ecent events, .with fair memory ot : 
older events. Producers who say, "Gimme a pencil, I wanna, make m 
mental note of this for tomorra's meetin.'," but who remember quite 
well how sexy a sagging star of today looked 10 years ago. 

Economy-Canon. A working rule in which the simplest explanation 
is preferred. Also called the "law of parsimony" and "Occam's razor" 
after William of Occam, who formulated it Used for,«atting'. B pic- 
tures for C mmds. 

Eostasr> <1) Excessive and overmastering joy or rapture; (2) ^te 
of suspension of sensory and other mental functions incident upon pro-, 
longed contemplation of a limited group of ideas. 'Film salesmen in 
convention assembled on learning next year's product will be fea- 
tured by a picture co-starring Lassie, Gregory Peck, Ave Gardner, 
Bing Crosby, Loretta Young, Larry Parks and Thunderhead. 

Edipus. The desire, usually unconscious, of the son to possess :the 
mother and to be hostile to the fatlier or destroy Mm. Correlative 
of the Electra complex. Jolson singing "Mammy" on Fatber's Daj^. 

Effeminatton. Extreme feminity in a man. Actors who want to re» 
Vive "Pleasure Man" in Old Homo Week. . ' 

Ege Libido. Characteristics of narcistic people. Actors who not only 
keep scrapbooks but read- them. Divorcees who keep- teiUng different 
psychoanalysts the same dreams. » 

Eidetiker. An individual who possesses the Ability to pto|ect like- 
like (eidetic) images. Ctiildren and actors. 

Ellierfield HonseSi A group of circus: borseS' whieb were abA/tt Un, 
solve arithmetical , problems mdudiug extractions of square rootft. If 
they could extract 'only round roots they were sold to Hollywood coW'- 
boys for clearing the land of tree stumps. 

Electra Complex. Oedipus complex from the femme angle. Deliriumk , 
brought on exhibitors whenever they think th*^ miv have t)i> pi^ 
"Mourning Becomes Electra" again. 

Electron. A particle of matter, about 1/1,800 the mass of a hydro* 
gen. atom, or equal to character parts of Indiana in almost any westein. 

.Emboltsm. The forming of an air bubble or- other foreigii body in 
a blood vessel. Common to writers on seeing their story ideas- tossed 
into the bloodstream of a producer's "original." 

Emmert's Law. The tendency of a projected image to increase in 
size in proportion to the distance of the projection ground from the 
eye. Producers who catch previews of dwindling, stars .from the flrst 
rows far to the right, next to the fire exit. ' 
to the right, next to the fire exit. 

Emotivity. Capacity for emotional response as measured by a gauge 
dipped in glycerine. An 8m tear ballooned to 35m -and transposed to 
Butch Jenkins' cbeek. 

End-Orcan. . A sensory receptor connected with «■ neuxon or nerve 
fibre. Musical directors who try to save a bad finish with thtindeiioiiur 
organ music. 

Endotramy. The custom of confining marriage to individuals within 
the same community or caste. Drunks who marry drunlcs', stars who 
marry stars, producers who marry chorines, .writers who marry 
stenographers, etc., etc. Opposite is called exogamy, 

BnopbtiialBios. The condition in .Which the eyeball is sunk into the 
orbit. Common in hangovers. 

Eoantliropas. Generic term for Piltdown man. Literally, "dawn 
mim." Actors Who want to play Tarzan. People who live in Tatzatta, 
Cal. 

Eonisnt. Perversion Characterized by impulse to dress in elotbing. 
of opposite sex. Actors who want to play "Cliarlle't Auot," Actresses 
who want to play "George Sand." 

Epigamic. Tending to attract other sex. Actresses who bleach their 
hair to attract actors wearing brunet toupees. 

Epiplierlal FeelinE. Any expei-ience whose source of stimulation is 
localized outside the body. A hotfoot admbiistered during the chase 
sequence of a western. 

Eremophobia. Psychoneurotic fear of being . alone. No. 3 company 
on tour playing to empty houses. 

Ergasiomania. Busy activity in work-projects, none of which is 
ever completed. All authors go through this manic excitement. Some 
get over it. 

EfKophobla. A psychoneurotic anxiety lest one overdo in work or ■ 
exercise. Also called Lapdog Disease. 

Error of Recognition. A term proposed by Foucault for recognition 
of an item not previously experieneed. People who write to Kidiibitora 
Herald telling what's wrong with a picture. Psychology ts overboard 
with a variety of errors. Many make their living just, ebecklag 
whether the errors are constant, variable, of judgment, or method^ 
motivated, observational, referred or limited. 

Eiytiuromauia. A morbid interest in the color red. Also variously 
called the Thomas Sign, Tenney Complaint and Brewer's Yeast, 

Eschrolalia. Sensele.ss babbling of obscene words, met with in manic 
excitement and dementia praecox. In the Cohn Syndrome 

Esoteric. Hidden. Known only to initiated. The Bre«a office boyc 
who protest "cleavage" in the presence of low-cut gowns and diemaod 
it when twin beds are too close together. . 



Blyth, Helena Carter, Howard 
Duff, Don Taylor, Rtcbard Long 
and Dorothy Hart; 

Enterprise has Beatrice Pearson, 
late of the legit drama, and Marie 
Windson, formerly with Metro. 
Republic is building up Adele 
Mara and Janet Martin. Eagle 
Lion sees star possibilities in June 
Lockhart, Lois Butler and Scott 



1 Brady. Walt Disney is arranging 
l a career for his lone moppet, BoIh 
i by Driscoll. 

! Samuel Goldwyn is mapping fu- 
ture greatness for Cathy O'DonneQ 
I and Farley Granger and has signed 
; a long contract with Gigi Perreau, 
I a seven-year-old thesp. Columbis 
'has assigned top femme roles to 
i Terry Moore and Nina Foeh. 



46 



chattbh 



Wetlneatlay, July 7, 1948 



Cyhdi* Gleon- clippers to Paris 
this weekend. 
'Wallace Bepry. plan6d to Paris 
for short vacation. , 

EdwiaB. (Ned) Armstrong now 
an associate p.a. in office oi Karl 
Bernstein.- 

JFrank Stephens, of the Samuel 
Fi ench office, on , annual visit to 
Hollywood. 

Louis Hector has replaced Carl 
Benton Rcid in "Strange Bedfel- 
lows" (Moosco). 

Mrs. Marjorie Osborne, of the 
Cambridge Playwright Opera Co. 
in London, currently visiting in 
N. Y. 

Hedy l^amarr, returning to New 
York this week after a fast visit to 
Paris, will be back in Hollywood 
July 15. 

Karin Booth and groom Allan 
Carlisle vacationing in N. Y. from 
the Coast, where Miss Booth is wn* 
der contract to Metro. 

Louis Calhern has a new apart- 
ment at 41 W. 58 and Sidney H. 
Piermont. the Loew's booker, is 
now esconsed at 45 W. 54. 

Allen Colby, head of Curtis 
Brown, Ltd., literary agents, heads 
for Paris for two months o.o. of 
belles-lettres situation on Conti- 
nent. 

' Radie Hairis trained, to Coast 
Monday (5) for two-months' stay. 
Her .CBS five-minute spots will 
originate from there beginning next 
•week. 

Theatre Guild's Peggy Phillips 
flew to the Coast yesterday (Tues.) 
on a month's, leave of absence. A 
film company is interested in her 
play, "Paper Moon." 

Martin Gosch, producer of the 
recent "Tonight on Broadway" tele 
series, recovered from the fracture 
and torn ligaments of his right 
forefinger, self-inflicted during a 
nightmare recently. 

N. J. Cohn, newly appointed 
head of the publicity committee of 
Allied Amusements drive for the 
Win Rogers Memorial Hospital,, 
holding press conference today 
(Wed.) to outline campaigil plans. 

John Alexander, ' who returned 
from. Hollywood to succeed Paul 
Douglas as male lead in "Born 
Yesterday," at the Lyceum, wants 
to continue on the stage, and is 
looking for .a comedy for next 
season. • 

Jules Schwerin, formerly with 
. Paramount and Republic on Coast 
and more recently flack for Lopert 
Films in New York, now named 
head of television end of Film Pro- 
gram Services, .outfit specializing 
in documentary films. 

Jane (Mrs. Lawrence) Tibbett, 
discharged from Norwalk (Conn.) 
' hospital, recuperating at her home 
in Wilton, Conn., from ' multiple 
fractures of the foot and ankle, 
received in an auto crash. Her 
husband, the baritone, was severely 
bruised; 

■ Following mari'iage of their old- 
est daughter, Mary Ellin, to Den- 
nis Sheedy Burden on Saturday 
(3), Irving Berlin planed to Ber- 
muda Sunday for a four-week vaca- 
tion with his daughter Elizabeth. 
Mrs; Berlin and daughter Linda 
followed the next day. . 

British playwright Veronica 
Haigh due in N. Y. at the end of 
the month to discuss a Broadway 
production deal. Her last play 
about Shakespeare, "TO Dream 
Again," starred Robert Donat in 
London. She's currently working 
up a script around Jane Austen. 

Variety's George Gilbert "made" 
current Look in. a photographic 
layout on ti-ene Selznick's activities 
in i.connection with "Streetcar 
Named De-sire." Variety mugg 
was shown interviewing her on 
Queen Mary departure for London 
(Mrs. Sfiizniek has since returned) 
where ■ Hugh (Binkie) Beaumont 
. will produce it after he first 
launches Tennessee Williams' 
earlier play, ,"Glass Menagerie," 
with Helen Hayes starred in (the 
late) Laurette Taylor's role. 



Bucks County, Pa. 

Sidney Blackmer in for "Years 
Abo" rehearsals at Logan Inn. 

Staats Cotsworth and Muriel 
Kirkland planed in with Dwight 
Weis'8 to visit with Mark Hawley 
At Raven Rock. 

Robert McCahon in to confer 
with Playhouse execs on Thornton 
WiUlerrCaroI Stone "Skin of Our 
Teeth,'* booked- for July 19, 

John md Marian Byram week- 
ending with Theron Bambergers at 
• Solebury; ditto Carl Fisher and 
Peggy Cass with John Boots. 

.Margo - Jones, Emily .Kimber, 
Manny Gurian, Shirley BooUi, 
Ralph Bellamy in to catch ."Jailer's 
Wench" (nee "Children of Dark- 
ness") at New Hope last week. 
1 ^?^*'^..?*''5? fl'^w up from Char- 
lottesvUle, Va., where he is staging 



"My Hearts in the Highland" for 
U, of Va. to catch spouse Sara 
Seegar in "Made in Heaven" 
Mon. (5>. 

Frank and Ponia Sullivan built 
puppet revue for New Hope Fair. 
Turned, into topgrosser. Don Walk- 
er's amateur songwriting contest 
drew 45 entries. Won, by Allen- 
town man, Clarence Bernhardt. 

Barry McGuigan, Philly press 
photograoher, in to snap opening 
of New Hope Street Fair July, 1. 
Four-day shindig doubled gross of 
last year's ^vent. Perfect weather 
urttit Monday ,night when shower 
broke up al .fresco carnival tempo- 
rarily. 



Chicago 

■lack Thoma flacking for Black- 
hawk nitery. 

Fred Beat, manager of the Mor- 
rison hotel, ailing. 

Merriel Abbott dancers into Em- 
pire Room of the Palmer House 
July 8. 

Gloria Palmer, dancer, and Irv- 
ing Roth, Chez Paree captain, plan 
an August wedding. 

Eddie and Fannie Cavanaugh, 
radio veterans, off on a ' motor 
jaunt to Yellowstone Park. 

Orches.tra Assn's. drive for 
$208,000 to finance the Chi Sym- 
phony Orch next season has reach- 
ed $103,593. 

Retiring champ Joe Louis is set 
for an appearance at the American 
Music Festival, Comiskey Park, 
.July 17. Proceeds go to the Chi- 
cago Defender Charities. 

Coroner's office has okayed the 
request: of indie producers James 
Hack and Fred Niemann to film 
final scenes of their documentary, 
"Slcid Row," in the Cook County 
morgue. It's the first time the "ice 
house" has ever been opened to 
cameras. 



London 



By .lerry Gaglian 

Mr. and Mrs. Ed Saks, Philly 
agents, celebrated 26th anni at 
Andy's Log Cabin Friday night (2). 

Bryan Foy. Eagle Lion producer, 
in town last week, to negotiate 
deal with Connie Mack on biopic. 

Earl McDonald, Philadelphia 
Orchestra manager, off to South 
Bristol, Me., for a summer of com- 
posing. 

Freddie Mann, president of the 
Seaboard Container Corp., and a 
pianist of parts, has taken out 
membership in Local 77 (AFM). 

Jules Falk, local impresario, 
asked to act in advisory capacity 
for the New. Lyric Opera com- 
pany's series at Watergate, Wash- 
ington, D. C. 

Van Heflin, .lulie London, Boris 
Karloff .and Richard Loing will 
make p.a.'s at Goldman theatre 
here for the world preem of "Tap 
Roots," July 14. 



Paris 

By Maxime dc Beix 

33 Blvd. M>ont'parnasse 
Tony Martin off to Hollywood. 
Michel Emer to Riviera for two 
months. 

Rita Hay worth off to Riviera and 
possibly Rome. 

Paris season about to close. With 
an average three benefit galas a 
night while it lasts. 

"Bishop's Wife," in English ver- 
sion at Marignan and Marivaux, to 
be followed there by "Bishop;s 
Wife" in French dubbed version, 
for the first time in Paris cinema 
history. 

.Charles Boyer to visit his native 
Figeac. ■ He emceed personal ap- 
pearances of French and 17,48, pic^ 
ture talent at the Grande Nuit de 
Paris, latter being represented by 
Rita Hayworth, Hedy Lamarr, In- 
grid Bergman and Edward G. Rob- 
inson. Stars got a rousing recep- 
tion- — a good sign in the current 
opposition here to American pic- 
tures. 



Phyllis Calvert tq Capri for film- 
ing of "Golden Madonna." 

Sir Thomas Beecham leaving for 
a concern tour of South Africa end 
of July. 

John Abbott,: director of Francis 
Day & Hunter, back from his South 
African trip. 

Vic Hyde signed up by Emile 
Littler for his Christmas panto- 
mime in the West End. 

Michael Wilding to appear with 
Ingrid Bergman in Trans-Atlantic 
Pictures' filming of "Under Capri- 
corn,'': 

Ray Ellington Quartet is record- 
ing a series- of 13 broadcasts for 
Harry Alan Towers to be heard 
from Radio Luxembourg. 

Josephine Baker in town appear- 
ing in television program; also in 
"Milestones of Melody" feature 
with Geraldo and his band. 

Leo Genn has returned from the 
U. S. and gone into rehearsal as 
star, opposite Coral Browne, of 
"Jonathan," which Firth Shepard 
will produce. 

Anatole de' Grunwald's second 
film for Korda, "The Last Days of 
Dolwyn," now shooting at Isle- 
worth. Emlyn Williams stars in 
the pic. He also directs the story, 
which he wrote himself. Edith 
Evans "is eostar. 

Bass player Jack Fallon has 
formed a "bass, drums and guitar 
trio at request of Foster's Agerity 
to accompany Duke Ellington on 
his concert tour of Britain begin- 
ning this week under sponsorship 
of Harold Fielding. . 



Westport, Conn. . 

By Humphrey Doulens 

Fred Schatig to Los Angeles on 
business trip. 

John Pearnley expected back 
next week from Coast. 

Helena Bliss to St. Louis to join 
summer Municipal opera. 

Mrs. William Anthony McGuire 
here. Ditto Horace MacMahon; 

Carol Dempster, star of silent 
pix, to Hollywood for six weeks. 

Lucille Lortel to resume Sunday 
night playreadings at her White 
Barn Playhouse, 

Mady Christians summering in 
New Canaan when she is not play- 
ing strawhat circuit, 

Edna May Spooner, veteran stock 
actress, back from visit with sister 
Cecil Spooner in Hollywood. : 

Mary Martin motoring east after 
leaving "Annie Get Your Gun" in 
Denver. Will summer at Norwalk. 

Philip Languor, son of Lawrence 
Langner, on business staff of his 
father's Counti-y Playhouse this 
summer. 

Norwalk Recreation Commission 
and Local No. 52 of the Musicians' 
Union sponsoring free teenage 
dances at Rqton Point Park, 

Broadwayites here for the open- 
ing of "Sundown Beach" Monday 
night: Dorothy Gish, Wolfe Kauf- 
man, Ben Boyer, Eva LeGallienne, 
.foseph Kipniss, Theresa Helbum, 
Jack Yorke» 



South Africa 



By Joe Hanson 

South African Airways success- 
fully showing sound films to Sky- 
master passengers on routine 
scheduled evening flight from Cape 
Town to Johanneshiu'g. 

,Tan Bubini, American violinist- 
conductor, arrived in Johannesburg 
for threQ months' contract as con- 
ductor of Colosseum theatre or- 
chestra. Wife is actress Terry 
Walker. - ' 

Gloom among exhibitors by an- 
nouncement there would be no re- 
mission of heavy entertainment tax 
in spite of good surplus this year. 
Some lower-price bracket cinemas 
at present badly in red, jnay have 
to shutter. 

'.'An Ideal Husband," Britisli pic, 
after successiTul rUns.in Johannes- 
burg and Durban,. is doing well in 
Cape Town. Premiere at Odcon 
and Curzoh theatres, Cape Town, 
was in aid of Palei^tine Magen 
David Adorn. 



Dublin 

By Maxwell Sweeney 
Lauritz Melchoir here for con- 
cert. 

Coliseum Cinema,> Cork, badly 
damaged by fire. 

Alan Beale, former vaude tooter, 
now conducting Theatre Royal's 
orch. 

Louis Elliman, Odeon (Ireland) 
managing-director, postponed U. S. 
trip till late summer; 

Hibernia Pictures, new Irish pro- 
duction company, working on semi- 
documentary of Irish merchant 
marine. . ' : 

Alexander Korda is sending a 
unit to Eire to work on Paul Vin- 
cent Carroll's "Saints and Sinners" 
on east coast locations. 

Producer John Wales, British 
Crown Film Unit, will give sum- 
mer course on educational films to 
Irish teachers this month. ' 

Reco Bros. Circus, first full-size 
tent show to play DUblin in 20 
years, now on 14-day stand at 
Tolka Park football stadium. 

Directw Harold French antl pro- 
duction manager Douglas Pierce of 
Sydney Box's Gainsborough Stu- 
dios are here to arrange location 
sequences for "Bleacher's Brook," 
horseracing picture. 



Australia 

By Eric Gorrick 

Monogram's William Osborne 
due for another Aussie vLsit. 

^ George Sorlie, oldtime vaude 
performer, died in Sydney after a 
short illness. 

Erna Berger, Continental singer, 
is here for the Australian Broad- 
casting; Commission. 

Ballet Rambert will probably do 
a repeat run in Auckland. Broke 
records there, and is now Sock in 
Wellingjon. 

Cinema managers have Just been 
awarded an extra $4 weekly by the 



Arbitration Court. Scale is now 
around $.'>.'). 

Bruce Newbery visiting New Zea- 
land for Republic. Goes next to 
Cairo and India and due back in 
U. S. in October. ' 

Gerald Kirby is producing "John 
Loves Mary" for J. C, Williamson 
in Sydney, Hartley Power, June 
Clyde and Stewart Long head cast. 

Universal and Hoyts have signed 
another product pact lor the ur- 
bans. It 's their 28th year together. 
Key city release for Ul is via 
Greater Union. 

"Hamlet," playing in Melbourne 
for Hoyts at the Athenauem (997- 
seater) is doing strictly carriage 
trade presently, with nights capac- 
ity forthe 'pic. 

Local pic production is at a low 
ebb presently. Harry Watt is 
rounding oft' "Eureka Stockade" for 
Ealing. There are also a couple of 
minor pix being readied. 

Looks pretty certain that neither 
Prime Minister Ben Chifley, head- 
ing the Atissie Labor Party, or 
Premier James McGirr, head of 
the New South Wales' Labor setup, 
will agree to any increase in cin- 
ema admission charges. 



Vienna 



By Emil Maas 

Gustav Zaruba, 37, well-known 
dancer, ,) suicide, 

•Globus Film inked Magda 
Schneider fo.r "Room 38." 

Margarethe Slezak, singer, inked 
for Salzburg state theatre. 

Anton Dermota, of State Opera, 
off to Buenos Aires after inking for 
Colon '.Teatro. 

Erich Kunz, baritone .of State 
Opera, married Frledl Kurzbauer, 
ballet dancer. 

"Dark Victory," by George 
Brewer, Jr., and Bertram Bloch had 
successful preem in Salzburg. 

Wilhelm Gjimes, former man- 
ager of Femina, back in business, 
to open show on Eislaufverein 
Platz. 

Albin Skoda picked by director 
Hofrat Paulsen, of Burg Theatre, 
for lead in Zuckermayr's "Devil's 
General." 

Emmerich Kalman has issued 
statement, through his local rep, 
the Weinberger Publishing Co., 
that he never had any intention to 
prohibit production of his oper- 
ettas liei-e. 

Daughters ot Edmund Hamber, 
prewar film czar of Vienna and 
onetime president of Kiba Films, 
are here to claim father's estate. 
Hamber and his brother Philipp 
were murdered in, Buchenwald 
concentration camp, ' 

"Ball in Stadt Park," with prom- 
inent artists participating in the 
show, is being arranged by Karl 
Koestler, - opera singer. Net pro- 
ceeds will be used for reconstruc- 
tion *f Burg Theatre, badly 
bombed during the war. 



Honolulu 

By Mabel Thomas 

Freddie Stewart held over at the 
Chinese Cafe. 

Robert Cummings and wife here 
for two weeks. 

Claude Thornhiil and wife here 
for two months. 

Philip Dorn and wife her* for 
10 da.vs at the Royal. . - 

Vicki Baum and husband at 
Kona, Hawaii, for month. 

Sally Filers an« son, Koko, here 
for three weeks' vacation. 

Walt Disney and family arrived 
for tour of outside islands. 

Top Notchers drawing big busi- 
ness at Lau Yee Chais nightly. 

Lew Rosen in town helping to 
whip Shriners' Ice Revue mto 
shape. 

Ralph Davis, prez of Royal 
Amusement Co., here with wife for 
10 days. * 

Bwis Petroff. biz manager of 
Ice Revue, left with wife for Sac- 
ramento. 

Karl Hohlitzelle, Texas Inter- 
state chieftain, looking Waikiki 
Beach over. 

_ Club Blue Lei new show featur- 
mg Lennie Russell, Helen Harper 
and Edna Alexander. 



Zurich 

Song writer Mischa Spolianskv 
visiting in Zurich. 

Cyd Charjsse and husband, Tony 
Martin, due liere. 

Merle Oberon and husband, 
Lucien Ballard, Hollywood camera- 
man, were at Swiss resort. Bad 
Sschniznach, for cure of Ballard's 
leg injury. 

Stadttheatre Zurich closes '47- 
48 season July 27 and will reopen 
end of August. Schau.spielhaus will 
play one week longer and reopen 
m September. ■ 

Wallace Beery and daughter 
Carol Ann expected here from 
Pans. Due to go to Italy; the Amer- 
ican Zone of Germany to entertain 
troops, and maybe England. 



Hollywood 



.Tennifer Jones hospitalized with 
.appendix trouble. 

Clem Bevans celebrated his 50th 
anniversary in show business. 

William Cowitt reelected proxy 
of the Paramount Studio Club. 

Prince Bertil of Sweden's royal 
family gandering the film studios. 

Philip Dorn leaves for Holland 
next month to make a Dutch film. 

Barbara Hale returned from 
strawhat appearances in New Eng- 
land. 

Glenn McCarthy in from Hous- 
ton to set his new film production 
outfit. 

ICathryn Grayson to be guest 
soloist at the Hollywood Bowl, 
July 24, 

William Perlberg returned from 
London to pact a male lead for : 
"Britannia Mews," 

George Montgomery and Dinah 
Shore to Montana to show grand- 
ma the new baby. 
, Jacqueline White left for a two- 
week tour of personal appearances 
in Oklahoma and Texas. 

N. Peter Rathvon entertaining 
.Tohann Boehm and Karl Maisel, 
Austrian government leaders. 

Claude Binyon laid up with in- 
testinal trouble while wOrk en 
"Family Honeymoon" is suspended. 

Connie Krebs succeeded Peter 
Godfrey as president American So- 
ciety of Magicians, Hollywood 
chapter. 

Eddie Mannix interrupted his 
Hawaiian vacation, slated to be sev- 
eral months long, to head back to 
Hollywood. 



By Lewis Gario 
Jacinto Guerrero elected pres- 
ident of the Authors Societv of 
Spain, 

Productores Associados has signed 
Manuel dos Santos to star in a 
picture about bullfighting. 

Studios in Spain, Portugal and 
Italy will collaborate on a picture 
about Saint Anthony of Padua. 

Ri.na Valdamo, crooner who re- 
cently toured Spain and Portugal 
successfully, off to N. Y. to fill 
contracts. 

With Russell A. Muth, European 
manager of Fox Movietone, called 
to N. Y„ his place has been taken 
by Leonard Hammond. 

Amalia- Rodrigues, now on tour 
in Europe, will start work in the 
fall on a Portuguese pic, under di- 
rector Leitao de Barios;. 

pictures in Technicolor will be 
produced for the first time in Port- 
ugal in the fall. Producer Antonioi 
Lopes Ribeiro is making the ar- 
rangements with British firms. 

Crooner Inez Cavanaugh, sax- 
ophonist Pop Whiteman and 
trumpelei George Johnson are the 
only American artists at the mo- 
ment working in Portugal. They're 
clicking at the Arcadia night club. 
J. Arthur Hank as principal share- 
holder. Almost-completed Mon- 
umental is rumored sold to a Bel- 
gian concern that will use it to 
premiere French, Belgian and 
other North European countries' 
films. 

Three large picture houses (seat- 
ing capacity between 2,000-3,000 
are being built in Lisbon. The 
Imperio and Monumental are projH 
erty of Portuguese capitalists and 
the Samt George is owned by an 
Anglo-Portuguese company with 



By George F. Gaal 

Conductor Antal Dorati in town. 

Actress Frida Gomba.s/.ogi back 
from the states. 

Actress Hilda Gobbi off for two- 
month Paris vacation. 
,.r,-^^l'^''*'''-P™^"''ed spy pic, 
"Fire," completed recently. 

As result of negotiations with 
Italy, 21 Italian pix arrived here 
recently, including "Open City." 
^ Alexander Sved, of the Met 
Opera, giving several concern 
here with tremendous success. 

Conductor Ferenc Pricsay, bass 
Endre Koreh. and soprano Piroska 
Anday to perform at the Salzburg 
July festivals. 



By Lari-y SoUbway 

Jay Jayson holds over at Clover 
Club. Jack Goldman. 
^^.Swank Island Club, north of 
Miami Beach, opened this week. 

Barry Gray surprise birthday 
partied (2) at WKAT, with studio 
aud participating in festivities. 

Beachcomber has joined the give 
away parade with 'fMr. Beach- 
comber contest." Ten grand in 
prizes to be' awarded. • 

Harrison, Carroll & Ross, com- 
edy dance trio, head for Jackson- 
ville and Havana nitery engage- 
ments after click here. 

BiSi still off around town, but 
nitery and hotel ops are optimistic 
on July biz. Airlines report heavy 
reservations from the Canihean 
area. 



iretln*'Mlay, July 7, 194« 




CAROLE LANDIS 

Kirole Landis, 29, legit and 
„reen actress, was found dead in 
her home in Hollywood, July 5, 
"noarentlv a suicide. Authorities 
claim death was caused by an over- 
dose of sleep pills. , , „ 

Actress' body was found by Rex 
Hairison, actor and husband of 
Tlli PiUmer, screen actress, when 
he called at her home. Police 
iheory of suicide was further em- 
Dhasized in the finding of a note to 
her mother, which begged forgive- 
ness for her act and directed where 
her will would be found. Police 
said actress had been dead 12 hours 
hci'ore Harrison discovered her 

*"Miss Landis had been living 
Blone since her separation from her 
husband, W. Horace Schmidlapp, 
legit producer. Latter was shocked 
when inlormcd of her death in Cin- 
cinnati, Where he is currently on a 
business trip. He didn't say 
whether he would plane back to 
the Coa.st. . 

Miss Landis' career m films was 
meteoric. After having appeared m 
several stage plays in New York, 
she went to Hollywood and later 
appeared in a succession of film 
productions, including "I Woh s Up 
Screaming," "My Gal Sal" and "Or- 
chestra Wives." She had also :nade 
several films in London last pear. 
Her more recent Hollywood films 
were "Having a Wonderful Time," 
"A Scandal in Parish' "It Shouldn't 
Happen to a Dog," and "Behind 
Green Lights;." , ^ . 

Funeral arrangements are.pemg 
ntade by her mother. 



BICHAltO GEBABD 

Richard Gerard Husch, 72, who 
wrote the lyrics to "Sweet Ade- 
line," , under the pseudonym of 
Richard Gerard, died July 1 on a 
Street comer in Greenwich Village, 
N. Y., after, a heart attack. . 

Although his lyrics for one of 
America's most popular ballads 
made Husch famous, they did not 
make him rich. Six years agp, 
when he retired from the New 
Y«Ht Postof fice after 42 years of 
service, he estimated that he had 
coUeeted about $20,000 in 45 years 
of lyric writing. "Sweet Adeline," 
which nude millions for music 
publishers, netted liim $3,000. 

As related in later years by the 
lyricist, "Sweet Adeline," as it is 
known throughout the land today, 
was a hybrid. Harry Armstrong 
had written a tune which he called 
"Down Home in Old New Eng- 
land." No publisher ' would buy it 
because the lyrics were considered 
inadequate. 

Husch had written lyrics for a 
song titled "Sweet Rosalie." When 
Armstrong and Hiisch got together 
they discovered that the latter's 
lyrics and the.fdrmer's music fitted 
perfectly. The publishers, how- 
ever, "already had a Rosalie song," 
Husch recalled, so he clumged 
Bbsalie to Adeline— after AdeUna 
Patti, a singer who vras the rage 
at the time. 

Husch never wrote another 
popular song which succeeded in 
rivaling the success of "Adeline." 
Some of the songs which he wrote 
in the last 45 years were "I've Got 
My Eyes on You." "Sweet Sum- 
mertime," "Follow the Crowd on 
Sunday," "Youfre My Heart's De- 
Sire," "1 Love You," "Sweetest Girl 
of All," a song Written for his wife 
and designedly never published; 

When You Have Time and 
Money," "My Heart's Regret" and 
In the Golden Autumntime." 
^ Besides his wife, surviving are 
four daughters land a son. 



190d, where he studied account- 
ancy. 

Alter having been made a pro- 
fessor at University School of 
Commerce, Accounts and Finance, 
he latar became dean in 192S. He 
was a member of the Chancellor's 
Committee on Labor Relations at 
N. Y. Univ. 

He was author and co-author of 
several works on accounthig and 
finance, . and has published many 
articles on business and. economic 
topics. 

Surviving are his widow and 
four daughters. 



LKON LEOPOLD 
: Leon Leopold, 63,. manager of 
the Walnut Street theatre and 
brother ot comedian Ed Wynn, died 
July 1 at his home in Torresdale, 
Pa.\ 

Leopold had been connected 
with show business for over 25 
years. He began, in tile film sales 
department of the Fox exchange 
and 15 years ago became an audi- 
tor for the Shuberts. He had been 
manager of the Walnut for five 
years. 

Surviving are his wife and a 
daughter. 



■■4T-. 



June 15. His wife and « sister 
survive hinj. 



ROY PETERSON 

Roy Peterson, 55, assistant 
musical director at WTMJ, Mil- 
waukee, died after a heart attack 
in that city June 25. 

Further details in Radio section. 



JOHN DALY 

John Daly, 47, Irish opera singer 
and producer, and manager of Cork 
Opera House for past 13' years, 
died in Cork, Ire., June 25. 



MBS. MINNIE K. ECKHOVSE 

IMrs. Minnie K. Eckhouse, moth- 
er of Mrs. Wallace (Suzette) 
Downey, Latin-American music ex- 
pert with ASCAP, died in New 
York July 3. She was also the 
mother of Joe Eckhouse, executive 
veepee of Girabel Bros. 



Mother, 52, of the Andrews Sis- 
ters (Patty, Laveme, Maxine), died 
in Hollywood, July 3. Trio can- 
celled out of Koxy, W. Y:, to be at 
her bedside before death. Hus- 
band alsD survives. 



Mother. 61. of Jerry Lane, RKO 
publicist, died June 30 in Pasa- 
dena, Cal, 



Roxey A. Burley, 42, engineer at 
WOWO, Fort Wayne, lad., died 
June 30. • 



WILLIAM S. WADAMS 
William Stuart Wadams, 85, 
maker of precision tools, who 
helped the late Thomas A. Edison 
on his first motion picture machine, 
died in Orange. N. J., June 28. 

Wadams was manager of the 
Bates Manufacturing Co., of West 
Orange, when 'that firm was affili- 
ated with the Thomas E. Edisoii 
Industries. He also served the 
Industries' ediphonc; division in 
New York. 

Surviving are two sons and two 
daughters. 



PAUL TEICHEBT 
Paul Teichert, 77, who before re- 
tirement had been music critic of 
The Cleveland Leader and Cleve- 
land Plain Dealer, died in Cleve- 
land, July 2. ; 

Bom in Germany, he started his 
career in this country as music and 
drama critic for an Indianapolis 
newspaper. In that city, he was a 
member of a group including Booth 
Tarkington and James Whitcond) 
Riley that met weekly to discuss 
the arts. 



DANIEL J. HAMILTON 

Daniel J. Hamilton, 66, vet .a<;- 
tor, died in New York, June 26. 

His last Broadway appearance 
was in 1936 in "Iron Men," at the 
Longacre, N. Y. • . 

Prior to that he appeared m 
"The Man Who Reclaimed His 
Head," "Wonder Boy," "Overture 
"Room 348," "Napoleon," "The 
Last Warning," "Sex," "Seven 
Days Leave," "A Royal Divorce, 
"Officer 666" and "The Fortune 
Hunter." 



PROF. JOHN W. EBB 

Dr. John Warren Erb, Profes- 
sor of Music, composer, orchestral 
•no. choral conductor at New York 
University since 1920, died in Pitts- 
mrgb. July 1. 

■At his death, he was conductor 
M the Symphonic Society of New 
jtork University and also of the 
Musical Art Chorus of New York 
. City. 

-He conducted in 1939 a mass 
• oiorus of 1,200 voices at the New 
lork World's Fair and that year 
"e appeared in Baltimore as con- 
IPftor of the National Chorus for 
int federation of Music Clubs' bi- 
eonjaj convention. Also, he con- 
S?*f™ the orchestra and chorus 
i« ™* Pilgrims Progress festival 
«» this city in 1940, the Maine 
^tate Festival Chorus in 1940, the 
«lgnms Progress festival at Port- 
land, Me., in 1941. 



PROF. JOHN T. MADDEN 

. Prof. John Thomas Madden, 66, 
fiersonnel director of Loew's, died 
July 2 at his home in New York. 

1**^' *^^tlden, who joined Loew's 
>!f 1943, was born in Worcester, 
He came to New York in 



SAM BRYANT 

Sam Bryant, 92, a showboat cap- 
tain for 40 years before his retire- 
ment in 1924, died June 30 in 
Gallipolis, Ohio. 

Bryant, who lived in Point Pleas* 
ant, W. Va., was the father of 
Capt. Billy Bryant, known as "the 
last of the showboat captains." He 
organized the Four Bayants, vaude 
act composed of his wife, daughter 
and son who survive him. 



CHARLES G. MYERS 
Charles G. Myers, 40, chief 
transmitter operator of WICBO, 
Harrisburg, Pa., died Wednesday 
(30) of a heart attack at his Sum- 
merdale, Pa., home., A .radio 
pioneer, he helped to build WCOD, 
which later became WKBO. 

Survived by_ widow, a son, 
mother and a sister. • 



W. G. UNDERWOOD 

W. G. Underwood, 72, veteran 
theatre owner, died in Dallas 
June 27. , - . 

He wa.s a partner in the firm of 
Underwood & F.zell, operators of 
a chain of theatres in Texas and 
controlled the Drive-ln patents. 



OSCAR E. DANIELS 
. Oscar E Daniels, 72, film techni 
cian for 35 years, died June 30 at 
his home in Venice, Calif. 

He recently retired after years 
at RKO, where his son, Walter, is 
head of the production department. 

JESSIE IIEINLINE 
Mrs. Jessie Heinline, who oper- 
ated the Illinois and lAMoyne 
theatres, Macomb, 111., died in 
Tucson. Ariz., June 12. 

She had managed houses -smce 
the death of her husband in 1942 



CHARLES W. POWERS 

Charles W. Powers, 57 manager 
of the Hudson theatre, Hudson, O., 
and one lime a distributor for Par- 
amount Pictures, died in that city, 



of faith and hope in the ultimate 
triumph of Man over anarchy, both 
in his own mind and in the now- 
unregulated region between na- 
tions. 

" . . . I submit to the inherent 
right of every man to free and 
independent travel on this; his 
planet Earth. I sincerely believe 
anything less to be' a limitation 
to his dignity and self-respect as 
a Reasoning Being spiritually-en- 
dowed by Almighty God. ..." 



Video Bankrolls 



J. Frank Mednick, 57, Los An- 
geles exhib, died July 5 in that city. 



Garry Davis 

Sm Gontinued from page 1 sS 

hotel, Davis said they addressed 
him care of the Paris edition of 
the N. Y. Herald Tribune, the 
Stars & Stripes and the American 
Embassy. When the Variety re- 
porter commented that it seemed 
strange that the U. S. Embassy, 
whose country Davis renounced, 
should be his forwarding address, 
Davis had no comment 

Showmen in Paris have ex- 
pressed sympathy with the actor's 
dltniism but admit themselves 
frankly "shocked" because "to 
Europeans it looked like a gra- 
tuitous, slap at what we all consider 
the greatest nation in the world, 
tiie USA, and for you to renounce, 
your American citizenship, and all 
its ri^ts that an American pass- 
port implies and entails, strikes us 
in Europe as more dramatic than 
realistic." 

Davis seems ultra anxious to ra- 
tionalize his attitude. The former 
actor has a. glib senes of reasons 
why he "could not be true to his 
mission without first doing what I 
did in resigning from the hierarchy 
of an autocratic nation." 

To some visiting Americans who 
had some comments to make on 
Davis's stance, all had tlie same 
opinion: Davis could have best 
furthered his work under protec- 
tion of a U. S. passport, free to 
cross frontiers and enhance his 
work for a lasting peace under a 
federated nations" platform. Da- 
vis objected strenuously to the 
usage of "U. S. of Europe" to de- 
scribe his purpose. 

The Equity card in young Davis 
came out when someone cracked 
that Paris right now, which is 
Yarik talent happy, could certainly 
use him. The bandleader's son ob- 
served, "Yes, I had four of my 
best opportunities this season." 
He cited them, too: a spot in "In- 
side USA," the "Hold It" musical, 
which he admits wasn't as. good 
(or certain) as the Arthur Schwartz 
legit hit, and "what I really want 
to do most, direct; I had two sum- 
mer groups I could have handled. 

In "a Declaration of Freedom,' 
Davis explains his new-found 
ideology: "Believing sincerely and 
wholeheartedly that the ultimate 
destiny of mankind will only be 
realized through the principles of 
love and universality upon which 
all religion is based, believing also 
a viUl intermediary step toward 
that destiny of brotherhood and 
peace which is embodied in these 
principles to be a world govern- 
ment representative of all men and 
all nations, and seeking therefore 
to extend my allegiance and loyalty 
to the world in its entirety, to all 
men thereunto, and to all nations 
therein, as an expression of my 
faith and belief in this ultimate 
destiny. I . . • have renounced 
my .■ . . citizenship. ... 

"As a world citizen, I shall try 
to spread my faith and belief in 
the brotherhood of men— exempli- 
fied by a representative interna- 
tional government— wherever I go. 
Hereby I dedicate my life to that 
day when my present status shall 
be shared by all. Until that day 
arrives, may this declaration and 
my action constitute an expression 



Continued from page S s: 

At the same time, Jersey Allied 
will seek to extend the system to 
other majors. Plan put through 
by Berger as NCA prexy permite 
him to name a ctanmittee of six 
Allied members to whom other ex- 
hibs in the area can present com- 
plaints against 20th, Smith has 
bound . his company to give lull 
and. fair hearings to recommenda- 
tion's made by the Allied commit- 
tee. .' 

With the idea figured to cut 
down on the stream of exhib anti- 
trust suits, other distribs are show- 
ing an inclination to go, along with 
the extension move. Independent 
Theatre Owners Assn., headed by 
Harry Brandt, has also hopped on 
the wagon. Brandt called £or full 
support of the plan this week and 
said his group was anxious to in- 
stitute the system with 20th. 



Gamble Douses 



Continued from page I 



MARRIAGES 

Margery Van Steeden to Daniel 
Conron, New Canaan, Conn;, June 
26. Bride is" daughter of Peter 
Van Steeden, bandleader. 

Mary Ellin Berlin to Dennis 
Sheedy Burden, New York. July 3. 
Bride is the daughter of Irvmg 
and Mrs. EUm Mackay Berlm, 
noted songwriter-publisher. 

Elizabeth RUssell Earle to Mario 
Anastasio, New York, July 3. He's 
a violinist with DalUs Symphony 
Orchestra. . „ , . 

Beatrice Ann Gehrung to Delwm 
Schubert, Milwaukee, June 26. 
Bride is nfews writer for WTMJ and 
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee. 

Mattie EUwood to . Jack Gould, 
New York, June 20. Bride is a 
secretary at RKO; he's a song- 
writer. , . T,- 

Sylvia Adelman to Irving Fin- 
gold, Chicago, June 25. Bride is 
former secretary to Henry Stickel- 
maier, general manager of Great 
States Theatres. . 

Elaine Shillman to Bertie ElU- 
man, Dublin, June 30. H«'s Ire- 
land manager of British Lion Pic- 
tures. », \, 

Marjorle Harris to Tracy Bar- 
ham, Salt Lake City, June 27. He's 
v.p. and g.m. of Intermountain 
Theatres. . ^ ^ 

Decla Dunning to Paul B. Radin, 
Hollywood, July 4, Bride is a 
screen writer; he's an advertising 
executive 

Barbara Nelson to- Harry J. 
Moore, Everett, Wash., June 26. 
He's asst. manager of the Roxy 
theatre there. 

Jean Beasley to Morgan Davies, 
Hollywood, June 30. He's a singer. 

Mary McGuire to Herb Lutz, Las 
Vegas, June 29. He's a music pub- 
lisher. 

BIRTHS 

Mr. and Mrs. Reo Fletcher.'son, 
Chicago, June 27. Father is ABC 
music librarian in that city. 

Mr. and Mis. Ed Gj»oper, son, 
Chicago, June 25. Father is WGN 
staff announcer there. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rey Blanco, daugh- 
ter, Chicago, June 24. Father is 
WIND .staff singer. 

Mr. and Mrs. Si Rose, son, Holly- 
wood, July 2. Father is a radio 
writer. 

Mr. and Mrs. John Huntington, 
daughter. New York, July 2. He's 
producer and managing director of 
the Spa Summer Theatre, Saratoga 
Springs, N. Y.; mother, the former 
Constance Hanley, was business 
manager of the theatre last season. 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Mc- 
Mahon, daughter, Hollywood, June 
30. Father is in legal dept., at 
Warners. 

Mr. and Mrs. Noah Beery, Jr.. 
daughter, Hollywood. June 30. 
Father is a screen actor. 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Vidor. son, 
Hollywood, June 30. Doris Vidor 
is the daughter of Harry M. War- 
ner, father is the director. 

■Mr. and Mrs. Fred Weiting, 
daughter, Abington, Pa., June 28. 
Father is newscaster with WIBG, 
Glenside, Pa. 

Mr. and Mrs. Al Devore, daugh- 
ter, Hollywood, June 30. Father 
is one of the owners of Slapsy 
Maxie's. 

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Wanger. 
daughter, Hollywood, July 4. Father 
is film producer; mother (Joan Ben- 
nett) is screen star. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Diamond, 
daughter, Hollywood, July 4. Father 
is a Warner Brosi flack.. 



arc feasible nor does he think the 
Federal Communication Commis-' 
sion would permit resorting to that 
ace-in-the-hole panacea^ 

(Proof that, the film industry will 
be able to capitalize- on television, 
whether or not TV cuts into the 
film boxoffice, is seen in the num- 
ber of top Hollywood producers 
starting^ production of iilms exclu- 
sively for video. List already in- 
cludes David O. Selznick, Cecil B. 
DeMille, Argosy Productions (John 
Ford-Merian C. Cooper) and the 
Bob Roberts-Jolm Garfield part- 
nership, among others. 

(These producers, along with the 
majority of film offidals, believe 
that features produced for theatri- 
cal release won't fill the needs of . 
video because of technical reasons. 
Answer, therefore, lies in the pro- 
duction of special TV films, which 
they're especially equipped to han- 
dle. That that opinioa is con- 

stressed by NBC exec veepee Sid- 
ney N. Strotz, who has declared re- 
peatedly that there was little like- 
lihood of tele's ever getting new 
feature pix but that Hollywood will 
eventually become the top TV pro- 
ducing, centre.) 

TOA topper, however, frankly 
scouts the gloomy view widely 
taken by exlubs. "I don't believe 
people will stay at home to stare 
at an 18-lnch screen in preference, 
to going to theatres," Gamble told 
Variety last week. "Too often, ' 
exhibitors who cry the blues'forget 
that people like to dress up and 
go downtown to a pictiirer^because 
it means getting away firom the ' 
home for a change. 

"Theatre men wh* think 
they'll be able to induce the Gov- 
ernment to permit cxclusives are 
just not gauging the temper of the 
country correctly," Gamble de- 
clared. "The air is fre« right novr 
and you can bet your last subwaf : 
dime that the FCC will insist thaf 
it be kept that way. It's only conf • 
mon sense to face that fact." 

Even if the big companies or t 
combine' of theatres succeeded hi 
winning exclusive television show* 
ing of important events, the fruits 
of that success would be a swarm 
of anti-trust suits, Gamble said, 
"We find that Hie right to exclu- 
sivity would be gradually hacked 
away in lawsuits. So I don't think 
that's the answer." 

One major point is generally 
overlooked in arguments pro-and* 
con on the television question niii 
its effect on theatres, GamliSS 
stressed. "There's a lot more cob**- 
venicnce for. patrons to go t0 
neigliborhood houses instead of 
travelling downtown to flrst-nui 
theatres and it certainly is chea^ 
er. Yet, they do dress up And mak* 
the trip because they want to .se« 
films ^rlier and they like to mak« 
an occasion of It." 

That same Important factor 
holds for video. Gamble insists. 
Convenience and economy, he be- 
lieves, ; can't stand up against the 
desire to pick up and go. Old 
films, shown on tele ..screens at 
home, haven't the pull to keep 
families close to tiie hearth when 
new and better ones are available 
in theatres. 

New York and a few other large 
cities are much more affected than 
the vast terrain outside of urban 
centers,' according, to Gamble. 
Wliile he envisages a tremendous 
growth in tele stations through the 
country, Gamble doesn't believe 
the programs which will be avail- 
able in most spots will be strong 
enough to counteract that theatre* 
going habit. 



Iridium fim. KO 



Continued from pace 1 



until 4:30 p.m. Thereafter it 
becomes a general dining room. 

The 5th avenue frontage gives ; 
way to a store, at a fancy rental, 
which compelled the Vincent As- 
tor management to accede to the 
commercial over custom. 

The Maisonette (grill) room will 
continue operating, as will the St. 
Regis Roof, with its time-honored 
Josef Urban decor, long the set- 
ting of many distinguished social- 
ite activities. 

The Iridium Room, like the now 
defunct RainiKiw Room atop the 
RCA Bldg., wliich today is only a 
luncheon club, passes into limbo. 
It was noted for its class attrac- 
tions and latterly for its ice revues 
with which it clicked and made 
Jean, at the door, one of the bestr 
iuiown maitres d'hotel. 



48 



Vedneadayt July 7, 1948 



AN 

PARAPE 
IN f/WLY / " 



That's what the cops at 45th Street, 
and Broadway are saying as crowds 
of people block traffic at Loew's 
State Theatre to see M-G-M's pre* 
sentation of Irving Berlin's ' ' EASTEK 
JPARADE/' New records! New box^ 
office lines never before witnessed in 
th« 27»yeat history of this theatret 



wm 



THE PARADE THAT WILL 
SOON SPAN THE NATION' 



M-G-M presents IRVING 
BERLIN'S "KASTER 
PARADE" • Starring 
JUDY GARLAND • FRED 
ASTAIRE • PETER 
LAVf FORD' ANN MILLER 
Color by TECHNICOLOR 
Screett Play by Sidney 
Sheldon, Frances Goodrich 
and Albert Hackett • Origi- 
nal Story by Frances Good«, 
rich and Albert Hackett 
Lyrics and Music by Irving 
Berlin * Musical Numbers 
Directed by Robert Alton 
Directed by CHARLES 
WALTERS • Produced by 
ARTHUR FREED • An 
M'C'M picture 




"'EASTER PARADE'Js launch- 
ing Loew's State as the home 
of important pictures. The boys 
cerfaUify picked a humdingerV' 
— N.Y. World -Telegram 

1 



I ft 



V 



i 8tr. inni 



RADIO 



VIDEO 



MUSIC 



SVA<*E 




Publtslied Weekly at 164 West 46th Street, Ken Tork 19, M. T., by Variety, Inc. Annual mibserlptlon. |lt. Bincla copies >( centa. 
ISnlercd as second claw matter December 2% W6, at tba Poat Offica at New Torlb N, T.> under tin «ot at JCsroh I. int. 

copmiOHT, IMS. m VABtmiv, inc. am. biobks WESBav^b 



VOL. 171 N®. 6 



NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1948 



PRICE 25 CENTS 



HOLLYWOOD'S ECONOMY 




Hollywood Booners Gving the Go-By 
This Summer to Barnyard Belascos 



Hollywood, July 13. 4 
The strawhat circuit, a longtime 
happy hunting ground for film 
company talent scouts, has been 
given the kiss-off by the majors this 
.season. Chief reason for the aban- 
donment of the extensive barnyard 
0,0. given in previous years is the 
companies* drastic budget-pruning 
me.asures. Subsidiary reasons are 
the lack of new faces in summer 
stock and the failure of previous 
summer safaris into the backwoods 
to turn up -usable talent. 

Stay-at-home Dolicy was insti- 
tuted last year in Metro's talent 
department. This year, however, 
virtually all of the major com- 
panies are following suit with an 
attitude of "we'll wait until they 
hit Broadway." The prevailing the- 
ory is that the natural law of selec- 
tion will separate the clicks from 
the clucks by the time young thes- 
pers are ready for a Broadway try- 
out. Talent chiefs are no longer 
worried over being scooped on a 
new face siiice all companies are 
showing the greatest wariness to- 
wards signing anyone. 

A hot lead or tip on a prospect 
In a summer theatre, however, will 
still cause a talent scout to reach 
for his hat and take the next train 
to Ba»g«J5f, Me., for a look-see. But 
thfe tip has to be very hot. At any 
rate, gone are the days when scouts 
(Continued on page 55) 



WOR Thirsty-After 11:30 

WOR, N. Y., has decided to lift, 
.iust partially, its long standing 
ban on drug, beer and wine spot 
commercials. Station has passed 
around word that it will accept 
spots for such products for airing 
after 11:30 p.m. 

No word as to whether any 
further lowering oi the ban js in 
prospect. ' 



Hub's To Be or Not 
To Be Seen Ruling 
On Filmed 'Hamlet' 

Boston, July 13. 

Boston lived up to its fame as 
the roost vigilant guardian city of 
morals in the U. S. this week when 
the local censorship board asked 
for a number of cuts from J. 
Arthur Rank's filmization of "Ham- 
let," before allowing the pic's entry 
to tjie Hub. No sizeable scissoring 
was demanded, tlie solons, in the 
main, contenting themselves with 
requested deletions of the baldjer 
and bawdier Elizabethan expres- 
sions on sex. 

There is no doubt that Universal, 
U S, distrib of "Hamlet" under its 
reciprocal .deal with Rank, will 
okay the surgery. It was pointed 
out that the snippings will be 
strictly minor, nicking the pic a 
trifle in spots but not affecting the 
story's development and the im- 
pact which the Sir Laurence 
Olivier's dramatization has, "Ham- 
let" is slated to have its U. S. 
pi-cem at the Astor theatre, Boston, 
early in August. . 

Meanwhile, recurrent rumors 
mushrooming both in the U. S. and 
England that the Catholic Legion 
oi Decency was demanding the 
deletion of healthy chunks of the 
Shakespeare tragedy before okay- 
ine it were denied by both the 
Rank office in the U. S. and the 
Legion! Latter is expected to an- 
nounce its classification of the film 
today (Wed.). Strong inference was 
(Continued on page 55) 



Tdle-Filined Bing 
MuHedbyPhib 

Philadelphia, July 13. 
Braintrusters for the Bing 
Crosby Philco show are currently 
mulling television plans for the 
fall season. According to Bill Mor- 
row, producer-writer for the 
Crosby program, jt's likely that 
several shows will be filmed for 
video distribution, paralleling the 
transcription idea for radio. 
Whether the shows will be lensed 
simultaneously with the tape re- 
cordings is still undecided. 

Format of the Crosby radio 
stanza' wiir remain unchanged. 
Morrow disclosed, however, that 
vocalist Peggy Lee will be a steady 
feature next season except when 
femme guests such as Dinah Shore 
and Dorothy Kirsten sire used; 
Scripting chores will be split up 
among Hal Kanter, Bobby O'Brien, 
Larry Clemmons and Izzy Elinson, 
with each man to handle a separate 
show. 

Morrow pointed out that Crosby 
will have no legal entanglements 
with Paramount Pictures over his 
stepping into television since he 
has exclusive control over his TV 
rights. Cliief problem in video 
programming for Crosby will be 
the need for recasting the scripts 
for visual consumption, and longer 
rehearsal periods. The practice of 
reading scripts before video 
cameras is just n.g., said Morrow. 

Philco has indicated strong in- 
terest in Crosby's video prospects. 
Coin expenditure, which will be 
high for such a venture, is being 
explored, however, before they 
make the TV fling. Crosby's pact 
with Philco will run out at the 
end of the 1948-49 season. Morrow 
said that over 300 stations will 
carry the Crosby show when it re- 
sumes Sept 29. 



GROSSES BIG BOT 
NET STILL 




Hollywood, July 13. 

Hollywood found itself this week 
in the midst of its second slashing 
economy campaign in less than 10 
months as it continued its efforts to 
adjust its fiscal nervous system to 
a new world outlook. The signals 
of an upset economy which flagged 
company toppers into action with 
the axe were the flock. Qf_.quarterly 
and semi-annual financial state- 
ments in the past couple months 
that showed income almost equal 
to that of 1947 but net profits 
down to as low as 25% of com- 
parative periods a year ago. 

RKO and Metro were in the van- 
guard of the scalpel-wielders. At 
RKO, the new broom sweeping 
clean-^in the person of Howard 
Hughes, who recently acquired con- 
trolling interest — was responsible 
for the slashing. At Metro, Univer- 
sal and other studios the reasons 
were also" clear for the cutting. 
M-G's statement for the 12 weeks 
ending June 3, for instance, showed 
a net of $842,000 with a gross of 
$43,000,000, as against last year's 
net of $2,308,000 with exactly the 
same grofis as 1948. 

The continually constricting for- 
eign market, combined with doubt 
as to the future of the domestic 
b.o., was being weighed by com- 
pany execs against the expanded 
costs of production as represented 
in figures on pictures they are now 
amortizing. Result is an out-of-bal- 
ance situation that company heads 
feel it is mandatory to correct. 

Hollywood, which thought its 
economy axings were over after 
the slashing retrenchments of last 
fall, suddenly found Hughe§ lead- 
ing the way this time with sah esti- 
mated 300 workers dismissed in 
(Continued on page 16) 



Draft Cues Orders 

For Music by Army 

Washington, July 13. 

Obviously a case of coming 
events casting their shadow is the 
heavy ordering of stock arrange- 
ments by the Special Service divi- 
sion of the U, S. Army through 
Jjliisic Dealers Service. The dtaft 
goes into effect Sept. 20, 

The orders have in a number of 
instances been in quantities of 500 
copies. «' 



Eisenhower's Story 
Of the War Seen Set; 
Figures to Snare 600G 

While Genera 1 Eisenhower's 
"Crusade in Europe," his story of 
World War H, is still in the maybe 
stage, it does appear that by Sep- 
tember he will finally release the 
ms. and then Doubleday's right to 
purchase will be executed. 

Eisenhower's setup makes if- 
money history in publishing circlesi 
For one thing, although at the 
moment his memoirs are being 
translated for publication in nearly 
every civilized country as soon as 
they get the cabled okay from 
Doubleday in New York, none the 
less it still is a highly speculative 
arrangement. 

His meticulousness is at the base 
of all this 'seemingly extraneous 
uncertainty. All the 212,000 
words in the 576 pages of the S5 
book were dictated and revised by 
him personally. Ken McCormick, 
veepee and chief editor of Double- 
day, as well as Joe Barnes, editor 
of the N. y. Star (formerly PM), 
(Continued on page 55) 



Tde, Gawky Kidoftlie€OP Meet, 
BeconiesaManforDeinoCoiiveiitiQD 



Places, Please! 

Philadelphia, July 13. 

President Truman is skedded 
for a f uUdress rehearsal for 
his tele stunt when he accepts 
his party's nomination for the 
big job. 

ABC, which operates the 
pool on Thursday (15), the 
nomination day, has arranged 
everything for the top_ execu- 
tive to go through his paces in 
a hotel suite for the benefit of 
his top political advisers, who 
will have a preview 6f their 
boss in action and will suggest 
changes for the call of "cur- 
tain," when the video audience 
will see the performance. Hal 
King, Hollywood ■''•makeup ex- 
pert, will work on the Presi- 
dent. 



ABCsa 
Price Tag on WW 

Walter Winchell went on ABC's 
market block yesterday (Tues.) 
with a $1,000,000 price tag. 
Although the web inked him sev- 
eral weeks ago to a deal starting 
next Jan. 2, guaranteeing him a 
minimum $10,000 weekly, the gab- 
ber was not actually made avail- 
able to banlcroUers until yesterday. 

The time-and'talent p a c k age 
pric^ of approximately $1,000,000 is 
for 52 weeks, 45 to be done by 
Winchell, the other seven by a 
fill-in program included in the 
overall price. 

Only two classes of sponsors 
can't touch Winchell — ciggie com- 
panies because of Old Gold's tab 
on the preceding "Stop the Mu-- 
sic," and cosmetic makers because 
of Woodbury's bankrolling of Lou- 
ella Parsons, following Winchell. 

Miss Parsons' stanza has; just 
been renewedi 



nka Chase, Faye Emerson 
Sign for Tele Debuts 

Ilka Chase and Faye Emerson 
Roosevelt signed this week for 
their television debuts in shows 
packaged by World Video, Inc., 
indie outfit headed up by novelist 
John Steinbeck and photog Robert 
Capa. 

Miss Chase is to serve as writer 
and narrator for a new series cov- 
ering famous European eateries 
and dishes for American house- 
wives. As with its "Paris Cavalcade 
of Fashion" show, WV is shooting 
film for the new series in Paris. 
Editing, scripting and narration 
are to be done in N. V. 

Miss Emerson, meanwhile, has 
signed with WV as narrator on the 
fashion sliow, replacing Eloise Mc 



By HERMAN A, LOWJE 

piiiladelp]iia» July 13. 

Television and radio are march* 
ing through this Democratic Na- 
tional Convention like the smooth 
clicking veterans they have become 
at this thing in the past -few weeks. 

Television, in particular, a 
gawky but spectacular kid at the 
GOP hassle, and the wonder of all 
the neighbors^ 1» accepted here this 
time. There's no question • among: 
newsmen and , politicians, for ex-i 
ample, that it's playing a most im- 
portant part as a media. And its 
personnel is generally recognized 
In the hotel lobbies and in Con- 
vention Hall as part of th« gang. 

The transformation is astonish- 
ing. A little over two weeks ago, 
when the Republicans were in ses-> 
sion, delegates and newsmen 
buzzed excitedly about video and 
how wonderful it was. Today this 
is almost entirely lacking in the 
feeling that tele 1$ here to stay. 

Tele newsmen and electricians, 
here know they have arrived and 
arc operating with a much smooth' 
er efficiency than before. They 
know how to get the best results 
with the camera's eye on the con- 
vention scene. Tor special shows 
in the studios at the Bellevue- 
Stratford or in Convention HaU» 
video men are handling the brass 
with no waste motion and allowing 
the visitors practically no non- 
(Continued on page 31) 



See Kaufman, Ryskind 
/ Unable to Agree On 
'Sing' Revival Changes 

George S. Kaufman, co-author 
and director of the musical, "Of 
Thee X Sing," would like to re- ; 
Vive the Pulitzer Prize musical, 
but cannot do so. The reajson is 
that the political satire, produced 
during the 1931-32 season, needs 
revision, but Kaufman figures that 
he and his collaborator, Morrie 
Ryskind, could not agree on the 
changes. So the revival is in abey- 
ance. Meanwhile, the authors have 
never sold the screen rights, so the 
property is presumably an' indefi- 
nite potential for revival. 

The crux of the situation is that 
Kaufman and Ryskind, cordial 
friends When "Sing" was written, 
have steadily grown apart in po- 
litical philosophy. Kaufman, while 
not active politically and never 
identified with any causes or . pres- 
sure groups, is known among his : 
friends as an ardent "liberal." 

Ryskind, on the other hand, has 
been reported as : becoming more 
conservative and, in the last few 
years has been identified with such 
organizations as the rightist Mo- 
tion Picture Alliance for the Pres- 
ervation of American Ideals. He 
was one of those named last fall 
as having helped prepare the 
speech Mrs. Leia Rogers delivered 
on a ''Town Meeting" broadcast,. 
(Continii«d on pag^ 55) 



PICmJBES 



Wetlncsilay, Jiily 14, 1943 



Fix Expect $4,0i,00OmECA Plan 
Of Dc^ar-ConveraonFrom Abroad 



Washington, July 13. + 
Economic Gooperatioa Adminis- 
trator Paul G. Hoffman today (12) 
issued the rules and regulations, 
•which will go vem the grants of 
guaranties under which investors 



Mazorki Sues DeD 



l«s Angeles, July IS. 
Mike Mazurki, wrestlerractor, 
fn"prrUcrpati7g"countries"w^^^^^^ a $400,000 damage suit in LA. 

assured of the conversion into dol- fupenor court against DeU Pub- 
lars of the proceeds from funds in- 1 1'shing Co.. Ballyhoo ■ magazine, 
vested. Guaranties up to $10,000,- American News Co. and others 
000 during the first year of ECA 



Plaintiff declares the January 
i.ssue of Ballyhoo depicted him as 
halt man-^half woman, thereby 
damaging his career on the screen 



operations are provided for pic- 
ture, newspaper and other infor- 
mational media investments. Film , 

industry anticipates receiving about | and the wrestling mat 
HGOO.OOO. 

Issuance of these guaranties to , LI n * * I 

film companies will be determined fZiSWmW II6CISIOB ID 
by compliance with these condir- 1 
Vami: , ;j 

The investments must be ap- 1 
proved by the administrator and by 1 
the participating countries con- 
eemed "as furthering the purposes 
of the joint program of Kiiropean 
recovery." 

They must' be new investments. 
This. mestnSv according to ECA of- 
ficials, that only films shipped from 
noW'^Hi will lie eligible for inclu- 
sion under the guaranty provision, 
Those films already in the coun- 
tries concerned, but still awaiting 
distribution to theatres, will not be 
eligible. 

Applications received from pro- 
ducers and distributors of infor- 
mation media, the announcement 
pointed out. will be considered "in 
the light" of the intention ex- 
pressed by the House-Senate con- 
ference report on the ECA Act. 
The report statedt that "the guar- 
anty might well apply to the con- 
vertibility of foreign currencies 
earned Iqr the sale or exhibition of 
products of the industry, to the 
extent of the dollar cost of produc- 
tion wholly attributable to those 
specific pr»duets." ■ 

Door Xcft Open? . 

One sentence in the Hoffman an- 
nouncement raises the speculative 
possibility that the door has been 
left open for some type of censor- 
ship of films, or at least a pro- 
cedure of selectivity if the appli- 
cations are considered on a film- 
tq^Tfilm basis rather than a com- 
pany-byH[:ompany basis, a factor as 
yet undetermined. The sentence 
reads: "In view of the current con- ^ 
ditions in Europe, it is believed to | 
be particularly desirable at 



Rose's Snit Now Femnts 
Mason's Entry Into Cal. 

Having finally clarified his con- 
tractual status, James Mascn left 
Arizona last week and joined his 
actress-wife, Pamelo Kellino, in 
Hollywood, where she is due for 
motherhood Shortly. The English 
actor's legal affairs were straight- 
ened out when he won his suit in 
N. Y. federal court to invalidate 
his contract with David E. Hose, 
former Paramount head'in Britain. 
Mason had been unable to sign any 
other contracts and had been liv- 
ing in Arizona because of a $1,760,- 
000 damage suit .filed against him 
in California by Rose. 

ITie verdict in favor of Mason 
was Issued last Wednesday (7) by 
Federal Judge John C. Knox, cli- 
maxing a legal battle of more than 
a year and a half, In a 27-page 
opinion, the jurist ruled that the 
actor's agreement with Hose, signed 
in .Tunc. 1946, was "too incomplete 
to constitute a binding contract; 




316lh Week ! 

KEN MURRAY'S 

"BLACKOUTS OF 194ff' 
Ei Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cat. 

Now Playine Nationally. 

"BILL AND COO" 

Special Academy Award Winner 



.ciiiiiL 



Drive-hs Now Face Overseating 
Danger, Booking Probbms Snaried 



Censusing Drivc-In« 

With drive-ins the most im- 
portant current trend in thea- 
tre-building. Motion Picture 
As.sn. of America this week 
set out to make a census ot 
them. They were incompletely 
surveyed by the MPAA in the 
report it made on regular 
theatres last May. . , , , 

About 185 were said to be 
operating at that time with a 
car capacity of around 75,000. 



mm f auuci 

, ■ ^:'':Frankfort,:'-jfuly";S. ■, 

Editor, VABIErt';' 

Have been travelling several 
weelis' throujgh Belgium, HoUand 
and western Germany in my trail- 
er. Wally Byam, from Los An^ 
geles, is With "me. We each brought 
over about 100 lbs. of canned 
foods, tp Wliich we have added 
some locally grown produc* of the 
coimtry^de. We eat in practically 
the entire time as we are both 
pretty lair cooks. We find the 
, Cudahy bacon and the Hormel 
because "its ultimate purpose was 1 hams are excellent; so are the 



the development of plans requiring 
the use of large sums of money," 
but that it failed to set forth sid!- 
ficient "details of organization, op- 
eration and control of the corpora- 
tion." Knox dismissed Kose's 
counterclaim for $1,760,000 dam- 
ages and also tossed out Mason's 
supplementary cause of action, 
namely, that in case the contract 
with Rose was declared valid. Rose 
had breached itt 
, . . , Before the filing, of Mason's suit 
'•'"s I in Nevv York, Rose brought an ae- 



i'„":^' '^K'^^^^rf ^tnl^tion m CaUfomia to prevent the 



poses Of the Act, to obtain the 
widest possible circulation in Eu- 
rope of American informational 
media conveying a true under- 
standing of American institutions 
and policy among .the nations." 

A .spokesman for the Motion 
Picture Assn. of America suggested 
that weighing of this pronounce- 
ment in light of past experience 
might .show a possible trend. He 



actor from making any contractual 
commitments with anyone else and 
a.sking damages for alleged breach 
of contract. However, Mason was 
not in California and could not be- 
served with papers. He continued 
to remain outside the state until 
the New York decision in his favor 
last week, although Miss Kellino 
has been back and forth several 
times between California and Ari- 



pointed out that films to be shown I . j- „ » , 

ta occupied territories are picked According to Mason's attor- 

by the occupation authorities from "^y, Louis D. FroWich, the favor- 
a list submitted by the distributors. \ able verdictjn New York clears up 

In line with these speculations,- 
it is also interesting to note that 
the Hoffman announcement stated 
that all applications will be 
weighed in the light of the degree 
to which a projected investment 
would promote the "joint program 
of economic recovery within wide- 
spread geographical and industrial 
areas." 

The announcement also pointed 
out that the act does not guarantee 
the transferability into dollars of 
any profits over and above the 
amount of dollars originally in- 
vested and specified in the con- 
tract. 



the case in California. 

REX HARRISON MAY DO 
MAX ANDERSON PLAY 



Rath cocktail sausages, 

In Holland we did a great barter- 
trade in the farm^!Ountry, Every 
night we puUcd into a different 
farmhouse. People don't want 
money for their wares but they do 
want US cigarets, chocolate, soap. 
Thus thrice weekly (during milk 
rationing), we were able to get 
Yogurt for 2 or 'i cigarets a bottle. 
We bought a pound of butter for 
two packages of Marvel cigarets; 
an Edam cheese for seven packs of 
Luckies; a large 10 lb Limburg 
cheese for 2 packages of Ivory. 
Goat's cheese was cheaper— a bar 
of Hershey's (with nuts), for 2 lbs. 
of it. In Volendam, where we 
parked right alongside the Zuyder 
Zee, a farmer felt my tired out, old 
wool undershirt and wanted to 
trade me a milch-goat for it!!! We 
got a Loaf of bread at Alksmeer 
(.Continued on page 20) 



Joining the trek of other film 
stars to the legit stage over the 
past year. Rex Harrison is serious- 
ly eyeing IVIaxweU/AndetSott's new 
play; "Anhe ■ of ? the; Thousand 
Days," as a Broadway vehicle in 
the fall. Play is slated -to^ 
duced by the Playwrights Co. in 
association with Leland Hayward. 
ECA also urged applicants I Harrison, under contract to 20th- 
to enter into negotiation with the i Fox, would first have to get studio 
appropriate participating coun-.' permission to do the play, 
tries "as soon a3 practicable," and During the last season, roster of 
to' file applications "as promptly as I Hollywood thespers in Broadway 
jtossible." , iJegiters included Ingrid Bergman 

,-' ■ • I III ,- — 1 1 i i t' — 1 . 1 ; I in "Joan of Lorraine," John Gar- 

i field in "Skipper Next to God," 
Ir CftUlinmV FrMirll Hunt in "Joy to the 

Jl. UUIUnjU » IlCUUl World," Henry Fonda in "Mister 

Roberts," Basil Rathbone in "The 
Heiress, l^aui Kelly in ''Command 
)3ecisit>n,''-'etc.'" 



AMUS. STOCKS DIPPED 
{53,505,624 IN JUNE 

A casualty of both uncertain 
economic conditions throughout 
the U. S. and slipping Quarterly 
profit reports, amusement stocks 
[ during the month of June slid 
I $53,505,624 on the New York Stock 
1 Exchange. All entertainment stocks 
i listed on the big board— and that 
includes major film companies, 
radio networks dnd disk outfits--- 
fcU to a total value of $708,172,S14 
on .Kmc 30 against this year's high 
of $761,678,538 at the Close of May. 

Average price of amusement 
shares dipped to $17.10 per share 
again.st $18.39 in May and $17.08 
at the end of April. Postwar low 
on these stocks came in February 
when total market evaluation was 
$597,576,683. Shares climbed 
sharply in Maixh to hit $714,840,- 
984; sloughed off slightly in April; 
and hit the jackpot in Hay. 



Rank's New 
On Olympix i^ni 
RileU.S.Newsreelers 

Ill-feelings over this summer's 
OlympJc games in England and 
talk of boycott by American news- 
reel companies, which quieted over 
the past few months after assur- 
ances of a square deal by J. Arthur 
Bank, have been revived again. 
The peace bubble bur.st this week 
when printed contracts laying 
down the rules for coverage of the 
international event reached film 
c-onipany h,q. in N. Y. 

Reels had been mollified when 
Hank, who holds exclusive film 
rights to shooting the Olympics, 
promised Yank companies they 
would be permitted reasonable 
coverage on payment of a flat fee 
for the privilege. That amount was 
reportedly $4,000 for each of t^le 
five companies. Contract now be- 
fore the reels requires the Yanks 
to Share an unfixed allocation of 
production costs. 

Companies are particularly 
peeved since all shooting will be 
handled by one of Hanks subsids, 
formed to film the Olympics with 
no supervision of expenditures,^^' 
the reels. The Yanks, on their part, 
must each advance 3,000 pounds 
($1^,000) for costs. This is a pre- 
Uminary payment with the actual 
amount allocated to be determined 

Other provisos of the pact have 
the reels sizzling. One of these 
limits the companies to 1,000 feet 
and to only one issue weekly. Rank 
has taken elaborate precautions to 
prevent competition with his 
Olympic Games feature which he 
plans to release both in England 
and U. S. One of these is to bar 
the use of more than 50 feet for 
background matter after the 
games. 

It is still a tossup whether the 
American reels will ink the pack 
or take the boycott plunge. The 
Yanks are loath, right now, to buck 
Rank on the subject, and their 
British newsreel subsids which 
deal with his theatres want to go 
ahead with the deal. 

Several months back, Universal 
stopped a boycott by refusing to 
join it. U is closely tied with Rank, 
who is the -company's largest stock- 
holder. 



Prod. Via UADistrib 

Paris, July 13. 

Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., is current- 
ly here endeavoring to get set on 
putting hift'first film. into produc- 
tion by Sept. 1. Pic is "Diplomatic 
Passport," written by John Baines, 
and will probably star Robert Cum- 
mings. ^i^oung Goldwyn is also 
planning to sign a prominent 
Ei^ench actress and a top Italian 
-actor. ■ ■ 

GoMWTn wUl be producer and 
'tSm co^irector. He plans to do 
most of his idiooting on location in 
southern France. He recenily 



Repbrt Due on Berne 

Washington, July 13. 
The three observers that the 
State Department assigned to at- 
tend the Beme International Copy- 
right Convention in Brussels re- 
turned to this country last week. 
The department is expected to is- 
sue a statement as regards their 
report within the coming week. 
The U. S. is not a member of the 



Convention but has alws^s had 
feigned a deal 'with United Artists ' some one representing this country 
fiDf| dCstElbtitlim of tj^^jBV ||>p.lS«'^ for the,S^ljieiratOB(S, 



Giant Ahr Spec ExpectedfTo 
Further Dent B.O. in N.Y. 

The International Air Exposition, 
to be held at Idlewild airport, 
N. Y., July 31 to Aug. 8, WiU join 
the list of counter-sittractions cut- 
ting into summer fihn boxoffice re- 
ceipts. Gigantic display of U. S. 
air power plus the pop priced scale 
for tickets to the exposition is ex- 
pected to be the big show biz lure 
for that week. 

Exposition wUI inaugarate the 
commemoration of N£w York City's 
50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee 
and will mark the official dedica- 
tion of the N. Y. International Air- 
port at Idlewild. Grover A. Whalen 
is handling the Jubilee's observ- 



BRFFISH REEERS ALSO 
RILED ON aMES STANCE 

London, July 6. 

Newsreel Assn. of Britain called 
a full-scale meeting this week of 
all its members to discuss final de- 
tails of their arrangements for film- 
ing the Olympic Games. For the 
privilege of taking newsreel shots 
of the Olympic Games, the five 
major British newsreel companies 
will have to pay $8,000 each. And- 
they aren't happy about it because 
the films will have to be pooled 
with no one company able to get 
a scoop or an exclusive. 

According to the trade, $8,000 
wUl be a small amount for the 
colnpanies to pay becfiuse it would 
certainly have cost much more to 
have filmed the Games on their 
own account. That is always sup- 
posing they could get the extra 
staff and equipment most certainly 
needed for such a big job. 



♦ The drive-in theatre, lusty indus^ 
try postwar offspring, is on the 
brink of becoming over-expanded. 
Where in recent months the new , 
picture business infant had been 
making regular neighborhood thea>- ' '■. 
tre owners squirm, now ttie drive.* ; 
in operators themselves are start- ; 
ing to worry. 

Fundamentally, it is a case of 
overseating. Always dependent on 
having a site in the center ot a 
large population area for a suc- 
cessful operation, the drive-in pro- 
moters have overdone the concen- 
tration in many such locations. Net 
result has been two or three : 
(sometimes four and five) drive-ins 
where only one had made a success ■ 
of it before. As a coiusequence, 
where two., drive-ins are operating 
in a fixed area, experience has 
shown that grosses are trimmed 
nearly 50% at both spots. And the 
percentage of dedine incre.ases( ; 
proportionately for each new out- 
door theatre in a specified area. 

Big trouble is that this success- 
ful new enterprise has attracted 
too many into the business. Drive- 
in^operators find that to be most 
successful they must have a popu- 
lation of near 125,000 within a ; 
radius of 24 miles, the outdoor op- 
erations requiring a larger popular - 
lation to support it than regular, 
theatres. - 

One bright spot for distributors 
is that smart drive-in operators 
mainly demand only comedies, ad- 
venture films or westerns. Sophis- 
ticated fare doesn't go with family- 
type patrons the drive-ins attract. 
Comedy vehicles like "It Had to Be 
You" have done the best biz in 
many situations. To further draw 
family trade, many outdoor spots 
sla.sh their scales for children up , 
to 12 years,' 

Big Candy Sales Take 
Al.so some drive-in operators fig- 
ure they are getting people who 
don't ordinarily attend a film thea- 
tre, one survey . showing that six 
out of every 10 ^ve^in patrons 
are those seldom attending a iihn . 
show. In addition, the family group- 
attendance also is cashed in by op^ 
crators providing plenty of food, 
drinks, etc.. for their patrons. It is 
estimated that an average drive- 
in that grosses $4,000 weekly often 
takes in an additional $1,200 via its 
concessions, drive-ins figuring to 
take in double the amount most 
film houses do. All of which ex- 
plains why it ii» not unusual for a 
drive-in to net $1,000 per week. 

There are two reasons advanced 
for the rapid spread of drive-ins. 
One is that until this year, wartime 
building restrictions held back the 
erection of theatres. This meant 
that drive-ins got the green light 
because requiring less building 
material. That ba& changed with, 
most states reporting about four 
regular - type theatres planned or 
projected as compared to one drive- 
in. .Another reason for the rapid 
postwar outdoor theatre expansion 
was the mounting cost of construc- 
tion. A theatre costing $300,000 to- 
day could have been built for 
$300,000 two years ago. The aver- 
age 800-car drive<.in costs about 
$180,000. Smaller capacity spots 
are put up for less. 



Liaie's Showbix Boatload 

Queen Elizabeth docks today 
(Wed.) in New York after an At- 
lantic crossing carpring Its usual 
quota of show business personali- 
ties. Aboard the liner are Raymond 
Massey, Jean Hersfaolt and Janis 
Carter. 

Other passengers include Valen- 
tina Cortese, Italian film actress, 
and Christophcc Isherwood, Brit- 
iifll jiuthor. ., , . 

r f - *• % -virc ;« » 1 '.' ■» ■> ►-- 



Venezuelan Prez Into 
American Pic Industry 

Romulo Gallegos, president of 
Venezuela, who is in the U. S. on 
official business, has plunged into 
the- film biz as a by-product of his 
trek. Venezuelan heat of state has 
a piece in a projected. HoUy.wood 
filmization of his best selling noyel, 
"Dona Barbara," as one of the 
terms in a deal closed ttiis week. 
He has sold film rights to the 
yarn to Trans-World Films, recent- 
ly-formed producing outfit headed^ 
by Jacques Grinieff. * ; 

Grinieff won't film the book for 

some time yet, as he is going ahead 
with other projects fijst "Barbara" 
interiors will be shot in Hol- 
lywood while exteriors will be 
iensed in Venezuela. Production 
budget of $1^500,000 is set for the 
film. 

Novel, originally published in 
1931, has already been made in a 
Spiuiish-Ianguage pic version by 
Casa Loma films, Mexican com- 
pany. President Gallegos was 
r-cpped by Jose R. Gutierrez, 
while agents for Trans-World were 
John W. Darr and John Krimsky 
of IqEititute Of Ftoblic Relations. 



Wednegday, |uly 14, IfMS 



SCHARYNo.2 TO MAYER AT M-G? 




Agreement Extended; Prod. Costs 



Enterprise is reported to have" 
received a limited extension of its 
loan agreeflient witii the Bank of 
America despite losses of some' 
thing around $2,000,000 on its ini- 
tial group of five pictures. Origi- 
nal revolving credit, which was 
supposed to have made available 
to the David Loew-Charles Einfeld 
unit up to $10,000,000, expired 
June 30. . 

Films made by Ent under the 
loan reportedly represented about 
$10,950,000 in negative cost, plus 
another $1,500,000 or thereabouts 
in prints and advertising. Their 
total income from domestic and 
foreign, when all returns are in-r- 
which will take some years — 'is es- 
timated at $13,750^000. Subtracting 
a minimum 25% distribution fee 
from thatj the net is around $10^- 
310,000; against the total costs of 
approximately $12,450,000. 

Bank of America is understood 
to have decided on continued co- 
operation with Enterprise in an 
endeavor to help it salvage Hie 
maximum possiWe out of the pic- 
tures and to assure getting its own 
money back. With this In view, 
new loan aii'eement is said to be 
very limited in character. 

Metro's Lineuti 

Tlie new financing is being used 
to complete "No Minor Vices," 
Which has finished shooting and is 
now in the final technical phases 
(Continued on page 12) • 



Nicholas M. Schenck 

(Pnudant of toaw's, lnt.i . 
weighs tht preblam 

Tele an Ad Medium^ 
Pix Freer; Where Will 
the Twain Meet? 

an tditorial' feature in 

UBIETY 'S 
Sd Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBER 

Out This Month 






A DEAL Maybe No Schary Successor TdOd; 
Hughes Open-Door to All Indies 




C. p. Skouras Disclaims 
Top Pay Sweepstakes; 
Major Coin in Escrow 

Case of Charles P. Skouras, head 
of National Theatres, presents the 
puzzler of what makes the Treas- 
ury Dept. tick when it releases 
yearly publicity on salaries gar- 
nered by top figures in American 
industry. Skouras was billed last 
week by the revenuers as the top 
earner in the U. S. for 1946 with 
paychecks totalling $985,300. Actu- 
ally, the NT topper earned only his 
basic salary of $135,200 during that 
year which would place liim way 
down the list, it has been learned. 

As part of the settlement of the 
minority stockholders actions 
brought against him and his aides 
Frank (Rick) Ricketson, Jr., Elmer 
C. Rhoden and Harold J. Fitzgerald, 
Skouras waived all bonuses and 
extra compensation for 1946 and 
1947. Amount passed by him 
totalled $1,500,000, leaving Skouras 
only the basic $135,200 for each 
year. Another $200,000 remains in 
20th-Fox coffers because of a simi- 
lar waiver by Ricketson, Rhoden 
and Fitzgerald. 

Waiver won't become final until 
the compromise of the stockholder 
action receives judicial approval 
when it comes up for hearings be- 
fore the N. Y. supreme court Aug. 
13. Nonetheless, the quartet of 
execs have not received any of the 
extra coin because 20th's board 
froze the compensation (a per 
centage of NT profits) when the 
stockliolder actions were first 
brought several years ago. 

Undoubtedly, with the Skouras 
defection^ top-paid figure in tlie 
industry during '46 was Louis B. 
Mayer, Metro production chief, 
who collected over $500,000 for the 
year. 

H'wood Would Like This 

Mexico City, July 6. 

Mayor Fernando Casas Aleman, 
of Mexico City, has issued a de- 
cree forgiving Mexican producers, 
studios and distributors the debts 
they oWe the municipal govern- 
ment and exempting them from 
city mercantile taxes. This leaves 
only federal imposts, which aren't 
many and not very heavy. 

Exemptees must be Mexicans 
and members in good standmg of 
the Assn. of Mexican Picture Pro- 
ducers arid Distributors. There's 
wojfd that the federal government 
,also plans to aid the trade by par- 
doning it of coin due the ministry 
of finance and to free it oi national 
taxes. 



N.Y. Circuits Nix 
Dating Brit. Pix; 
Lack B.O. Sock 



British pix which have always 
found the going tough 'in th6 hin- 
terlands are now meeting an al- 
most equally harrowing experience 
in New York, their potentially best 
market. Neither Loew's nor RKO 
circuits, the " first-run chains in 
Gotham, have played an offering 
of J. Arthur Rank, chief British 
producer, since "Black, Narcissus" 
which hiade the rounds in January 
of tills year. 

Both circuits have shied away 
from Rank's product on the ground 
that the films offered lately are not 
strong enough to fit in the long end 
of the week. Number of Rank's 
films have been turned down on 
the short end while others were 
offered positions at the bottom 
of the dual bill. Those proffers 
have been nixed by Universal and 
Eagle Lion, Rank's U. S. distribs, 
because the booking would reisult 
in next to no money. 

Because of the peculiar dating 
system in New York, rejection of a 
film by RKO and Loew's generally 
(Continued on page 4) 



Hollywood, July 13. 
Metro prexy Nicholas M. 
Schenck made a hush-hush flying 
trip to the Coast last week to hud- 
dle top Metro execs^on a deal by 
which Dore Scharjrfformer RKO 
production veepee," may become 
No. 2 man on the M-G lot to pro- 
duction chief Louis B. Mayer. 

Schenck, in over the weekend, 
powwowed with Schary, Mayer, 
M-G, veepee-general counsel J. 
Robert Rubin and yeepee-treasurer 
Charles C. Moskowitz, plus Music 
Corp. of America prez Lou Was- 
serman, at the liome of Joe 
Schenck. Talks centered on tlie 
possibility of Schary taking charge 
of general production at . the stu- 
dio. 

During the week, meanwhile, 
the Metro execs held protracted 
confabs on renewed retrenchments 
at the studio in an effort to cut 
production costs to the bone. Stu- 
dio personnel would be drastically 
trimmed, which would give Schary 
an entirely new setup when and 
if he accepts the Metro offer/ 

Metro became interested in 
Schary last week when he and 
Mayer breakfasted at the studio. 
It was as a result of that confab 
that Schenck made his secret trip 
to the Coast. He returned to New 
York after the huddles. 

It's understood that the deal 
with Schary would call for him 
(Continued on page 47) 



ZANUCK'S WAR DEPT. 
MISSION INTO GERMANY 

Paris, July 13. 

Darryl F. Zanuck, 20th-Fox pro- 
duction chief currently making a 
tour of Eui-ope, will also visit Ger- 
many on a mission for the U. S. 
War Department. During the last 
war, he held the rank of colonel 
in the Army's film division. 

Due in London on Aug. 12, Zan- 
uck will be feted at an all-industry 
luncheon sponsored by the Cine- 
matograph Exhibitors Assn., the 
Kinematograph Renters Society 
and tlie British Film Producers 
Assn. 



ERIC JOHNSTON BACK IN 
D.C. ON FILM PROBLEMS 

Washington, July 13.' 

Eric Johnston, who has been va^ 
cationing at his home in Spokane, 
Wash,, for the past 10 days, is due 
back in Washington, D. C., tomoi>' 
row (Thursday) for- a meeting of 
the advisory council of the Eco- 
nomic Cooperation Administration 
(Marshall plan agency), to which 
he was recently named. 

It is expected that with the re^ 
turn to the east of the Motion 
Picture Assn, of America prexy, 
furi:her meetings of company' top- 
pers will be set to discuss the Brit- 
ish quota, the Anglo-U. S. films 
agreement and J. Arthur Rank's 
playing time restrictions. No meet- 
ings have been held since July 1. 

Next session will hear a firsthand 
report from Jolm McCarthy, asso- 
ciate chief of the MPAAA interna- 
tional division, who got back last 
week from London. 



Paul Raibourii 

fPcframovnt Te/evhi'on Vtopae) 
opinM that 

''Theatre TV AW 
Awaits Only Accept* 
once by the Exhibs 

. an editorial ftalur* In 

3d AiiHua] SpeeSaS 
RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

Out This Month 



Jessel's New 20tli Deal 
Includes Fisher Bio 

George Jessel's new S^year deal 
as a producer with 20th Century- 
Fox eliminates the necessity of 
his six-month hiatuses to do a 
little personal "cleaning-up" on 
personals, such as those $7,500 and 
$10,000 per-week engagements in 
the New York and Florida niteries 
last year. Darryl Zanuck, 20th- 
Fox production boss, found such 
time-out provisos untenable and 
even though Jessel might be be- 
tween-pictures, ■ the studio chief 
prefers he (Jessel) be always on 
the lot. 

As part of this readjustment, an 
indie deal which the producer had 
simmering with Eagle Lion for a 
filmization of the Fred Fisher saga 
now becomes a 20th-Fox property. 
It's titled "Oh, You Beautiful 
Doll," from one of Fisher's best 
known songs. 

Jessel has a flock of other show 
- (Continued on page 47) 



Indie Bankrollers 

ShyfromW 
Releasing Delays 

Multi-rmillion^doUar New York 
syndicate, which had planned to go 
into large-scale second-money 
financing of indie filmmaking, has 
all but dropped the idea, according 
to Stanlfey A. Katcher, attorney for 
the would-be angels. Katcher said 
an investigatioit of the indie pro- 
duction field had indicated the 
time lag was "so stupidly long" be- 
fore a picture's release that prom- 
ised returns on investment weren't 
sufficient to malce the project 
worthwhile. ■ 

Katcher reflently returned to 
New York from the Coast, where 
he' spoke with producers, bankers, 
distrib execs, rental lots and others 
who have an interest in indie pro- 
duction. As a result of the survey 
he said, "the idea isn't dead, but 
it's awfully sick." 

Attorney represents a group 
which has been operating for some 
time in the field of commercial 
financing. Group was looking for 
additional outlets for its coin and 
tlius commissioned its counsel to 
investigate the film field. Its New 
York operation is similar to that of 
Ideal Factoring, headed by Martin 
Hersh, which for a while was high- 
ly active in film financing, but in 
the past year has found its loans 
(Continued on page 47) 



Hollywood, July 13. 

With successor of Dore Schary 
at the RKO lot to remain undecid-. 
ed until Oct. 1, Howard Hughes, 
company's controlling stockholder, . 
opened the door wide for top qual- 
ity indie producers to release 
through RKO. Hughes, at a board 
of directors' meeting over the 
weekend, said the company will 
give -Indie product the same selling 
attention it accord's own pix, IVs' 
unknown whether Hughes intends 
to partially finance the indies but 
all physical facilities of studio will 
be granted theni. 

New exec producer to replace 
Schary will probably stay up in the 
air until Oct. 1 when the produce 
tion schedule will be arranged. 
Hughes is now going ovef story 
properties, deciding which of the 
inventory should be made within 
the year. . It's also likely he'll use 
several stories he owned as an in- 
dependent producer with ■ view of 
utilizing talent he .has contracted 
including Jane Itussell, Jack Beutel 
and others. 

RKO dfrectors, headed by exec 
vice-prexy Ned Depinet, leave to- 
day (Tues.) for the east following 
final meetings here and will as- 
semble again at a stockholders 
meeting Aug. 31 in New York. Ses- 
sion on the Coast was mostly de- 
voted to investigation of what 
economies could be eifected< 
There's a slight chance that 
Schary 's successor may be nanied 
at the next stoclcholders meeting. 

Malcolm Kingsberg, head of 
RKO's theatre operations, leaves, 
for San Francisco today after 
briefing Hughes on circuit ntatteis. 
He'll return east from Frisco. 



National Baxoffice Survey 

Heat Wave Clips Post-Holiday Trade— *Waltz,' 
'Parade,' 'Apache,' 'Island,' 'Street' Week's Big Six 

Torrid weather, which is clip- 
ping grosses in many key cities cov- 
ered by Variety this week, is fail- 
ing to make much dent on the 
front-running charaip, "Emperor 
Waltz" (Par). Despite soaring 
temperaturesj the Bing Crosby- 
Joan Fontaine starrer should wind 
up week with .$379,000 in main 
keys, not far from sma.sh total of 
preceding stanza. , 

Far in the rear in actual coin but 
hinting real future possibilities is 
"Easter Parade" (M-'G), which is 
copping second position in the 
weekly boxoffice derby. In three 
keys along the Atlantic seaboard, 
where sweltering weather is worst, 
it shapes fine to great. Outstand- 
ing biz is being done by N.Y. 
Loew's State, with great second 
stanza after record opener. 

Third place goes to "Fuller 
Brush Man" (Col), moving up after 
being in the chips for three suc- 
cessive weeks. "Ft. Apache" (RKO) 
continues to register big trade, 
making third week it has finished 
fourth or higher in national 
standings. • . 

Strong fifth position winner is 
"On Island With You" (M-G), with 
big to fancy grosses in six keys. 
"Street With No Name" (20th), 
while getting comparatively high 
total of coin, is not showing socko 
results in several cities now 
playing. 



Remainder of business is widely 
cut up, with "Canon City" (EL), 
"Up in Central Park" (U), ."Ro- 
mance High Seas" (WB), "Regards 
to Broadway" (20th) and "Coroner 
Creek" (Col), best of runner-up 
films in that' order. "Canon,"' in- 
cidentally, is showing high prom- 
ise, being sock on three-tlieatre 
Denver preem and surprisingly 
strong in N.Y. despite heat wave. 

"Paradine Case" (SRO), just get- 
ting started, shapes sock in one 
key and nice in a second one. "Best 
Years" (RKO), now out on pop- 
scale runs, will show sturdy tak- 
ings in two cities, strong trade in 
two others and fine biz in a fifth. 
"Dream Girl" (Par) looks strictly 
no dice in L.A. but rates okay ses- 
sion in Washington, D.Q. "Gallant 
Legion" (Rep) looks fine in latter 
city. 

"Foreign *Aftair" (Par), which 
preemed at N.Y. Paramount a week 
ago, stilt is big in second frame. 
Light comedy, which got a terrific 
word-of-mouth buildup after a fine 
advance, shapes as a real comer. 
"Feudin," Fightin'" (U) teed off 
nicely in Omaha. 

"Raw Deal" (EL), doing well in 
N.Y., is not big in St, Louis. "Hat- 
ter's Castle" (Par) is okay in 
Minneapolis. 

(Complete Boxoffice Reports ' on 
Pages 8-9) 



Arthur Freed's N.Y. Huddle 

Metro producer Arthur ' Freed is 
scheduled to arrive in New York 
from the Coast some time this 
week for huddles with Betty Com- 
den and Adolph Green, who 
scripted Freed's next production, 
"The Barkleys of Broadway." 

He'll be accompanied by danc* 
director Robert Alton, who set the 
dance routines for VteeA'a "Easter 
Parade." 




Trada Marie Registered 
FOUNDED BY SIMB SII^VBRMAN 
FilbUslied Weekly by VABIKXY, Inc. 

81(1 Silverman, Preaiaent 
ISl West *(lth St., New Torli ID, N. T. 
Holiywood 28 
6511 Yueoa Street 
WaflliiiiRton 4 
1293 National Frem Building 
Chlcagn 1 
360 No. MIchiKan Ave. . 
liOndon WGS 
S St. Martin'K Pi., Trafalear Bq. 



SUBSCRIPTION 
Annum. ..... $10 Foreign. . . . . .Ill 

Sinsle Copies 2B CenI* 



Vol. 171 



No. 6 



INDEX 

Bills 47 

Chatter 54 

Concert . ; , . . .i...,. 50 

Disk Jockey Reviews 38 

Film Reviews 12 

House Reviews...'. 48 

Inside Legit. 52 

Inside Orchestras-Music , . . . 37 

Inside Pictures, . .......... 20 

Inside Radio. . ......... ... . 33 

Inside Television 26 

International 13 

Legitimate ........ , . . , 49 

Literati ■ 53 

Music , , . . 35 

New Acts. , . 47 

Night Club Reviews^. 48 

Obituaries . . T. . . . 55 

Orchestras ' 35 

Pictures . ; 2 

Radio , , , . . 23 

Radio Reviews. . , , i ... > , , ... aO 

Records , . . . 38 

Frank Scully 53 

Television . 26 

Vaudeville 43 



UAlVt VAKIKTX 

(Published in Hollywood by 

tie a Tear~}30 ForelKW 



Wednesday, July 14, 1948 



DA Burned at Raob's Insultiiig' 
2(l%Rentall^for'SleepJyLove 



Allegedly "insuUing" rental* 
terms offered by .1. Arthur Rank 
for "Sleep, My Love" has heaped 
fuel on United Artists' burn at the 
British producer and theatre op- 
erator. Result may be a definite 
decision by UA's board, meeting in 

'Kew York today (Wednesday), to 
go ahead with the legal action 
against Rank which it lias been 
inulling. 

Rank offered a flat 20% rental 
lor the pic, produced by Triangle 
Prcductions. the Mary Pickford- 
Buddy Rogers-Ralph Cohn unit. 
Figure particularly rankled UA 
«nd other American distribs, since 
Bank just inaugurated new terms 
for rental of his own pix by indie 
exhibs in Britain, these call for a 

■ sliding scale of 35% to 55% for 
all his features. 

Bank's 20% offer was in one 
ctnse an advance for UA, since 
prior to that the British operator 
Kad refused atiy playdates to the 
company's films. It is for that rea- 
son that UA has had counsel in 
Britain working over the law books 

' to learn if there was a cause of 
action. 

Legal suit would be based on 
Bank's refusal to grant considera- 
tion to UA . in its position as a 

-stockholder in his Odeon circuit. 
Bank claims ' the company is, only 
a ipinority shareholder and'thus 
he can do as be wishes. UA's at- 

, tsrneys think it has a fairish 
chance of coming out with a deci- 
sion in British law courts, since 
.' Uie company is not actually a mi- 
nority stockholder, but a 50% 
«iwner of Odeon Cinema Holding 
Cm-p., parent of the circuit-owning 
company. 

Pros and Cons 

UA board has been split be- 
.tween a radical and conservative 
side on the question of taking Rank 
to court. Radicals have wanted im- 
mediate action, while the conscrva- 
' ti^res Juive favored continued nego- 
. tiation. The "Sleep, My Love" in- 
cident is expected to lend weight 
to those who want the company's 
British counsel instructed to go to 
' court at once. 

Sam Dembow, Jr.. sales rep for 
Triangle, is a member of the UA 
Iioard, which will undoubtedly car- 
..ry weight at the meeting; 

sUed a sharp statement last Thurs- 
^ ^ay C8), in which he termed 
Bank's policy "perfidious." He in- 
, plicated his belief that terms should 
lie closer to 40% than 20%. 

"I am flatly rejecting the Rank 
offer," said Dembow. "His perfidi- 
ous policy of playing major Ameri- 
can motion : . picture interest off 
against one another in the hope 
of obtaining outstanding product 
at ridiculously low prices is 
jeopardizing the last vestiges of 
good will remaining between the 
British and American film industry. 
If I must be thrown a bone, let 
there at least be some semblance 
of meat oh it. . . . As a direct re- 
sult of Rank's outrageous off6r, .1 
have no alternative but to> imme- 
diately plan for the release of the 
lilm throughout the British Isles 
in independent theatres only." 
4th CircUiit— indies Only 
Another item to come before the 
lioard is a plan by exec v.p. 
Arthur W. Kelly to get American 
companies interested in setting up 
» fourth circuit, consisting of only 
Jndie houseih This would be es- 
' tabli.shed in' competition with 
Bank's Odeon and Gaumont-Brit- 
Jsh webs iand Warner Bros.' Asso- 
ciated British Circuit. 

UA prej Grad Sears, who re- 
turned from, a week's visit to Hol- 
lywood over the weekend, is also 
slated to report to the board on 
xesults of his trip. He was in ne- 
Soliation with Howard Hughes on 
' two of the latter's films, which 
Kughes would like to get back 
from UA before they go into re- 
lease, as he desires to distribute 
them 'through RKO, of which he 



Wilton'* Nix to CEA 

London, July 13. 

Bitter ob.1ections raised by 
the Cinematograph Exliibitors 
Assn. to the ne\v 45% ftuota 
for Britain will t>robably fall 
unheard when the CEA meets 
with liarold Wilson, president 
of the Board of Trade next 
Monday (19). Wilson has 
warned the group that he will 
not discuss proposed variations 
of the quota when he sees the 
deputation. His point is that it 
is no longer open to discussion 
since it has already been 
agreed upon by Parliament. 

Understood CEA had intends 
ed to stress the difficulties of 
indie exhibs in fulfilling the 
quota which requires a 45% 
ratio for the home product. 
CE:a wanted to urge the taking 
of a lenient view by the 
Board. 



Y eire„it, j film ynstiy s PdWidty Offensive 
' ' — ' Swings Inte Action en Several Fronts 



BiHiher&ittk 
Second Iqf DOS 
Wtb Indie Umts 



ss Continued 

also means few bookings in other 
local circuits such as Bandforce, 
Skouras or Century which follow 
the two affiliates. These chains 
play product clearing the first-run 
circuits and usually do not have 
playtime available for pix failing to 
make the RKO-Loew's grade. 

Prestige unit of Universal, which 
handles Bank's artier product, is 
also hard hit by the current resist- 
ance to Anglo imports. Outfit is 
finding it difficult to book the pix 
in subsequent-run sureseaters in; 
New York and a few other urban 
centers which formerly were its 
best markets. 

Payoff on the recent allergy of 
the two Ne<(v York affiliates : to 
British pix is the moveover of 
"Jassy" from the showcase Winter 
Garden to the small Park Ave. the- 
atre. 'tJassy" is currently playing 
the latter house. "Dear Murderer," 
another Rank import which has al- 
ready Played the Winter Garden. 
wi)l. follow "Jassy" at the Park 
Ave. 

Both RKO and Lock's have a 
rule against first-run moveovers 
wbich bans any film from their cir- 
cuits if that action is taken. U 
took the. step for "Jassy" and "Mur- 
derer" after the two circuits re- 
jected the films. U is now diclter- 
ing with the circuits on "Bad Sis- 
ter," another recent Bank release 
which tinished a first run at the 
Winter Garden. If ditched by the 
two circuits, it will also transfer to 
the Park Ave. 



Holly wood, July 13. 
David O. Sclznick's battle with 
William Bacher last week marked 
DOS' second feud within a month 
with indie units working under his 
banner; : Selanick refused to iallow 
a trio of his stars to, appeair for 
the scheduled start of shooting 
yesterday (Monday) of "^t This Be 
My Harvest," to be made' by 
Bacher's Trinity unit for Selznick 
Releasing Organization distribu- 
tion. 

Bacher declared the matter was 
in the hands of his attorneys and 
was threatening I t gat action. 
Equally miffed at Selznick for a 
last-minute- cancellation a month 
ago, but convinced that DOS was 
on solid legal ground in his ac- 
tion, were producers Edward A. 
He is- [and Robert S. Golden, who were 
to have made "What Every Young 
Bride Should Know," with Shirley 
Temple and John Agar. 

Selznick's w.k penchant for per- 
fection in scripts was apparently 
responsible for the Bacher cancel- 
lation as well as the Guldens'. In 
refusing to allow Alida Valli, Rol>: 
ert Mitch um and Louis Jourdan to 
appear before the cameras for 
"Harvest," .Selznick said the script 
was not rewritten as requested, 
"consistent with our policy of 
jealously guarding roles for stars 
we have developed." The state- 
ment added that Bacher was agree- 
ing with Selznick on one hand 
that he'd rewrite the script, while 
telling the bank on the other hand 
that the screenplay was final. . 

Bacher replied that Trinity had 
"fulfilled every requirement" and I has refused 
^Continued on page 16) 'year. ; 



C. J.LATTASDBSFOR 
AUG MfiJlR IN ENG. 



London, July 13. 
C. J. Latta. former manager for 
Warner Bros, circuit in the Albany, 
N. Y.. zone, has been named by 
Max Milder as his alternate on the 
board of the Associated British 
Pictures Corp. Milder, seriously 
ill, resigned last week as managing 
director in England for WB, which 
holds a large interest in ABPC. 

Arthur S. Abcles. Jr., has taken 
Milder's place as'WB topper here, 
but Latta has been brought over to 
specialize in watching the com- 
pany's theatre interests. D. J. 
Goodlatte is continuing as acting 
managing director of the Asso- 
ciated British Circuit, also a WB 
affiliate, during Milder's absence. 
Robert Clark has been named to 
sub for the former WB chief here 
as executive producer. 



Brit Exbibs Ask Tax Cut 

London, July 13. 
An all-out, united attack against 
the entertainment tax and a plea 
for slashing the bite is being 
planned by the Cinematograph 
Exhibitors Assn., the Kinemato- 
graph Renters Society and the Na- 
tional Assn. of Theatrical Kine 
Emnloyces. The thi-ee organiza- 
tions are currently preparing a 
joint case to be presented to the 
Chancellor of the Exchequer. 

Reduction would apply to 1949. 
Sir Stafford Cripps, Chancellor, 
to take action this 



Vidor to Direct 'Yesterday' 

Hollywood, July 13. 

Charles Vidor was assigned by 
Harry Cohn to direct Columbia's 
film version of "Borrt Yesterday," 
slated for fall production. 

Garson Kanin play lias been 
gathering dust on the Columbia 
shelf for months. Rita Hayworth is 
nientioned for the Judy Holliday 
role. 

Bank Qifflns lien 
Also on Cutting 
Room Footage 

•Benedict Bogeaus has run into a 
stymie on a plan for making a new 
picture out of the pieces of a pre- 
vious one left on the cutting room 
floor. The bank which financed 
the original film claims it owns a 
share of the leftovers. As a result, 
Bogeaus can't get the financing 
necessary to complete a picture 
out of the old scissored parts. 

Film involved is "On Our Merry 
Way," which" was formerly titled 
"A Miracle Can Happen." It orig- 
inally consisted of four sequences, 
each with a different set of stars. 
In editing it, Bogeaus decided to 
eliminate one sequence starrmg 
Charles Laughton. 

His idea now is to shoot a be- j 
ginning i-nd an end for the Laugh- | 
ton footage and issue it as a fea- 
ture in itself. Security-First Na- 
tional Bank of Los Angeles, which 
financed "Miracle," claims, how- 
ever, that it has a first lien on any- 
thing left 'over from shooting of 
the film, just as it does on the film 
itself. It has no objection, of 
course, to Bogeaus going through 
with his scheme, but it wants to 
get out cf the new pic whatever of 
its coin' it may not bail oiit of the 
original. 

That's agreeable to Bogeaus ex- 
cept for one thing, no bank will 
advance him the money required 
for the additional shooting and 
editing while another bank has a 
first lien on the resulting picture. 

Incidentally, the change of label 
from "Miracle Can Happen" to "On 
Our Merry Way'' continues to be 
a miraclij in itself at the b.o. Pic, 
in test dates under the original 
moniker, a ppeared : doomed but 
with the name switch it has gotten 
amazing results. It is doing good 
business everywhere and excellent 
in many spots. 



Brit Exhibs Up in Arms Over Han 
Of Producers to Pofice ^% Qwrta 



Announcement by the British 
Films Producers Assn. last week of 
its plan to call "copper" on any 
exhib not living up to the new 45% 
quota was like pouring petrol Over 
an already blazing fire. Coming on 
the eve of a rump ntcetuig of indie 
theatre operatorsi today (Tuesday) 
and a session of the Cinetnato- 
graph Exhibitors Assn. with J. 
Arthur Rank tomorrow; the BFPA 
recently acquired controlling inter- j statement touched off another 
•«sl. Sears also huddled with a num- I Maze of bitterness and recrimuia- 
bcr of indies on possible distribu- ! tion by exhibs against Rank, 
tion deals and will present results Theatremen were' labeling as 
ftf the n»gotiaUons to the board. [Gestapo and OGPU tactics the 

[plan disclosed by Sir Henry 

^ . „ French, director general of the 

Rep's 6-Mo. Net ?236,832|g?:A- ^^^^^^^^ up a^.act.find- 

Republic's net profit for the half- [grams played in every cinema. Any 
year ended April 26 dropped to f found not abiding by the quota, he 
$239,832. The 26-week take rep- [ added, would be reported to the 
resents a 60% decline, since Rep : Board of Trade, 
during tt'.> comparative period of 1 W. B. Fuller, general secretary 
m6-47 ivn^lled $656,298. of the CEA,- declared that the 

Cotnjpany's incomig before taxes : BFPA was acting like "a common 
came' to laSOiteS,*"* " " , informer" In going to the B. of T. 



"with tainted evidence." He said 
the move would be strongly pro- 
tested to Harold Wilson, B. of T. 
prez. 

Development undoubtedly will 
prejudice the Rank-CEA talks to^ 
morrow. Already expected to be 
loaded with fireworks when exhibs 
come face-to-faee with the man 
they think primarily responsible 
for the high quota and the in- 
creased terms now being asked for 
his pictures, session is now certain 
to be a bitter one. 

'Notbine Sinister' 

Producers -said they were uncon- 
cerned over the exhibitor reaction. 
They claim the policing proposal 
was originated by Rank, who in- 
tended to run the "fact-:finding 
bureau" himself, before the plan 
was officially adopted by the 
BFPA. They said that there was 
nothing sinister in the proposal, as 
the information can be culled from 
the local press. » 

Sir Hetiry. in tnafting his att" 
noimcementj said that producers 
(Confirtucd'on page 20) 



* Industry public relations activi. 
ties, which have inched quietly folf- 
ward on 'a variety of fronts in thi ' 
past month, took an entirely new 
twist last week. In an almost un- 
precedented move, two reps of the 
Motion Picture Assn. of America 
traveled from New York to Doylcs- 
town, Pa., to show the editor of the 
local paper that an attack he print- 
ed on the picture industry was un- 
warranted. 

Attack wasn't made by the editor ' 
himself, but by playwright Moss 
Hart, who lives close by Doyles- 
town. Hart spoke before the wom- 
en's club, and the local paper. The 
Intelligencer, presented a lengthy 
report on his smashing attack 6n 
Hollywood. . The speech was some- 
thing of a sensation in the "genius ^ 
belt" of Bucks county, of which 
Doylest.own is the seat. 

'The MPAA reps who visited the 
editor xvere Tom Waller, director 
of public relations in . the New 
York office, and Arthur De Bra, ^ 
director of community relations,': 
who handles the industi-y's contact 
with women's clubs. While Waller 
explained to the editor that ther« 
was another side to the industry 
picture than the one Hart present- 
ed, De Bra arranged for the wom- 
en's club to hear a speaker pre- 
senting the Hollywood viewpoint- 
TOA's Campaign 
Meantime, local editors through- 
out the country were being encour? 
aged to print stories with an in- 
dustry viewpoint through the work 
of the Theatre Owners of America. 
Up to last week papers with a com- 
bined circulation of 20.000.000 had 
published the TOA-supplied yams, 
according to a tabulation of tear 
sheets received in New York. 

TO A has been shipping the slor* 
ics to exhibs throughout the coun--. 
try, who call on 'their local editors ' 
with them, instead of an attempt 
by the TOA to get direct place- 
ment from New York. Three yarns 
have thus been sent out and ha\'e 
appeared in paper.«! ranging from 
the Chicago Tribune, with its 1,'^ 
500,000 daily circulation, to cross- 
roads weeklies; . 

Johnston office was busy on 
still another front, piomoting 
showings of "Letter to a Rebel," 
two-reel short on American demoe- 
racy in action, which it is sponsor- 
ing. Pic, produced by RKO-Pathe 
as part of its "This Is America" 
series, is being made available to 
alt theatres for spot booking. To 
acquaint as many people as po$^ 
sible with this industry effort to 
promote Americanism, MPAA sent 
out letters over Eric Johnston's 
signature to 6,000 women's clubs 
and 2,400 Chambers of Commerce. 
They were urged to ask their local 
exhibs to play the short. 
"Rebel" was also being promoted 
(Continued on page 16) 



L. A. to N. Y. 

Robert Alton 
Lois .Andrews 
Joan Blondell 
William Boyd 
Bill Burton 
Lois Butler 
Dave Drcycr 
Sam G. Engcl 
Melvin Frank 
Sidney Franklin 
Arthur Freed 
Max Gilford 
Monroe Grecnthal 
John ilcarst 
Van Hcflin 
John Hertz 
Paul llerzog 
F, W. Hite 
Leo .Ta fie 
John Joseph 
Nicholas Joy 
Boris Karloff . 
Percy Kilbride 
Charles Korvin •, 
Kl.sa Lanchestcr 
Art Linkletter 
Julie London 
Richard Long 
Josepfi McConville 
Tom McKnight 
Norman Panama 
Fred Quimby 
Sigmund Romberg 
Ruby Rosenberg 
Thornton Sargent . 
Grad Sears 
Michael Todd 
Mervyn Vye 
Jack L. Warner . 
Philip A, Waxman 
James B. Williams 
Jacob Wilk 
Keith Winter ■ 



N. Y. to Europe 

Andrews Sisters 
Adele Astaire 
Bob Con.sidine 
Joseph Cotteii , 
Eddie Dowling 
Daphne du Maurier 
Bramwell Fletcher 
Mrs. Ben Goctz 
Jed Harris 
Hildegarde 
Jack Hylton 
Jack Kapp 
Lou Levy 
Emile Uttler 
Myma Loy 
Gene Markey 
Marilyn MaxWcU 
Mrs. Boris Morros 
Charles Moses 
Leo Mostovy 
David B; Sadowsky 
Suzy SoUdor 
Anna Sosenko 
Donald Ogden Stewart 
Jan Strutber 

N. Y.'toL, A. 

Shirley Blanc 

Emil Coleman ; : 

Daniel Gould 

Leo Handel s 

Jimmy Lipton 

ArnoldPerl 

Gregory Ratoff 

Ted Saucier 

Monty Shaff 

Franchot Tone 

Tenny Wright 

Europe to N. Y. 

Henri Bernstein 
Jean Hersholt 
Messmore KendbJl . 
Alicift Markovn 
Ken McCormick 



Wwhiesday, July 14, 1948- 



PICTIJBES— TV 



B.O. EBB LOGJAMS NEW FILMS 

Petrillo's New Demands 



Where Are Those Telepix? 

Los Angeles, July 13: 

Los Angeles' two television stations, KTLA and KTSL, would 
like to know where all the tele pictures are that they've been read- 
ing ahout, Both stations are yet to sign up tor a single series of 
the pix announced for telecasting only. 

KTSL's programming coordinator, Carleton Winckler, sent , out a 
memo to staffers over the weekend advising that he'd like to see 
some of the films— "but how about a sample instead of a lecture?" 
Note continued, "It seems to us tliat every third person in Greater 
L.A. is making them, but so far we have had only one sample sub- 
■ mitted;"...:> . ■ 

KTLA film director Jerry Muller advised that he has seen a 
sJimple or two also, but no complete, or near-completej series. Sta- 
tion is signed up for some Telefilm product, and uses International 
News Photo's Telenews, but that's all. "It seems to be one of those 
tilings where everybody wants in, and yet very lew are doing 
anything," MuUer said Saturday (10). KTLA's sole deal to date is 
with Sir Alexander Korda for a series of 24 British pix originally 
made for theatres. . 

Muller said it's possible production is going ahead with several 
of. the outfits that have announced plans, aiid the reason stations 
haven't seen any product is because the producers are waiting 
until they get a lineup of 13 or 26 Of thew, whep they'll make their 
deals with agencies for sponsors. . ' 

Among those actually in production here are Bonded Television 
Productions, Jerry Fairbanks, Jack tihertok, Carleton Morse,. Stuart 
Ludlum, Carl Dudley, Telefilm, Gray-Richards, Vallee Video, Bell 
International, T0lepak, IMPPRO, Century, Emerson, Bob Clampett 
and Atwood Television Productions. 





20th-UP in Fieup for Daily News 
Pictorial Service to TV Subscribers 



Twentieth - Fox, already pacing 4 
the major film companies in the 
new television film production 
business, pulled far out in the lead 
this week with the inking of ^ new 
pact with United Press to service 
tele stations with pictorial docu- 
mentation, of UP's daily news dis- 
patches. 

Under the plan, in which 20th 
and OP will share in the profits on 
a 50-50 basis, 20th is to furnish 
each TV station subscribing to the 
service with a basic film library 
Compiled from 20th's own stock 
library, claimed by the company to 
be the largest in existence. This 
will be implemented by 20th each 
month with new film clips, in 
keeping with developments in the 
world news situation. Each clip is 
to bear a catalog number, which 
will be the same for each, station. 

UP news editor will then write 
a daily TV news commentary, 
which will be wired to stations on 
standard teletype printers. Com- 
mentary will also carry a list of the 
catalog numbers referring to the 
Clips in the station's library. All 
the station operator has to do, con- 
sequently, is pull the clips out in 
the correct sequence, splice them 
together and put them on the air 
as an announcer i^eads the, com- 
menlary. Result is a finished news- i 
reel at only a fraction of the cost 
of the newsreels now on the air 
produced especially for TV. 

New service will be available to 
any station that wants to buy it, 
(Continued on page 47) 



Cagney, RKO Dicker 

Hollywood, July 13. 
William Cagney is reported ne- 
gotiating with RKO on an indie 
deal to go into eft'ect on comple- 
tion of l)is current commitment 
with United Artists, which calls 
for one more picture. ' • 

Cagney has three stories, "Only 
the Valiant," "The Stray Lamb" 
and "A Lion Is in the Streets," 
lined up for future production. 



20th Bows Out On 
Dem-TV Coverage 

Twentieth-Fox, which*" shared 
theatre television exploitation of 
the recent Louis-Walcott fight 
along with Paramount, plans to sit 
out the Democratic national con- 
vention, which teed off in Phila- 
delphia Monday (12). Par, conse- 
quently, as the only theatre inter- 
est to receive permission from the 
tele pool committee to pick up the 
Demo conclave for theatre TV, will 
have the field all to itself this 
■ week, 

Acording to a 20th spokesman, 
the company considers theatre tele 
to be still in the stunt class. Twen- 
tieth believes it learned the tech- 
nical answers it wanted to know 
during its telecast of the fight on 
the Fox (Phflly) theatre screen, 
and now plans to lie low until it's 

■ determined how best to put thea- 
tre TV on a commercial basis. 
Company hasn't abandoned its am- 
bitious plans for a nationwide thea- 
tre tele network but has delayed 
them for further kicking around 

of llie problem. 



Wall Street Backs 
BalabanVPIan To 
Shrink Par Capital 

Proposal of ■ Barney Balaban, 
Paramount's prexy, to meet any 
court-decreed divestiture of thea- 
tres by a partial shrinkage of capi- 
tal is viewed by Wall Street as a 
highly favorable factor for Par's 
investors. The Street's friendly 
reaction was evidenced last week 
when two brokerage outfits—East- 
man, Dillon & Co., and Carl M. 
Lpeb, Rhoades & Co. — urged their 
customers in special letters to hold 
their Par stock as a sound invest- 
ment. 

Noting that Balaban's annual re- 
port to stockholders several weeks 
ago in which he proposed a reduc- 
tion in.capital had caused the stock 
to suffer market' reverses; Eastman 
concern declares: "A study of the 
facts brought out at tlie annual 
meeting, however, suggests that an 
(Continued on page 20) . - 





Current dip in the: nation's film 
boxoffice has resulted in a glut of 
new releases on the market, some- 
thing which is almost unprece- 
dented in the industry. 

Formerly, in periods of offish 
biz, pictures played off so rapidly 
that'distributors had all they could 
do to keep the market supplied 
with new product.; Today, how- 
ever, with studio and distribution 
operating costs at an abnormal high, 
most companies must liquidate 
their product as rapidly as possible 
in order to keep up with the times. 
As a result, they're plowing many 
of their new films into the market 
almost as soon as they come off the 
sound stages. 

Result has been a mad scramble 
for playdates. vvith pictures being 
backed up all down the line, from 
key city first runs to the subse- 
quent run and smalltown situa- 
tions. Sales chiefs of several major, 
companies, in fact, report anxious 
communications from their field 
personnel', who have discovered 
that most exhibitors, usually ready 
at this time to start booking for 
the new season, still have so much 
unplayed product at hand that 
dates on the newer pix are -ex- 
tremely difficult to obtain. 

It's only those studios with 
enough .financial backing to carry 
them through the dog 0ays that cau 
(Continued on page 47) 



Romantic Merger 

Industryites are wondering 
what the reaction of the Dept. 
of Justice's anti-trust division 
will be to the big circuit 
merger announced on the 
Coast last week. 

Joan Wobber, daughter of 
20th-Fox exec Herman Wob' 
ber, became engaged to Mar- 
shall Naify, son of Mike Naify. 
Twentieth's ! -'ox- West Coast 
chain and Naify's Golden State 
circuit compete in the Coast 
territory. 



1 'I 



Ballantine Gets Par 
Theatre Plug, Too, On 
Pickup of Philly Fight 

Broadway Paramount theatre 
paid a nominal fee for rights to 
pick Up the Beau Jack-Ike Williams 
lightweight championship fight for 
its theatre television Monday (12) 
night, thereby avoiding any dif- 
ficulties that might otherwise have 
arisen with either the broadcasters 
involved or the fight promoters. 

Par tele officials declined to re- 
I veal the exact price paid but em- 
phasized they had been given full 
cooperation of all concerned. In 
i'cturn, the opening title card on 
the screen credited the ABC tele 
network; station WFIL-TV, Phila- 
delphia, which originated the tele- 
cast, and Ballantine Beer, which 
sponsored the TV show. Par edited 
out some of tlie Ballantine com- 
(Continued on page 18) 



UADistribEdge 

■i ■ . 

For Its Producers 

In order to make financing of 
indie producers more attractive to 
the- ba.nks. United Artists has in- 
troduced a new facet into its dis- 
tribution contracts. It is agreeing 
to defer 2'/a% of its 271/2% domes- 
tic distribution fee in a number of 
new releasing contracts now being 
written. 

The device gives the banks added 
opportunity to get paid off quickly, 
since, in the ordinary course of 
events, distribution charges come 
out before the return of invested 
coin. Under the new plan, only 
25% is taken out for distribution 
until the bank loan is recouped. 
After that, the deferred 2V4% is 
held out, plus the normal 21Vz% 
fee. 

Actually, the deferment idea is 
not new. It was contained in some 
contracts in the old days when the 
regular distribution charge was 
25%. Scheme was dropped during 
the lush years when financing was 
easy to obtain. 

In addition to the 27V5% being 
demanded for di.stribution now, 
new pacts provide that the pro- 
ducer pay for all advertising, ex- 
cept for a' limited amount of local 
cooperative copy. 
■ New series of contracts now go« 
ing through the legal mill are on 
deals that have been made in the 
past twD or three months. Tliey 
include those with Hunt Strom* 
berg, Stanley Kramer's Screen 
Plays, Sam Bischoff, Phil Krasne, 
Jack: Benny's Amusement Enter- 
prises unit, W. Lee Wilder, Btister 
Collier and others. 



Wall Streeters' 
Olf-the-Record 
Powwow at 20tk 



In an„ annual event engineered 
by Standard & Poor, financial pub- 
lications outfit, 20th-Fox officials 
gave the lowdown on the state of 
the film industry to 25 leading 
Wall street brokers last Thursday 
night (8) at the company's home- 
office. S&P innovated ' the proce- 
dure last year as a public relations 
measure, with Paramount execs be- 
ing quizzed then by the -financial 
experts and stock handlers. Talk 
at these conclaves proceed on an 
oft'-the-record basis. 
, Approximately 10 20th-Fox ex- 
ecs, representing various phases of 
the company's operations such as 
Coast production, foreign distribu- 
tion, theatres, etc., were at hand. 
Spyros P. Skouras, prez, handled 
most of ,the queries, assisted by 
Otto Koegel, company's legal 
braintruster, and Murray Silver- 
stone, prez of 20th-Fox Interna- 
tional. • 

Skouras informed the conclave 
the motion picture business during 
the first six months in 1948 was 
off by 11% from the previous year. 
He reported, however, that there 
was no general weakening in box 
office prices despite scattered re- 
ductions in admission tabs that 
have taken place recently. The 
average ticket price, he said, is 
now 50c., compared to 25c. in pre- 
war years. Business was reported 
to have dipped most badly in the 
war boom areas, such as Califor- 
nia, but resurgence of armaments 
(Continued on page 18) ' 



Irving Brecher 

hamsroiiily diicouriai on 

"Hoiv to Get Rich in 

Television, Part /" 

,**,,*'■ 

3d Annual Spwctal 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

OuHbhMoaih 



Par Seeks to Pressure 
FCC on Decision. In 
DuMont Control Snarl 

Washington. .July 13. 
Paramount Pictures and subsidi- 
aries, United Detroit Theatres 
Corp., New England Theatres and 
Paramount Television Productions, 
are. still attempting to force from 
the FCC an early decision on al- 
leged Par control of OuMont Lab- 
oratories. FCC questions that if 
Par owns controlling interest in 
DuMont Laboratoi-ies, should it be 
allowed any more channels under 
the five-station limitation. 

Last week Par petitioned in pro- 
test to the indefinite postponement 
of a desicion. FCC ordered hear- 
ing examiner Jack Paul Blume to 
hear five cases, Boston, Detroit, 
Cleveland, Cincinnati and San 
Francisco, and ^decide the controll- 
ing-interest question along with the 
-|4ele-channel requests.. ; _ 

Before 'redbnVening ' iif fFie San 
Francisco hearings in Washington 
on May 27, Par asked FCC to in- 
struct the examiner to consider the 
two questions separately from the 
hearing, or asked that the Com- 
mission decide the case in en banc 
proceedings. 

Petitioning again. Par said if the 
earlier two procedures did not sat- 
isfy the Commission, perhaps a 
declaratory ruling could be handed 
down. : ■ . •■ 



Next labor shadow looming over 
the Hollywood production scene is 
that of James C. Peti-Ulo, pjez of 
the American Federation of Musi- 
cians. With the present AFM con- 
tract with the major studios run- 
ning out Aug. 31, preparations ar* : 
cureently imdet way on both sides 
to meet the long siege of haggling . 
over terms which will set in when 
new pact negotiations open in Chi- 
cago the first week in August. 

As in recent talks with Pelrlllo, 
top-level N; Y. execs of companies 
belonging to the Motion Picture 
Assn. of America will carry its 
ball for the lots. It's expected the 
MPAA Will send labor contact 
Chffrles Boren East for the huddles. 
Sitting on PetrlUo's side of the 
table will be AFM studio Bep. J. 
w; Gillette, . just back from pre- 
parley planning In N. Y. It's not 
clear why PetrlUo wants the talks 
in Chicago rather than N. Y. 

PetrlUo's demands on the film 
industry are being shaped this 
time under the restrictive condi- 
tions of the Taft-Hartley law which 
eft'ectively tied his hands duHng 
negotiations with the broadcast in-' 
dustry early this year. However,; 
the T,-H law will prove no barrier 
to AFM demands for steep wage 
tilts and Increased ^niuimum em- 
ployment figures at each of the 
studios. -Two years .ago, PetrlUo 
initially demanded a 100% wage 
increase for studio musicians And 
finally won a healthy hike of about 
30% for his members. 

Fancy Music BiU 

Currently there are 339 musi- 
cians empioye4^ in the eight major 
studios, adding up' to an annual 
music bill of between $7,000,000 
to jp9,000,000. Studio musicians ara 
now paid $13.33 per hour, with an 
annual minimum guarantee of 920 
hours annually to be used at the 
studio's discretion. Petrillo Js ex- 
pected to repeat his demand of two 
years ago that musicians' be paid 
(Continued on page 16) 

Schencks Naify 
BiddiiigStiUHot 

San Francisco, July 13. 
Far from being dead, the nego- 
tiations which Joseph M. Schenck, 
20th-Fox studio exec, has been 
ipufihing with Mike Naify, head of 
I United California theatres and its 
Isubsid, Golden State circuit, are 
I hotter than ever. Schenck, it has 
I now been learned, has first call on 
I any deal which would involve the 
, transfer of 50% of Naify's holdings 
iin the giant theatre Chain. All 
I other deals, including those of Ted 
[ Gamble, prexy of Theatre Owners 
I of America, and Milton Reynolds, 
[Chicago pen manufacturer, are 
: cold. ,' 

i Schenck has been marking time 

pending clarification of its attitude 
[ by the Dept. of Justice which is 

concerned with the anti-trust as- 
! pects of any large switch in thea- 
■ tre interests. However, Schenck re- 
j portedly is convinced that if he 
' resigns his spot with 20th and 
I severs all Interests with that com- 
[ pany, the-D of J won't have a toe- 
ihold in any anti-trust proceeding, 
j There is an ultimate possibility 
, that Gamble may wind up with 

some interest in a Naify-Schenck 
: tieup, according to reports here, 

but it would be only on invitation 
' of Schenck. 



lEV EASSPS TV POST 

Irving B Kahn, tintil now radio 
publicity manager' of 20th-Fox 
homeofflce ' staff, was confirmed 
this wieek as television pi-ogram- 
raing manager for the company by 
prexy Spyros P. Skouras. 

Successor to Kahn as radio head 
is to be named in the near future 
by 20th ad-publicity director 
Charles Schlaifer. 



OtI\er telemsion news on 
pages 26-27. 



Wedlncwlajr, July 14, 1948 



VITJUHIN M-G-llll 
FOR THE ENTIRE 

MJIY 

SPENCQl TRACY 
KATHARINE HEPBURN 
VAN XMWSON 
Angtki imtbuiy 
AfMplw Meniou, Lewi* $ton« 
In FRiM4K CAPRA's 
<^A1c W THE UNION/' 

■*■■■■*■■*.■ 
"SUMMER HOLIDAV 
(r«c}mMofor). 
MICKEY ROONEY 
GLORIA OdIAVEN 
Vtalttr Huston, Ffank Morgan 
Bvfch jMiMns, Maiilyn Maxwell 
Agnn Moorehwid, Selena Royle« 
it it -k ■ 

CLARK GABLE 
LANA TURNER. 
Anns Boxler, John Hodiak 
In "HOMECOMING" 
Roy Go&ins, Gladys Coapw* 
ComMon Wldbtli. 



"BIG CITY" 

SMriing Maiganrt O'Brien 
RoMfl PnMon, Danny Thomo* 
Gaorg* Mwrpliy, Karin Booth 
Efhword Arnold, Butch Jenkins 
BeHy Ganreit, Lolte Lehmann. 

* * * 
JUDI^ GARLAND, GENE KELLY In 
"THE PIRATE" {rec^KoTor;. 
HMimt Sijntoli, GlodysXeoper 
Rcgitmlfl Ow*n. 

*■ ■* ★ ■ 
ESTHER VnUIAMS, PETER LAWFORO 
RfCAROO MONTALBAN 
JIMMY DURANTE, CfYD CHARISSI 
XAViER CUGAT in "ON AN ISLAND' 
!mTH YOUr ^•dwkalar). 

mw 

IRVING BERLIN'S 
"EASIER PARADE" " 
(Tecbm'cofor}. Starring 
JUDY GAItt.ANO, FRED ASTAIRtf 
miR lAlMFOlH), ANN MILLER. 

■•*''■•*■■■■■•*■■ 
"A DATE WITH JUDY" 
fTecfaiKobr}. 

Stofring WALLACE BEERY, 
JANE POWELL, aiZABETH TAYLOR 
CARMEN MIRANDA, XAVIER CUGAT 
ROBBtT STACK. 

GREER GARSON 
WALTER PIDGEON in 
"JULIA MISBEHAVES" 
PETER LAWFORD, ELIZABETH TAYLOR 
<^AR ROMKRO, Luiiil* Wahon 
Nigel Bruce, Mary Belandi 
Reginald Owen. 

■ ■ *• *,/•, 
MONTGOMERY CUFT 
AmtS MacMAHON 
JARMHA NOVOTNA 
in "THE SEARCH" 

RED SKELTON. BRIAN DONLEV/ 
in "A SOUTHERN YANKEE" 
Atlen* Dohlr Geerge Coulouri* 
lloy4 i^ou|t^ John treland 
Minor Wotssn. 



I 



"THE THREE MUSKEHEERS'* 

(Ti^mkohr), 

lANA TURNER, GENE KOIY 
JUNE ALIYSON, VAN HmiN 
ANGRA LANSBiffiY, 
Frank Morgan, Vincent Price 
Keenan Wynn, John Svlton 
GigYovng^ 
'A' 

LASSIE In "H1U.S OF HOME" 
.fTe^minlorJl Co-stanring 
EDMUND GWENN^ DONALD CRISP 
TOM DRAKE, JANET LEIGH.' 





Oh, what a wonderful sum- 
mer (wfien you've got M-G~M 
Pictures'.) Are you taking your 
Vitamin M-G-M regularly? 
It's so good for what ails you! 
It's a pepper- upper for the 
entire industry! 



1»I€TUBB GBOiSSKS 



Wednesday, July 14, 194S 



Diialers Fail to Bitter L A. Biz; 
Holiday'-W Tops, Okay $45,0i; 
'Rudiless'-Tears' Medium 3P/2G 



Los Angeles, July iS. 
Dual bills in all.firstruns here as 
a summer stimulant are not help- 
ing much this session. Six new bills 
opened but all are on lighter side, 
and holdovers also are dropping. 
Best new double-feature combo Is 
"Summer Holiday" and "Big aty," 
■with $45,000, passably good, in 
three theatres. "Ruthless" with 
"Shed No Tears" looks medium 
$31,500 in five situations. 

"Dream Girl" and "Secret Ser- 
vice Investigator" shapes slow 
$27,000 in two Paramount houses. 
While "Wallflower" and "Big 
Punch" will be."feUin $26,000 in 
three spots. "Biver Lady"-"Who. 
Killed 'Doc' Bobbin" looks dull 
$24,000 in five locations, many 
' small-spots. 

Gstimates for This Week 
Belmont (FWC) (1,532; 66-$l)— 
"Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed No 
Tears" (EL). Nice $4,000. Last 
week, "Berlin Express" (BKO) and 
"Stage Struck" (Mono) <9 days), ex- 
cellent .f 5,100. 

Beveriy Hills Music Hall (G&S- 
Blumenfeld) (826; 65-$!)— "Can't 
Take It With You" (Col) and "Pen- 
nies From Heaven" (Col) (reissues). 
Mild $3;000. Last week, "On Merry 
Way" (UA) (4th wk), $2,300. 

earthy Circle (FWC) (1,518; 60- 
$1)— "Street No Name" (20th) and 
"Here Comes Trouble" (UA) (3d 
wk). Light $4,000. Last week, okay 
$7,800. 

Chinese (iGHittTnan-WC) (2,048; 
60-$l)— "Street No Name" (20th) 
and "Here Comes Trouble" (UA) 
(3d wk). Oke $8^00. Last week, 
Sturdy $12,900. 

Culver (FWC) (1,145; 60-$l)— 
"Huthless" (EL) and "Shed No 
Tears" (EL). Medium $4,000 or 
over. Last week, "Berlin Express" 
(BKO) and "Stage Struck" (Mono) 
(9 days), $5,900. 

Downtown (WB) (1,800; 60t$1)-' 
"Wallflower" (WB) and "Big 
Punch" (WB). Slight $9,000. Last 
weelc, "Bomance on High Seas" 
(WB) (2d wk), $10,200. 
' Downtown Music Hall (Blumen-. 
feld) (872; 60-$l) — "Can't T&ke 
With You" (Col) and "Pennies 
Heaven" (Col) (reissues). Mild $6,- 
500. Last week, "Merry Way" (UA) 
(4th wic), $5,100. 

Egytifian (FWC) (1,538; (S0-$1)— 
"Summer Holiday" (M-G) and "Big 
City" (M-G). Fair $11,000; Last 
week, "Pirate" (M-G) (2d wk), neat 
$9,900. - 

El Key (FWC) (861; 60-$l) — 
"Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed No 
Tears" (EL). Moderate $4,000. Last 
week, "Berlin Express" (BKO) and 
"Stage Struck" (Mono) (9 days). 
$7,200. 

Esquire (Rosener) (685; 85-$1.20) 
—"Brothers" (U) (2d wk). Okay 
$2,500. Last week, $3,100. 

Four Star (UA-WC) (900; 60-$l) 
—"Search" (M-G) (2d wk). Near 
$5,500. Last week, sturdy $7,500 

Guild (FWC) (968; 60 -$1) 
"River Lady" (U) and "Who Killed 
'Doc' Robbin" (UA1. Mild $3,000 
or less. Last week, "Up in Central 
Park" (U) and "Devil's Cargo" 
(FC) (2d wk-4 days), $1,300. 

Hawaii (G&S-Blumenfeld) (1,106; 
60-$l)— "Can't Take With You" 
(Col) and "Pennies Heaven" (Col) 
(reissues). Slim $3,000. Last week, 
"Merry Way" (UA) (4th wk), $2,- 
300. 

HoUyw^od (WB) (2,756; 60-$l)— 
"Wallflower" iWB) and *'Big 
Punch" (WB). Dull $9,000. Last 
week, "Bomance High Seas" <WB) 
(2d tfrk), average ^,800. 

Hollywooa Mudic Hall (Blumen- 
feld) (475; 60-85) — "Can't Take 
With You" (Col) and "Pennies 
Heaven" (Col) (reissues). Light 
$2,500. Last week, "Merry Way" 
(UA) (4th wk), oke $2,100. 

Iris (FWC) (828; 60-85)— "Biver 
Lady" (U> and " 'Doe' Robbin" 
(UA). Dim $2,500. Last week, 
"Central Park" (U) and "Devil's 
Cargo" (FC) (2d wk-4 days), $1,700. 

Lautcl (Rosener) (890; 85)~"Die 
Fledermaus" (Indie) (2d tvk). Nice 
$3,000. Last week, sock $4,000. 

Loew'£ State (Locws-WC) (2,404; 
60-$l)— "Street No Names" C20th) 
and "Here Comes Trouble" (UA) 
' (3d Wk). . Oke $14,000. Last week, 
solid $24,800. 

Los Angeles (D'town-WC) (2,097; 
eO-$l)— "Summer Holiday" (M-G) 
and "Big City" (M-G). Pleasing 
$22,000. Last week, "Pirate" (M-G) 
(2d wk), mild $12,800. 

Loyola (FWC) (1,248; 60-$l)— 
"Street No Name" (20th) and "Here 
Comes Trouble" (UA) (3d wk). 
Okay $5,500. Last week, good 
$7,700. 

Orpheum (D'town-WC) (2,210; 
«0-$l)— "Huthless" (EL) and "Shed 
Ko T^Atft" <EL). Mild $14,500. Last 



week, "Berlin Express" (BKO) and 
"Stage Struck" (Mono) (9 days), 
medium $16,900. 

Pimtages (Pan) (2,812; 60-$!)— 
"'Fuller Brush Man" (Col) and 
"Hiunderhoof" (Col) (4th-final wk). 
Good $11,000 or better. Last week, 
sharp $17,900. 

Paramovnt' (F&M) (3.398; 60-$l) 
—•"Dream Girl" (Par) and "Secret 
Service Inveslagator" (Bep). Modest 
$16,000. Last week, "Hazard" (Par) 
and "Waterfront Midnight" (Par), 
duU $13,600, 

Paramount Hollywood (F&M) 
(1,451; 60-$l)— "Dream Girl" (Pari; 
Slow $11,000. Last week, "Hazard" 
(Par) and "Waterfront" (Par), $10,- 
7O0. 

BKO HillBtreet (BKO) (2,890; 
60-80)— -"Fuller Brush Man" (Col) 
and "Thunderhoof" (Col) (4th-final 
wk). Near $12,000. Last week, 
snappy $19,200. 

Bilz (FWC) (1,370; 60-$l)— 
"River Lady" (U) and "Doc" Hob- 
bin" (UA). U^t $5,000. Last wedt, 
"Central Park" (U) and "Devil's 
Cargo" (FC) (2d wk-4 days), thin 
$3,800. 

Studio City (FWC) (880; 60-$l)— 
"River Ladv" (U) and " 'Doc' Bob- , 
bin" (UA). Slow $3,500.''Last week, 
"Central Park" (U) and "Devil's; 
Cargo" (FG) (24 wfc-4 days), $1,800. 

United Artbts (UA) (2,100; 60-j 
$1)— "River Lady" (U) and " 'Doc' 
Bobbin" (UA). Moderate $10,000. 
Last week, "Central Park" (U) and 
"Devil's Cargo" (FC) (2d wlc-4 
days), $3,900. 

Ujrtown (FWC) (1,719; 60-$l)— 
"Street No Name" (20th) and "Here 
Comes Trouble" (UA) (3d wk). 
Fair $5,000. Last week, good $8,000. 
Totue (FWC) (885; 60-85)— 
Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed No 
Tears" <EL). Neat $5;000. Last 
week, "Berlin ISixptve^ CBSX» and 
Stage Struclif' (Mono) (9 days), 
sturdy $7,300. 

Wilshire (FWC) (2,^6; 60-$l)— 
"Summer Holiday" (M-G) and "Big 
City" (M.<J). Oke $12,000, Last 
week, "Pirate" (M-G) (2d wk), good 
$9,200. 

Wilteni (WB) (2,300; 60-$l)— 
"Wallflower" (WB) and "Big 
Punch" iwp). sum $8,000. Last 
week, "Romance Hi^ Seas" 
(2d wk), mild $9UaO. 



Teiidin' * Fancy $13,000, 
Omaha; TuUer' Hep lOG 

Omaha, July 13. 
Despite heat, three downtown 
houses aie doing unusually stro;^ 
biz. Brandeis with "Fuller Brurii 
Man" looks standout. Orphenm 
with ptecm of "Feudin", Fussm 
and A-Fightin' shapes big. Para- 
mount with "Best Years" at pop 
scale also will be sock. 

Estimates tor This We* ^ 
Brandeis (BKO) (1,500; lfr«5)— 
Fuller. Brush Man" <Col) and 
Port Said" (Col). Smash $10,000. 
Last week, "Fighting Father 
Dunne" (RKO) and "Ai-iama 
Banger" (RKO), fine $8,000. 

Orpheum (Tristates) (3,000; 16- 
65)— "Feadin", Fussin', A-Fi^t- 
in'" <U) and "Waterfront at Bfljd- 
night" (Par). Very big $13,000 for 
this time of year. Last week, 
"Mickey" <EL) and "Under Twto 

Bim" (BKO). $10,000. ^ 

Parsimeunt (Tristates) (2,800; 16- 
e."))— "Best Years" (RKO), fancy 
$11,500. Last week, "Emperor 
Walte" iPai), $12,000. 

SUte (Crf)ldberg) (865; 16-65)— 
"Homecoming" iM-G) (2d wW. 
Surprisingly Dig $4,000. Last weeit, 
$5,000. 

Omaha »<Tristates) (2,100; 16-65) 
—"Emperor Waltz'' (Par) (m.o.) 
and "Speed to Spare" (Par) (1st 
nm). Solid $10,000. Last week, 
"Green Grass" (20th) (m.o.) and 
"Half Past Midnight" (201*), 
$8,200. 



Det. Sloughed by Heat, 'Island' Alone 
Trim m Crosby Hohsy 24G. 2(1 



Key Citj Grosses 

estimated Tetal Grow 
This Week $2,607,000 

(Based on 20 cities, 199 
theotres, chiefly first tuns, in- 
cluding N. Y.) 
Total Gross Same Week 

Last Year $t,«:.M« 

(Based on 20 cities, 201 
theatre*). . 



(WB) 



'OnWay Akny 
aOiinL'vine 



Louisville, July 13. 
"On Our Merry Way" at State 
is leading field currently. It looks 
fairly nice, and is only fresh 
product in town, others having re- 
issues or are on holdover. "Bo- 
mance on His^ Seas" at Maty An- 
derson is ' d o i n g better on h. o. 
stanza than it did on initial week. 
Estimates for This Week 
Brown (Fourth Avenue) (1,200; 
45.«5) "Buck Privates" (U) and 
"South Tahiti" (U) (reissues). 
JVUldish $3,500. Last week, "Give 
Begards Broadway" (20th) and 
"Coilnterftiters" (20th) {2d wk) 
$4,500. 

Kenituekr (Switow) (1,200; 30h10) 
— "have from jStrasger" (EL) and: 
"JR^memher Mama" <RKO). Nor- 
mal $3,000. Last week, "Tycoon" 
(BKO) and "Are You with It " <U), 
about same. " 

Mary Anderson (People's) (1,100; 
45-65). — "Romance on High Seas" 
(WB) (2d wk). Nice $6,000, and 
jump over la^ week's slow $4,^00. 

National (Standard) (2,400; 45- 
65)— "Gung Ho" (FC) and "Eagle 
Squadron" (FC) (teissue). Excel- 
lent $7,500. Last -week, "Saosa^T' 
(Indie) and "Sundown" (Indie> <ce* 
issues), racduim $5,000. 

Eialto (FA) (3,400; 45-65)— "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) (2d «rk). - Nice 
$11,000 after last weeiE's strong 
$16,000. 

State (Loew's) (3,000; 45-65)— 
"On Merry Way" (UA)/and "Vio- 
lence" (Mono). Sole new srodoet 
in town. Trim $13,000. X.ast week, 
"On Island with You" (M-G) and 
"Blondie's Reward" (Col), $12,000, 
Strand (FA) (1,000; 45-65) — 
"Seven Sinners" (EL) and "Sut- 
ter's Gold" (EL) (reissues). Fairish 
$5,500. Bast week. "Panhandle" 
(Mono) and "Bocky ' (Mono) plus 
Lottis-Walcott pix, nlee $O,S0O. 



'Canon Sockeroo 
$26,0i in Denver 

Denver, July 13. 
Big news here this week is 
"Canon City,"- preeming in three 
theatres, with smash coin insuimg 
holdovers in two spots. Widely 
plugged, with Colorado locale cre- 
ating added interest. "Emperor 
Waltz" and "Best Years" also hold- 
ing again. "Noose Hangs Hi^' 
looks nice in two hmises. 

IMiMatestor This Week 
Aladdin (Fox) (1,400; 35-74)— 
"Canon City" (EL) and "Lady at 
Midni^" (EL), day-date with Par- 
amount, Webber. Sock .$5,000. laA 
week, "FuUer Brash Man" <Oal> 
(m.o.), $3-.000. • 

Broadway (Cinema) (1,500; 35-74) 
—"Best Years" (RKO) <3d wk). 
Fine $9,000, and stays again. Lat* 
week, big $12,000. 

Denham (Ctoekrill) <1,750; 35-74) 
— "Emperor Waltz" (Par) (3d wk). 
Fancy $13,000 or near. Holds. Last 
week, big $15,-500. 

Denver <Fos3 (2,525; 35-74)— 
"Noose Hangs High" (EL) and "As- 
signed to Danger" (EL), day-date 
•with Esquire. lUgh $16,000. Last 
week. "All My Sons" (U) and "Cur- 
ley" (UA), same as Esquire, $12,000. 

Esquire iFox) (742; 35-74)— 
"Noose Hangs High" (EL) and "As- 
signed to Danger" (EL), also Den- 
ver). Thin $2,000. Last week, "AU 
(Continued on page 18) 



7mk' hsA at ^2,000, 
Balto; 'Street' % 14G 

Baltimore, July 13. 

"Easter Parade" at Loew's Cen- 
tury here took a big lead over the 
current downtown list which is 
mostly in h.o. Some brisk trade le- 
ported also for "Up in- Central 
Park" at Keith's and "Street With 
No Name" is faring vei-y well at 
New. Many 'other entries are in 
good sliape lor repeaters. 

Estimates for This Week 

Century (Loew's-UA) (3,000; 20- 
60)— "Easter Parade" (M-G). Trip- 
ping town with great $22,000. Last 
week, "On Island With You" (M-G), 
$15,200. 

Hippodrome. (Rappaport) (2,240: 
20-70(-r"Fuller Brush Man" '(Col) 
(2d wk) plus new vaude layocdt. 
Holding well at $15,000 after lak 
$19,800 opener. 

Keith's (Sdianberger) (2,460; 20- 
160)— "Op in Central Park" (U) (2d 
wk). Starting second round to- 
morrow (Wed.) after a good get- 
away at $13,000. In ahead, "Dream 
Girl" (Par), disappointed at $6,600. 

Mayfair (Hicks) (980; 25-S5>— 
"Dude Goes West" (Mono) (2d viki. 
Okay $4,000 after initial round 
$6,300. 

New (Mechanic) (1,800; 20-m-~ 
"Street With No Name" (ZOfli). 
Solid $14,000. Last week, "Blood 
and Sand" I20th) (reissue), $5^. 

Stanley (WB) (3,280; 25-75)— 
"Emperor Waltz' '(Par) (2d wk). 
Continuing steady pace to land 
$13,000 after smash $20,200 opener. 

Town (Hippodrome) (Rappaport) 
(1,500; 35-65)— "Best Years" (fflSO) 
(3d wk). Return at pop prices hold- 
ins well at $7,500 after big $10.40D 
Initial stanza. 



Taiade'Cheos 

pmiyatmim 

Philadelphia, J»ly 13. 
Despite tte Iwat here, "Easter 
Parade" is stepping out mth <«ie: 
of the best grosses in some time at i 
the Mastbaum where a fine total 
is in prospect and high for summer 
season. "Emperor Waltz" also is 
hol(ding nicely in fourth sessitMi at 
Stanley. "Fitting Father Dunne" 
is only fair at the Aldine. 

Democratic Mmventioa alid SSks 
conclave did not mean a thing at 
the boxoffice. 

Estimates for Hiis Week 
AldUae (WB) (1,303; SO-^U — 
"Fighting FaUier Dunne" (BKOj 
Fair $11,000. La^ week, "Noose 
Hangs High" (£L) (2d wk), $8,000. 

AreiAa (S&S) (700; 50-94)— "All 
My Sons" (U). Mild $4,900 or 
close. Last week, "Homecoming" 
(M-G), $4,000. 

Boyd (WB) (2350; 50-94)— "Par- 
adine Case" (S80) <2d ivk). Very 
good $26,500 after soA $30/900; 
opening stanza. 

iEaile (WB) < 2,700 50-94)— 'The 
Krate" <M-G) (2d wk).. I>isap- 
pmating $16,000 alter fairljr good 
$23,500 starting sessitm. 

Fast i20th) (2,250; 50-94)— "Street 
With No Name" 420tfa) (2d wk). 
Down to still fcoB $24,000 after big 
$31>00 Ih^ week. 
CMOmaa (Goldman) a.OOO; 5044) 

— 'Island Wiih Yon"* (M-<5) t4as 
wk). Off to $14,S00. Last week, 
oke $19,50(). 

Kailton (Goldman) (1,000; 58-94) 

— "Snmmer Holiday" (M-G) (3d 
wk). Dim $4,000 or near. Last 
week, $3,900. 

Kntfa's (GoldiTian) (130; 50-94) 
— "Regards to Broadway" (20th) 
(2d wk). Fair $3,000 in 5 days. 
Last week, $6,000. 

Itx <Cummins) (500; SO-94) — 
"BSBdiless" (EL). Quiet $4,000. 
Last week, "Happened One Night" 
(Col) and "Night of Love" (Col) 
(reissues), $4^50O. 

Mastbaum (WB) (4,360; 50-S4)— 
"Easter .Parade" (M-G). Best thing 
here in , some time. Fine $44,000. 
Last week, "Romance on High 
Seas" (WB), sJow $16,300. 

Stanley (WB) (2.950: 50-94) — 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) ■(4th wk). 
Still stout at 820,000 despite length 
of run. Last week, $21,500. 

Stanton (WB) (1.475; 50-94) — 
"(Coroner Creek" (Col) (2d wk). 
Good $8,500 after okay $12^ 
epener.^-' 



Detroit, July 13 
Hot weather is landing stasKN 
ing blows , on biz here this week 
in spite of new bills. . 

Top talte is Michigan, with "On ■ 
An Mband With You," with fancy 
ses.siiHi. Barriy~okay is Fox with 
"Give B^ardE to . Broadway* 
United Artists, showing "The Em,' 
peror Waltz," diapes solid is ' 
secdnd stanza. OQiers are modetate ' 
to plain bad. 

Esttmatcs for This Week 
Aims (Balahan) < 1,740; 70-95) ' 
— ^"Fighting Father Dunne" (BKO> 
and "Bush Christmas" (U) <2d wk). 
Fair $7,000 compared Willi sturdy 
$10,000 iast week, ^ 
. ' Ari CSaema : (M»rten) (4S9; (BO- ■ 
90)— "Will It Happen Again" (h|. 
die). Aveiaige $3,000. Last vfetk^ 
■''Fsrfhcrs House" (Indie) (2d wiri. 
$3,500. 

HewMlira? - Capita (United De- 
tijoit) 13.300; 70-95) — "Fiiatting 
Scabees" <Bep) and"FlyiDgTiee? 
(Bep) (delssues). So-eo $9XI0I. 
Last week. '"Flowing Gold" mn 
and "God's C«»ffltaT and Wamuuf' 
(WB) tielssues), good $14,000. 

Branmni (Balaban) (2,803; 70. 
95)— -"Chmg Ho- m and "Ea^ 
Squadmii'* OT) >(r«aBUcs) ^2d yUa, 
Trim $6,000 after £>ir $9,000 open* 
ing .stanza. 

F«x (Fox- Mulligan) (5,100; W- 
95) — "Give Begards Broadway" 
<20th) and "Arizona Banger" 
(HK». Okay $24,000. Lastwedt : 
"Homecomii«" <9S-G). (3d wk). Bat 
$25,000. 

aGdUcaa (U-D) (4.039; 70.95)— 
"On Xdand with You" <M-G) and' 
"S^peiedJto Spare" <I>ar). Stout 
$26,000. Last mek, "River la^r" 
(U) boMercd by stage^ow Iteaded 
by Bitty DeWoIfie, so^ $32,0im. 

PaataUi^State <U-D) (2,716; 7049) 
— "Con»ier Oeek" (Col) and 
"French Iieave" (Ifnno). ExoellHit 
$18,000. Last wedE, "Berlte .Ea- 
ptess" (BKO) and lioais-Waie^ 
IMX. big $22,000. < 
Uaitei. AHMa CU-D) (2^576; 70- 
fiS) — "EmpicsTor WaUz" (Par) <2d 
wk). ISg $24,000 after tenijOe 
$32,500 opening xmmA, and best 
here in wiedcs tor Cnosby sturer, . 



112,000, TOPS INDPtS. 

Indianapolis, July 13, 

Biz shapes lather dull at deluxe 
ticket windows here this week. 
Opening of summer opera season 
plus record baseball crowds hurt 
grosses. "On Our Merry Way" is 
leader but just okay at Loew's. 
"Hazard" loiAs very mild at Circle. 
EfdJnates for This Week 

C3rele (Gamble-Doiie) (2.800; 44- 
65)— "Hazaid" (Par) and "Money 
Madness" (VC). Mild $9,000. Last 
week, "Biver lady" (UJ and "Train 
lo Alcatraz" <Eep). $10,000. 

Iwdiaaa (G-D) (3,300; 44-65)— 
"Empeior W^tz" (Par) (2d wk). 
Good $10,000 on toj^ of big $17,000 
fisst sftaatik ' ... 

Kdfli'a <G-I» (1,300: 44-65)— 
"Carnegie HaU" <UA). IMsappoint- 
ing $4,500. last we^ "Noose 
Hangs H5^" (U) and "Cobra 
Stxikes" (ED <mjoX $3J500. 

tmemr* (Loew's) '2^450; 44-65) — 
^'Qn Mens, Way" iUA) and -"Jassy" 
<U). Oke $12,000. last week. "On 
Idand • With Yotf' iU-G> and 
"Fabulous Joe" (UA). aoBd $16,000. 

tflrric (G-D) <1,«O0; 4Mr€3i— '"Ad- 
TOitmes of Casaatova^ <EU aiwl 
"Enebaated Valley" ((EL). TixoiO. 
UfiS». last wetik. ''Stert Apache" 
tRKO) (m.o.). trim $6,500. 



f ail' liSH at $8,S09, 
lykr" Sweeps 9G,^ 

Hinneaitolis, July 33. 
Protracted heat wave bas grdsses 
here way oCF. TiMnperatures up 
near 100 degrees every day far 
more than a week, instead of eend- 
iag the populace info the cool, air-^ 
emiditioned theaties, appaiently 
has taken so misch standi out of 
: prospective patrons they won't go 
to the theatre. Hie beaches and 
parks are gettiag a play uu^ead, 
With hoidovcrs stH! predondnant, 
there's scarcely'aiQrQiing in the way 
of new major £aie to fautik the 
weather and downtrend. ■"Hat- 
ter's Castle." "Up in Centi-al Parte" 
and "Black Bart," the onijf im- 
portant new «3itrie£, aie t.aking 
back seats to "Fuller 6ni^ Man," 
now in its-fiourih wedc, as well as 
to the sununrar duunp, "Emperor 
Waltz." 

Estiaules f»r Tkis Week 
Centwy (Par) (1,600; 50-70) — 
"Hatter's Castle"- (Par). Gieod $7,- 
500, looks about all. Last: -week. 
"Romance on High Seas" (WB) 
<2d' wk). Slow $4,0()0. 

Gopher <Par) (1,000: 44)— "Sin- 
town" (Indie) and "Rio" (Indie) 
(reissues). Sad $2,800 in prospect 
Last week, "Drums of tjongi*" 
(Indie) and "Captive Wild Woman** 
(Indie) (reissues), $2,500. 

hreemm (Sdnneaber) (1.900; 50- 
70)— "31ie Pirate" (M-G) (2d wk). 
Okay $S,00O. Last we^. S6.006. 

Lyric (Part (1,000; 50-70)— "f.ady 
from Shanghai" (Col) ^Hto.). Mild 
$4^. Last werik. •*'ATCh of iBr- 
umph" (UA) (2d wk), only $4,000 
after £air $16,000 first round. 
Radio City <Par) (4,400; ."jO-^O)^ 
Emperor Waltz" (Par) (2d wk). Big 
$14,000 after soeko $22,000 initial 
canto. 

BKO-Odiheum (IBKO) (2,800; SO- 
70) — "Up Ja Central Park" <U) 
Looks, very mild at $8^- l-asj 
week, "Silver Eiwr" (WB) 
Louis-Walcnttt fight pictm-es, ««* 
$12,000. 

BKO-'Pan (BKO) n.m); 50-70)-* 
"FuUer flrudi Man" (Col) i4lh wk). 
LwBs-Walcott fight PMC held oyer. 
Still terrific at JS.OOO, and holds * 
fifth; thJud v/as nearly same. . 
■ State (Par) (2,300rSO-70)— 'Bladt 
Bart" (U). Puny $7JOOO. Last. we«. 
"Lady from "Shan^^iai" (Col), $7.- 
500 

Vftmmt tPar) <1,000; 
"Brtde Goes WMT iRM-G). ?«« 
nabe Aawteg. Good $4,»00 M 
4t^' ': Kait 'We(lL "ttitee. 0an«l: 
Daughtettf- flMMJ), $3,500. 



PICTIJBB GBOSSBS 



Chi's Holiday Hangover; Rapes Ups 
'Dangerous' $55,000, 'Waters' $12,000, 
'Paradine' Sock 27a ISeas' High 29G 



Chicago, July 13. 

Vacation hangover seems to af-l 
feet Loop houses, with Tuesdav 
through Thoxaday ghowing some of r 
the lowest grosses In mimths. Only 
briglit spots are the two combo 
houses. Oriental and Chicago, both 
doing so<rk with new scales. Orien- 
tal followed load of Balaban & 
KaU houses and , cut early-bird 
prices to 50c-65c, 

Dick Haymos plus "Dangerous 
years" is heading for robust 
$55,000 at Oriental. "Romance on 
High Seas" seems solid hot weather 
fare and looks fine $29,000 at State- 
Lake. "Pai'aaine Casfr" sliapes 
smash $27,000 at Woods. "Beep 
Waters" looks mild $12,000 at 
Apollo. 

Chicago is ahead of other sec- 
ond-wcekers with hefty $80,000 in 
sight for "Green Gcass of Wyom- 
ing" and Peggy Lee-Dave Barbour 
personal, "B, P,'s Daughter" at 



Broaihiaj Crosses 

Estimated Total Gros» 
This Week $629,500 

[Base^ on \B theatres) 

Last Year , ijiG'JG.OOO 

(Based oji 18 theatirs) 



'Pjffk' S|H%hdy 
$1610(1 in Oney 



CiBetnn^ti; 13. 
Biz generally at downtown 
houses is back to ioid-SuRUner 
level after last week's holiday 
L'nited .Vrlists shapes perky $14,- ' feast and extra course of new bills. 
000. 'Coroner Creek" at the Iloo.se- j "Up in Central Park," looks 
volt is lean $11,000. "Another Part '. sprightly, and will be town top- 
of Fore.stv at . Grand isn't too bad per. "Four Faces West " (Par) at 
at $10,000. Palace, is the only other 

Estimates for This Week bills. 
Apollo (B&K) {1,400; 50-08>— Estimates for 1%is W«A 



"Deep Waters" (20th). Fair 
$12,000. Last week, "Four Faces 
West" tUA) (2d wk), $6,000. 

Chicago (B&K) (3,900; 50-98) — 
"Green Grass" (20th) with Peggj- 
Lee and Dave Barbour on stage 
(2d wk). Holding at grand $30,000. 
Last week, sock $62,000. 

Garrick (B&K) (900; 50^)— 
"Happened One Night" (Col) and 
'■Onlv Angels Have Wtogs" (Col) 
(reis.sues). Not bad at $7,500. Last 
week. "God's Country and Woman" 
(WB) and "Flowing Gold" tWB) 
(reissues), $7,500. 

Grand (RKO) (1,500: 50-98)— 
"Another Part of Forest" lU) (2d 
wk). Neat $10,000, Last' week, 
$13,000, 

Oriental (Bssaness) (3,400; 50-98) 
— 'i:)angevous Years" (20th) with 
Dick llaymes in person. Cut prices 
plus Dick Haymes diiiiing toward 
big 855,000. I.ast week, "Thunder 
in tiK? Valley" (20th) with Three 
Stooges heading stage, $34,000. 
Palace (RKO) (2;500; 50-98)— 



Albee (BKO) (3.100; S0-75>— "Up 
in Central Paik" (UK lightly 
$16,000. Last week, "EUnperor 
WaltK" (Par), sensational $26,000 
and tovm's biggest for some time. 

CaiMtol (RKO) (2.00O; 50-75)— 
"On Island with You" (M-G) (2d 
wk). Hotsy* $12,500 on beels of 
boff $18,000 preem. 

Grand (BKO) (1,400; S0-75V— 
"Flowing Gold" (W-B) and "God's 
Country and Woman* (WB) (re- 
issues). All right $8,000. Last 
week, "Hiver Lady" (U), $9,000. 

Keitii's (City Inv.) (1,542; 50-75) 
—"Best Years" (BKO) (3d wk). 
Maintaining fast $8,000 tempo in 
wake of swell $9,000 second sesh. 

Lyric (RKO) (1,400; 50-75)— "Mr. 
Blandings" (SRO), second- move- 
over and third downtown week, 
split with "Ghost Frankenstein" 
(U) and *Son of Dracula" (U) (re- 
issues), three days. Pleasing $7,000. 
Lqst vveek, "On Merry Wi^' (UA) 
(m.o.) plus. Louis-Waleott fight 



"Up in Central P«tV' (U) (2d wk) o^y%6^ 
T ioht *i!i nftn rj>.<it week mild reeis, oKay ^,owi. 



Light $13,000. Last week mild 
$18,000. 

Roosevelt (B&K) (1,500; 50-98) 
— "Coioncr Creek" (Col) (2d wk). 
I,ean $11,000, Last week, good 

$16,500. 

■ State-Lake (B&K) (2,700; 50-98) 
—"Romance «m High Seas" (WB). 
Pert $29,000 or near. Last week, 
"Mr, Blandings" (SHO> (2d wk), 
big $2.'>,000. 

United Artists (B&K) U,70O; 50- 
98)— "B. F.'s Daughter" (M-G) (2d 
wki. Tidy $14,000. Last week, big 
$18 500 

Woods (Essaness) (1,073; 98)— 

"Para<iine Case" (SRO). Looks 
smash $27,000. Last week, "Arch 
Of Triumph" (UA) (4th wk), 

*^Worid (indie) (587; 77) — "Bill 
Coo" (Rep) and "«3age oi 



and 

Niglitingales" 
Good $2,800. 
$3,500, 



(Indie) (3d 
Last week. 



wk) 
nice 



Palace (BKO) (2.600; 50-75)— 
"Vo\fi Faces West" (UA). Average 
$11,500. Last week. "Fighting 
Father Dunne" (BKO), $11,000: 

l^iubert (RKO) (2,100; 50-75)— 
'Emperor Waltz" (Par) (m.o.). Sat- 
isfactory $8,500. La-st week, "Mr. 
Blandings" (SRO) (m.o.), moderate 
$6,00a 



DOG DAYS IN K.C. BUT 
'STREET HOT $20,0»0 

Kansas City, July 13, 
• Summer dog days are here m 
earnest "Street With No Name m 
the Tower-Uptown-Fairway com- 
•bination looks strong on 10-day 
rim "Summer Holiday" at Mid- 
jand backed by "Sign of the Earn 
aNo looks pleasant. "Fightmg 
Father Dunne" at Orpheum is 
faivlv good in nine days. Snnmier 
heat" wave now here but thratres 
Sre making a big play ahout mr 
conditioning and heat-escapmg 

'""^V^lumates for This Week 

Ksquirc (Fox Midwest) (820; 45- 
651— "Will It Happen AgMn (1>C) 
»,iH "\r2Vlc Secrets" (FO. With 
heavy b»Hy on lovelife of Hitler 
and Kva Braun. Above average at 
lTw)i Last week, "Strawberry 
Roan" fCoI) and "Last Days of 
Boot Hill" (Col), ditto,_ _ 
^Midland (Loow's),p 

"Sum nil') * steady $16,^ i /vuvMuiucsonverauo tooi;. rair- 

.■Sign oi R n fsY/nd With lb' steady $18,000. Last week, "On 

W><K,I^=';' -.nd Verc^^^ With You" (M-G) and 

I"'! w, " mA) bi« $18,000 Helped i "Thunderhoof" (M-G), fair $18,000, 
Trouble, 'Ua;, mh ^^^^^^ (Silverman) (2.200; 44-05) 

—"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (3d wk). 
Second session ended Sunday (11) 
al nice $11,000. First was sock 



Heat Wa?e Wilts PtroT. 
fm 'Sois^ Fme 18^ 

Providence, .July 13. 
Much loo hot for theatre-going 
here and downtown spots are 
showing it despite fairly good 
fare. Majesti^'s "All My Sons" is 
getting a solid "play. All houses 
were hurt Saturday and Sunday. 
Estimates for This Week 
Albee (RKO) (2,200; 44-65)— "Up 
In Central Park" (UX) and "Secret 
Service Investigator" (Rep), Slow 
$11,000 or near. Last week, ''Fight- 
ing Father Dunne" fBKO) and 
"Arizona RdDger" (RKO), nice 
$15,500. 

Carlton (Fay) (1,400: 44-65)— 
"Give Regards Broadway" (20th) 
and "13 Lead Soldiers" (20th). 
Fair $4,000, Last week, "Wall- 
flower" (WB) and "Old Los An- 
geles" (Rep), good $5,000. 

Fay's (Fay) (1.400; 44-65)— "Pan- 
handle'* iRep) and "Jinx Money" 
(Rep), Mild $5,000. Last week, 
"Figlitmg 69th" (WB) and "Valley 
of Giants" (WB) (reissues), $5,500. 

Maie,stic (Fay) (2,200; 44-65)— 
"All My Sons" (U> and "Kmg of 
Gamblers" (UI). Very nice $18,000. 
Last week, "Give Regards Broad- 
way" (20th) and "Lead Soldiers" 
(20t.h), dull $12,000. 

State (Loew) (3,200; 44-65)— 
"Fuller Brush Man" (Col) and 
"Adventures Silverado" (Col). Fair- 



hv holiday prices .Tuly 5, 
''■'O pheu". (RKO) (1,90();, 45-6.)^ 
"liMcl liii" Father Dunne' (RKOi 
aid •• A "^.ona Banger" (RKO) Mod- 
(Continued on page 18> 



D.C. Dips; 'Legion' Lusty 
$8,500/Dream' DuU 14G 

Washington, July 13. 

With holdovers in most big 
houses, general level of biz is be- 
low last week's heartening flurry. 
"Gallant Legion" at smallseater 
Columbia looks hefty. "Dream 
Girl" at the Warner looks disap- 
pointing, being barely okay. 
Estimates for Tl>^ VVeek 

Capital (Loew's) (2,434; 44-80)— 
"On Island With You" (M-G) plus 
vaude (2d wk). Solid $20,000 after 
smash $35,000 opening stanza, 

CoImnbU (Loew's) (1,263; 44-70) 
—"Gallant Legton" (Rep).. Fine 
$8,500 in this smallseater wMcb 
seldom goes firstrun. Last week, 
"Summer Holiday" (M-G) (2d rtm)„ 
mild $5,500, . 

DttpoBt (F. W. Mann) (440; 50-85) 
-"ITie Idiot" (Indie) (2d wk). 
Satisfactory $3,000. Last week, 
line $4,000. 

Keith's (RKO) (1,939; 44-74)— 
"Best Ycar.s" (HKO) (2d wk). Strong 
$10,000 at pop prices al;,ter 8-week 
roadshow run last season. Last 
week, $13,000, 

Metropolitaa (WB) (1.163; 44-70) 
— ^"Romance on Higij Seas" (WB) 
imjo.). Good $7,000. Last week, 
"FUIter Brush Man" (Col> (2d run), 
samK ■ 

Palace (I^w's) (2,370; 44-74)— 
"Street With No Name" (20th) (2d 
wk). Holding firmly at $16,000 
after hot $25,000 opening round. 

Warner (WB) (2,154; 44-74)— 
"Dream Girl" (Par). Okay $14,000. 
Last week, "Romance High Seas" 
(WB), ditto. 



N.Y. Loaded With Westerns, Mellers; 
'Canon' Loud $30,000; '?mk' Gay 
626, 'Mair'-Mord Tall 82G, 2d 



m'NoLDhh 
Frisco, Dm $14000 

San Francisco, July 13. 

Balmy, weather here is. taking 
its toU in grosses this stanza. 
"Emperor Waltz" continues strong 
in second week at Paramount after 
sock first session but elsewhere 
biz is very duB. Both "Lulu BeUe" 
and "Fighting Father Dunne" are 
big disappointments while the way 
"Street With No Name" slipped ui 
second round held it to otdy six 
days at Fox. 

Estimates for This 

GoUen Gate (RKO) (2,844; 6&- 
1.00)— "Figfbting Father Dmme" 
(RKO). Fair $15,000. LaM week. 
"Stage Struck" (RKO) plus vaude 
headed by Betty Hutton and Zig- 
gy Elman orch, terrific $40,500. 

F»x (PWC) (4451; 6fr951l — 
"Street With No Name" (20th> (2d 
wk). Thin $14,000 ia 9 days. Last 
week, sock $32,500. 

Waifield (FWC) (2,056; 60-85)— 
"Wallflower". (WB) and "To Vic- 
tor" (WB). Mild $14,500. Last 
week, "Tlie Pirate" (M-G) (2d wk), 
oke $13,500. 

ParanrauBt (Par) (2,646; 60-85)— 
"Emperor Waltz'.' (Par) (3d wk). 
Hasiy $19,000 or close. Last week, 
Stnmg $22,000. 

St: Francis (Par) (1.400; 60-85)-^ 
"Paradhie Case" (SBO) 4th wk). 
Oke $10,000 or over. Last week, 
pundiy $12!,00O. 

OiiAeiritt (Blumetifetd) (2^448; 
55^)— "Lola BeUe" (Col). MQiE 
$14,000. week, "Rivo- laOs" 
OJK medmcre $13,500. 
> United Artists (Blumenfeld) 
(1,207); 55-85)— "Another Fart of 
Forest" (U). Dull $11,000. Last 
week, "Letter From Unknown Wo- 
man" (U) (2d wk), $8,000: 

Stagedoor (Ackerman) (350; 60- 
85) — "Corridor of Mirrors" (U) (2d 
wk), Nice $2,700. Last week, 
$3,800. 

LariUn (Roesner) (400; 65^85)— 
"Overlanders" (U) and "The Raid- 
er" (Indie) (reis.sues). Good $2,500. 
Last week, "L'Atalante" (Indie) 
and "Z6ro De Condulte" (Indie), 
$2,800. t 

Esanire (Blumenfeld) (955; 55- 
85)— "Gung Ho" (FC) ftaa "Eagle 
Squadron" (Indie) (reissues)'.. Okay 
$8,000. Last week, "River Lady" 
(U), $7,500. 

State (Par) (2,133; 60-85) — 
"Flowing Gold" (WB) and "Back- 
rouud To Danger" (WB) (reissues). 
Okay $6,000. Last week, "Rose 
Washington Square" <20th) and 
"Slave Ship" (20th) (reissues), 
$8,500. 



Estimates Are Net 

Film gross estimates as re- 
ported herewith from the vari- 
ous key cities, are net, i.e., 
without the 20% tax. Distribu- 
tors share on net take, when 
playing precentage, hence the 
estimated figures are net in- 
come. 

Tlie parenthetic admission 
prices, however, as indicated, 
include the U. S. amusement 

'taXa" 



Sweltering weather and usual 
letdown after the Fourth of July 
are taking a deep cut into Broad- 
way firstrun buMness this week. 
After looking for forecasted rain 
; or two or three days over weekend, 
deluxe theatre managers finally got 
solid relief yesterday (Tues.). As 
a result there was a decided pickup 
in trade starting yesterday morn- 
ing. But theatres took it on cliin 
Sunday (11) and Monday; more so 
on Sunday, a vital b,o. day. 

Torrid temperatures Sunday and 
Monday sent thousands to the 
beaches and other outdoor spots. 
Several houses noted an improved 
business tone Monday but it took 
the rain Tuesday (13) to really 
revive most spots. 

Current week is unusual in that 
western epics or adventure-mellers 
are being shown by eight theatres. 
Capitol, Globe and Gotham have 
films of former category while 
Rivoli, Blalto, Winter Garden, Cri- 
terion and Victoria have melo- 
drama-adventure ptx. Per usual 
the weaker ones are suffering from 
competition of- stronger pietimes in 
same area. 

The melodramatiCi factual 
"Calaon City" is setting the pace of 
newcomers with solid $30,000 at 
the Criterion. "Raw Deal," another 
meller, is not faring so well at $18,- 
000 though giving the Victoria a 
slight lift from recent laggard 

Globe, with western opus, "Fur- 
nace Creek," apparently is not be- 
ing helped by the fact that "Fort 
Apache," up the street at the Cap, 
still Js a real draw. "Creek*' lopks 
very modest $15,000, and stays only 
two rounds. "Dmms," on reissue, 
is doing nicely at Rialto with $11,- 
000 in first week. "Old Los .An- 
geles," another western opus, is not 
Mg with $7,000 at Gotham. 

"Man-Eater of Kumaon" is hold- 
ing fairly weU at $16,000 ha Winter 
Garden while "Crusades" reissue 
looks likewise at $21,000 in Rivoli. 

"Emperor Waltz" continues the 
top grosser with sodc $144,000 on 
fourth week at Music Hall, and is 
set to go at least six weeks. "Eas- 
ter Parade" still 1» smash with 
$62,000 or close in. second State 
week. "Fort Apache" vrith Lena 
Home heading stagebiU is off 
sharply at Cap, but still nice 
$85,000 in third stanza. 

"Foreign Affak," with Jo Staf- 
ford and Sam Donahue band top- 
ping stageshow,* which was big 
$90,000 opening week, is giving the 
Paramount another strong session 
With $82,000 or more in second 
frame. Heat hurt on Sunday but 
big screen televizing of Williams- 
Jack fight Monday (12) night 
Iielped. 

"Street with No Name" opens to- 
day at Roxy wliile Strand brings 
in "Key Iiargo" on Friday (16). 
Estimates for This Week 

Astor (City Inv.) (1,300; 70-$1,50) 
—"Melody Time" (HKO^ (7th wk). 
Down to $14,000 in present round 
ending today (Wed,) after nice 
$17;000 last week. Continues With 
"Babe Ruth Story" (Mono) open; 
ing July 26. 

Capitol (Loew's) (4,820; 80-$1.50) 
—"Fort Apache" (RKO) vnih Lena 
Home, Skinnay Ennis orch, others, 
onstage (3d wk). Slipping with, rest 
of Street, with $85,000, stout, like- 
ly this stanza after $115,000 for sec- 
ond. Stays a fourth with "On High 
Seas" (M-G) and "Stop Music" ra- 
dio show opening July 29. 

Criterion (Loew's) (1,700,- 70- 
$1.50)— "Canon City" (EL) (2d wk). 
First week ended last (Tues.) 
night hit stout $30,000 or close. 
Splendid advance ad campaign 
and novel lobby helping this off to 
fine start; favorable reviews also 
an aide. Fourth week of "Lady 
From Shanghai" (Col), In ahead, 
slow $9,000. 

Globe (Brandt) (1,500; 90-$1.80) 
"Furnace Creek" (20t,h). First week 
ending next Friday (16) looks to 
hit mild $15,000. Holds. Final four 
days of 12th week for "Arch of 
Triumph" (UA) Was only $5,000, 
"Creek" goes only two weeks, 

Gotham (Brandt) (900; 70-S1.20' 
—"Old Los Angeles" (Rep). Okay 
$7,000. Last week "I, Jane Doe" 
(Kepi, $6,000. "Mickey" (EL) opens 
next Saturday (17), 

Mayfair (Brandt) (1,736; 90- 
$1.80).— "Time of Life" (UAi (7th 



wk). Current roimd ending today 
(Wed,) looks like $14,000 after 
$15,500 for sixth. Stays on, with 
"Return of Badmen" (RKO) due in 
next, but date not set. 

Palace (BKO) (1,700; 40-95)— 
"Mr. Blandings" (SRO) (2d run) 
and "Panhandle" (Mono) (1st run). 
In week ending today (Wed,) likely 
will land fine $11,500. In ahead, 
"Flowing Gold" (WB) and "Back- 
ground to Danger" (WB) (reissues), 
good $9,000. 

Paramount (Par) (3,664; 55-$1.50) 
— "Foreign Affair" (Par) with Jo 
Stafford, Georgie Kaye, Sara Dona- 
hue orch topping StagebiU (3d wk). 
Second session concluded last 
(Tues.) night held well at fancy 
082;000 after big $90,000 openef* 
which was over hopes. Had been 
I'linning near first week's figure 
until heat slowed up biz. Par flag- 
ship did plenty of splashing with 
advance ads on film and went 
nearly as strong plugging via very 
enthusiastic reviews, and it's paying 
off. House helped in current ses- 
sion by televising of Williams-Jack 
fight in Philadelphia Monday (12) 
night, taking in over $1,000 extra 
although not permitted to fbally 
bout until after 6 p,m, Monday. 

Radio City Music Hall ^(Rocke- 
fellers) (5,945; 80-$2.40) — "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) with stageshow 
(4th wk). Natural for this to be 
off after recent smash weeks but 
not as much as feared with $144,- 
000 likely in present frame; third 
was huge $157,000, a bit over ex- 
pectancy. Crosby-Fontaine starrer 
' hit new 1948 record for first three 
weeks of a new film, and looks to 
go six weeks or more. Bright, fol- 
low-thru ad campaign is maintain- 
ing lively interest, with out-of- 
towners flocking in. 

Rialto (Mage) (594; 44-98)-— 
"Drams" (FC) (reissue). On week 
ending* tomorrow (Thurs.) appears 
headed for nice $11,000 or better. 
Last week, "Tower London" (FC) 
and "Man Who Reclaimed Head" 
(FC) (reis,sues) (3d wk-8 days), was 
fancy $10,000. 

Rivoli (UAT-Par) (2,092; 60- 
$1,25)— "Crusades" (Par) (reissOe) 
(2d wk). Initial holdover stanza is 
down considerably from opener 
with $21,000 likely in week ending 
tomorrow (Thurs.); first was sur- 
prisingly strong at $30,000. Stays. 

Roxy (20lh) (5,88i3; 80-$1.50)— 
"Street With No Name" (20th) with 
Cab Calloway and his 4 Cabaleers, 
Jackie Miles, Vivian Blaine and 
new iceshow featuring Carol 
Lynne, the Bruises, others on stage. 
Opens today, CWed,). Third frame 
of "Regards to Broadway" (20th) 
plus Dean Martin & Jeny Lewis, 
Three Swifts and iceshow sagged 
to $70,000, absence of Andrews Sis- 
ters (due to death of their mother) 
undoubtedly hurting; second was 
solid $90,000, also suffering some 
from Aijdrews Sisters being out 
part of week. 

State (Loew's) (3,450; 80-$l,50)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (3d wk). 
Second session ended la-st (Tues.) 
night held up at socko $62,000 after 
$74,000 opener. First week was 
new high for straight-film policy 
here. Fast turnover (.show runs 
only 135 minutes) and $1.80 on 
initial weekend helping to Jhuge' 
figure. Elaborate lobby and mar- 
quee pln<s huge 4-story high figures 
on front attractitig attention from 
N. Y. visitors. Also vigorous ad- 
vance ad campaign Is, helping. - 
Hoiise.dropped $1.80 top for week- 
«n4!i after first week. 

Strand '(WB) (2,756; 70-$1.50)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) with 
Bob Crosby orch heading stagebiU 
(3d-final wk). Way off at around 
$28,000, very dim, after thin $40,- 
000 for second. "Key Largo" (WB) 
and stageshow headed by Count 
Basie orch and BBIfe Holiday open 
Friday (16). 

Victoria (City Inv.) (720; 70- 
$1.50)— "Haw Deal" (EL), Initial 
week winding up today (Wed.) 
likely will hit very good $18,000, 
favorable in view of weather. 
Stays, Liberal ad campaign and 
superb Iront helping, Second 
week of ^Fighting Father Dunne" 
(RKO), modest $11,500. 

Winter Garden (UA) (1.312; 55- 
$1.25)— "Man-Eater of Kumaon" 
(U) (2d wk). Second I'ound ending 
today (Wed.) is not doing badly for 
holdover session of this type of pic- 
ture with nice $17,000 in view; first 
week was solid $23,000, best at 
Garden in many weeks and un- 
usually nice for this sort of fare. 
Extensive advance campaign in 
which nearly every imaginable 
angle was plugged is paying off' at 
wickets. 



10 



WoilwcBdgy, July 14, l94jt 



Here's the full 
page opening day 
ad that climaxed 
the powerful world 
premiere n ew s ■ 
paper campaign. 




f 



^3'^ "-^S t^-*""^ 



Today, Phiiadeiphia thrills to two grecit events. Sharing Mie excitem^f of the Oemocrafie 
National Convention, Walter Wanger's Technicolor triumph, "Tap Roots," todoy hos its gala World 
Promiere at tho Goldman theatre, with day-and-date premieres throughout the territory.. 

Personal appMirances foy a Hollywood cavalcade, headed by Van Hef iin, Julie London, Boris 
Karloff and Richard Long, ore launching Philadelphio's most important motion picture event in. 
many years., 

A thousand leading correspondents of the nation's press and radio, covering the Convention, 
took time-out to attend a special midnight preview of "Tap Roots". . .To|> national radio progroms 
are saluting the world premiere of "Tap Roots" over ABC* NBC and Mutual networks. Full page 
national magazine and newspaper ad tie-ups with Chesterfield, General Electric and Lux have hten, 
timed for the premiere. 

It all odds vp to tremendous selling power for "Tap Roots" when It plays your house! 



Compared with ^'G. WXW^[ by Trade Press! 



Front-paged in MOTION PICTURE DAILY: "One for the 
money— and plenty of it. A big show handled in a big 
way, this attraction is one of the most ambitious since 
'Gone With the Wind.' Handled with scope and sweep . . . 
to entertain and hold audiences in substantial number/' 

Featured in FILM DAILY] "Should attract a large audi- 
ence. Grand scale stuff in fine Technicolor that pulsates 
with action. Powerful . ..told with sweep and vigor. 
More than fair comparison with 'Gone With the Wind,'" 

• 

MOTION PICTURE HERALD: "Top grade. Solid mer. 
chandise, commercially. Excellent. Not since 'Gone 
With the Wind' has Hollywood dealt with the Civil 
War theme to such dramatic and pictorial advantage." 



SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW: '"Tap Roots' is the 
essence of screen entertainment. One of the biggest 
pictures of the year. Done on a grand scoie...a real 
spectacle that justly deserves the adjectives 'big/ 
Audiences will remember it a long time." 

BOXOFFICt; "Should result in top talces in all bookings; 
Sure to please. Plenty of red meat for disciples of both, 
torrid romance and hard-hitting action." 

VARIETY: "High romance, color lensing, sex implica- 
tions and brood action will give it ticket-window 
attention/' 

THE EXHIBITOR: "Top notch. Should do well at box-^ 
offices throughout the country/' ' ' 



12 



FIOl ilBVIBWS 



Vcdneaday^ July 1:4, 1943 



Be«l River 

Hollywood, July 13. 

tlnltfea ArtlBiB roleiise of HowarU Hinvhs 
fChai'los K. FPldman) production, directed 
iiy Hn,wk«, fo-rtlWcted, Artli«r ,{losBon. 
Btartr- John Wayne, jrontgomei-y Clltt; tea. 
turcs .lowino Dro, Wnltei- llrennar, Cfileen 
OfttVi John lroliiml, N'ouh Bi'iTy, Jr., Hiin-y 
Carey, Si-., Harry Carey, Jr. Soeenplay, 
Borden ('ha.se, Charles ficHecn; from l-lia.?e s 
eatevepoPt story; camera. HiissoU Havian. 
editor, Christian Kyliy; score una sontt, ui- 
jnitrl TloWkin, Pieviowed Jvily ». *»• 

Matthew (Jarth .MonlKomery Cllft 

•Fuss MUlay..,.. ' " 

&root Nridlne... 

■ m ■ 



.Joanne Pru 
Iter Bronnan 
.Coleen Gray 



Cherry Valance,., .......John Ireland 

imster MeGce ..Noah Beery, Jr. 

aSr. Melville..,.;.. 



JJaji bnthner 
■ *PeeIet Yucoy. . . . .t . . . 
Matthew Garth (boy) 

Quo 

Bunk Kenufally. . . 
"SV.'ilt Jersens. .... . 

Slniin.-^. , ........ .. . 

I<are<lo .•• 

•The' Wninelt'r. 



..Harry Carey, hr 
, .Hawy Onrey, Jr. 

I'aul l>1x 

MU'liey Kuhn 

...Chlei; .Yowlaohlfi 

:. ...lvan,l'iiri-y 

......... iiiiy JlyHo 

Hank U'linlen 

Dan White 

,A\'llllam Sell 



Old Leather. . •. . . • Hal Tallotcrro 



"Red River" will take its place 
among the other big, boxoffice- 
iinportant western epics that have 
come from Hollywood over the 
yeai\s. It's a spectacle of sweeping 
grandeur, as rugged and har^.as 
ihe men and the times with which 
it deals. . 

Rougn and tough with action, 
the film brawls and sprawls over 
two hours and six minutes of foot- 
age with such a tight, sure grip on 
the" imagination that the few slow 
Sipots will not hinder its bo.\office 
reception. A money film from any 
angle— expensive to make but with 
an almost unlimited grossing por 
tential— "Red River" is slotted for 
iniDortant ■ playdates and bigtime 
returns. ^ 

Howard Hawks' production and 
direction have given a masterful. 
Interpretation to a story of the 
early west and the opening of the 
Chisholm Trail, over which Texas 
cattle were moved to Abilene to 
meet the railroad on its march 
across the country. 

Also important to "Red River" 
Is the introduction of a new star — 
Montgomery Clift. He is a young 
man who should have an im- 
portant future in films. While 
"River" is his first bigtime screen 
job, actor's second venture, "The 
Search," is already screening. 

Clift brings to the role of Mat- 
thew Garth a sympathetic per- 
sonality that invites audience re- 
sponse. He reads the Garth char- 
acter with an inistinctive, non- 
chalant underplaying that is sock. 

Hawks has loaded the film with 
mass spectacle and eartby scenes. 
His try for naturalness in dialog 
between principals comes off well. 
The staging of physical conflict is 
deadly, equalling anything yet 
seen on the screen. Picture real^ 
Istically depicts trail hardships; 
the heat, sweat, Hust, storm and 
marauding Indians that bore down 
on the pioneers. Neither has 
Hawks overlooked- sex, exponents 
being Joanne Dru and Coleen 
Gray. John Wayne has his best as- 
signment to date and he makes 
the most of it. 

Picture is not all tough melo- 
drama. There's a welcome comedy 
relief in the capable hands of 
Walter Brennan. He makes his 
every scene stand out sharply, 
leavening the action with chuck- 
les while maintaining a character 
Bs rough and ready as the ' next. 

Sharing co-director credit with 
Hawks is Arthur Rosson. The pair 
have staged high excitement in 
the cattle, stampedes and other 
scenes of mass action. 

The first grade script was writ- 
ten by Borden Chase and Charles 
Schnee from Chase's Satevepost 
story. . Russell Harlan's camera 
has captured breath-taking scenic 
beauty and the music score by 
Dimitri Tiomkin is -an important 
contribution. Brofir. 



Miniature Reviews 

"Red River" (UA). Thrillins 
epic of the old west, potent 
boxoffice. 

"That Lady In Ermine" 
Musicat-Color) I20th). With 
Betty Grable and Douglas 
Fairbanks, Jr.; solid b.o. 

"Night Has a Thousand Eyes" 
(Par). Suspenseful thriller with 
high exploitation values. 

"Texits, Brooklyn ann 
Heaven" (UA). Romantic com- 
edy with light marquee values; 
mild b.o. 

"Shed No Tears" (EL). Minor 
melodrama for secondaries 
only. Dull development and 
slow pace. .. ■ 

"Train to Alcatraa" (Rep). 
Melodrama for secondary book- 
ings. Okay plot and action. 

"A Friend Will Come To- 
night" (French) (Lopert). Mi- 
chel Simon, Madeleine. Sologne 
in World War 2 spy meUer big 
for arty houses, ■ 



damned— with his inner sight to 
opening events, and occurrences 
that follow leading up to strong 

*^^'john Farrow's sure directorial 
hand is seen throughout unfolding 
of picture, scripted melodramatic^ 
ally by Barre Lyndon and Jona- 
than Latimer. Megger has main- 
tained highly-charged atmosphere, 
and has able actor in Robinson 
to give credence to character. 
Robinson makes most of role, and 
has lovely support in Miss RusselL 
Jerome Cowan, Virginia Bruce, 
William Demarest and Roman Boh- 
nen also contribute heftily to in- 
terest. John Lund, co-starred with 
Robinson and Miss Russell, isn't 
so f ortunate, , in evoking interest 
but his role is necessary to plot 
Production reins »we re well 
handled by Endre Bohem. John 
P. Seitz' camera work, as well 
as Eda Warren's tight editing and 
Victor Young's atmosphere score, 
likewise contribute to film's quali- 
ties. Whit. 



.ever, is not sufficiently sustained 
to generate topnotch comedy. Sey-^ 
eral romantic sequences open in a 
farcical mood but wind up in a 
deadpan clinch, thereby muffling 
the laugh reaction. 

This film is a departure from 
previous Grable musicals in its ab^ 
sence of any special production 
numbers. Score by lyricist Leo 
Robin and tunesmith Frederick 
Hollander is integrated directly 
into the action in the manner of 
contemporary legit musicals. One 
number, "This Is the Moment," is 
standout, while two others, "The 
Melody Has to fie Right" and "Ooh, 
What I'll Do!" are adequate. 

Samson Raphaelson's screenplay 
is a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale 
about a married princess who .saves 
her tiny mid-European country 
from invasion by bewitching the 
enemy's commander. But despite 
the martial ingredients and 19th 
Century plume-and-sabre ^ ffour- 
ishes, the story is lacking in move- 
ment. 

Main comedy device is an ances- 
tral gallery of portraits within the 
castle which becomes alive in face 
of the danger to their homeland. 
Miss Grable, also playing a medi- 
eval heroine who was in a predica- 
ment similar to that of her descend- 
ant, steps out of her frame and 
leads the amorous campaign against 
Douglas Fairbanlu, Jr., a Hungarian 
colonel. Latter retreats uncTer the 
confusion of double images but 
finally wins the princess' hand after 
she dumps her cowardly husband. 
Despite this switch, film exercises 
super-caution , in not straying out- 
side the censorship codes. 

Top players, assisted by a solid 
supporting cast, play their part's to 
the hilt. Miss Grable registers 
strongly in lavish costumes, and 
handles the musical numbers and 
dancing chores in usual personable 
style. Fairbanks cuts a neat figure 
as the tough warrior who softens 
up under femme influence. Cesar 
Romero, as the chicken-hearted 
husband, furnishes the best comedy 
bits with his mugging and double- 
takes. Walter Abel, as Fairbanks' 
aide, and Reginald Gardiner, as one 
of the ancestors, also contribute 
ftrstrate performances. 

Backgrounds for this tinter are 
tastefully dressed with superb cam- 
era iiandling extracting the maxi- 
mum color values. Herm. 



Texas, Brooklyn and 
Heaven 

(ONE SONG) 

TTnited Artists release of Robert S. 
Golden production. Stars Guy Madison, 
Di.-.na Lynn; leatarrs .fames Dunn, Miohaiil 
Chekhov, . Florence Bates, Lionel Stander. 
Directed by 'William Castle. Screenplay, 
Lewis Meltzer; based on istory by Barry 
Benefleld; song, "Texas, Brooklyn and 
Heaven," Ervln Drake, Jimmy Shlri; cam- 
era, .'VVilliiim Melior; editor, ..Tames New- 
coih; musical director, EmiV 'j^ewman. 
Tradeshown N. Y. July 9, '48. Running 
time, 78 MINS.-;.- 

Eddie Tayloc. ..Guy Madison 
Perry Dunklin. . . . i .Diana Lynn 
Mike ...,.;,./.'.■...*■ ."i ......... James Dunn 

The Bellhop . . . „ . Lionel Slander 

Mandy.'. . .. ; . .. . .. . ... . . . .. .I'^lorence Kates 

Gaboolian. ............. ... .Michael Chekhov 

Buby Oheever .'.Margaret Hiiriillton 

Pearl Cheevcr. ....... . , .MOyna MaBill 

Opal Chcever..... ...Irene R.vaii 

MacWIrther .Colin Campbell 

Capt. njorn .Clem Bevans 

Carmody, the Cop. .......... .ltos<;oo Karns 

The Agent . .... ... William Frawloy 

Hern Is. . ...... .', . . . . :.Alvln Hammer 

l>r. Dansiin, .............. .IGIrskine Sanford 

McGonical. . . . , . . . . . , John Galidet 

Policeman. . . . .. . . , James Bnrko 

'I'hibauU. Guy Wllkerson 

Copy Boy. , . , . . ....... . . . . .Andio Munihy 

Bartender. . .... . . ..... . . ...... .Tom Dugin 



Par's Unusual Trailer 

Considerably more - ambi- 
tious than in its first try last 
year. Paramount has come up 
with a nine-minute combina- 
tion public relations pitch ana 
trailer of future product un- 
der the label of "The Magic 
City." This briefie which Par 
will distribute' cuff 0 is a smart 
operation for exhibs playing 
Paramount product who can 
book the pic without upset- 
ting schedules. Its trailerizmg 
phases are not too blatant 
. while it cannily sells Holly- 
wood along the lines recently 
urged on the majors by the 
Theatre Owners of America. 

"Magic tees off by declaring 
there is no slump in Holly- 
wood. It promises full speed 
ahead and the delivery of "the 
greatest array of pictures 
ever turned out by the studios. 

Then the camera focuses on 
a typical day in the Coast 
city and on the star, tech- 
nician and ordinary worker 
putting in their methodical 
chores. Naturally, activities at 
the Paramount studio . takes 
the main attention. 

Par's film of the same genre 
last year, "Made in the 
U. S. A." was minutes 
long. It was booked into 11,- 
000, situations. The present pic 
has the disadvantage of being 
longer. The added time, how- 
ever, is well used to build 
general interest. Company is 
using some 400 prints for wide 
distribution. Wit. 



order characterizations, -,„„„^ 
convicts showing up are Mi H 
Stone, John Alvin, Michael & 
Marc Krah, Denver Pyle 

Philip Ford's direction of th. 
Gerald- Geraghty script keeps va™ 
moving forward at an okay naS 
and production values marshaUpS 
■by Lou Brock within the limSpS 
budget are good. Lensing andothw 
technical contributions are stand, 
ard. " 



A Friend Will Cowe 

Tonight 

(Un Ami Viendra Ce Soirl 
(FRENCH) 

T.opert Films releasei of Constantln Gett 
man prpduetlon, .Stars Michel .Simon- Sil 
ture.s .Madeleine Sologne, . Louis Salou: 
.■^fiturnln Fabre, Directed by KayinoiS 
Bernard. Screenplay, Jacques Coinpaneej 
Raymond Bernecrd .froin original by Com' 
patiecz; camera, Robert IjCtebyre? bmki 
trround music, by Arthur Hortegg^ir.' ^re- 
M .mN'i' ^ ^" ^"""'"'UlM, 

Michel Lemaret . . . .MlcheV Siihon 

Helen Asselin ...... . ^Madeleine Sologrn 

Commissioner Martin... . . , .... .Louis Salon 
Commander Gerard, .•. i.i;.:.. .. .Louls B6I00 
Philippe Prunier ^a.turnln FaW 
Dr. Tiller.....,,,.., v. :,,.;,....l>aur,BeranrJ 

Dr. Ijestrade. . . , . i,. Mnrcel Andii 

Jacques I.iCroy. ^ Jacques Clancj 

Pierre nibault. ........... Daniel Gelin 

Dr. Pisaut. ........ ......Claude Lehmwii 

The baroness .Lily Hounet 

Beatrice — ....Yvette Andreyot 

Claire .Ceeliia PuroMl 



That Lady in Ermine 

, (COLOBr^-MUSICAL) 

20th.^Fox release of Ernst Lubltsch pro- 
duction, directed by Jjubltsch. Stars Betty 
.Grable, ]>ouglas FairbaukSj Jr.; ftfatiires 
; CJcsar Komei-n, Walter Abel, Ileglnald Gard- 
..Iner, Harry D.ivenport. Screenplay,. Sam- 
fion Jlaphaelson; songs, Ijeo Robin, Fred* 
«rleit Hollander: score, Alfred Newm.in; 
camera (Technlcolot-), Leon Shamroy; edi-. 
tor, Dorothy Spencer. Tradeshown N, Y., 
July 10, '48. liunnlnK time, 811 JIINS. 
l<^raneeeca and Angelina ...... . Betty Grable 

ratonel ntid Duke. ..Pouglas Fairbanks, .Tr. 
3Marlo.^, :-*..... ... .... .... ... . ^Cosar BoMero 

2f a jor Borvat fa .. v , Walter Abel 

Alborto. .IteKinatd Gardiner 

XiUlgl.. . . .Harry Davenport 

trheresa. ................ .Virginia Campbell 

Captain 2Qovak.........)Ildmund MacDonald 



Night Has a Thonsand 

Eyes 

Hollywood, July 8. 

Paramount i-elcase of l^ndre Boheiii pro- 
duction. Stars Edward G. Robinsoh. Gall 
Bussell, John -Lund; features Virginia 
Bruce, William Demarest. Directed by John 
Farrow. S<;reenplay. Barre Lyndon, .Tona- 
than I.tiiimer-, based on novel 'by Cornell 
Woolrich; camera, John F. Seitz; music, 
Victor Young; editor, Eda Warren. Trade- 
shown in Los Angeles, July 7, *48. Bun- 
nlng time. 80 MINS. 

•lohn Triton Edward G. Robinson 

Jean Cnurtland. Gail Ru.-^sell 

IClUott Carson. . .... ^. .. .John Lund 

Jenny. .. .... . , ..a ... . . . , .Yttglnla Bruce 

Lieut. Shawn. . .William Demarest 

Peter Vinson. .. .......... .. .Richard Webb 

Whitney Courtland...... .... .Jerome Cowan 

Dr. Walters. ..^.....Anslow Stevenson 

Mr. Oilman....... John Alexander 

Melville Weston Roman Bohneii 

Mr, Myers..., ..Luis Van ROoten 



With Betty Grable and Douglas 
Fairbanks, Jr., charging up the 
marquee voltage for this lush TecE- 
nicolor musical, "That Lady in Er- 
mine" has all the trappings of a 
boxoffice winner. This pic was tem- 
porarily cut short in the middle of 
shooting by the death of producer- 
•director Ernst Lubitsch last No- 
vember, but Otto Preminger fin- 
ished it without any break in style. 
Preminger, at his own request^in 
tribute to Lubitsch— rreceives no 
billing in the credits. 

Fanciful yarn of a Oraustarkian 
princess and a Hungarian conqueror 
Is treated with that light, spoofing 
of romance associated with "the 
Lubitsch touch/' That touch, how- 



Suspense is the dominating ele- 
ment in this thriller which follows 
a man who can foresee the future.' 
Told in broad strokes Of tenseness, 
picture can expect handsome re- 
turns with its strong exploitation 
possibilities. 

Plot which might easily have 
gone overboard in handling, instead 
is a steadily-moving yarn of a 
mind-reader who eventually dis- 
covers the frightening fact that-he 
he can actually t6ll what is to 
happen. Told in flashback form, 
story starts with Gall Russell about 
to commit suicide by jumping 
from a trestle onto a track in front 
of onrushing train, in terror after 
having been told by Edward G. 
Robinson, the diviner, that she will 
meet a violent death within a few 
days. Events in natural order then 
are narrated by Robinson, from 
time he learned he was giftedi--or 



"Texas, Heaven and Brooklyn" 
is a rambling film that will have 
only a mild boxoffice impact. Lack 
of marquee weight will not help in 
overcoming other drawbacks of the 
production. Attempts to cash in 
on the two great national cliches of 
humor, Brooklyn and Texas, is 
treated in a plodding style with 
much hokey sentimentalism and 
few laughs. 

Major flaw of this film is that the 
screenplay contains neither plot 
nor point. Story begins uncer- 
tainly, proceeds aimlessly and ends 
abruptly. Confusion Of the pic is 
highlighted by a deficient editing 
job which leaves some sequences 
dangling in the middle, wholly un- 
explained. This glaring flaw was 
likely necessitated by heavy scis^ 
soring to bring the running time 
within dual bill needs. 

This .yarn is concerned with the 
adventures of a Texas lad, Guy 
Madison, who travels to New 
York to become a playwright. En 
route he teams up with a run- 
away Texas gal with a yen for 
the Brooklyn ozone. In New York, 
Diana Lynn adopts a pickpocket, 
Florence Bates, as her mother, 
and moves in with a trio of Flat- 
bush spinsters. Story, which James 
Dunn, as a bartender, unfolds 
through long backfla.shes, travels 
through one flat scene at Coney 
Island and another in a whacker 
Brooklyn riding academy contain- 
ing mechanical horses and eamels; 
Sudden end to the film witnesses 
the romantic couple back in Texas 
riding the range. . 
: Madison registers pleasantly 
but isn't given much to do. Miss 
Lynn is also likable personality 
but finds it tough-going through 
such awkward lines as "Brooklyn 
is a wondrous place indeed." Best 
thesping bits are supplied by 
Lionel Stander, as a lippy hotel 
porter, and Florence Bates, as the 
honest-faced dip. Dunn als* 
does nicely in the bit part of the 
bartender. 

One pleasant number, "Texas, 
Brooklyn and Heaven," is ren- 
dered in accompaniment of the 
credits. , Hem, 

Shed No Tears 

Hollywood, July 10. 

Eajj-Ie i,ton release of Robert Frost pro- 
duction, stars Wallace I'ord, June Vincent; 
leaturcs Robert Scott, Frank Alborlson, 
Klchard Hogan, Elena Vci-dugo, Johnstone 
White. . Directed by Jean Yarbrough. 
Screenplay, Brown Holmes, Virginia Cook; 
from novel by Don Martin; camera, Fi-ank 
Rcaman! editor, Norman K. C6rf. At 
Vogue Hollywooa. June », '48. Running 
time, 70 MINS. » 

Sam Grover Wallae* Ford 

Mna Grover .Tune Vincent 

Ray Belden , . . , Robert Scott 

Huntington Stewari: ..Jonathan White 

Grover Dick Uogan. 

Hotton ...Pxank Albetlso» 



to fit it as fiUer material on dual 
bills in lesser situations. 

Very mild screenplay deals with 
an insurance fraud and backfiring 
blackmail with cast trying hard 
but seldom succeeding in breath- 
ing life into plot. Dialog is trite 
and Jean Yarbrough's direction 
meandering. 

June Vincent, the real heavy, 
talks husband Wallace Ford into 
faking death to collect a $50,000 
insurance policy. Suspicions of 
Richard Hogan, Ford's son by an 
earlier marriage, upset the perfect 
scheme and the detective he hires 
takes a blackmail to bolster his 
regular fee. Windup has Ford 
appearing to shoot Miss Vincent's 
new love and, to a chorus of 
screaming lead and police sirens, 
a death leap from a 10-story win- 
dow solves all the plot's problems. 

_Ford manages the most interest 
of the cast. Among others are 
Johnstone White, the blackmailing 
private eye, Robert Scott, Miss 
Vincent's new-romance, and Frank 
Albertson. Stronger direction by 
Yarbrough could have given the 
Brown Holmes - Virginia Cook 
script a little lift. Production 
values achieved by Robert Frost 
are^ minor and lensing by Frank 
Redman is standard. Brog. 

Train to Aleatraz 

Hollywood, July 9. 

n.^^' ul'" "■e'ease of Lou Brock produo- 
imV;- ^t-'™, Donald Barry, .Tanet Martin. 
William Phipps; features Roy Barcroft. 
Juno 6,torcy Jane Harwell, Milburn Ktone, 
Chester Clute, Ralph Dunn, Richard Irving 
iSl?, • M'chael Carr. Directed by 

PhUlp Ford. Original screenplay, Gerald 
VtSV'?.'. Reggie Lanning: editor, 

"ng 'fhSraf-MLsr"' *■ 

Donald 



(In French; Ewfjlish Titles) / 

A gripping, unusual spy meller, '( 
this is one of the better Frencli ■ 
contributions. . Unfolded before a 
backdrop of Maquis underground 
operations in France during the 
last war, "A Friend Will Come To- 
night" has action and an unusual 
amount of suspense. And. with'. 
Michel Simon as star, it spells big •' ! 
boxoffice for arty theatres. 

Story is mostly told in a private ; 
mental hospital o^ French Alpine 
region near Switzerland, at time 
the Nazis were prowling the see- 
tor in the fall of 1944. Yarn shows , 
the German forces trying to locate 
among the inmates the brains , of 
the underground. 

Simon as a bewhiskercd inmate, 
turns in another splendid charac- 
terization. His portrayal of a so- 
called world piiilosopher, as he 
fends off interrogations by the 
Nazi secret agent, furnish a high- 
light of the film. Scene winds up 
by Simon oHering himself as the 
Maquis ringleader, and willing to 
be shot although not knowing wliat " 
it's all about.. 

Madeleine Sologne impresses as 
the Jewish girl whose family has 
been wiped out by the Germans. 
Incidentally, she looks like a U. S. 
screen possibility. . : 

Louis Salou is fine as the Maquis 
leader masquerading as hopelessly 
in.sane. Saturnin Fabre, Paul 
Bernard and Marcel Andre top 
the excellent supporting cast. 

The unusual plot has been con- 
cocted Jacques Companeez, with 
Director Raymond Bernard collab- 
ing with him on the screenplay, 
Bernard's direction is topflight as 
is the lensing by Robert Lefebvre. 
Latter has done particularly well 
with outdoor camcraing. Wear. 



Grady, 
A'irglnla . . . 
Aunt Ella , 
Biu't Kianii 
CijllflUftoi-. 

And%J~-----'-------'--^^^ 

Nick 



. Roy iaroroft 
.... June Storey 
. ..lane Darweli 
..Milburn .stone 
. . .<.'hester Clute 



A minor entry for secondary 
bookings, "Shed No Tears" barely 
gets by. Overlong on footage and 
slowly developed, yarn fails to 
generate much interest for specta- 
tors. Sharper editing might help 



Ent's Loan 

Contlnnea from page 3 



.Richard Irving 

Mpi.,v ..Tohn Alvin 

MahnVfo;.' ■ ■ ■ " ■ ■ ■ ' •.•'•'■•;•>• • - • .Michael Carr 

Mnrc Kiah 

Hutehms Denver PvIp 

5 '^'™ln'c .Iron k/cs Cody 

^JSy.V.V.V..v.v.-.v;.-;^,^'^.'^~ 

"Train for Aleatraz" is a budget 
melodrama for secondary billings 
Title IS apt, plot being laid on a 
prison train, and action overcomes 
load of dialog to rate casual inter- 
cs^^over the 60-minute running 

The prison train is transporting 
group of convicts to Aleatraz and 
plot builds gradually through 
group's planning of an escape to 
cUmax in the blood-thirsty break 
for freedom. Flashback technique 
IS used to establish sympathy for 
one of the cons, a young man with 
a bad record who is wrongfully 
convicted of murder. Before blow- 
off, his slate is cleaned by outside 
forces and the other convicts meet 
sudden death when they attempt 
to flee the train. 

Donald Barry is the escape ring- 
leader and William Phipps portrays 
the convict who was wronged. 
There s a suddenly developed* ro- 
mance between Phipps and Janet 
Martin, legit passenger on the 
train, and other chief femme role 
falls to June Storey, gunmoU who's 
aiding the^escape plot. Roy Bar- 
croft, guard; Ralph Dunn, U. S. 
marshal; and Chester Clute, timid 
conductor, give okay lawsand- 



of production, and "The Numbers 
Racket" (formerly "Tucker's Peo- 
ple"), which is before the cam- 
eras. Both pix are for release by 
Metro under Ent's new pact with 
that company. The first five films 
were distributed by United Artists 
domestically and by Metro abroad. 
"Tennessee's Partner," a Harry 
Sherman production, is still to_be 
delivered to UA under the Ent 
pact. . ... , 

Here's the lineup on the initial 
five films: 

Negative Total 
Cost Gross 
"Eamrod" . . .$1,500,000 $2,000,000 
"Other Love" 2,200,000 1,850,000 
"Body and ■ 

Soul" ... 1,800,000 4,700,000 
"Arch Of 

Triumph ., 4,250,000 4,100,000 
*'4 Faces West"l,200,000 1,100,000 

Many of the above figures, of 
course, are rough estimates, since 
some of the films haven't played 
enough dates either domestically 
or abroad to make very close cal- 
culations. "Body and Soul," .P» 
course, was Ent's big grosser. Ho*- 
evfer, the profits it represents are 
not as large as they appear, since 
50% of the net goes to the John 
Garfield-Bob Roberts indie unit, 
Roberts Productions. . 

"Arch of Triumph" has played 
only a few more than 200 dates in 
the U. S., with rather spotty b.o-. 
but tIA has been able to get good 
terms for it on strength of the 
novel and the Bergman-Boyer cast 
names^ Estimates are that it wiU 
do about $2,500,000 in the U. S. 
and Canada and about $1,600,000 
abroad. It is figured much better 
comparatively for overseas aum' 
ences than fnr t'— ' in tw* 
country. 



IT ALO ALFRESeOS DAMPENED 



U. S. Disbibs Get Sesi^ in findl 
But SpaiBsh S^K^ s Still Swr 



.Willi major American clistrib-> 
utors already plagued with the 
Ao% British playing time quota, 
their international headache eased 
oft in one country this weelc ; but 
was aggravated in another. A dil- 
ficull situation in Brazil was amel- 
iorated when a recent Price Con- 
trol -Board ukase placing a maxir. 
mum Vi^h percentage on distribs 
fHm rentais was ruled unconstitu- 
tional by the Ministry of Labor 
On the other hand, the U. S. indus- 
try, faces a glum sales outlook in 
Spain alter Aug. 31,' when import 
licensing fees will be virtually 
doubled. 

The temporary Brazilian dilem- 
ma arose from a recent Price Con- 
trol Board regulation which not 
only fi.\ed a 40<j() rental ceiling on 
distribs' centals, but permitted ex- 
hibs ,to deduct a variety of oper- 
ating expenses from gross receipts 
before the rental percentage wa-S 
applied. If the Board's ruling had; 
not been nullified it would have 
dealt a body blow to American film 
earnings in the Brazilian market. 
I4tst year's remittances totalled 
about $6,000,000. 

On tlie Spanish hoiiziHi, tbdf 
&%les field is expected to decrease 
from some 200 Hollywood films 
which are beiiig imported into 
Spain in the 12 month period ex- 
piring Aug. 31^ down to Sl probable 
£0 features in the year following. 
Held responsible is a 100% boost 
' in the already stiff import permits. 
Prom the present $25,000 fee per 
feature, they're being upped to 
about $30,000. Inasmuch as the cost 
of import permits are less for films 
Of other countries, it's felt that the 
£ovemmcnt's action will tend to 
open up'the Spanish market to the 
British', Fr^ch and Italians at the 
expense of the X5. S. industry. 

Colombia is another spot that's 
none too rosy, according to William 
DeMello, manager for Western 
Electric in the Caribbean iirea. Ar- 
riving in New York last week for 
homeoff ice huddles with Westrex 
Corp. (a subsid) execs^ he pointed 
out that despite generally good 
•business in Colombian film houses, 
profits of American distribs failed 
to measure up, due to the govern- 
ment's policy of tightening up on 
remittances. 



NO RON CURTAIN FOR 
Ui. FIX 6.0. IN POLAND 

Warsaw, July 13. 
Iron Curtain or not; American 
films reign supreme in Poland. De- 
spite the affinity between this 
country and the USSR, and the 
strained relations currently' be- 
tween Russia and the U. S., Yank 
pj-oduct is getting full play here 
and outdrawing Soviet filn\~ by 
better than 3-1. Not only that, but 
American film companies lare get- 
ting dollars from Poland for their 
pictures, minus the restrictions im- 
posed in most other countries. 

In a recent week, 16 of the 
country's 25 key city firstruns 
were showing V. S. pix, which are 
circulated liere by the Motion Pic- 
ture Expori: Assn. Breakdown 
showed tliat MPEA films were be- 
ing screened in all four firstruns 
in Kato.wice. in four out of six in 
Lodz, in two out of three in Poz- 
nan, in three out of five in Kra- 
kow, in two out of four;in Waisaw 
and in one oat of thcee in Wro- 
claw. 





8 





IS 



MEX PIX ATTENDME 
TREND IS STILL DOWN 

Wasliington, July 13. 
•Downward attendance trend in 
Mexican motion picture theatres 
evid«iccd during the last half of 
1947, has eijntiriued tliis year. Mex 
exhibitors -I'eport, via Nathan D. 
Golden, chief of Motion Picture- 
Photographic Branch, Dept. of 
Commerce. * 

Boxoificc receipts for 1947 to- 
taled 71,750,274 pesos <$14,350,055i 
led bv U. S, fihns with 39,992,023 
pesos* ($7,fl98,405». Domestic fiams 
rattlted (second with grosses of 23,- 
157,894 pesos. 

Artist-Flowers Pay 
Swap Smells Too Sweet 

Vienna, July 6. 

Swapping flowers against artists 
is newest quirk in international ex- 
change. Austrian importers of 
Italian flowers have proposed to 
the Rome Chamber of Commerce 
tluit 25,000,000 lire (1,000,000 Aus- 
trian schilUng, at normal rate 
$100,000) back pay to Austrian art- 
ists appearing in film, legit and 
radio in Italy, be deposited on 
special account. . . . 

Of this, 25Cr i 3 to be paid out m 
lire to the artists, 75% to be used 
for purchases of Italian floxvers. 
Artists would get proceeds from 
Xustrian importers in Vienna on 
tlieir return, 

DE VAUCORBEIL'S NEJCT 

Paris. July 13. 
Max de Vaucorbeil, of Societe 
Francaise de Cooperation Cmenia- 
loai" Pl ique. is readi'ing a t^lor 
fiirbased on Victor Hugo's "Bug- 
JargaL" 



BigrersSwaiifh 
For Mo Yk 



Rome, July 6. 
Buyers are coming hei« from all 
countries for pix. Latest include 
Sardar Chandulal, head of Bombay 
Ranjit Filmi by whom Italian pix 
will practically be introduced into 
the Indian market. Another visitor 
was' Xamislav Kan^y, Film Polski 
vice-manager, here to study a film 
exchange between Poland and 
Italy, aqd eventually the produc- 
tion of Polish films in. Rome stu- 
dios. 

Also in to exchange or buy pix 
were Robert Chabert, rep of many 
French units; Raffacle Marzocchi, 
of Swiss Sefi Film; Vincente Mon- 
tal. Lux Spanish distributor; Vin- 
cent Lopert, of New York,, and Ugo 
Sorrentino, of Rio de Janeiro Art 
Film, Ltd. The latter, who bought 
"Assunta Spina" for all ' South 
America, also set a deal with Uni- 
versalia for the production of 
"Gnarany," a longhair biopic on 
Carlos Gomez's life. Film is now in 
work here under Riccardo Freda's 
direction, with the Portuguese 
actor Antonio VUar- in the lead 
tale. ■ ■ 



ALLIIEATRESINTOWN 
WB BY JAP QUAKE 

'Every film theatre in Fukui, 
Japan — six in all— was razed by 
the recent earthquake' in that area, 
according to word received in New 
York last week by the Motion Pic- 
ture Export Assn. Charles Mayer, 
MPEA managing director in Japan, 
airmailed a report fit the home- 
office that the disaster brought 
death to' at least 1,500 theatregoers 
alone. 

Heaviest toll, Mayer revealed, 
occurred at the Toho theatre 
where 1,000 customers were killed. 
The Chuo Eiga Gekijo theatre, 
only house ' ^^ing an American 
film, fortunately was emptied , of 
1,300 patrons, minutes before 
shocks - leveled Uie structure. 
Meanwhile the MPEA exec has 
authorized a number of charity 
performances to aid the homeless 
In coop^tion with local relief 



Rome, July 6, 

Niteries are being seriously af- 
fected throughout Italy by bad 
weather and taxes. According to 
local custom, clubs and dancing 
establishments, as well as restau- 
rants, cafes rand bistros, move to 
the open air with the beginning of 
sununer. Cold and rain bave com- 
peiied operators to look for sli^U^ 
again — ^when possible. While many 
Rome establishments, such as Sus- 
sie Garden, ABC, Quirinale Tav- 
ern, Milleluci, Jl Faro, I.a Giusini- 
ana and Grotte diSan Callisto, can 
operate indoors or outdoors, such 
a<; Jockey Club, which bad express- 
ly equipped a summer suburban 
branch, the Belvedere^ for the fijrst 
time, are in hot water. 

Same applies to the summer 
season niteries or dance-lialls. The 
old Lucciola, Colic Oppio — as 
well as the new. .ones--^Cubano, 
Follie Marine-^re' doing weak biz. 
Niteries along the Tiber, in vo^e 
after liberation, haven't re- 
opened this year, owing to heavy 
taxes on deluxe establishments and 
dance-halls, which struck them 
hard last season. 

Because of the unsettled weath- 
er, almost all indoor dancing es- 
tablishments continue to operate, 
event those, such as Le Pleiadi, La 
Boite, Villafiranca, Nirvanetta, Ap- 
pollo, Florida, CoUbri and Colum-t 
bia, having no garden or open-air 
space. They generally shutter in 
May. But their biz isn't gdod. 
Lido Takes It On Chin 

Weather is particularly bad for 
the Lido, Rome's lieach, where the 
bathing season is practically niL 
Lido night life Ls suffering. Witli 
their establishments almost empty, 
operators say that they'll go busted 
if they can't retrieve in September 
the losses of June. 

Open-air theatres in Rome are 
anything put packed. Not even a 
moneymaker like Nino Taranto 
with his revue can crowd the Colle 
Oppio. Casina delle Rose, Arena 
Cosmo and Arena Croce del Sud, 
playing revues «r vaude shows, 
aren't doing better. The tradition- 
al grand opera summer season at 
the Terme di Caracalla. scheduled 
from July t to Aug. 29, is being 
delayed. 

Bad weather, however, is pro- 
] longing the activity of regular the: 
jatres, which in previou.s years 
I would already be closed. The Adri- 
lano put on a succesful opera season, 
and will continue with revues and 
legit. Daniela Palmer is a hit at 
Teatro delle Arti in a revival of 
Noel Coward's "Week-End." "The 
Night of January 16" is a smash 
at the Quirino, with grosses ex- 
ceeding those , made of the winter 
season with Jean Codeau's '"The 
Eagle Had Two Heads^' and Arthur 
Miller's ''All My Sons." At the 
Eli.seo, Eduardo and Titina de 
Filippo are reviving sonle of their 
greatest successes. 



BEET BEISIUUI'S XEattTH 
Bert Reisman, manager of RKO's 
office in Venezuela/has Iteen upped 
to the post of company rep in 
South Africa. He tstkes over from 
Ixiuis Lioni who moves into Hol- 
land as KKO's agent there. 

Reisman is - a broUicr of Phil 
Reisman, BKO's foreign chief. 
Herti IL Hetcher succeeds Bcisnum 
ia Yenttaelit. 



Carrieiit LmdM Sbws 

London, 9uly 13. 
(FiguTes show vxeks of. run) 
"A La Carle," Savoy (4). 
"All My Sons," Globe (4). 
"Ambassador," Aid. (2). 
"Anna Lncasta." Majesty's (37). 
"Annie Get Gun." Col's'm 15S). 
"Blessf the Bride." Adelphi (64). 
"Bob's Your Uncle," Sav. (10). ' 
"Cage Peacock," Strand (4). 
"Caribbean Kiiap.," Wales (6). 
"Carissima." Palace (18). 
"Chiilem Hundreds," V^ude (46). 
"Edward My Son," Lyric (59). 
"Four, Five, Six." York (18). 
"Giaconda SmUc." New (6). 
"Happiest Days," Apoilo (16). 
"Linden Tree." Duchess (48). 
"LitUe Lambs," Ambass. (44). 
"Musical Chairs," Playhouse (1). 
"Off Becoid," Picadilly (54). 
"Oklalioma!" Drury Lane (63):.. 
"Ontrageons." THr. Garden (35). 
"Paraxon," Fortune (10). 
"People Like Vs." Wynd. (1). 
"Present Lai«hter." H'ymkt (65). 
"Relapse," Phoenix (24). 
"Starlight Roof," Hipp. (36). 
"Travelers Joy." Crit. (6). 
"Together Again.? Vic. Pal. (66). 
"Worns View." WhitehaU (63)^ 



IHitdi Fifan Monopoly sIGx to U 
Stalk U. S/iKsbibs' Solo Selling 



HUMES €^9TINU£ ON 
B£NCH4li. PIX SETUP 

Paris, July 13. 
Negotiations are continuing here 
at government level to settle vari- 
ous difficulties between France- 
and the U. S. picture industry, 
which for a time threatened 
an embargo on further Yank 
shipments to this country. Con- 
sultations have been carried on by 
Cameron Tiuner, of tfac U. S. Em- 
bassy, with advice from Gerald 
Mayer, Motion Picture Assn. of 
America international division 
topper; Frank McCarthy, MPAA's 
Continental rep, and Rupert Al- 
lan. McCartliy's assistant. 

Negotiators for the French in-r 
elude Michel Fourre^kinnerayj 
head of the Cinema* Administra- 
tion. Through the efforts of the 
American group, rash fegislatioa 
asked for by the more radical ele- 
ment here was thwarted long 
enough for the State Dept. to step 
in and arrange for the present .con- 
ferences at which the U. S. view 
can be made Imown. - 

Mayer, scheduled to return to 
his headquarters in N. Y. this 
week, has postponed his departure 
indefinitely. He'U remain here un- 
til the situation has been consider- 
ably further disentangled. 



ABPCsNetProiit 
DowitoSlSZW 

London, July 13. 
Associated Britl<>li P>iclure Corp., 
in which Warner Bros, has a 37% 
chunk, has announced a trading 
profit of $8,104:,440 compared witii 
$12,307,132 for previous year. Nei^ 
profit, disclosed seV4Enal weeks ago,, 
amounted to $3,824,696, off from 
the $6,293,220 racked up in 1947. 

Gross receipts totalled $75,369,- 
284 of w^ich $27,947,628 paid ill 
entertainment taxes. Fall in net 
takings of nearly $2,800,000 due to 
increased costs and the high rate 
of the entertainment bite. Dimish- 
I'^ng incomes and an increase in the 
cost of living are the other factors. 
ABPC board is pressing the 
Chancellor of the Exchequer 
through the Cinematograph Exhib- 
itors Assn., for tax amelioration. 

Production is due to start at Els- 
tree shortly. First two stages are 
finished and an added two will be , 
ready early in 1949. ^^ 
Board chainnan Sir Philip 
Warter, in a statement to stock- 
holders, says it is too early to de- 
cide the effects of the quota on 
earnings, but producers may be • 
driven to sacrifice quality for: 
quantity at a time when Britisli 
films are earning a high reputa- 
tion, • ' • 

* Theatre profit*! are up for the 
first three months of thi.s year but 
the feeling of uncertainty due to 
the quota makes a reliable fore 
cast for Uie year impossible. Sir 
Philip declared. 

Amnesty Brings Anstria 
Flood of Old €eniian Pis 

Vienna, July 1. 
Recent amnesty of lesser ex- 
Nazis seems to be paying Uie way 
for reissuing of old German films 
here, according to Wolfgang Wolf,. 
Motion Picture Export A-ssn.'s gen- 
eral manager here. (The U. S. 
Army turned denazification of the 
film industry over to local govern- 
ment officials in 1946). The present 
flood of old pix is more than the 
market can hold; says Wolf. But 
with rentals for them down to 
30%, exliibs arc jubilant, aiid the 
pix are doing smash business. 

Wolf also added, however, that 
b.o, receipts during the first quar- 
ter of 1948 doubled tliat of '47, and 
tliat despite currency reform and 
resulting scarcity of cash, IT. S. 
films iutve mnintalned their ilraw.' 



Refusal of the Bioscoop Bond, 
Dutch film monopoly, to grant 
Universal a license to open offices 
in Holland has set back plans of 
the major companies to go into in- 
dividual selling in that country. 
Operating jointly in Netherlands 
under the Motion Picture Export 
Assn. since the end of the war, 
distribs. had plahned to open their 
own. sales offices there as of Sept. 1. 

J^recment under which tho 
MPEA setup in Holland was to be 
turned into nothing more than a 
physical distribution agency car- 
ried a clause that it Vv-as to become 
effective only if all companies 
could get licenses to operate tiiere 
on their mm. Licenses have been 
refused to Universal, Columbia, 
United Artists and Monogram- 
AUied Artists. AH except U„ how- 
ever, have waived their right to 
object to the MPEA abandonment. 

Columina and Mono- are plan- 
ning to sell ttu^ ^product outright 
to distributoi«-fn Holland, so aren't 
interested in setting up tiieir own - 
sales offices. UA .is planning to 
sell via the organization of Fred- 
erick L. Strengholt, •so likewise 
docsn|t care atmut a license for its 
own offices. U did plaqi to do its 
own selling. v 

Metro, aotli-Fpx, Wamtfr Bros., 
RKO and PanunoMit wev» graikted 
Bond llcemtts witiiout difficulty. 
In issuing the penQits, tiie Bond 
said it wns because these companies 
itad operated independently in the 
Netherlands before the war. The 
other companies did not and so it 
Is. not desiced tliat th«y start now, 
ttiey were informed. 

"Report on tisc refusJil to graitt 
licenses to the four companies was 
made to the foreign managers of 
the MPEA companies at a meeting 
in New York Monday (12). Pol- 
lowing some discussion, it was de- 
cided to refer the matter back to 
a ' committee of major company 
reps in Faris for laither 'regotia- 
tion with the Bond. It was an on- 
the-scene - investigation by this 
three-man. committee that led to 
the decision to abandon MPEA- 
selling in Holland. It is believed 
lilsely now tliat the entire com- 
mittee or one of its members will 
return to Holland tor the new 
negotiations. 

It was also imported at Monday's 
session that the 'Duteh may elimi- 
nate the screen quota, but substi- 
tute currency restrictions for it. 
They have figured that American 
companies will earn about 7,200,- 
000 guilders ($2,736,000) in the 
next year and hav* iceportedly de- 
cided to allow remittance of 50% 
of that sum. 



IfflOilEGillRSFIE 
SUMNER TOUR PINCH 

. Paris, July 6. 
Legiters who expected to get 
work in rural French areas tliis 
•summer are iieing disappointed this 
season. Before the war tiiere were 
normally alMut 30 companies tour- 
ing the provinces. Difticultics of 
transportation and tilting of costs 
have reduced tliat number to about 
10. 

Also, instead of producing, as 
formerly, olditinu; tuts, regardless of 
the ntunlier in the cast; provincial 
playhouses are now careful of se- 
lecting plays that have a cast lim- 
ited to three or four, thus Saving 
traveling expenses.- 



Doteh Indies FOm Rep 
In NX for Gen'l Powwows 

Charles H. Core, representative 
of the Motim Picture'EiKport Assn. 
in the Netherlands East Indies, is 
due in New York at the end of this 
week. He'll participate in a series 
of huddles with li.o. officials on the 
situation in the Far East. 

Length of (Core's stay in the 
States is indeterminate, since he'll 
await the return of MPEA v.p. and 
general manager Irving Jllaas,' who 
is now in JBurope, and may be liack 
about tlie end of ,July. 





4 N 









^/ \ All over town 
it s PAiIaMOUNT! The side 
walks of New York from Times 
Square to Radio City are 
thronged with crowds headed for | 
Paramount hits, as Paramount 



RECORDS FOR 4th-0F iaLl 
And First day of Second 



THE empe: 



BREAKS ALL RECORDS FOR FIRST 3 JEEI 

as last da^ of 3rd we^k tops tKr 2|i 




it * 



FIRST RIISSDE EVER TO Ptiv'^M TW 





JEAN ARTHUR • MARIENE«| 

in "A FOREIGW;; 

with MILLARD MITCHELL • P'^f'fllBWM 
BILIY WILDER » Screenploy by Charles o -^i, 

• • 'r^ ' 

BING CROSBY 'JM^ 
in "THE EMPER«i 

Color by TECHNICOLOR • «'* 
HAYDN » HAROLD VERMILYEA - ^IW<1«»», 
BILLY WILDER • Written by 



CECIL B. Dl 
"THE CRUl 



wfthAORETTA YOUNG I 
and lAM KEltH • KATHERINE deMlLlE • « 



Wednesday, July 14, 1948 * IS 



Steals the 4th-of-July show with 

three simultaneous successes 
that are not only the top hits in 
town right now, but are doing 
some of the most sensational 
business in all B' way history! 




N AFFAIR 

WEEKEND BUSINESS AT THE PARAMOUNT 

leek tops opening by 28^ 



frM ^'^'CH • JO"'^ ^^^^ 
:lG»AFrAIR" 

HARLES BRACKETT • Directed by 
" Wl' ett, Billy Wilder and Richard I. Breen 

'Jmm FONTAINE 

■-■I I WALTZ" 
"'-MVER . lUCILE WATSON •RICHARD 
J, CHARLES BRACKETT • Directed by 
iBrackettond Billy Wilder 



J. D 
> 



ILE'S 
IDES" 

C iBK*'EMRY WILCOXON 



,^d«K;iTHO0SE^W 
ted MiCiU LOVE • PEDRO de CORDOBA 
" ™|;eeCIL B. DeMILLE 




OR WALTZ 

GROSS AT RADIO CITY MOSIC HALL 
i and matches day after opening 



SADES 

n ALL RECENT NEW-PICTURE GROSSES 



5 

J. 



16 



PICTUKES 



^^^^ 



Wctlnesday, July 14, 1948 



Bi^ Grosses But Lesser Net Profits 
Continue to Reflect Peak Prod. Co^ 



Problem of bringing down the* 
high cost of filmmaking— whicli the 
majors took on in earnest follow- 
ing last year's British tax crisis — 
is proving to be a real toughie. 
recent profit statements of frlra 
companies are now demonstrating. 
Metro again illustrated the' point 
yesterday (Tues.) when it aired 
a net of $842,318 for the 12 weeks 
ended Junes. The take was sharp- 
ly down to one-third that of 1947 
despite the fact that gross sales and 
<>perating revenues varied with last 
year's only by a hair. 

Against th€ $842^18 figure, 
Metro had snared $2,308,042 in the 
equivalent period of '47. Gross, 
Viowever, hit $43,356,000 , against 
$43,371,000 for the same 12 weeks 
of the previous year. In short, 
Metio was able to convert 5V6% 
of its eross into profits during the 
third quai-ter of '47, and less than 
2% in ',48. , * 

Answer to that, filmites say, is 
that Metro continued to meet heavy 
amortization charges for the period 
on expensive pix. Among the flock 
of high-budgeters in release during 
March, April and May were "Cass 
Timberlane," "Three Daring, 
Daughters," "B. F.'s Daughter,' 
•!Summer HoUday" and "Home- 
coming." "Cass," "B. F." and 
"Homecoming" had top Metro 
casts. "Holiday" and "Three 
Daring Daughters" wpre both in 
Technicolor, which means higher 
than average budgets. 

Other Companies 

With grosses holding within 10% 
of the past year, big (hroBoffs in 
net have also been suffered by al- 
most all other majors. Columbia, 
for instance, took only $85S;000 for 
its first nine months against $2,- 
935,000. Universal is down to 
$232,866 for its first half com- 
pared with $2,0B2,418 last year 
BKO has lut $1,345,927 inits'opeiH 
ing stanza compared with $2,270,- 
683 last year. 

Metro's 40-week take for the 
period ended June 3 aiBOunts to 
$4,729,063. This compares with 
$10,904,821 in '47. Equivalent 
earnings on common stock slid to 
92c. per share outstanding against 
$2.12 for the prior 40 weeks. 

Net profit before taxes totalled 
$8,681,908 as against 1947'B $18,- 
645,414. Reserve for taxes conies to 
$3,261^00 in comparison with last 
year s $7,141,068. 



Fire at GaMen, N; Y. 

A backstage fire at the shuttered 
Golden theatre, N. Y., on Monday 
(12), resulted in heavy damage to 
the rear of the house before fire- 
men brought the blaze imder con- 
trol. Of undetermined origini the 
flames partially destroyed sound 
equipment and stage gear. 

The small-seater was formerly a 
legiter and was acquired some 
months ago by Marcel Girosi, head 
of Superfilm Distributing Co., for- 
eign film importers. House began 
its picture imlicy about a year ago 
with "Henry V." More recently it 
had been operated by the Siritzkys 
on lease from Girosi. 



P. R. Offensive 



Continued from page 4 



with much newspaper publicity by 
Waller's office, principally through 
interviews set with Larry O'ReiUy, 
cameraman on the film, who lives 
in Monroe, N. Y., its locale. United 
Press yesterday (Tuesday) broke 
the first story, a by-liner by Jack 
Gaver, on the coast-to-coast trunk. 

Also at the MPAA, Duke Hickey. 
field coordinator in the community 
relations division, took off yester- 
day on a two month's' tour of New 
England. He'll contact educators, 
parent-teachers associations, wom- 
en's clubs, reUgious and civic 
groups, {Hreseioiting the Hollywood 
side. 

Meantime, Edward Cheyfitz, aide 
to Johnston, was headed for the 
Coast to continue organization of 
an all-industty committee there tp 
go into the bdsic facets- of operat- 
ing a large-scale, continuing public 
relations progrank 



Order Equal Billing For 
Janet Blair Pending Trial 

Los Angeles, July 13. 

Janet Blair was granted an m- 
junction in Federal court m her 
fight for equal billing with Red 
Skelton in "The FuUer Brush 
Man." Columbia was forbidden to 
issue advertising or publicity in 
which the femme star's name is m 
smaller type than Skelton's. 

Trial will be held to determme 
the amount of damages, but Ed- 
ward SmaU Productions has been 
absolved of all connection with the 
case. 

Less irtSem Cow. 



Hollywood Jitters 



Continued from page 1 ; 



the past few days and more on the , ^J^;^^-^;;;hich may be attended by 



schedule to go. ^ 
Metro, with its top homeoffice 



At 20th-Fox, with five pictures 



Bacher-DOS 

Coatiuued from page 4 ; 



the next step was up to the law- 
yers. He had considerable coin in- 
vested in the production. Among 
other things, a few crews stood by 
six hours 'on the General Service 
lot yestexday awaiting arrival of 
the stars hefore Baidter called off 
shooting. Bacher was informed by 
wire during the morning that the 
players Wouldn't appear. 

All sets had been constructed 
and there was much preproductton 
work, including tests and a locS' 
tion jaunt to the Napa valley. 
Inability of the Goldens to get 

. a script to suit Selznick was also 
back of his unwillingness to. go 
ahead on his deal vnth them. 
Screenplay was revised and re-re- 

' vised rejpeatedly and Is sow apnar- 
ently: dead lot tbe time being, at 



Strike Threat Fi^s 
As SAG, Producers 
Ink Interim Pact 

Hollywood, July 13. 
Clouds of war between thesps 
and producers on the Hollywood 
front faded into a new interim 
agreement. After months of de- 
bates, threats and jitters, the 
Screen Actors Guild's board of di- 
rectors approved an armistice, ef- 
fective at midnight July 31 and; 
running to Dec. 31, 1950, a total of 
W months. While the strike threat 
no longer exists, representatives of 
SAG, the Association of Motion 
Picture Producers and the Society 
of Independent Motion Picture 
Producers will continue to nego- 
tiate on various-unsettled problems. 

Television is one of the im- 
portant points in the new agree- 
ment, in which both sides recog- 
nize the new problems created by 
video. They want to pave the way 
for further negotiations on that 
complicated subject: It provides 
for immediate discussion of wages,; 
hours and working conditions for 
players appearing in films made 
exclusively for television, subject 
to ratification by SAG membership 
and the boards Of the film com- 
panies. The television clause does 
not apply to .films televised direct- 
ly to theatres or other places of 
amusement. 

The new pact also provides for 
guarantees to players against law- 
suits by studios in case of a strike. 
It leadst 

Producers agree not to sue any 
individual actor for breach of per- 
sonal service should the Guild call 
a strike at any legal termination 
dale Of the Guild contract; in turn, 
the Guild agrees not to strike ex- 
cept at a legal termination date." 

Another clause provides for 
100% Guild shop, A National La- 
bor Board election will be held 
July 20 to determine whether the 
Guild still qualifies as bargaining 
agent for film actors. The vote is 
required by the Taft-Hartley law. 

Among the important points re- 
maining for adjustment are reis- 
sues, contract player conditions 
such as loanouts and length of term 
pacts, and the re-use of stock shots 
in new productions. Official an- 
nouncement of the accord said: 

The' negotiations have been 
conducted by all the parties with 
a full appreciation of all the prob- 
lems facing the motion picture in- 
dustry. We hope that this agree- 
ment will be the go-ahead signal 
for increased . pf eduction of pic- 
tures in Hollywood.'? 

It was signed by Charles Boren, 
veepee in charge of industrial re- 
lations for AMPP; Anthony J. 
O'Rourke. representing SIMPP. and 
John Dales, Jr.y executive secre- 
tary of SAG. 



Philadelphia, July 13. 
Newsreel cuverage of the Demo- 
cratic National Convention will be 
a far cry from the nearly 2^0,000 
feet shot at lire Republican politi- 
cal jamboree — but the public will 
■never know the difference. Fact is 
that the convention footage this 
week will not add up to much more 
thw half of what was made of the 
GOP conclave. 

The reels, however, are being 
care&il not to step on anybody's 
toes. The footage which will even- 
tually reach the screen will be al- 
most inch for inch as miuch as was 
given to the ReBUblicans. With the 
experience the industty has had 
with Washington, it wants to take 
no part of being accused of par- 
tiality. 

What is far behind in this cout 
vention, which makes for good 
newsreel stories, is a large num- 
ber of candidates and uncertainty 
almost up to the time the balloting 
begins..,The reels have.cut back the 
size of the crews they have -here. 
Yesterday (Mon.) first of the con- 
vention, there was very little foot^ 
age shot. However, Sunday proved 
a big surprise. The caucus of the 
states' rights southerners and the 
announcement by Senator Claude 
Pepper, Florida liberal, that he 
would be a candidate, caused the 
reelers to take as much as during 
the comparable period of "the Re- 
publican convention. 

The letdown of yesterday and 
today (Tues.) is expected to be 
compensated tor -by the nomina- 
tions tomorrow. However, it is es- 
timated that the convention will 
be a full day shorter than the Re- 
publican, thus saving more raw- 
stock. 

Another thing saving raw film 
here is experience. At the Repub^ 
lican show, ■ the boys shot every- 
thing in sight Now they are oper- 
ating with less waste motion and 
do not grind the cameras every 
time a handkerchief flutters on the 
speakers' platform. 

Arrangements for the conven- 
tion have been in charge of George 
Dorsey, of Pathe, and J. C. Brown, 
of News of the Day. Latter is in a 
hospital in Boston and has been 
unable to witness his handiwork 
here. 



execs huddling here with studio #111 various^^ stages^ of^ completion, 
officials; is attempting to settle the ' " ~ ' — - 

contracts of a number of execu- 
tives and to eliminate all assistant 
producers from the payroll. Uni- 
versal, meanwhile, with seven 
films now being gunned on the Ipt, 

plans to shutter its studio^ Aug^^l 1 -. 

Stirto toow*a number of work- j SOPEG lUipaSSe Wifll 

L.s temporarily off the payroll. - 
Economy cuts at RKO, freely 
predicted with the advent of How- 
ard Hughesi are growing beyond 

all expectations and are develop- „ „ - . 

ing into a major operation; Present Screen Office & Professional 
trend indicates a shutdown of the j Employees Guild, priming for new 
.studio for two or tliree months | contract negotiations witii : the 
When the films currently in work 1 majors in New York for 2,500 
are completed about Aug. 15: Duiv : homeoffice employees, is currently 
ing the shutdown period, it is unr j formislating its demands via local 
derstood, Hughes will rearrange i chapter ' meetings at each of the 
the personnel and operating sya- | companies. Major demands of the 



there is little surplus manpower on 
i the payroll, due to previous cut- 
1 ting. It is expected that further 
i cuts will be made when Darryl 
> Zanuck retiums from his tour of 
j Europe. 



Majors Auprs Ail-Out 
Fight Widi AFL Union 



tem to suit his own ideas, 

300 OflyRKO Over Weekend 
About 300 workers checked off 
the RKO lot over the weekend, and 
more are due to ankle next week 
on completion of production on 
"Every Girl Should Be Mai-ried" 
and "Baltimore Escapade." Still 
more will go with the windup of 
"Interference" about Aug, 14, when 
a general shutdown is expected, 
running into October. To date, the 
back lot is the hardest hit of all 
departments, with 180 casualties in 
one day. Additional casualties were 
15 writers, 14 publicists, 36 secre- 
taries, 14 art .department workers, 
12 cutters, 12 messengers, five each 
from the camera and accounting 
departments, seven retoucherst from- 
the still department, four from the 
trailer staff and three each from 
the casting and makeup depart- 
ments. When the current produc- 
tion schedule is washed up, it is 
expected that about 700 more will 
be let out. 

Outside studios have been in- 
vited to use the facilities of RKO's 
camera department and still lab- 
oratory, during the production lull. 
In the past these rental facilities 
have been restricted to work for 
Republic and for a few indie pro- 
ducers releasing through RKO. 
William Eglinton, head of the cam- 
era department, is making an in- 



guild will include a new wage bike 
of about 20%, strict senority rights 
in determining layoffs and promo- 
tions, a union-participating griev- 
ance mactiinery, a reduction of theJ 
work week.to 35 hours and three to 
four weeks' vacation time. 

Industry execs, meanwhile, have . 
given no indication whether or not 
th<iy wm sit down with SOPEG 
officials to negotiate a new pact to . 
replace the one expiring Sept. 27. 
Big possibility that they will re- 
fuse to do so has already been in- 
dicated, in the attitude of United 
Artists^ which turned down SOPEG 
as a bargaining agent because of 
the union's failure to comply with 
the Taft-Hartley law. Slim indus- 
try, moreover, is being subjected 
to a general social preTSure against 
dealing with unions allegedly domi- 
nated by the Communist Party. 
SOPEG, as a local in the United 
Office Si Professional Employees 
Guild, has been linked to the so- 
called "left-wing" faction of the' 
CIO. 

Execs of Local H-63, AFL white- 
coUarite union which has moved 
into SOPEG's U A jurisdiction, have 
disclosed that a group of employees 
at Columbia Pictures are in favor 
of switching from SOPEG to Local 
H-63. This move may spark an 
all-out jurisdictional warfare be- 
tween the two unions. SOPEG 



ventory preparatory to renting the j spokesmen have already indicated 
studio's motion picture cameras to i that they are reaiiy to utilize "eco- 



Par's Move Vs. Brandt 

Paramount Pictures moved in 
N. Y. supreme court last week to 
drop eight defendants from its per- 
centage suit' against Brandt The^ 
atres, et al, and replace them with 
eight others. 

Supreme Court Justice James B. 
McNally reserved decision on the 
inotions, Par seeks $563,265 dam- 
afes from more than 160 defend- 
ants. 



off-the-lot producers. 

During the production siesta 
RKO will make use of its backlog 
of 15 high-budget pictures, enough 



nomic action," meaning strikes, to 
retain their industry position. 

Date for a bargaining election at 
UA, meanwhile, is still in the lap 



Board's New York office. Arthur 
Younger, NLRB officer, is slated to 
set an early date following hear- 
ings in the case of Cecile Schuman, 
a UA office worker, who petitioned 
for a place on the ballot Local 
H-63 attorneys have charged her 
with being a "front" for SOPEG. 



DICK POWHi'S P.A. 
WITH HIS PIC ON B'WAY 

Dick Powell has been set for a 



Petrillo's Demands 



Ground-Breaking In 
Aug. for Texas Stiidb 

Hollywood, July 13. 

Ground-breaking is set for next 
month for $2,000,000 combined 
film-tele studio in San Antonio, 
Texas. Project, - known as Ralle 
United, is headed by Ralph A. 
Ralle. Facilities are to be made: 
available on a rental basis. 

Project is on a 35-acre tract, pari 
6f Alamo Downs racing grounds. 
Complete landing field and main* 
tenance for .planes are pact of the 
deaL 

Company is backed by Texas Oil 
coin with $10,000,000 planned capi- 
talization. 



S Continued from page 5 5s: 

for 10 hours per week, regardless 
of any work performed, with no- 
accumulation of hours for the stu- 
dio's use at some later time. Film 
execs, however, will fight this pro- 
posal bitterly, since it might mean 
an additional $5,000,000 annual la- 
bor cost • 

A Petrillo-inJustry clash is seen 
as implicit in the present economic 
situation, with a two-year rising 
cost of living squeezing labor, and 
the dipping boxoffice revenues 
squeezing industry. Both sides will 
look for a way out of this dilem- 
ma at the other's expense. It's felt, 
moreover, thafPetrillo Will need to 
bring home the bacon for studio 
musicians in view of his rout by 
the broadcast industry. 

Petrillo is planning to tuni his 
attention personally to indie mem- 
bers— SIMPP, lMPPA-r4ft«r the 
sew pact is itxma with the tnajors. 



to fill release agreements untU the of 'tiie National Labor Relations 
end of the year. 

As for the Metro economy meas- 
ures, it's believed the company 
toppers are attempting to settle 
the contracts of a number of execs, 
including at least one producer 
and several directors. HuddUng on 
the problem are Moskowitz, Mayer, 
Rubin and production execs Eddie 
Mannix, Benjamin K. Thau and 
Louis K. Sidney. 

All assistant producers are re- 
portedly to be eliminated. Unless 
the personnel available are to be 
utilized by producers^ they'll be 

given an opportunity to go else- • ^ . 

where, even though they're under . '"I*', 'T^v ""Z 

contract Orders have eone out I P^arance at the Capitol, N. Y. m 
.ucis iMvt Kone out j tjig ggj,jy the live 

I show, at the house the same weeks 
that "pitfall," oe^if Sam, Bjsehoflf 
I film in wiuch he Is -starried, is ote' 
! the screen. 

\ Booking is set to follow Metro's 
j*'On an Island With You," which 
is next in after the current "Fort 
Apache" (RKO). It is expected that 
will bring "Pitfall" in some tim^ 
in September. 

This win be the first United 
Artists picture in, the Gap for 
some years. Loisw's flagship was 
forrtierly refiei??ed fbir Me#o fiiins, 
but there haven't- been siifficieiit 
to sustain it recently and consid- 
erable outside- product has been' 
booked. 



gone out 

to department heads to cut at least 
25%, with instructions that the 
means for effecting this economy 
must be ready for submission to 
company chiefs this week. 

400-500 Affected 

The cut is expected to affect a 
minimum of 400-500 in all depart- 
ments. Department heads have 
been propping the slash plans since 
list week. To eliminate overhead 
department toppers also will be 
asked to double up as much as 
possible on duties. A survey Ls 
also to be made on what cuts 
can be effected in these duties 
which, during the war, were spread 
out rather thin over a large num- 
ber of people. 

It's understood .that the person- 
nel of the administration building 
will be closely screened for the 
first time. Housed here are many 
whose duties are somewhat in 
doubt as to performance, but who 
have been quartered here for 
many years. Majority are high-sal- 
aried workers. . 

Drive, too, will be undertaken to 
reduce unnecessary expenditures 
on the back lot It's said that no 
one in authority has visited many 
sections of the back lot for" many 
months, even for years. Certain 
costs have been piling up which 
will be Invvptigated. Further meet- 
ings are scheduled for today 



iUexander Hall's $65,000 
Contract Suit Vs. Col. 

Hollywood, July 13. 
Alexander Hall, erstwhile direc- 
tor at Columbia, has slapped a 
?e5,000 damage suit against that 
company claiming unlawful dis- 
charge. Hall's suit alleges that the 
studio let him out five months be- 
fore his ticket expired. He was 
With Columbia for the past 11 
years. - 

Action is brought in the Federal 
district court of Los Angeles with 
Gank, Kopp & Tyre as plaintiffs 
attorneys. 



Vedneaday, July 14. 1948 



IT 



In the first Iralf of 1948, 20th Century-Fox made the M. P. 
HeraM list of BOXOFFICE CHAMPIONS a total of 10 timesl^ 



^ Tv^ice as otte 











if 




uu- u 






HOTTER THAN THE HEAT WAVE 
IN LOS ANGELES-PHILADELPHIA 
-SAN FRANCISCO-KANSAS CITY 




"THE STREET WITH NO NAME" Starring MARK STEVENS • RICHARD WfDMARK with LLOYD NOLAN 
BARBARA LAWRENCE. Ed Begley Donald Buka- Joseph Pevney.John Mclntire. Walter Greaza • Howard Smith 
Directed by WILLIAM KEICHLEY. Produced by SAMUEL G. ENGEL- Original Screen Play by Harry Kleiner 






Ift 



PICTCItBS 



P^SRMETY 



VetUMMiAiy, J«ly. 14, \9J^ 



All Anti-Trust Hearings Stalled By 
U. S.' VoluminoBs Ufo \kmwk 



Renewed hMring^ in tlie Govern- 



mcnt anti-trust adaont now pen- 
cilled to itotfe Oct 13 before the 
tiiree-judee statatnry couit in New 
Yorlr. will ptt^saSHs be stalled con- 
EideraMy past that, date becanse of 
the aU-indimve data demanded 
by the Dept. of Justice on liieatre 

, holdings, industry legalites now 
believe. Information already 
saught by U. S. Attorney Tom 
Clark's aides, which only refers so 

■'^ar t9 partnership-held properties, 
will take' "ufanir m'onths of dig- 
eine^,"' it's said. And tiie dope 
vt tiEch the D of J has now asked 
is a fraction ol wlut it indicates 
will be demanded of the film com- 



G»!l SnUivaii^'s Chi Meet | 
To Ready TO A Convention ; 

Gad SoUivaD. executive director . 
of the Tbeatre Owners of America, \ 
siioved oB for Chicago yesterdaqr ; 
(Tcfes;.!' a visit wliieli wlQ ke^j 
him there until the end of the ! 
week, Sullivan will huddle with' 
John Balaban (& Katz circuit) on 
arrangements for the TOA annual | 
conventitMi wtucti. meets en. Chi ' 
ducing Septanbcr. 

Addititmalls-. SuUiran will step, 
up eoopcratimi of local exbibs and ; 
advertising: age-ncies with TOA's\ 
juvesiis fWinqgeHey rsmpaign. 



Court Orders N. Y. Indie 
Chain to Show Its Books 

Loew's and BKO wnn a victory 
in N. Y. federal coort Friday (9> 
when Federal Judge John C, Knox 
ordered the Eisenberg & Cohen 
circuit to produce its books and rec- 
ords for inspection. The cbain. 
which is a defendant in a iraud 
action brought by the dtstribs. is 
required by the court to make 
available records pertaining to flat 
rentals as well as percentage book- 
ings. 

Among booses affected by Judge 
Knox's decision are the Starr, 
Bhinebeclc; Lyceam, Red Hook; 
Pine Plains. Pme Plains; Sdillexton, 
Millerton; all in New Yorfe. 



Interrogated fcy attorney* for the ! Theatre group is working with the j 
majors, Kobert L Wright. spcciaS i '^P'- of Justice on National Youth 1 
ass'l attomcj; general in charge of i month. 

the cassv bas informed- these law- | Meanwhile, Robert Coyne, tetir- 
ytrs tliat "he doesn't' know" when | ing exec director, is planning to \ 
the anti-tnajt division will be I take off from TOA h.q. in New 
teady to pose more questions to | York, lior a vacation of fotur-to-six 
the defendants. Meanwhile, a : weeks. Coyne will return in time 
large number of attorneys have j to aid in final plans for the eon- i. 
faeat assigned by the companies to j vention. 

dis throng the 'mountains of rec- { 

«rdS: and amipile answers to some I • • /n • n 
«C the c{aestkns already asked. I MajOrS IH thl Oearillg 
: At a meeting held at the Motion j »» nt » |i 

Picture Asm. of America's h.q. in JiOWII OH UCaiiinff UP 
•K. Y.. last week, attorneys for the ^ W 

maiors agreed on a united stand 
on at least two of the interroga- 
toiiesL They will challenge Gov- 
eronrtcnt demands that the Big Five 
list partners claiii^ed not to be ac- 

tusil or potential theatre operators. „ i.- , ^ r n. , 
nnd to identii^ joint holdings which I anti-trust su.ts from the calen- 
bad rcaalfed from cither bank- i ^"""S t*'^ 
xuplty or innocent investments. i ™ preparation for the big Gov- 



As Manf Mes Suits 

Chicago, July 13. 
The majors are pushing a camr- 
paign to clear as many triple-dam- 



emment anti-tmst sttit hearings i 



Also shaj^ up for court battle ; ^ ^^ ^ ^ 



fs the D of J demand that ma.1ors 
itemize the other theatre holdings 
of exhib partners; their principal 
occupation; and other data on their 
activities. Many of these pards 
iiaire vast lioldings of which the 
companies have no ofTlcial knowl- 
isdge and other occupations unbe- 
knownst to major filmites.. 

Uuddlersi at the mPAA meet 
were intimmcd that Wright has 
■greed thai t^e contested que»- 



costly and orer-frc«incnt court ap- { 
pearances limited legal staffs > 
and concentrate on polling the ; 
New York ^estnut out of the fiic. 

On the heels of a settlement two , 
weeks ago of the Theatco suit in j 
San Francisco for $200,000, distribs ' 
have now comprised a $650,000 i 
damage acti<m iKongfat here by i 
Saul Meltzer, head of Melbro '• 
Amusement Covp., operator of ttie 
Rockne theatre. This time, how^ 



GoMwp to &e(3dbt 
MarbSthAiAfeocy 

S«9i^ SB ? ^ehgr^ 

Samuel fJoIdwyn's switch to the 
Monroe Grecnthai sd agency last 
week marked the producer's fifth 
change of agency in seven pictures. 
Grcenthal setup, which will han- 
dle the forthcoming Danny Kaye 
starrer, '.'A Song Is Born," is the 
third agencr to work on that film. 

Donahue &. Goe. whm it had the 
Goldwyn account a while back, did 
the radio e<Hnmercials for "Song." 
Foote, Cone & Belding then got 
the account and prepared a com- 
plete campaign. Grcenthal, in the 
meantime, tiegain making a pitch 
jfor the Goldw^ bminess an^ pre- 
pared an eniiFe set of ad layouts 
on speculation. The agency topper 
showed it in person to GoTdwyn on 
tlie Coast last week, in an extreme- 
ly flossy presentation, and walked 
off with the account. 

Here's the Goldwyn ad agency 
chroQology: "Wonder Man/' Bu- 
chanan Si Co.; "Kid fnwt Brook- 
lyn," Donahue & Coe; "Best Years 
of Our LivesT* roadidiow release, 
Foote, Cone & Belding; "Walter 
Mitty." FCfeB; "Bishop's Wife," 
D&C; "Best .Years" regular release, 
FC&JB; "Song Is Bom," D&C, 
FC&B and Grcenthal. 




DENVER 



tions «Tll held up pending ^ver, terms are' far more sa'tisfa*- ; 



appointment of a third jurist to fill 
the vacancy caused by the. death i 
»f Judge John Bright. Once the! 
spot has been filled by Chief Cir- ' 
euit Judge Learned Uancl majors 
wlfl move to strike out the disputed , 
Qucstioais. 



tory to distribs since Meltzer has ' 
sgiieed to call off his suit for a . 
small,, undisclosed sum paid to his ' 

attorney " plus an improveitient in 
clearance and run. ; 

' Rockne, previously a fifth-run I 



KEACH'S IHDISS 
New producing unit has been 
fonmed by Stacy Keach. former 
Coast test director for BKO and 
Paramount. Outfit will hce. in N. Y. 

Keach plans production of a 
string of' pis, all filmed in Texas, 
under the title "The Texas Bang- 
ers" whiel'i AsiU depict the history 
of that ;;:>lice force. Herbert Shap- 
piro has been signed to write the 
Ranf-'GC serii^s. 



according to '■"^"Sc will be permitted to bid for 
second - run 



In the meanwhile „ 

fbrir understanding with WrigHt, , ?fcojitl - run product henceforth 
majwr e«Mnpany legalites will draft • Settleraient is somewhat similar to 
answers to the posei-s which are ' »"* "^"^ last year by Schoenfeld 
undisputed. Incidentally, Wright's ' waived money dam- 

' agreement to hold off on- litigating ,»e» «n lavor of an improved nto. 
rbaBengcd interrogatories repre-i Wherea-Sy m the past, majors 
seats a dMpage in stand by the D | ^^-^ » no-settlement stand, re- 
0f J which has been insisting all <^ent'y there have been a consider- 
aloitg that the two surviving judges } number. Bfstcfes Theatco, 
have the' right to pass on proce^ defendants paid RayiTOnrf J. .Syufy. 
dural matters. i Califoraia exhib. $ei>,mO and ctosed , 

' ' . .out » cas« brought toy Caiumet 

SM-Tkcalre 'River' Bow theatre, Hammond, Ind., by giving 

Dallas, July 13. i « better ran and no cash. 

Howard Hawks' "Red' River" will I ' 

lie given simultaneoiis world pre- i 1^1 n 1 n- i 
Mtiere showings in 250 theatixs in , {Jgj^ fillaCC, bFSffid IHfl 



aofiiPow-wiiii 

, CMtniHtf from vaee 5 



Texasy Ofclatioma, Kansas and New i 
Mexico on Aug. 26. 



BaHantine-Par 



; C«Hiiinicd -irom page .5 



J 



For 1^ Via 5(k Parkii^ 

Cftreago, Jcjfy 13. 
RKO Palace arnd Grand have en- 
tered priee-slasbing race with a 
vengeance, if move proves success- 
ful, it may make every Loop bouse 
follow suit. Both theatres have an- 
nounced that patrons may park for 
night shows ior«50c. One cause for 
falling attendance has been the 



BHSrcials Jtail, according to a Par 
spokesman, ran enough to let the 
audience know v\^ho the sponsor 

.was;. . ... 

Contract gave the theatre the rising cost of parking, which now 

•^iright to advertise out front early | »s high as $2 per night, 
intbe evening, with the result that *8ove follows slash of maUnee', 

■ the house was packed by fight time. downtown several weeks ago 

'There was no advance in admission SOc before 1 p.m. and SSe be- | 
price, with the regular show in- 1 ^"^e 5 p.m. Neighbartiood houses ' 
eluding "Foreign Affair," plus Jo • a^'^ now contemplating cuts, espe- i 
Stafford and Sam Donahue orch on i "ally for early part of the week 



the stage. 

Coaxial cable between New York 
and Pidlly was tied up at the time 
. the fight vras supposed to start with 
>the speech of Sen: Alben W. Bark- 
ley from the Democratic naiionat 
convention. As a result. Par at 
first filled in- with some stairclft'y 
shorts and then cut in on the Uark- 



since nabe bi« ^has dropped con- 
siderably. 



Exhib Into Prod. 



Chicago, July 13. , , 
Eddie Silverman, head ol Kss- 
ancss theatre circuit here, has 
made a deal with Nat Perrin, pro- 
ley speech for about 20 mitiules, ducer, to film the story of Van & 
wntil the broadcasters switched Schenck. Silverman is providing 
away from the convention to pick the financing and picture will be 
VP the fight. ■ shot on the David O. Selaouck lot 

Images were carried .over the aAd released through SRO. 
regular co-ax from Philly to NT. Y., , Gus Van will act as technical 
where Par picked them upj They director, but is not slated to play 
were transcribed on film off the himself in the story. 

face of a receiving tube, with the- - 

Mm then Bashed on to the lull Nat C. Goldstime, via 'Jerry Hor- 
theatre screen. ' win, oiriginany' set Up this package. 



production may help the sagging 

spots. ,, 

Asked if 2ffth-Fox would con- 
tinue to pay dividends, Skouras let 
the matter stand top declaring; "I 
love to pay dividends."' He said 
that the possibility of theatre di- 
vestiture isn't weaikening the in- 
dustry at this point. It will be a 
matter of years before divestiture 
can be executed, he said. 

ileportirtg on 20tb's television 
activities, Skouras said the com- 
pany has bids in for five outlets 
despite the fact that television 
won't pay off for many years. Giv- 
ing the balance sheet on several 
Of the company's top budget pix, 
he _ said that "Forever Amber," 
which ran into heavy censorship 
troubles, will be liquidated wiih- 
out a loss. 

A btslfet dinner was laid out for 
the guests, which iRcIuded 10 of- 
ficials of Standard & Poor, and' also 
Gene TUnney. Latest 20tb-Fox 
lease, -"fttie Stwiet^ With ifo Name," 
was screened to top the evening. 

KANSAS CITY 

(Continued from page 9) 
erately good $14,000 in nine days 
Last week, "Silver River" (WB1 
and "Linda Be Good" (ED with 
Loui.s-Walcot,t fight pix (2d wki 
okay $7,000 in five days. 

faniBHraBt (Part i 1.900; 4;>-6.'>> — 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (2d wk). 
Holding well at strong 912,000. 
Last week, big ^19,000 but far from 
Cotal indicated by opening dav<c 

Roxy (Durwood) (900; 4.i-6.'>) — 
"Belle of Yukon" (Indie) and "Ca.s- 
anova Brown" (Indie) (reissues). 
Average $3,500. Last w'-cek. "Caged 
Fmy" (Par) and "Spi:ed to Spare" 
fPar>. nice $4,509. 

Tower - Virtown - Fairway <Fox 
Midwest> fc2.I00, 2,043. TOO; 45-65) 
— ^"Street With No Name" (20th>. 
Ru.<ihcd in July 5 and plays 10 daivK. 
Nice 520,000. Last week, "Are Yvu 
With It " m. yanked after three 
days Willi wis* f3r,5(W. 



^Continued from page 8) 
My Sons" (U> and "Curley" (UA), 
also Denver,, about same. 

Or^um (ItKO) (2,600; 35-74)— 
"Fort Apache" (RKO) and "Open 
Secret" (EL) (2d wk). Down to $10,- 
000 after big $20,000 last week. 

Paramount (Fox) (2,200; S.'i-fi)— 
"Canon City" (EL) and "Lady at 
Midnight'' «KL), also Aladdin, Web- 
ber. Smash $17^100, and holds. Last 
week "Bambi" (RKO) (reissue) and 
''Inside Story" (Rep), mild $8,000. 

Webber (Fox) (750; 35-74>— 
"Canon City ' (EL> and "Lady at 
Midnight" (EL), also Aladdin, Para- 
mount. Great $4,000. Last week, 
"Bambi" (BKO) (rris-sac) and "In- 
side Story ' (Rep), very mild ^1,500. 

5t Loe m 
BntTuBer'Waw22G; 
'Holiday' Okay at iSG 

St. Louis, July 13. 

With the mercui-y soaring above 
90 degrees many times during the^ 
past week and chasing natives into 
the country, biz. here is still limp. 
"Fuller Brush Man" at the Am- 
bassador looks best coin-firabl>er, 
with "Summer Holiday" fighting 
it out for .second money. 

estimates for This Week . 

Ambassador (F&M) (3,000; 50- 
7ii)i_"FH]lcr Brush Man" (Col), 
and "Trapped by Boston Blackie" 
(Col). Sock $22,000. Last week, 
"Emperoi- Waltz" (Par) and "Shag- 
gy" (Par) (2d wk). big $16,500.'^ 

Fox (F&M) (5.000; 50-7,5)— 
"Raw Deal" (EL) and "Lady at | 
Midnight'- (lilL). ■ MUd $19,500. 
Last week. -Fort Apache" (BKO) \ 
and "French Leave" (Mono) 
$13,000. 

Locw's (Loew) (3,172 : 50-73)-^ 
"Summer Holiday" 'M-G) and 
"Letter From Unknown Woman" 
iU>. Good $18,000. Last week, "On 
Island With You" (M-Gjr and 
"Murder in Reverse" (Indie), fine 
$23,000. 

Missouri fF&M) (3,000; ,'i0-73)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WH) and 
"The Hunted" (Mono) (m.o.). Trim 
$8,000. Last we«*, "Miracle of 
Bells" (BKO) and "Give Regiii-ds 
Broadway" (20th) (m.o.) (2d wk), 
big $9,000. 

Orpbeum (Loew) (2.000; 50-75)w 
"On Island With You " (M-G) and 
■'Murder in Reverse" (Indie) 
im-o.). Nice $9,500. Last, week, 
The Pirate" (M-G) and "Here 
C o ni e s Trouble" tUA) (m.o.), 
$10,000. 

St. Louis (F&M) (4,000; 50-60) 
—"Ro.se Washington Square" 
*20th) and "Slave Ship" (20tb) 
(reissues). Modest $8,000. Last 
week, "Gentleman's Agreement" 
t20th) and "Naked City" (U) (2d 
run), $7,000. 

Shubert ilnd) ( 1,500; 4ft-60)— 
"Emperoi- Waltz" (Par) and ''Shag- 
g>" (Par) (m.o.i. 'i'rira $7,.500. Last 
week, "Best Years" (BKO) f4th 
wk), solid $8,000. 



'Emperor* Waltzes Lush 
$27,000 in 2 Port. Spots 

Portland, Ore , July 13. 
New crop of top pictures has the 
com pouring into the boxoffice this 
week. "Emperor Walli" at Para- 
mount and Oriental looks standout 
■The Pirate" at United Artists 
also IS coining dough. 

£stimates tar This Week 
Broadway (Parker) 1 1 8J2- 50- 
— "River Lady" iV) and "Dear 
Murderer" (iri. Gooef S7..5(!)© Last 
week, "Direl in Sun" fSRO) and 
(Case of Baby Sitter" iSG) i2d 
wki; okay $6,200. 

Music Box ilf-E) (1.000; ,50-85)— 
Man Iron Mask" (F.Lt and "Gen- 
Ueman .Atter Dark" lEL^ (reissues). 
Fair ilMO La.st week, "Rcmem- 

^K-i;''"""^ '-Return 
Whi^ler (Coll tm.o.>. Fine $3,400. 
Oriental tH-K) (2,000; 50-85)— 

Emperor Waltz" " 
Town Scandal" 
with Paramount. 
Last week. 'Fort 
and "Let's Live 
sock $5,400. 

Orpheom (II.£i 
"Fort Apache" iRKOl and ILet's 
Live Again" (2«th> t2d wk> Bi? 
$7,.500. Last week, $10,500 

Paramount tH-E» (3,400; 50-85)— 

Emperor Waltz" (Par) ,,nd "Big 
rown Scandal" (Pari, also Orien- 
tal. Wow $17,.500. I^st week. 

Valley of GianLs" tWB> and 
"Fighting 69th" (WB) (reissu^? 
light $«.a)0. ireissuesi. 

"fI^h^?'^ 'u '^i *^ 50-85)- 
FuUcr Bru-^ Man' tCoU and 

Love from Stranger-' (EL) fm.o.) 

^wk». Okay $2^. Last week, 

JDaMcd Artiato tPariter) t895- 50- 
«9)--Thc Pirate" (M-G). Telx^ 



(Pan and "Big 
(Pan, dav-date 

Torrid $9,500. 
Apache" (RKOl 

Again" (20thi, 

f 1.750; .W-8.5)— 



Toller' Brushes Up Fat i 
$32,060 Id Drab Boston* I 
'Waltz' Smooth 21G, a 1 

Boston, July 13. I 
Biz is only average here this ses. i 
sion, "Deep Waters" looks iii«( 

« ''■ ^^yP ^^Pot* "Fuller 
Brush Man" shapes nice at State 
and Orpbeom. "Emperor -Walte" ■ 
looks standout- ia second frame at 
Met. ) 
Bstimatcs for This Week 
Astwr (JaycoCXs) (1,300; 40*))— 
"Coroner Creek" (Col) and '-Kinif 
of Olympics" (UA). Okay $5 5^ 
after neat $6,800 last week. 

Boston (RKO) (3,200; 40-80) — 
"Mating of Millie" (Col) and 
"Strawberry Reaa" ( Col). Good 
$17,500. Last week, "Tanan Mer- 
maids" (RKO) and "Argyle Se- 
crets" (FC) neat $17,250. ^ 
Exeter (Indie) (1,000; 45-75) — 
"October Man" (EL) and ''Vacatioa 
from Marriage" (Indie) (2d wk) 
Fair $3,800 after average $4,500 

Fenway (M-P) (1,373;' 40-SO) — 
"Deep Waters" (20th) and ".Jinx 
Money" (Mono). Fait- $5,000. Last 
week, "Raw Deal" (EL) and "Song 
of Heart" (Mono), $5,500. ■ 
Memorial (RKO) (3,00Q; 40-«01-. 
"Up in Central Park" (U) and 
"Stage Struck" (Mono). Nice $21,- 
000. Last week. "Give Regards 
Broadway" (20th) and "Cobra 
Strikes" (EL), strong $28,000. 

Metropolitan (M-P) (4^67; 40-80) 
—"Emperor Walbt" (Par) and "Big 
Town Scandal" (Par) (2d wk). Fine 
$21,000 after neat $23,900 first 
week. • • 

Orphciun (Loew) (3.000; 40-80)— 
"Fuller Brush Man" (Col) and "Ad- 
ventures Silverado" tCol). Nice 
S19,00(). Last week, "On Island 
With Vou" (M-«> and "Best Man 
VVins" (Col), same. ' 

Paramount (M-P) (1.70O; 4fr«0)— 
"Deep Wateris" (20th) and "Jinx 
Money" (Mono). Fair $10,000. Last 
week, "Raw Deal" (EL) and "Song 
of Heart" (Mono), $13,500. 

State (Lotiw) (3,500; 40-80) — 
"Fuller Brurfi Man" (Col) and "Ad- 
ventures in Silrerado" (Col). Okay 
$13,000. or near. Last week. "On 
Island With Yon" (M«) and "Best 
Man Wins" (Col), $11,000. 

Waters' Sbflow |g,000, 
Seattle ITahz' 13G, 2d 

Seattle, July 13. 
Holdovers dominate the field 
j here this week. Principal new- 
I comer, "Deep Waters," at Para- 
' mount, shapes very mild. "On 
I Meri-y Way" also is fairish at Fifth 
I Avenue. "Emperor Walti" holds 
head even on second stanza at 
Music Hall. 

{ Estimates for Hiis Week 

Blue Mouse (H-E) (800; 45-80)— 
! "Regards to Broadway" (2Mh) and 
I "Counterfeiters" (20£h) (3d wk). 
1 Slow $2,500 in 6 days after okay 
$4,000 last week. , 
Fifth Avenue (H-E> (2,349; 45-80) 
—"On Merry Way" (UA) and 
"King of Olyn^pics" (UA). Very 
thin $8,000 or less. Last week, 
■ Berlin Express" (RKO) and "Dis- 
covery" (FC), $5,700. 
i Liberty (fnd) (1,650; 45-80)-; 
I 'Coroner Creek" (Co!> " and 
'"Blondie's Reward" (Col> t2d wk). 
^Fine $9,000 or near. Last week, 
sock $12,600. 

Music Box (H-E) (850; 4.5-80)— 
i "Remember Mama" (RKO) and 
I "Rusty" (Col) i6tb wk). Oke $3,500. 
Last week, good $4,500. 
' Music Hall (H-E) (2.200; 45-801— 
"Emperor Walti" (Par) and "Wom- 
an in White" (WB) (2d wk). Great 
$13,000 after wonderful $20,000 
i last week. a, 
; Orpheum (H-E) (2.600; 45-80)-- 
"Romance on High Seas ' (WBI and 
, "Waterfront at Midnight" (Par) (2d 
wk). Oke $5,000 in 5 days Mter. 
good $9,400 last stanza. „n\ 
I Palomar (Sterling) (1.3,50; 45-80) 
I— "On Island with You" (M-G) and 
."Lightning in Forest" (Bcp) 
wk). Big $6,500 after last weeks 
'solid .$8,500. : 
1 Paramount (H-E) (3,039; 45-80)— 
I "Deep Waters" (20th and "Check- 
ered Coat" (20th). Very 
$8,000. Last week, "Salwra; (Col' 
and "Destroyer" (Col) (reissues), 
duU $.5,800. . ^ ,„ftn, 

Winter Garden (Sterling) (800, 
45-80)— "Pirate" (M-G) an«J,,S'l 
posed" (Rep) (4th wk). Good $4,0UU 
after last week's big $5,800. , 

SI 1.000. Last week, "Homecom- 
ing" (M-«> (3d wk) (11 dWiii. hie 

Mayfair (Parker) (I, .500: --'O-SS'-- 
"Big City" (M-G) and "My 
Shep" iS-G>. Dim $2,800. Lasi 
week, "Tartan's Secret Treasure 
(M-G) and "TaEtans New York Ao- 
vcnture" «M-G) trelssues), oi"*' 
$4,000. 



PoMy-Jersey Am's Damper On 
Mediatim Plan Vexes M-Fox 



^ Twentieth-iPox was considerably 4 

S^^fsi'^^^rli'dLfla^^^^^^^ SMITH'S PITCH 

that his Eastern Pennsylvania and 
Southern New Jersey Allied group 
would not go along with dislnbu-. 
Hon chief Andy Smith's new me- 
diation plan. Other exhih groups 
have been showing considerable 
sympathetic interest in tl-» scheme 
worked out by Smith a; Benny 
Berger, North Central Allied top 



TO INDIANA INDIES 

, Indianapolis, July 13. 
Andy Sinlth, Jr., general sales- 
manager of 20th-Fox, will explain 
the coneiliation plan he worked out 
with North Central Allied to the 
Associated Theatres Owners of In- 



ner for peaceably solving sales dis-|diana at their midsummer conven- 
putes. ■ tion In French Lick July 26-28. It 

Cnmnoicnn's harsh receotion to i is expected that the; ATOI member- 

the pZ was especVir~ i^^'o^ Bf""y .T^T'' 

20th exec admitted, because I NCA in acceptmg the Smith plan. 



'the Philly Allied leader hadn't yet 
even been invited to participate 
When he issued his statement of 
condemnation. Any exhib organi- 
Mtion which shows an interest in 
setting up a mediation ijanel Is be- 
ing invited by Smith to do so. He 
or one of his aides will, as a mat 



Smith will speak at the business 
meeting the evening of july 27. In 
announcing his acceptance of its 
invitation, the ATOI stated to its 
members: "Let's be sure that by 
good attendance, Indiana exhibitors 
will show that they support the 
idea of attempting to settle diijer- 
ter of fact, 80 into a territory to j ences within the industry by con- 
explain the idea to an organization. | ferences before litigation " 



The iSmith plan calls for exhibs : 
to set up a panel consisting wholly i 
Of their colleagues. In Minneapolis j convention, 
the panel has three members, but 
the number is entirely up to the 
local organization. <; 

Any dispute which a theatre op- 
erator has with Fox is taken be- 
Jore this board for sifting. If .the 
members think it a fair complaint, 
the panel refers it to the company. 
Smith said this week that it would 
get his immediate attention of that 
of a homeoffice deputy for himr- 
H deputy whose decision in favor 
of an exhib would be "backed to 
the limit, even if he's wrong." 

Asked by Vamety if he didn't 
fear that a mediation panel made 
up entirely of indie theatremen 
might not lean toward the exhib 
side in sifting squawks, Smith de- 
clared: "I have full faith that the 
exhibitor panels will give Fox a 
fair shake." 
While neither side is bound by 



William Ainsworth, prez of Na- 
tional Allied, will also; be at the 



NCA Group Hears 
1st Beefs Vs. 20th 



Minneapolis, July 13. 
g. D. Kane, North Central Allied 
executive director, announced to- 
day (Tues.) that the mediation 
committee established in coopera- 
tion \vith 20th-Fox held its sched- 
uled first meeting yesterday and, 
behind closed doors, "heard four 
or Ave complaints and grievances 
against 20th-Fox." He also asserted 
One previous complaint had been 
withdrawn because the exhibitor 



said the company bad "adjusted' 
, it satisfactorily. 20th-Fox here de- 
the mediation, 20th sales chief said I clares it has no knowledge of such 



the decision of the panels would 
rcarry lots of weight" with him 
and he'd go to extremes to carry 
out their suggestions. 



Safes in 2 San Antonio 
Houses Robbed of $1,480 

San Antonio, July 13. 

Safes of two local theatres were 
cracked one after the other on suc- 
ceeding days, with local police in- 
vestigating and hunting for sus- 
pects through fingerprints left on 
the safes. 

Eph Charninsky, owner ot High- 
land, reported $980 taken from 
the safe of his Iwiuse. According 
to police, the burglars might have 
hid in the theatre and opened the 
safe after house closed. J. P. 
Pearce, manager of South San, re- 
ported theft of safe containing 
$500. Safe was found empty later. 

Watt St. Firms 

S COiitinued from page $ 

unfavorable • opinioa toward this 
situation, is not justified at the 
present time. Consequently we 
would recommend ''Continued hold- 
ing of these shares at this time and 
believe that should any further 
weakness develop, the issue would 
represent an attractive purchase 
for longer ternv holding," 

Sighting through the same bar- 
rel, Loeb, Rhoades firm advises its 
customers that sale of Pawimount 
theatre interests "is where the 
stockholder's best interest may be 
served." "Although it may be a pro- 
tracted affair," report continues, 
"such sales could result in large 
profits over book carrying figures 
and Would pile up considerable 
ca.sh in Paramount's coffers." 

Both brokerage firms are greatly 
impressed by Par's conservative 
bookkeeping which resulted in 
theatres being carried at 1933-35 
depression values. While Par's 
book value for partnership hold- 
ings-is fixed at $12,000,000, Loeb, 
Rhoades report estimates these in- 
terests at a probable minimum of, 
$35,000,000 — $40,000,000. Para- 
mount's earnings from these thea- 
tres hi 1947 were $9,500,000, letter 
states, and then tags the shrinkage 
technique as "highly constructive 
trends, especially .since they should 
bring to light the gross understate- 
ment of values on the company's 
balance sheet." 
Eastman report predicts a net of 



Mk Stuff-Pictures 

United Artists' refusal to bargain with the Screen Office *; Profcs, 
sional Employes Guild at the homeoffice because it is allegedly "Com- 
inunist-controUed"— its officers have refused tq sign the disavowals of 
Communism called for by the Taft-Hartley act—have brought an ava- 
lanche of letters down on Charles Chaplin. Chaplin is a one-half 
owner of UA, bemg partnered with Mary Pickford. 

SOPEG members and outsiders who have written Chaplin figured 
that he'd be sympathetic and Wight order the UA management to re- 
verse its position, since he lias always taken a liberal stance and has 
frequently been called a Communist himself. The actor-producer hasn't 
given any indication, however, of what he thinks of UA's position. He 
has replied to none of the letters and the UA management continues 
to refuse to negotiate. ^ . ^ 

In the meantime the lATSE, with the encouragement of some'UA 
employees, has endeavored to move in and establish itself as bargaining 
agent. 

Eric Johnston, Motion Picture Assn. of America, prexy, does some 
crystal-balling in Uie forthcoming Aug. 3 issi|e of Look inag to picture 
what he thinks the film theatre of 1975 will be like. Johnston, who has 
spoken on the subject before, sees doomed fiickeries in -which the screen 
sunrounds an audience seated in the center of the house. The patron 
will have the illusion of being fixed in the midst of the celluloid events, 
Johnston "believes. Ncwsreels, he says, will be instantaneously photo- 
graphed happenings through the use of, guided missiles traveling at 
.satellite speed of three miles per second. <■ 

U. S, film xritics are getting their knuckles rapped by a Frenchman 
for the lavish praise accorded to practically all French pix imported 
into this country. Leo Sauvage, French critic writing in The Nation, 
says the American critics' "indulgence for many of our mediocre or 
sordid films discourages our best producers and encourages the others. 
. . . Reviewers who have never been to France are too ready to see in 
inferior French pix qualities of genuine local color and sex realism. 
In France, Sauvage says, such films are considered on the level of pulp 
fiction. - 



Producer Harry Sherman has had a scout in New York recently 
tracking down production money. He's been vising bankers, seeking 
financing for two films at $1,200,000 each. They are westerns in the 
pattern which Sherman has made for Enterprise recently. Sherman 
had a deal by which Ent financed the pix. v 

Eastern money moguls have shown little interest in the new proposi- 
tion. They feel the budget is considerably too heavy for even a big 
boss opry with the present state of world film grossei!. 



Among Carole Landis' last films 'are "The Brass Monkey," which the 
late actress made in Britain last; winter for Alliance (United Artists), 
as well as another British'-made picture, "Noose," produced last spring 
by Edward Dryhurst and Associated British. Neither has been released 
in the U. S. as yet. 



Vanderbilt's Trailer Closeup 



"adjustment." 

Kane said Sunday (11) that the ^„.. ^ _ 

committee meeting had been called $22,500,000 for Pai-amount during 



off beca'use there were no com- 



To Samuelson's complaint that { pigints or gx-ievances and no later 



the current year. With earnings for 
the first quarter already announced 



there would be too many prolilciu-s ! meetings would be scheduled "un- $i n per share, brokerage outfit 
to be met with by any panel, Smith ! tu there's something to hear." i helieves second quarter figure will 



declared: "That's just the kind of 
territory I want to get into with 
the plan." 

Worth a Try 

Mcst unofficial exhib opinion 
was that the idea had some hur- 
dles to overcome, but that it is 
worth a try. One of the difficulties 
foreseen in it is the reluctance of 
indie theatremen to produce the 
figures on their terms and receipts 
for the edification of other indie 
exhibs in the territory, despite the- 
fact that the panel would need 
such figures to make a fair deci- 
sion. Notorious dose-mouthedness 
of exhibs is only starting to be 
broken down by the Allied Cara- 
van service, in which they pool 
Info on terms and results. 

Allied of -New Jersey has already 
expressed willingness to go along 
with the plan and reps of units in 
Connecticut, Maryland and Massa- 
cliusetts, who were at the regional 
meeting In West End, N. J., a cou" 
pie weeks ago, indicated' they 
would recommend it to their mem- 
bers. Indiana Allied has also ex- 
pressed sympathy and will prob- 
ably go along, after its Convention 
later this month. 

Samuelson declared: "In order 
to keep the record straight, this 
iii an official announcement that 
this organization has not, and 
probably will not, approve the so- 
called conciliation plan. Independ- 
ent exhibitors in this tCirritory 
have many deep-seated and legiti- 
mate grievances that cannot be 
righted except by substantial con- 
cessions from the distributors and 
Affiliated chain theatres. 

"Starting with the Minneapolis 
Convention . of 1921 and ending 
with UMPI (United Motion Pic- 
ture Industry) in 1942, the history 
«f all conciliation, mediation and 
conference efforts hetween inde- 
pendent exhibitors and the distrib- 



I Kane refused to reveal com- 1 j^e OOc or approximately $6,500,000. 

i ,-.l.iiM.i»ifc' namAc ni* nntnr*» nf thf«il' ; nr.. i.u«. ...^.»nr,m.,*c. di^i^na 



plainants' names or nature of their 
grievances, in order, he said, to 
spare "embarrassrtient" for exhibi- 
tors and the company. He an- 
nounced the "committee has taken 
complaints under advisement." 



Rocky Mt. Indies Say 
They're From M^ottri 
On the legation Plan' 

20th-Fox and North Central 
AUied's much herialded concilia- 
tion plan to assuiage exhibitors' 
grievances against the distrib came 
in for somej sharp comment in 
Allied Rocky Mountain Independ- 
ent Theatres' bulletin last week. 
ARMIT conceded that it wasn't 
sufficiently Informed about the "so- 
called 'Fox Mediation Plan' to pass 
judgment on it." 

In discussing the scheme, ARMIT 
emphasized that "if It has merit, 
this organization will be for it. If 
it can strai-ghten out some of the 
problems existing between 20th 
and its Independent theatre cus- 
tomers — then this organization will 
go a long way to cooperate." 

The group added, "We are not 
professional trouble, makers and 
never have been, Our objective is 
and always will be a square, deal 
for the Independent exhibitor. 
First, however,, so far as the 'Fox' 
Mediation Plan,' we are going tp 
have to be shov\!n. , Andy Smith, ■ot 
20th, has announced .other -Diansr*. 
ceasin the past. ' , . ■ ■ 

"A few Months ago the 'New 
Haven Plan' for distressed thea- 
tres was lauded enthusiastically 
and then fizzled away. We sin- 
cerely hope that this new gadget 
is not just a flash-in-the-pan idea 



In view of the company's strong 
financial position the $2 dividend 
would appear to be reasonably 
safe," Eastman concludes. 

Par can shrink its capital in 
either of two ways, if and when 
the Federal court orders divesti- 
iure, Eastman letter states. Stock- 
holders could be allotted cash re- 
ceived from sales or Par could 
acquire blocks of its own stock on 
the open market. "The net effedt 
of either, plan would be to increase 
the per share earning power of the 
remaining stock," it's said. 

In this regard, low book value of 
holdings plays an Important part, 
letter states. "Any liquidation 
might possibly result in larger dis- 
tributions than is actually shown 
on the company's balance sheet," it 
says. "In this connection, it is in- 
teresting to note that the com- 
pany's entire outstanding common 
stock is now selling in the market 
at a total approxiitaately equal to 
the book value of all of the com- 
pany's holdingsJ' 



for three pieces of Rose-marie 
chocolate! We repeatedly got eggs 
(though they are rationed one a 
week per person) by the dozen for 
a package of cigarets. We couldn't' 
buy ice, ice cream or cream 'for any 
price, nor could we get Butane for 
our cooking-tanks. Even kerosene 
is diificult to find and cooking al- 
cohol is practically off the market. 
Gasoline is comparatively cheap, 
40c U.S. a gallon; oil is $1 a 
quart. 

There is a huge and thriving 
trade in black market currency. 
The official rate in Holland was but 
2,60 to the dollar; but even on the 
streets men sidle up to you offer- 
ig you 4 to 1, and some give you 
as high as'5^^ to 1! 

In Belgium we had tlie same re- 
sults, save that meat is more plen- 
tiful. In the Occupied Areas of 
Germany eggs retail cheaper. You 
can get one dozen for 5 cigarettes. 
Since milk Isn't pastuerized it's 
dangerous to buy any of its prod- 
ucts. Beet is dirt-cheap in the U.S. 
zone — ZVisc a glass; so is vintage 
champagne— $2 a bottle for 1937. 
Whiskies are terribly high, start at 
$25 a fifth; with gin at $20. 
Bottled waters in Belgium were $2 
a quart for French vichy (Celes- 
tins); in Holland 60c a quart; here 
it's $5 a quart 



Continued from page Z ; 



- v . J.. t • to get a few trade paper headlines, 

utors haye been a never^nding i The real test of any 'Fox Mediation 
wcord of repeated failures. " , i pi^, fa, ^territory where 

" '~ the Fox Theatre Circuit is donii- 

«vs •« 1.^ m I. naht. There are the territories 

' ^ SelSf Te'^'jufvTs ! where 20th sleeps with its own kin- 

The^sS ipSd he'i-e' by ' Z^'t.^^'&Ti'''^'^'- 
Charles Weisenberg. was destroyed ^°?f,„«*'t a rough going over, 
by fire recently. Weisenberg plans [ The Denver atad Kansas City 
irebuildlng the house. Jack Weisen- ' territories are neck deep in a Fox 
bere, mandger of. Sylvia, goes <toi theatre MoAotmly. That will be 
the Palo Diiro Drive-In^ AmariUo. ' the real test of a Mediation Plan." 



price was equivalent to 2c a per- 
son!. 

The trailer is causing . great ex- 
citement almost everywhere. Great 
crowds surround us wherever we 
stop. In Germany the people 
don't cluster around us though; 
they stand on tlie street curbs and 
watch. They look surly, defiant, 
and avoid looking you squarely in - 
the eye. They never return your 
wave, as you pass them by. Many 
of them are almost in rags in the 
British and French zones though 
better clothed in tli,e U.S. ' 

Quite a few factories in the 
Ruhr are working again; as evi- 
denced by the smoke belching mt 
of their chimneys. I am as scared 
of a reawakened Germany as I am 
of Russial Put that In your pipe 
and smoke it. Maybe the Herter 
plan is necessary, but I'm still 
from Missonri on it. 

So far Spain is the only country 
that appears to be "stalling" on 
our visas. Franco never did love 
me. 

We go from here to Stuttgart, 
Munich and I hope Berlin. Then 
in a couple of weeks' time I hope 
to reach Italy. Wfe'U be in Switzer- 
land, France and England In 
August. - 
It has rained all save four days 



Cologne is the worst damaged ! ^e have been abroad; and 

city we have visited so far. Actu- wotty darned cold mtver 



Brit. Exhibs 

Continued from page *'SSi 
arc "unanimous" on the quota and 
that the British industi? cannot 
run the risk of being deprived of 
a large percentage of the films it 
needs to- keep its cinemas open by 
"decisions taken in,. New York." 
- He added that houses unable to 
fulfill the quota would have then* 
:exentption applications supported 
by the BFPA. French claimed that 
90 first (A) features would be suf- 
ficient, to satisfy the quota require- 
ments,, but that there would be 
more than that number available, 
with 60 from Rank and 12 from 
Korda, plus what c<$mes from the 
independents. 

Meantime, the Quota Relief 
Committee of the Films Council 
held its 'first stanza today since the 
new 45% figure was announced. It 
discussed procedure dealing with 
the 2,600 exemption applications 
pending against the time the quota 
becomes effective Oct. 1. It took 
no action pending receipt of fur- 
ther info. 'X^he committee will meet 
again in a few days. 



ally it's the most bomb-torn spot 
in Europe, they say. It's filled with 
some of the toughest looking char- 
acters you ever saw. On one street 
over 600 dwellings were levelled to 
rubble out of this, plants and 
flowers are now growing; but the 
stench from decomposed human 
bodies in . the ruins is really sick- 
ening. Someone told us that 60,- 
000 of the niore than 100,000 killed 
there were killed in two of the first 
British 1,000-lBomber raids. I took 
colored movies for my fall lecture- 
tour all through these terribly 
tragic looking streets. 

In one semi-underground spot 
they were showtag Charlie Chap- 
lin's "Dictator."- It cost 2 cigarets 
to get in to see it!! Here in 
Frankfort, at the principal theatre 
opposite the depot, "Anna and the 
King of Siam" has been playing 
twice-daily for a month. Admis- 
sion two bits, or its equivalent In 
marks. At Amhem, on the Hol- 
land edge of Germany, "GI Joe" is 
packmg. 'em in, at the equivalent 
of 8c a seat. Farmers can pay 
with one egg! In a little place 
called Emerich, in4he British zone, 
we saw a carnival in a group of 
dirty khaki tents, doing, a flourish- 
ujg business right squarely amid 
the gaunt rums. The admission 



over 50), and damp. 

I ivcil Vondcrbilt. 



Van Heflin Sparks U's 
1'iqi Roots' Before Dems 

Philadelphia, July 13. 

"Tap Roots," Universal's release 
which Walter Wanger produced, 
copped some attention tonigl" 
(Tues.) when Van Heflin, starred m 
the film, .appeared before the 
Democratic convention and made 
a speech. "Roots" shnultaneously 
had ite world preem at the GoW- 
raan theatre here and the, actor haa 
flown in for personal appearances. 

outer thesps In town with Van 
Heflm for .p.a.'s were Boris Karlott, 
JuUe London and Richard Long. 
Troupa will appear later at open- 
ings in Washington, Baltimore ana 
New York. ,. 

Van Heflin appeared on raAio 
and television in talldng to the 
Democrats. It Is a repeat on tiic 
sort of p.a. made to the Republi- 
cans in Philly by Irene Dunne at 
their convention. Later in the same 
evening, special screening of ^ f 
film was staged , for delegates, 

newspaper writera. jmd rtdi» 
mentators. 



Wednesday, July 14, 1948 



21. 




*JANE WYATTand 

Raymond Burr • Byion Barr • John Utel 
Ann Ooran • Jimmy Hunt • Selmer Jackson 

Based on the Novel "The Pitfall" by Jay Oratler 
ScreenpUy by U\\ Kimb 



mm. 



... ... . ....^■■„ — — ■ - - 



22 



PICTIJBKS 



WcJaesthy, July 14, i^ig 



C%s frcffli Film Row 



and other Allied officers will at- 
tend. Andy Dietz, Chairman of or- 
Saoization committee for Mid-Cen- 
tral and priiSfeLiaover Bere in new 
setup and more tiian SO Indies at- 
tended initial meeting, 

^red C. Soutterv regional man- 
ager for fittdWest tbeatreis in 
souniern niiaoiis aitd east^ Misr 
souri, made regional manage for 
the Kansas territory. He succeeds 
How^ird ' ismeyaont tietij^. John 
M^qIuhU siieee^ Scinttef* 

1l%0 lje6, a nwSi St. toiils nabe, 
has been j^utteted to: sumni 



MINNEAPOLIS 

Marjorie Main, Joe Besser and 
Shelley Winters due here for 
persojuils at BKO-Orpheum for 
"Feiidin', FighHn' and Fnssin' " 
precm, 

Joe Podololf, former 20th-Fox 
local branch manager now com- 
pany's San Francisco manager, 
here on absence leave and visit to 
Mayo clinic. 

North Central Allied has sched- 
uled regional meetings for Fargo 
and Devils Lake, N. D., Aug. 3 and 
4, re^ectlvely; 

Bennie Berger, North Central 
Allied prexy, vacationing in 
Cattachan Bockies. 

Thieves robbed East I^ke. local 
neigliboffaood Ibeataraf, box-office of 
$30. 

Gordon Green, vet showman, re- 
signed from National Screen sales 
' staff because of poor health. . 

Independent l^eatrcs, buying 
combSaSC comprlssng muny jT^^is 
City indie exhibitoi's, finally made 
deal for Paramount product which 
it had 'passed up for more than 
: year. ' ■■ 

Byron Shapiro transferred by 
Columbia from soutliern Minnesota 
to be Twin City salesman, succeed- 
ing Irving Marks, yfbo resii^ed to 
become Mono^am branch mana- 
ger. Paul Weiss goes from Sout3) 
Dakota to southern Minnesota and 
Ben Meshbesher, .an addition- to 
staff, takes over South Dakota. 

Buck Bauenfaorst building $100.- 
000 ^-seat theatre at Slayton, 
Minn., to replace present show- 
house; 

Taking back Orpheum at Orton- 
ville, Minn., Dr. D. T. Dawson and 
L. A. Kaercher plan to spend $50,- 
000 in improvements. 

ST. LOUIS 

Merger of Cme Theatre Supply 
Co., and Exhibitors' Suj )ly Co., 
both -of St, Louis, was conbjmmated 
last week. Arcb Hosier, bead' of 
former organization, is prexy of 
new company. J. Eldon Peck, Okla- 
homa City, who controlled Exhibi- 
tors' Co., and HosLer each will 
have a 50-SO holding in new outfit. 

Permanent officers of newly or- 
ganized Mid-Central Allied The- 
atre Owner.s; Inc., will be elected 
and a constitution adopted at a 
meeting to foe held hei-e July 20-21. 
'Abram F. Myers, general counsel 



Oliver! School 
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vert tciiclieni. Used by ^MO)) ^diUdreo. 
SaSy lejisone, 1t)ooks, supplies induded at 
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EASTON, PA. 

St. Cloud Amusement Co., 
headed by.Harv^ B. Newins, has 
upped its Oieatee operations to' 20 
by ae^isi^juwi «f lonst^nn lewse* 
on the l,200-5eat Sherman, Strouds- 
burg, Pa., and the 700-seat Plaza, 
East Stwudsbnrg. Both these 
houses were built and have been 
Sc&esnnaEB fam- 
ily for the past 30 years. 

St. Cloud lias budgeted $79,000 
for renovation of &e Shermei and 
liJce sum will be spent on the' Pima. 
Outfit operated 18 .theatoes in 
northwestern New Jersey. Berk & 
Krumgold agented the deal. 



HARTFORD 

Annual golf tournament of the 
Motion Picture Theatre Owners of 
Connecticut slated Aug. 24 at Bace- 
brook Country Club, Orange, Conn. 
Tariff at $J0 which includes lundi- 
eon, green fees, dinner and 100 or 
more prizes. George H. Wilkin- 
son, Jr., is chairman of the com- 
mittee, while Ted Jacocks is col- 
lecting the tabs. 



DALLAS 

WilUam W. Lewis named man- 
ager «f Ci^itan. Lewis has been 
district exploiter for Fred M, Jade, 
southern division manager of 
United Artists. Lewis succeeds 
Leek Hoy Ball, who moves to Hous- 
ton. 

L. F. "Boots" McNally named 
manager of WUshire, Interstate 
nabe house here; replaces Leroy 
Beavers, who resigned to enter 
private biz. McNally has been 
treasurer of Palace here. 
.Fred L Sauls and Paul Sharpe 
sold their Star at Abilene to E. 
French Gallagher of Centralia, m. 

W. T. Ash sold the Edge, Edge- 
wood, Texas, to Miss Gene Scruggs 
and associates; she was formerly 
with Blankenship circuit. 

Paul Scott, local exhibitor, has 
sold his interests in eight nabe 
houses to Interstate circuit, co- 
owners with him in the theatre 
partnership. Deal carries no rc^ 
strictive clauses as to Scott's enter- 
ing the theatre biz at any time he 
desires. 

Don Grierson named head 
booker and oiKce manager of 
Eagle Lion exchange in Dallas in 
a series of shifts made by C. E. 
Hilgers, El district manager. 
Walter Weins, fbrmer west Texas 
salesman for Par^ount, is now 
new EL rep in that territory. Jack 
Swiger na&ed rep in. the northeast 



New York Theatres 



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^ Wno CROnv • Joan FONTAINE^ 

: :'THE EMPEROR WALIZ'S 

^ ; Color by Xli:cnNIC0I;0K 
^ . A Para,mount IMfsture . 

, . Sptciacular Staga FraMntation 



MARK STEVENS • RICHARO WIOMARK 

"THE STREET WITH MO NJUIE" 

A 20th C«ntury-F»x Plotiir* 
OM VAftlCTY STASE-CAB CALLOWAY 
JACKIE MILES • VIVIAN BLAINE 

ON ICE STAGE— CAnOL LYNNE 
ARM«.0 «H0OA • THE BRUISES 



"FORT 



coat 



Texas area. W. E. Finch upped 
from ofifice manager to sales man- 

Sa'm Lewis, theatre decorator, 
named to manage the new 800- 
seat Ward theatre in Monahans. 

The Joy theatre, owned and op- 
erated by L. C. Montgomery of 
New Orleans, has been closed. 

PITTSBURGH 

Harry Bemstem. iwho has been 
Col's exploitation field man ia this 
territory fer several years, trans- 
ferred to Boston area. 

Gabe Bubin, who owns and oper- 
ates Art Cinema, forei^ film site 
downtown, is heading a syndicate 
which has started construction of 
a drive-in neas Baden, Pa. 

Abe Weiner, Mono manager, pro- 
moted Carl Dortic to office mana- 
geivbooker. Dortic recently came 
in and took over booking desk: 
when Leo WajTie quit 

Albert Bezel Productions closed 
a deal with Max Shulgold, of 
Crown Film Co.. to handle Bezel 
product in Pittsburg, area. 

Ted Megaarden, who operated 
Casino, local burled house, all of 
last sinnmer as a Laffmovie, isn't 
coming back this year. Instead 
he's organized : Lai^ K Sanch 
donkey baseball at Inwood, L. I. 

Melvin Mann resigned . from 
RKO booking staff to join Werner 
<Fuzzy) Lund as an assistant in 
operation of Lund's circuit. Ubi 
succeeds Louis Stoler, who re- 
signed to open a drive-in at Car- 
michaels witii Durwsnrd Coe, Daisgr- 
town exhibitor. 

Theodore Grance, district thea- 
tre owner, took over managemoit 
of Bialto, Mt. Oliver, with pur- 
chase of majority stock in Ri-Knox 

OMAHA 

William Gaddoni, city salesman 
of Chicago Metro exehange, new 
manager of comfiany's exchange 
here. Heplaces G. E. McGtynn who 
goes to Des Moines as Metro man- 
ager. McGlynn replaces D. C. Ken- 
nedy who will operate a theater in 
Adel, la. 

Bill Nedley is new Metro booker 
in Omaha. 

Warners' new $200,000 exchange 
completed and operating on east 
end of Film Bom. 

New Valley at Valley, Neb., is 
ready, replacing the Valley theater 
burned last December. Owner is 
John Fisher. 

Don Jacobs, with Warner Bros, 
at Mansfield, O. ibr 19 years, tok- 
ing over management of Goldberg 
theatres here. 



NEW YORK 

Sam Sobel named branch man: 
ager of Film Classics' San Fran- 
cisco exchange; replacing Fred 
Abelson, who died recently. 

James R. Grainger, Republic's 
exec-veepee in charge of sales, left 
for Coast last week for. sales 
huddles at Los Angeles, and San 
Francisco branches. He also will 
scrutinize new product while in 
Hollywood. Expects to make stop- 
overs on way back at Dallas, New 
Orleans, Cliicago and Detroit. 
P.A.'ing a Sales Drive 

Max Youngstein, Eagle Lion ad- 
pub veepee, sho\%d off Monday 
(12) on a 20-day tour of EL's 31 
exchanges. Youngstein ia making 
Cleveland iiis first stop. 

Occasion for the swing through 
the country was tiie naming of 
Youngstein as captain in the com- 
pany's Bill Hcineman sales drive, 
Heineman, EL's distribution vee- 
pee, claims it iS' the first time an 
ad-pub topper faik$ been tagged to 
direct a sales campaign. 

CHARLOTTE 

Polio situation in North Carolina 
is declared light epidemic. With 
a score or more cases under treat- 
ment, exhibitors fear that if the 
situation grows worse it may have 
serious effect on tiieatze attend- 
ance.'. • - ;,; 



WALLCOLLM^ITO 

St. Louis, July 13. 

When a brick wall of a building 
adjoininij the Senate, small down- 
town subsequent-run theatre, col- 
lapsed and fell through the roof of 
the theatre Thursday (8) during a 
matinee, 11 persons were injured, 
two seriously, and a panic ensued 
Among the 150 patrons. All tti the 
injured were in the theatre bal- 
cony and were trapped by bricks, 
etc., and were dug out by firemen. 

Fire Marshal Walter Kaimann 
said the collapse was due to vibra- 
tions from passing traffic and the 
fact tliat mortar had been washed 
from between the bricks during the 
recent heavy rains. Damage to 
the theatre, which is a 700-scater, 
has been estimated at $5,000. The 
house 'is owned by the Gol^mm- 
Leveuthal circuit. 



Jack Warner's WB Stock 
Gifts Now Worth $55,000 

Jack L. Warner, veepee and 
production chief of Warner Bros., 
has parlayed stock gifts to the 
United Jewish Welfare Fund to a 
total value now reached of $55,000 
at the current exchange prices. 
Warner donated a block of 2,000 
shares of WB common, this week, 
to DJWF. The gift brings the 
total to 5,000 shares since he 
turned over a 3,000-share block 
last month. 

Donation leaves the Burbank 
production topper with 418,000 
shares of common under his own 
name and an additional 21,500 
shares which are held in trust tor 
■him. 

Stanton Griffis, chauman of 
Parammint's executive committee 
and newly-tagg«i U; S. ambassa- 
dor to Egypt, figured in a number 
of stock transactions this week 
wfaidi brought down his total Par- 
amount holdings to 9,000 shares of 
common held directly and another 
15,800 in which he is trustee. 
Griffis sold 2,500 shares of Par 
common in two blocks to reduce a 
trust fund for Frances K. Griffis 
to 3,500 shares. Bis holdings still 
make him the heaviest stocUiolder 
among the company's directors. 

Stock holdings of another Para- 
mount biggie, Henry Ginsberg, 
production - veepee, have mounted. 
Ginsberg has pi»chased 500- shares 
to bring his 'total up to 1,000 plus 
200 more held in trust for his son, 
William, and 200 for another son, 
John. 



W Tarade/ Mair/ 
'Apache' ^ Shows Anew 
Ikw Fans Are Sho|i|«^ 

Strange situation in the Broad- 
way deluxe filmeries this season, 
where four films are chalking up 
excellent grosses while most of the 
others are doing no better than 
fair biz, is regarded in the industry 
as only a booking coincidence. 
Filmites consequent]^ dont see in 
the situation any clue that might 
help solve the current boxoffice 
dip. 

Industrj' observers at first glance 
were at a loss to figure out why 
there should be such a disparity 
in grosses between the four lead- 
ers and the rest of the field. Trio 
includes "Emperor Waltz," "Easter; 
Parade," "Foreign Affair" and 
"Fort Apache," Second look, how- 
ever, showed that these four had 
the best star values and received 
generally favorable reviews, which 
would put them in the category of 
"good" pictures. 

Top e^sses being pulled by the 
pafce-selting quartet also points up 
with renewed: si^iificance the fact 
that filmgoers, including tourists 
to Broadway, are shopping . for 
their picture fare. Same situation, 
the observers point out, also holds 
for the nabe houses, which can 
still do good business on the same 
picture that did best in the down- 
town runs. 



Par in Mpk Gets 
BackM-CProdiiti 

Minneapolis, July tgi 
Paramount circuit here gets badr 
Metro product for its downtown 
first runs, having just coinplett^ 
a deal for the next gioup, inclua.' 
ing "Easter Parade," "On Aii ij. 
land With You" and "Big Ci)y.« 
Par had virtually monopoliieV 
M-G product for many years, biit 
the previous group of "Summer 
Holiday," "Homecoming " and "Pi- 
rate" was sold away from it «n 
competitive bidding of the Alex 
Schreiber interests of Detroit for 
its Lyceum, a local legit roadsbpw 
house wrhich also plays pictunis. 

Schreiber is iinderstutxi to have 
bid unsuccessfully for the seoai^ 
group in comjpetition with Par. 
Metro pictures are now expected 
to go into the 4,400-seat SsSis 
City, which is more advantageous^ 
ly, located and carries greater fflnj 
prestige than does the Lyceum, 
Latter house hasnt been able td 
obtain its airconditioning equip* 
ment and is handicapped accord-> 
in^, but will continue to bid 
competitively for "A" picture first 
runs here,, according to Schreiber, 
Trade here believes Metro re- 
leases can gross much more in 
Par's Radio City or State than in 
the Lyceum, which would give 
them greater value for local sab< 
sequent runs and out-of-town dates 
in the area. This is believed to 
have been a major factor in ac- 
ceptance of the cfa-cuit's bid. Ly- 
ceum, however, may get Metro't 
"Sean*," for which the Par ci^ 
cuit has not bid. 

GAME'S TUQir AFTER 

Clark Gable is tentatively sched- 
uled to do "Angel's FUght" as hi^ 
next picture for Metro, Star is now 
vacationing in Europe but is ex« 
pected back in early September, 
when "Flight" will go on the floor, 
Sam Zimbalist will produce for his 
first since "Killer McCoy." 

"Command Decision," Gable's 
most recent film, is now in the 
editing stage. It won't be released 
anywhere, howevw, until the cur* 
rent Broadway production closes, 
probably next season. 



CHAS. MOSES EUROPEAN 
PROD. REP FOR SMALL 

Charles Moses has been named 
European representative for pro- 
ducer Edward Small. He wUl 
handle both production and dis^ 
tribution activities. He left Satur- 
day (10) lor London, wliere he will 
set up a unit to make "Loma 
Doone," which Small recently 
pacted to make in cooperation with 
J. Arthur Rank. 

Moses was in charge of the pro- 
ducUon unit which turned out 
Caghostro" m Rome last year for 
Small. 

Producer, currently in New 
York may go to London himself 
;^te th« month to work on "Loraa " 
a he finds that unnecessary, how- 
ever, he'll remain in New York for 
the rest of the summer. European 
tnp that was to have been made 
this month by Harry Kostaer, 
SmaUs distribution chief, is now 
off as a result of Moses' appointr 
.ment. ■ 




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AMERICAN 
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Ohio ITO Meets Sept. 14-15 

Columbus, O., July 13 
^dependent Theatre Owners'of 
Ohio has changed the date of its 
fall convention to Sept. 14-15 fai 
Uie Deshler-Wallick hotel, Colum- 
bus. ' 

Original date was in conflict 
with the National Allied meeting 
la Ne>y Orleans, Nov. 29-Dec. 1. 



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WwUif Btlay, July 141^ 19411 



2S 



CBS SWINGS AXE TO PAY FOR TV 



CBS' New Censodqi Format 

Although in recent years it was perhaps the strictest of the net- 
'W'orks m scrutinizing aU scripts ahead of broadcast, CBS last week 
abolished its policy of having all scripts, conunercial and sustaining, 
processed by the CBS Editing and Copyrigiit Division. Only com- 
Miercials will be scanned by a two-man team, Gllson Grey and 
Raines Shattuck, with the current CBS economy wave sweeping 
out the rest of the policymakers. 

Responsibility for sustainer scripts conforming to CB& "policy" 
will hereafter belong to individual executives and directors m 
charge of different shows, \vith ulUmate responsibility lodged with 
Hubbell Robinson and Robert P. Heller as program department 
toppers. Latter two called staffer* together last week and laid 
emphasis on the new problems. No experts in company policy will 
now back-stop sustaining scripts, "We're our own censors now," 
..one exec was quoted as saying. 

Diwing its strict scrutiny regime, application of the firm super- 
vision was entrusted to Gilson Grey and a staff of assistants who 
Undertook to o.o. everythmg, including advertising copy. Accounts 
sometimes complained that sustaining programs were guilty of 
practices denied the paying customers and to remove this chai-ge 
the Jiditing pivision some years back got tough with house-created 
shows. 

Drastic overload of work on a reduced staff of censors now 
necessitates throwing policy responsibility back to the pj-ogram de.. 
partment itself so that Ii-viug Mansfield, Jack Carney, Will Roland, 
Lester Gottlieb, Fletcher Markel, et al., will do their own policy 
policing under eye of Bob HeBer as executive producer. - 



LOiad Forces Vfii NX AFRA 
CoAfd; Ma jor Voiee Iktionalhr 



The liberals in the American 
Federation of Radio Artists won a 
^ weeping victory in the recent {few 
York local election of representa- 
tives on the national board and 
delegates to the annual coavention. 
Following last year's Victory In the 
local board election, this gives tiie 
liberal forces firm control of tlie 
New York chapter and a major 
voice in the national. 

Of nine meinb,ers elected to the 
nalional board, six are identified as 
liberals, five of them having been 
named by the Independents group. 
Three were nominated by the con- 
servative Artists Committee. Those 
elected, with the number of votes 
polled by each, were Nelson Case 
(independent », 364; Karl Swenson 
(Ind.), 342; Clayton Collyer (Art- 
ists Committee >, 336; Ben Grauer 
(Ind.>. 332; Minerva Pious (unaf- 
filiated but identified as a liberal), 
690; rittusc Jameson (AC), 289; 
Virginia Payne (Ind.) 275; Ted Os- 
born (Ind.), and Alan Bunce 
(AC), 2(58. 

Remaining candidates were Ned 
Wever, 2ea; Kenneth Roberts, 261; 
Margaret Speaks, 252; Vinton Hay- 
Worth. 264; Kenneth Banghart, 243; 
Sydney Smith, 219; Eugene Lowen- 
thal, 216: Gene Baybum, 170; John 
W. Neher, 156, and Ralph Caniargo, 
147. Depending on the vote in the 
(Continued on page 34) 

MarkMPiiis 
ForTordllieatre' 

Deal for Fletcher Markel to take 
over the producUon reins on "Ford 
Theatre" when it moves over to 
CBS in the fall is now reported 
virtuallv set, with Markel vacating 
his director role on the webs dra- 
matic siistainer, "Studio One.' 
However, the Markel ignment 
hasn't vet been approved by Fwd, 
and may not be final for a day 

"'"ifs reported Markel, who is be- 
ing lend-leased to Kenyon & Eck- 
hardl agency on the Ford account, 
win get -St.OOO plus" a week rep- 
metVting a hike over what the 
(Continued o n page 4 8) 

Carson Gets GF Nod 
For Thomas 

Ta< k Carson is the winning can- 

^^Mn teamed with Bvf Arden 
J -litest NBC show this past 

season 



Whiz 00 a Quiz Bn^e 

The Belch Co., which makes 
Wliiz candy bars, has bought a 47- 
station hookup of ABC outlets for 
a man-in-the-^street quiz show 
Saturdays, 10-10:30 p.m., starting 
Sept. n. ■ 

Candy outfit has had a 15-minute 
stanza on WJZ. N. Y. fiagsliip of 
the web. 




TELE RED 

IS mm 

By G£ORG1E BOSEN 

The Columbia Broadcasting Sys- 
tem is facing a $3^000,000 operat- 
ing budget for television during 
1948-49, and this Is the motiva- 
tion behind a variety of econo- 
my moves now manifesting them- 
selves at 4S5 Rladison avenue, 
N. Y.,- with increasing sharpness. 

Last week the CBS axe was 
swinging in earnest, with approxi- 
mately SO heads rolling as execu- 
tive memos Went out to the various 
departments to shave budgets. 
Most seriously affected was the rfr; 
search department, where upwards 
of 30 were given notice. That's the 
department, incidentally, most dear 
to the heart of prexy Frank Stan- 
ton. The wholesale firings im- 
mediately sparked some "how 
come?" queries on the part of the 
United Office & Professional 
Workers of America (CIO), which 
represent CBS office employees. 

Gilson Grey's continuity accep- 
tance (censorship): department was 
also slashed to the bone. (See ad- 
joining box). The axe also 
swung in the educational di- 
vision, those exiting includ- 
ing John Pfeifer, director of 
science broadcasts; Frank HiU, edi- 
tor on the recently-axed "Scluxd 
of the Air" and Robert Allison, who 



CaiTying It Far 

CBS economies this week 
extended even into bookkeep- 
ing activities. A memo went 
out yesterday (Tues.) notifying 
employes at web headquarters 
Sa Madison ave., N. Y., that 
effective Aug. 1, CBS will dis- 
^continue issuance of U. S. Sav- 
'ing Bonds and the practice of 
making weekly payroll dedue^ 
tions. 

Web will clear the books by 
sending checks — or bonds — to 
all purchasers and suggest 
"contacting your nearest 
bank." 



did the ''People's Platform" chow. 
Other network departments felt 
the edict to a somewhat lesser de- 
gree. This is exclusive of the 
wholesale departures in the short- 
wave division. 

It has all had the effect of 
creating apprehension among the 
web personnel, with morale re- 
ported at a low ebb. 

It has also brought up the ques>- 



'WbtCoiierAsk 
Networks; Stand 
PatooC^eaways 

It don't mean a thing— -'cause it 
ain't got no sting. 

That's the parody the giveaway- 
happy networks are privately 
crooning in the wake of their al- 
leged "adoption" of the new NAB 
Standards of Practice. For they 
aren't m'akiiig a move, to conform 
to tlie code's very specific stricture 
on giveaways. 

Last week, following joint an- , . . x 
nbuncement by the prexics of the.! tion m some quarters as to the 

practicability and wisdom of cur- 

tidling a stiU-'going-strbng radio 
operatioii, in ord^r to carry the 
freii^t for what at best is a TV 
industry whose future, is still 
nebulous. Particularly islnce TV 
operational funds must be siphoned 
from standard broadcasting in- 
come, the feeling i» that* more than 
ever, the coim^iMCOducing radio 
pha^ of operation' should be 
sb'engthened at tbi^ time. As far 
as billings are concerned the web 
is 3% ahead of last year. 

A month ago CBS dropped its 
17-year-old "School of the Air" 
series; with an annual saving in 
time, production, staff and over-* 
head of $500,000. Shortly there- 
after the CBS Documentary IJnit 
Wdst eut iii half, firon) 10 toi five 
(Continued on page 55) 



Scaliest is currently shop- 



four webs that the new code is "in 
eif ect . . . subject to required 
changes in program operation," 
which they said would- be com- 
pleted by next Jan: 1, execs in all 
four nets confirmed that no steps 
were being taken to bring give- 
aways into confonnity with the 
code. 

One network veepee said, "We're 
(Continued on page 48) - ■ 



im' a replacement 



Peggy Wood Inked For 
'Mama' Radio Version; 
Colgate Deal Looks Set 

An audition of a half-hour ver- 
sion of "1 Bember Mama" will be 
cut this Sunday (18) for Ted Bates 
agency under the supervision of 
Carol Irwin. Who holds the radio 
rights, Peggy Wood is .sot for the 
lead. Frank Gabrielson did the 
script and' Bernard Green has the 
orchestral assignment. Understood 
that sponsor involved is Colgate 
and will likely replace "Mr. and 
Mrs. North." 

"Mama," following its click on 
Broadway, developed into one of 
the most souglit after properties 
for radio in recent years. The task 
of cleaiance was singularly com- 
plicated since the interested party 
had to deal With Kathryn Forbes, 
who as author of the original 
book, . ''Mama's Bank Account,"! 
owned the characters; John Van, 
Dniten, who as playwright, con- , 
trolled the title, and RKO, whose ] 
contract for the film gave it a voice | 
in thr .disposal of radio rights. I 



1ifb' (^pene^-'A Gross^^oontry 
Lament With Dialers Primed For 
Hhm's My Fav«ite Sww?' Baef 



K & E's Squeeze 

With conditions increasingly 
jittery throughout network- 
ageiity circles, a number o£ 
firings are reported imminent 
at Kenyon & "Eckhardt. Some 
of those slated to go are tin< 
der,sto«d to have executive 
jobs, while others are in minor 
positions. Under the K &' E 
setup of the radio department 
budget governed entirely on 
the amount of radio billings, 
that division of the agency is 
saf d to be feeling . a squeeze. 

It is indicated tliat when 
"Ford Theatre" goes on CBS 
thi.'S fall, Leonard Erickson, 
K & E director of radio, will, 
himself be producer of the 
show. 



Ihiniii^ 
TUrdStaiieiD 
Seaper Fmiottt 

Because Manhattan Soap Co. has 
dropped two of his programs, 
Frank Hummert is giving up "The 
Romance of Evelyn Winters," the 
remaining show he produces for 
the firm. However, the daytime 
serial isn't going off the air, but 
will be leased by Hummert to the 
sponsor, with production slated, to 
be taken over by Onane Jones, th«! 
agency on the aicfount. Terms of 
the deal will he worked out when 
Jones himself returns from a South 
American trip, probably in about 
three weeks. Until, then, the pro- 
duction setup of the show remain.% 
as i^. 

The move will admittedly be 
costly for 'Hummert, but he feels 
there is a principle involved, and 
is determined to go through with it. 
Producer's action is in the nature of 
a protest against, the cancellation 
of his two other shows, "Hose of 
My Dreams" and "Katie's Daugh- 
ter," both of which were successful 
rating-wise in relation to their cost, 
he claims. Because the sponsor's 
cancellation was unjust, therefore, 
Uuipmert decided to end his rela- 
tionship with the company. 

"Evelyn Winters" is currently on 
CBS at 2:45-3 p.m., EDT, and its 
last Hooper was 2.6, putting it in 
a tie for S6th place. "Rose of My 
Dreams" went off the air a couple 
of months ago, and ''Katie's Daugh- 
ter" was replaced June 28 in the 
11:15 a.m. slot on CBS by another 
serial, "We Love and Jjeam," pro- 
duced by the Jones agency. 



If habit is the prelude to a .good 
rating — and that's been axiomatic 
in the trade for years— then many 
of tlie top-drawing shows on the 
air will be starting from scratch to 
develop as^ sndieiicss Ti^jsea tiis - 
new broadcasting seascm gets un- 
der way in the fall. 

Unprecedented shuffling of 
shows — either to new time seg- 
mieitts or rival networks — ^wfll pnA^- 
ably spark off a loud N.Y.-to-L.A. 
lamentation from the dialers who, 
for example, accustomed to a Red 
Skelton Tuesday night showcasing, 
must develop a "Skelton on Fri- 
day" listening habit. It's that 
way down the line, particularly cm 
NBC and CBS, and involves a flock 
of personalities and programs. 

Latest jigsaw Involving a switch- 
over of two CBS shows to NBC 
was just crystallized over the 
weekend, with International . 
ver's "Ozzie and Harriet" show 
definitely booked into the 8-30 
Sunday evening time,, preceding 
Jack Benny. Dialers in the season 
just closed heard O&H Friday 
nights on Columbia. That means 
WhitchaU's "Hollywood Star Pre- 
view" goes out of 6:30 Sunday into 
Saturday at 8, the latter time being 
vacated by "Life of - HHey," which 
switches to Friday on NBC. 
Even Pet Milk 'fams 

For years a Saturday night fiK* 
ture on CBS, Pet Milk's "Saturday 
Night Serenade," moves over to 
NBC in the Saturday 7:30 tint* 
slot; which means tlie current 7:30 
occupant, "Curtain Time" goes out 
and into tlte Wednesday 10:30 pjn. 
slot. Eddie Cantor fans, who had 
gotten into the Thursday night 
habit, will find him, in the- fall pre- 
ceding Skelton on the Friday NBC 
schedule. It will he a ETtd^ ditto 
for Jimnq' Durante, back in .the 
Camel fold. ' ■ . 

Other shows involved in switches 
include "Ford Theatre," exiting its 
Sunday matinee spot on NBC for 
a Friday night berth on CBS. 
"Mystery Theatre" , also< takes the 
NBC-to-CBS route in the fall. 
"Can You Top This?," a 1»48 Fri- 
day occupant on NBC, moves to 
Saturday night, same web. And 
practically set is a switchover of 
"Screen Guild Players" from Mon- 
day night CBS, to Thursday nfi^t 
NBC, in a projected Camel swap 
deal with the Bob Pawk time. 

Pet Milk also switches its Mary 
Lee Taylor program from CBS to 
NBC. ■ 



Stuart Peabody 

(AssidaM Veap— ond Direcfor of 
AdMrtiting, Bordtn Co.) ' 
gUt Ih* spMMr's peiw* of view on 
TelevKlon with th« query 

"Who's Going to Pick 
I p the Tab" 

0* adiforial f<MM« hi 

3d Annual Special 
RADiO-TELEViSION 
NUMBER 

Out This Monfft 



levere 

In Squawk Over BiHing; 
PrepslHr.&Mrs/oHTV 

Hollywood, July 13. 
Andy Russell bows out of his 
co-starring stint with Marion llut- 
: ton on the Revere Camera show 
' on Mutual Aug. 5. Billing hassle 
! and differences over tunes Used 
on the stanza are reportedly be- 
hind his leaving. He has been on 
22 weeks. Deal is cooking for 
South American p. a.'s for the 
singer, in addition to a televised 
"Mr. and Mrs." show with his 
j wife, Delia Norell. Les Mitchell 
, is scripting the latter, a 12-min- 
ute layout of chatter, tuttcs and 
I gues-t shots. 

! Understoood that Russell ohr 
\ jected to Miss Button's pre- 
; eminence on the airer, based on 
[her connections vnth the spon- 
I sors. Betty Hutton. her sister, is 
> married to the son of Revere's 
prexy. ■ • 



MdeitoStaBp 
h»deU.S.A. 

Frank Mullen, who is currently 

on a fishing vacation in Canada, is 
taking on a novel assignment as ids 
initial duties in heading up the 
three G. A. (Dick) Richards stat- 
tions. 

Mullen, who recently resigned as 
NBC exec veepee to become pres- 
ident C(f Richards' three-station op- 
eration, has purchased a trailer for 
a N. Y.-lo-L. A. swing of the coun- 
try to feel the public pulse. As No. 
2 man of the NBC operation^ Mul- 
len had always clung to the phil- 
osophy that New York was never a 
fair barometer of what the people, 
think and want in terms of radio 
and felt that the real picture of 
Americana was to be found west of 
the Hudson. 

Mullen is carrying that thinking 
over to his new setup and will 
stump the country to sound out 
public sentuncnt as a basis for his 
operational methods. He plans to 
reside in CaUfomia. 



Lorillard's iBmliassy Push 
P. LoriUard Co., maker of Old 
Golds, is reported prepping an Au- 
gust 9 teeoff for a heavy spot cam- 
paign in the New York metropoli- 
tan area in behalf of its new £m-< 
bassy cigarets. 



24 



RABIO 



Wednesday, July 14, 1«M« 



Azcwraga Walks Out on Mesfre's 
Tree Radio' Push In B. A. Bombshell 



Mexican Delegate's About-Face Puzzles Western 
Hemisphere Conference; U.S/, 13 Other Countries. 
■" Succeed in Slapping Down Peron Stranglehold - 



Buenos Aires, July 13. 

Although the Argentine radio 
under the Peron government- was 
slapped down in no uncertain 
terms in a Itrongly-worded resolu- 
tion,* the big talk here is how Emi- 
lio Azcarraga, initially an enthusi- 
astic foe of the Argentine Broad- 
casters Assn. and government 
control, walked out on Goar*Me- 
stre, of Cuba, who led the U.S. 
an V lS other Western Hemisphere 
Countries in the attack on the 
Argentine situation. "For practical 
purposes," the 14 nations declared, 
"freedom of expresision has been 
abolished in Argentina." 

.It's a mystery why the potent 
Azcarraga, frequently labeled the 
Mr. Radio of North America, and 
champion of free radio, took a pow- 
der on Mestre,' who mobilized the 
attack on Argentina after being 
elected' new prexy of the Inter- 
Amerfcan association. Luis de la 
Rosa, member of the Mexican dele- 
gation, also took a last-minute 
stand against Mestre. But Mexico 
signed the joint denunciation. 

'~ Argentine delegates tried boldly 
i convince the conference that 
Argentina .has a free radio. Visit- 
ing delegates knew better. (All tel- 
ephones were tapped and tele- 
grams were held up by censors, 
causing one observer to crack, "A 
bad time was had by all under 
free radio (sic.).") . 
. . . Meeting Ends in Brawl 
The whole week's assembly was 
held, as one delegate put it, "sit- 
ting on the proverbial keg of dyna- - 
mite." Saturday night's (10) meet« 
Ing ended in a brawl. There. were 
eight. Sunday conferences. ■ 

- Jaime Yankelevich, who fired 
Eva Duarte Peron as a radio ac- 
tress, charged the Argentine with 
buying delegates. Several Argen- 
tine ambassadors, as ' delegates, 
were advising this country's reps. 

De la Rosa also tried a strong 
attack against the British Broad- 
casting Corp., demanding, that they 
be kept out of the Americas and 
not be permitted to distribute 
large amounts of free transcrip- 
tions containing British propa- 
ganda. 

Questions were raised as to why 
the British were spending needed 
money and did not support Mexi- 
co, which angled the latter coun- 
try; 

.'U.S; delegates steered next 
year's conference away from the 
Argentine, to Venezuela, fearing 
long-winded speeches and "polite 
knives in the back," with nothing 
accomplished. 

At the outset, this year's parley 
looked important, but now, with 
the work accomplished or not, the 



poubleday's Oab Show 

Doubleday book publishing out- 
fit, via Huber Hoge agency, has 
pacted John B. Kennedy to do a 
15-minute news commentary on 
the Mutual network Sundays, 1:15 
p.m., starting Sept. 12.' 

G.abber will take over the spot 
Aug. 1 for a six-week warmup. . 



Supreme Court 
To Decide On 
Network Trust' 



Washington, July 13. 

In the first case of its kind ' to 
reach the Supreme Court, tribunal 
was asked last week whether net- 
work aMliation contracts violate 
the Sherman anti-trust laws and 
whether they cut off independent 
broadcast stations from national 
radio advertisers. ' 

Action was taken up on appeal 
by the Federal Broadcasting Sys- 
tem, operator of WSAY, in Roches- 
ter, N.Y. WSAY asked the Court 
to take jurisdiction in the case fol- 
lowing adverse decisions in district 
and circuit courts, in an action 
against American Broadcasting Co. 
and Mutual Broadcasting System. 

If the Court should decide to 
hear the case and should rule for 
WSAY, it would terminate the 
present network affiliation system 
of handling national advertising 
contracts. Court, iiow in recess, 
is, not expected to decide until Oc- 
tober whether it will hear argu- 
ments. 

WSAY originally brought its ac- 
tion against all four national webs, 
seeking treble damages and a 
permitnent injunction against net- 
work exclusivity. 

For a considerable period, as one 
of three stations in Rochester, 
WSAY got programs from ABC 
arid Mutual while, at the same 
time, refusing to sign an affiliation 
contract with either web. CBS and 
NBC each had an affiliate in 
Rochester. WSAY took programs 
under an arrangement which "per- 
mitted the petitioner (WSAY) to 
set tiie price to be 'charged adver- 
tisers for the use of its facilities 
and gave the networks a 15% sell-; 
ing commission." ■ 

The WSAY petition contends it 
rejected standard affiliation con- 
tracts because such contracts "did 
not give it the right to negotiate 
with advertisers the rate to be 




HE CAN COOK, TOOl 

BILL JONES 

He's "Uncle Bill" on the "Funny 
Paper" .show, teaUued announcer 
on the .S!itui'da.v night Barn Dance, 
an actor, a nowscasler and works 
the early ■morning' wake-up shift. 
He's as'good, a-s Iw is ver.satile. 

KLZ, DENVER. 



NAB 'S3ver Shower' Drive 
For German School Sets 
Causes Listener Beefs 

The NAB-sponsored "silver 
shower" to raise $100,000 for the 
purchase of radio sets for German 
and Austrian schools appears to be 
laying a big egg — labeled with 
bitter protests from listeners. 

Urgent telegrams went out over 
the weekend from NAB proxy 
Justin Miller to district chairmen of 
the association advising them that 
the Campaign, kicked off recently 
via a special broadcast on Mutual, 
is "seriouslv'lagging" and asking 
them to get stations in their resp&- 
tive areas busy plugging the proj- 
ect "as soon as possible." > 

The networks al.so are imdcr- 
stood to be getting a gentle needle 
to help out. 

With the individual stations, at 
least, reluctance to push the cam- 
paign appears to stem not from an 
unwillingness' tO' go along wit^ 
NAB, but from fear of criticism 
from dialers. One New York sta- 
tion yanked its spots promoting the 
drive after incurring a flurry of 
calls from irate listeners who .felt 
money might better be raised for 
quite a few other causes. ' 

At the same time, certain' broad- 
caisters are " openly wondering 
whether this sort of activity comes 
within the orbit of' NAB. 



sitnation annpar^ in tho Inn nf thA ' Charged for the use of its station." 
smiaiJon appears m tnc lap of the t„„„ ,q«„ 



gods. It's widely feared that the as- 
sociation may be badly disorgan- 
ized by the split between Mestre 
and Azcarraga. 

Eva Peron made an appearance 
at the conference to accept a beau- 
tiful gift from the Argentine's gov- 
ernment - owned stations, then 
rushed out. 

• Argentine's Eduardo Pelliciari, 
one of those attempting to Icnock 
down the "no free radio" charges, 
asserted: "Over our microphones 
are- broadcast only truth and 
purity.'' 

- Mexico, the U. S., Brazil and^ 
Uruguay were lected to the board 
of the association. 



- John McNeH to WNJR 

John H. McNeil, manager of 
WABD, DuMont television's key 
N. Y. outlet until his recent resig- 
nation, has been named director of 
WNJR, Newark <N. J.) jndie radio 
station owned by the Newark News. 
McNeil's appointment', according 
to lyNJB prez JEdward W. Sciidder, 
Jfr., is the first step in a move to 
enlarge the activities of the sta- 
tion and its FM affiliate, scheduled 
to take the air in the fall. 

Prior his year at WABD, Mc- 
Keil was manager of WJZ, flagship 
station of the ABC radio web in 
Ni Y. for six ydars. He'U continue 
as a freelance consultant for other 
ladio and TV interests. 
. He succeeds Otis Williams, who 
i^jsigoed. 



Then in May and June, 1947, the 
federal Communications „Commis~ 
sion licensed ' additional outlets in 
Rochester; ABC and Mutual lined 
up affiliates under the standard 
contract and WSAY was out in the 
cold. Tlie petition explains to the 
Court: 

"Both networks on the same day 
notified WSAY that they would 
both- cut ■ WS AY off from fui-ther 
access to national - advertisers then 
purchasing time over petitioner's 
station." ? 

Goldman Ruling: Cited 

In arguing that the Court should 
take jurisdiction, WSAY ■ -claims 
that the affiliation exclusivity is a 
violation of the anti-trust - laws 
similar to the violation Tecognized 
last May by the Court in its rul- 
ing favoring the Goldman Theatres 
of Philadelphia against the major 
film companies' 



Kramer's WJR Exec Post 

Detroit, July 13. 

Worth Kramer, broadcasting 
veteran, has been appointed as- 
sistant general manager of WJR, 
it was announced Saturday (10) 
by Harry Wismer, exec assistant 
to the- president. At the same time 
Wismer revealed that Franklin 
(Bnd) Mitchell, has been named 
program director. 

Kramer has been with WJR 
since his release' as a navy officer 
in 1946, when he became program 
director. He has had 17 years ex- 
perience in radio. 



aRRY MOORE EXITS 
TFAST IN H'WOOD' 

' Hollywood, July 13. 

Garry Moore is ankling his new 
spot on "Breakfast in Hollywood," 
on doctor's advice. He notified 
Compton agency and Procter & 
Gamble he's exiting "for reasons 
of health," but will remain on 
pending picking of a successor. 
Auditions, will begin within a week. 

Moore has been- troubled with 
an eye ailment that hasn't re- 
sponded to treatment and his doc- 
tor suggested he" "slow down." 
Strain of six half-hour shows 
weekly made it advisable, he said, 
that he withdraw. 

He succeeded the late Tom 
Breneman a:% emcee of the matinee 
series only a few weeks ago. > 



^ '*Fiishton h Tele's 
Spinach'* 

By Adelaide Hawley 

givtt lilt femnra -timt wii. thli mw 
centrapftsN' calltd' TV 

* . * * 

an tiKtorlal' fcatur* IH th* 
3d Annual SpecittI 

RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBER 

• *f;^ ■ 

Our Thix Month 



!»♦♦«« I <»♦<*»♦♦ ♦ « ♦>«♦» ♦ ♦ 

From the ProMoii Centres 

' ♦ ♦ ♦«♦♦♦♦«♦«»♦» ♦ ♦ ♦ * * * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ * ♦ ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ « ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦■f4-»-»4» 

/JV ISEW YORK CITY ... 

Twosome of the Week: Niles Tranimell vs. Gen. Eisenhower on the 
Decpdale Country Club tL.I.) links last Saturday (10).,.. The .Jimmy 
Liptons (Shirley Blanc) have been written- out of their various radio 

shows while they vacation on the, Coast The John Abbates (she's 

actress Lesley Woods) are returning after a year in Italy . 'Ah, Wil- 
derness'" will be the first broadcast of the "Theatre Guild" scries ih 
the fall. Basil Rathbone is booked lor a guest shot on the show during 
the -season, at an unspecified date. Carol Irwin, producer of the series 
4'or the Giuld, will spend the month of August on the Coast Rov 
Langham, national executive-secretary of the Radio Writers Guild, \ck 
over the weekend for a month's auto tour of Canada .... Gunn.ir Mickel- 
son,' who wrote under the name of Peter Michael, has retired from radio 
and is managing the Montana ranch he owns with his sister. Sandra 
Michael, , , iDuring Ed Byi-on's vacation aboard.his new cruiser motor- 
boat. Perry Laflerty will direct one week.and Earle McGill two weeks i>f 
"Mr." District Attorney" , . , Willinm M. Ramsey, Procter & Gamble 
radio boss, due back Monday (181 from brief Hollywood trip , George 
Heller, national and local AFRA ejiecutive-secretary, due back from 
vacation next week: . , .Elaine Garrington, who already has three radift 
serials on the air, is readying several television program packages. . 
She's summering at her Bridgehampton (L.I.) home. • 
Bud Barry, no sooner back from vacation, than off to the Coast on 
mum biz . . Final pacting inked last week for Groucho Marx's return . 

to ABC Sept. 29 for Elgin-American WINS yipping and ABC si-z- ; 

zlirig over current New Yorker cover . .. lU. S. Tobacco has added 
WLW, Cincy, to the 483 Mutual stations Carrying "Take a Number" . . . •. 
Edgar Kobak laying around his Pine Orchard (Conn.) retreat for three 
weeTcS. . . Paul R. Benson has left Young & Rubicam to become as- 
sistant director of research at Mutual - . .John Tillman narrating one- 
reel -video films for Acme Television Features ... Dick Brahm of : 
WQXR bought a car from Harry Beethoven, N. Y. attorney. 

Bob Shayon, "You Are There'- producer, and the missus took off for : 
the Coast last week following the show.'s season curtain-dropper. He'll • 
stay over for the Radio & Television . Directors Guild's national con- 
ference (being N. Y, local prexy) and return in time for "There^s" ve-r 
turn to air Aug. 22 . . . New boy at the .home of Robert Paul Smith, * 
writer on the Jack Smith, show. . . Ed Murrow has bought a 10-acre \ 
country place at Quaker Hill, near Pawling, makings him a neighbor of 

Lowell "Thomas and Gov. Dewey Johnny Mince, clarinetist on the 

Arthur Godfrey show, welcomed twins (boy and girl) July 6 at Glen ; 
Cove, L. I. This seems to run in Archie Bleyer's orch. Little over 
year ago, guitarist Hemo Palmier! got a double visit from the stork, 

Roger Krupp, spieler on "Just Plain Bill," has subbed for Ford Bond . 
and Howard Clancy during vacations on "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round," . 
"American Album of Familiar Music," "Waltz Time" and "American ' 
Melody Hour". , , David J, Miller, Jr., has left WFIL-TV, Philly, where 
he was chief engineer, to become tele operations Supervisor at ABC - - . ! 
Herbert Bachman of ABC research has been named manager of ABC • 
tele research. . , .Dick Dudley, WNBC's new late-evening di.sk jockey, - 
hopped out to Cleveland last Thursday (8) to wed Carol Corwin Portu- • 
gal, radio actress Murry Harris, WNBC's publicist, sailing Friday ■ 
(16) on the Batory for a three-week looksee at England and France. . , , •' : 
Florence Pritchett, until lately AVOR's "Barbara Welles," married Earl 
E, T. Smith, N; Y, broker, at. Santa Barbara, Calif., Monday (12) . . . . " 
WilUiim Whitehouse of ABC's news staff upped to news editor. 

Warren Hull's 17-year-old jBon, John, starting in to learn radio from ' 
the bottom up as a pageboy at ABC. . . ..Tack Barry pacted to emcee .' 
WNEW's takeaway;* "You Can Lose Your Shirt," which tees off next ; 
Monday (19). Contestants, who'll ante up to $100 for the privilege of > 
getting on, will include Bennett Cerf .,. Bob Dixon has taken over ■ 
Johnny Olsen's emcee chores on WINS' "It's in the Bag" stanza from ' 
the Iceland eatery .... Clarence Menser, ex-NBC program veepee. fell . 

and broke his ankle .last week in Florida, where he now resides Tom • 

McPadden, new WNBC topper, held staffers over for two long night ' 
sessions la.st week to prep long-range plans. Including a batch of public 
affairs stuff. 

Robert' Hurleigh, chief of Mutual's Chi news bureau, devoted his * 
full 15-min. web stint Friday (9) to a salute to everybody's radio-tele . 
coverage of the two political conventions, noting the $2,000,000 overall 
tab, , , Symphony Sid's new WMCA nightowl show got a new theme 
number in a Victor platter, just being released, titled "Symphony in ; 
Sid," waxed by Illinois Jacquet's swing combo ... WWRL, L. I. indie, 
released a survey of foreign language broadcasting in N. Y. to 1.000 - 

agencies and adverti.sers WNBC's Tony Provost is working with ' 

UN people on a man-in-the-street quiz to originate from Lake Success. , 
Late summer teeoff is planned . Amzie Strickland and Mitzie Gould 
newcomers to "Helen Trent" ... Virginia Gregori and Barbara Kline ' 
added to "Just Plain Bill" cast . . Rosalind Green and Arnold Robert- ; 
son with "Front Page Farrell." 

In the latest shufllS of production assignments in the Compton agency 
radio department, David Leson has been switched from supeivi.sion • 
?t ' »*ster" to -Young Dr. Malone," with Kathleen Lane taking o\ er 
the Big Sister" stint . . Hnriy Herrmann, co-producer of Kraft's TV ; 
series on NBC, arrives in Hollywood Julv 28 for a two-Week stay. He^s 
taking over Ed Gardner's home, car and boat. The comic at the time 
Will be on European tour. . . . Ford Bond, radio producer and announcer, 
off on a Grace Line South America cruise last week. He's due baclc 
July 26. . . ,Lily Blake, director of new« and special events for WNYC, 
resumed her chores last weejc after a month's absence resulting from 
a minor operation, . 

^w^?. ^^^^^ Saturday (17) on "Radio City Pla^■housc•' 

on NBC. , . .Larry Harding, who left the CBS producer staff here last 
winter to become program director of a Rochester (N Y.) station, now ■ 
nas a^ proraption-exploitation firm there... Bea Wain and Andre ; 
Baruch, who do a Mr. & Mrs. disk series twice daily on WMCA, have 
signed for a series of nine recorded musical spots for Nedick, to plug 
a new drink product, , Sylvia D.owling, a commercial writer for Young 
wuT. * f*™' assisting on pi-pduction for the agency on the Life- 

NBC tele coverage of the Democratic convention. 

i'enton Productions, N. Y., lias been retained-by the MacManus. John 
7«i;-?'^* ^j, ^^^^^yj. Detroit, to handle its radip production needs. 
Agency handles the Pontiac and Cadillac actfouhts. 

m HOLLYWOOD ... 

Johnny Mulvihill to Gotham to head up General Artist Corp's radio- 
tele talent operations. Harold Jovien, who joined GAC's music booking 
ranks a. year ago, succeeds him,,.. James H. Love moved over from 
post as Coast production supervisor of State Department's Internaiional' 
Motiori Picture Division to film editor spot on KFI-TV. . . .Jack Worm- 
ser added to KECA's writer-producer'staffl for the summer, pinchhitUng 
for Frank Morris Jay c. Flippen inked for "Opera Once Over Ligbt- 
Din°S KMGM. Kid-the-classics disk Show flipped Oft Saturday ilO) . . - ' 
Bill Spier of CBS easted for five-week vacation. Gil Doud direcl-s 

. . Edgar Kaiser, general manager of 
Pl^nl' in tor sponsor party at CBS, mark- , 
I?/ i n '! ^^'ows on that net. . . .William Livingston »«« 

Frank Parker out of RKO with shutdown of that studio's radio depart- 

r'il d"'*^?'"^ Hughes. They're going back into radio production. - 
"Jj^^lIJ"' \ Tr^^ H^''' "«"is' first guest on the chatterer's first 
M^^A^^nof"^^^^ Coast-originated sUnia for the summer over CBS 
Monday (12).. , , Corny Jackson named radio chainuan of West Coast 

(ConUniued on page 34) 



Wcdncuday, hdj 14, I9€t, 



NBC'S 8% HIKE IN '48 BIZ PEAK 



Radio Advertising: 1948 

An ad agency was asked by a prospective client to submit a radio 
recommendation for one ol its heavy-goods household products. 
After making a detailed study of the bankrolling of network pro- 
gram by- similar accounts, tlie agency estimated that it would cost 
the prospective client a minimum of $850,000 a year for time and 
talent to do as efitective a network job. 

The agency's masterminds, in further kicking the thing around, 
became dubious about the investment, for this particular product, 
paying oft within a 13-week cycle, and browsed around for an idea 
that would have a better chance of holding tlie account once it got 
into the house. 

The recommendation finally submitted was that the client ap- 
propris^te for the agency's use the sum of $350,000 and the agency 
would guarantee to spot the product on an appended long list, of 
giveaway programs and garner lor the product so many accumula- 
tive minutes of commercial credits. Included in the presentation 
was a breakdown showing the amount of advertising the account 
would get for its $850,000 as compared to the greater accumula- 
tion of bluihing that would be derived from the giveaway tieup. 

The .$350,000 appropriation would be used principally for pur- 
chase of the product directly from dealers, thereby, as the agency 
pointed out, building up a valuable relatimiship between the manu- 
facturer and its outlets. 



Victory Budks General in New Plea 
ToFCC(MiPnrcliaseBidforWOV,N.Y. 



Washington, July 13. 4 

Victorv Broadcasting Corp. 
(Ralph Weil, manager of WOV, 
N. Y.; Arnold Hartley, program di- 
lector of WOV, and Joseph Leigh) 
.last Friday (9) invoked the AVCO 
rule and presented a petition to 
tlie Federal Communications Com- 
mission protesting the sale of WOV 
unless they arc considered as buy- 
ers..- 

General Broadcasting Corp. 
(Richard E. O'Dea, Herman Be.ss 
and Harry Reichenstein) had ear- 
lier petitioned to have Victory's bid 
set aside and their oifer for the 
Italian-English language station ap- 
proved. 

Victory said it "will in all re- 
. .spects meet the terms and condi- 
tions proposed by General." The 
company pointed out the qualifica- 
tions of the purported buyers who 
have raised the standards of the 
station in the last five years to a 
degree where they have 
mention in every national radio 
award. 

Invokes AVCO Rule 

In 1941 the Commission ordered 
Arde Bulova and Harry B. Hx;n- 
sliel. ovvners of both WOV and 
WNEW. N. to sell controlling 
interest in one or the other station. 
Mester Bros, tried to buy WOV, 
but the Commission ruled against 
them managing the station, so 
Bulova and the principals of Gen- 
eral arrived at an agreement. How- 
ever, present management, as rep- 
resented by Victory, claimed under 
(Continued on page 34) 



Generally Speaking 

Goodman Ace ("Mr. Ace & 
Jane") says, come late August, 
he swijtches from General 
■Bradley (for the Army) to 
General Foods (for Jello.) 

It's for the good of the serv- 
ice, he says. . 



Negro Hfinstrel' 
Show Hits Snag 

Sclieduled to preem last Wednes- 
day ni!4lit (7) on NBC as the web s 
suinmcr sustainer replacement for 
the Dennis Day Colgate show, the 
all-Negro "National Minstrels" pro- 
gram failed to hit the air following 
a last-minute squawk by the *fa- 
tiona! Assn. for the Advancement 
of Colored People. NAACP pro- 
tested that the Negro stereotype 
was too-hcavily accented and also 
beefed about use of the word min- 
sti-el in the title. 

Artually. NBC had sounded out 
Walter White, head of the NAACK 
iof an opiftion rather than risk 
after-broadcast repercussions. Ihc 
web played an audition platter for 
White the day before the sched- 
rrprcem, at which time he pu 
the nix on the program- ex 
n es"ect a willingness to change the 
[iUe but couldn't do anything 
about the Negro dialect. _ , 

As result, NBC did a reprise of 
convention highlights last Wednes- 
day and is reformatuig the show 
tZ an all-Kegio variety layou tor 
debjifc at some later date. Us a 
^?fddif eroSf NBC had a full 

®^ «f Sons for the replace- 

llr/nf inlludS outt*** »^ 
the south. 



NBCs orElse'To 
Grauer^BaMliart 
O.Dd&L; 

Two of NBC's busiest spielers, 
Ben Grauer and Kenneth Bang- 
received j hart, are caught on the horns 
of similar, unhappy dilemmas. 
They've got to choose between 
I staying with NBC <kr conUnuing 
with a couple of programs with 
which they've been prominently 
identified. . 

Grauer, it's learned, has been i 
under pressure for some time from 
NBC to check off his stint with 
Walter Winchell on ABCi but has 
been able to "fend off the' move 
under an agreement by NBC at 
the time the Blue Network was 
divorced, that NBC staffers tied 
up with shows on the latter web 
could stay with them. Now, how- 
ever, that Winchell is to become 
an ABC property, NBG is under- 
stood to have renewed Its insists 
ence that Grauer, who's relttctant; 
to mak" the choice, decide between 
NBC and Winchell. 

It's believed WW will make 
Grauer a tempting offer to con- 
tinue their longstanding tieup, but 
whether it would be sufficient to 
match, in coin and prestige, 
Grauer's assignments and opportu- 
nities with NBC, is apparently 
questionable. 

For NBC, Grauer currently is 
on the Chesterfield Supper Club, 
tliG NBC Symphony and "Living— 
1948." He also moderates NBC- 
TV's "Americana" quiz stanza. 

Banghart succeeded in identify- 
ing himself prominently as "the 
voice of Ford" on the Ford Thea- 
tre this past season, only to haye 
(Continued on- page 55) 



m UP iflo, 

REFIlIESmiS 

As a further reflection of the 
networks' current "we're-in-busi- 
ness-to-stay" stance to oSCset the 
television drumbcaters, NBC has 
hit an alltirae peak on billings for 
the first six months of 1918. Actu- 
ally, tJie web is 8% over business 
recorded for Uie first hialf of 'i8 

T — .^-nc* 's^*^ '4 

All hUUltlUll K>Oa pUltltS W t. 

fact that, on the basis of pres- 
ent contractual commitments, it 
will slmw a 3% hike in business 
over last year for the first nine 
months of 194& Furtber, the net- 
work claims the year-end: will find 
the billings incn»sed even higher. 

Execs around the four networks 
have become increasingly annoyed 
in recent months over what tliey 
term the "AM downbeat boys" 
who apparently derive joy in 
spreading the gospel that ''radio's 
washed op." As far as the guy 
who lays it on tlie line for a half-- 
hour show is conoemed say the 
nets, radio is kiddng its well- 
heeled toe higher than ever. : 

In substantiation, they point to 
the newspaper-niagaine-radio na- 
tional advertising picture for the 
month of May. Radio , for example, 
is credited with an S% advance in 
billings over the same month in 
'47, whereas index for all major 
media was up 7% over the previ-r 
ous year. 

That radio business for May was 
1% below the previous month 
(whereas in newspapers the gain 
over the previous month was 4%) 
is attributed to the 'start of the 
summer slump in radio. But on 
the hasi.-j of current agency-tUent 
activity, they aver, the upcoming 
broadening season will find all the' 
established bankrollers again rid- 
ing the coast-to-coast kilocycles, 
with some planning espansion in 
billings. 



Of Europe Beaose of Bad Reception, 
Compeffibn, Sets loid Its Poor label 



„ FatSs, July *. 

( The ''Voice of America" is no 
more thao a «^S!per in most of the 
tfree countries of JBuiwaie. lliis is 



hasiPi Cni^s Eipss^ %sb| 



of tier early niormng *progranL<; on 
WJZ, New York, via transcription 
and a fcwby direct line. Slie leaves 
St. Liouifi today <Wed.9, will be in 
Cliicagc temornsw (Thurs.J and Fri- 
day (16) and resumes her live 
shows Monday (19). in New York- 
She left the home station July I 
and flew to Denver, where she did 
broadcasts July 2 and 5 in connec- 
tion with tlie location premiere of 
Eagle Uon's "Canon Cily." 



Ex-Con's Ceifideice 
Game Akrts Radw To 
Phonies Mnictiiig Dialers 

Radio; and mora particularly 
A. L. Alexander's "Mediation 
Board" on WOS-MntuaV picked up 
a minor black eye last week. It 
turned out, according to Attorney 
General Nathaniel L>. Goldstein of 
New York, that an ex-convict who 
faked a hardluck story on Alex- 
ander's airer last Christmas, and 
subsequently was showei%d witii 
$13,500 in cash and 2,200 boxes of 
clothing, food, etc.. by sympathetic 
listeners, had paid off a $2,000 
mortgage on his Connecticut home 
and spent an additional $9,000 on 
a new car and a Florida vacation. 

Goldstein, with Alexander, asked 
the supreme court to appoint a 
special guardian to protect the in- 
terest of the ex-convict's son, a 
10-year-old, in a $2,2150 bank ac- 
count. Court was also asked ia 
name a receiver for another ac- 
count of $381 in the names of the 
parents, Mr. and Mrs. John A. 
Walker. Two sums are all that is 
i left of the contributed jackpot. 

.Alexander admits he didn't look 
very carefully into Walker's back- 
ground before putting Mm on the 
air— but vows it won't ' 
again, if he can -help it. 



Wdd OvMones 
ToOvefshaibw 
NBC $ Powwow 



As radio powwows go, KBC's up- 
coming second annual convention^ 
to be held at Sun Valley. Idaho, 
Sept, 22 to 23, will be unprece- 
dented in character. On the theory 
tliat radio lias achieved a status as 
the most vital of communications 
media today, and with the attend- 
ing complexities of world alfairs. 
NBC is blueprinting an agenda that 
will encompass considerably more 
tlian meraly solving network af- 
filiate problems. 

In fact the chief accent of the 
convention will be put on tallcs by 
top-ranking Government officials, 
as well as by advertising chieftains. 
NBC figures that radio's role to- 
day far transcends that of putting 
a show on the air and requires par- 
ticipation in events that will shape 
the future peace of the world. As 
one exec put it: "Those affiliate 
squawks concerning station breaks, 
etc., that previously inundated con- 
vention agendas, can be hiandled 
just as easily by mail ot on the 
phone. You don't need conventions 
for such issues." 

NBC made a survey among its 
affiliates to determine what other 
matters should be highlighted. 
Television got the most heity re- 
sponse, with the result that one 
complete day of the four-day meet 
will be devoted to analyzing the 
whole video picture. The new NAB 
code and the NBC code will also be 
projected before ttae delr^tes^ 



tne opcniy cxpicssea new oi jcawa 
toppers and mGn-in-fhe«treet in 
Holland, Belgium, France andi 
Switzerland, Tlie Voice's only- 
fans in these M^inntries are listed, 
in tlie foUovnng order: lUam, ' 
homesick Americans and the hand- 
ful of chip-heayy £un>pean« wjhv 
have higii^-quality staointwave .' 
ceivers in woridng order. 

Bosses of radio here and ia 
of just plain citizens made no 
bones about ffaeii- belief that the 
"Voice" airers ar^t pulling a bis 
audience in countries outside the 
Russian spbere of influence — • 
where. Uiey go «m to say, the i»< 
verse .may well be true. I'mese are 
(he opinions of 'William Vogt, di- 
rector of AVBO, official radio of 
Holland; Theodore Fieisdiman. 
boss of Belgium's Badio .Diffusion; 
Louis 'Mcriia, chief of JUixem- 
bourg's radio, the only cnmaiercial. 
operation on tlie Cmitincnt, and 
.several spokesmen for Badio Dif- 
fusion of France. Their views 
were reinforced by several Ameri- 
cans living on tlte Continent wiio 
have" made it tbcii- busmess to in-, 
vestlgate the tituatlon. Outeid« 
the Iron Countries, Hyt habit «f 
listening, bypoed duriQjg the ^var 
years, ham't carried over into the 
peace.' 

Radio moguls here list three big 
reasons for the cold slioulder our 
"Voice" airers receive — absence oC 
any great and immediate threat to 
security coupled with a wide di- 
versity of local press .and Intra-, 
Eurqpean radio media bad recep- 
tion from the U. S. and lack of 
high-quality dx receivers. TJie 
Swiss probably do more dialing on 
the shortwave spectrum because 
the rooontainons terrain xatikei it 
diGTicult for tbeni to good local 
service. It was pointed out, how- 
ever, that even here BBC has n 
definite edge over the "Voice" be- 
cause of superior reception. 

Uncle Sam's best clumte of get- 
(Contixiued on page 31) 



One-Shot 'Husband' 
Makes the CBS Grade 

What started out as a one-shot 
rdler last week, because "Our Miss 
Brooks" wasn't ready to hit the 
air— the Lucille Ball "My Favorite 
Husband" situation comedy— now 
shapes up as one of the brighter 
potentials on the CBS program- 
ming agenda. 

Columbia has bought the show 
and starting July 23 it goes into 
the Friday at 9 slot on the network. 
When it did pinchhit duty Monday 
(3), it got top reception among the 
flock of new CBS premieres. 



Sylvester L. (Pal) 

Weaver, Jr. 

(Ditetlor 6l Radio^Television, Veepet, 
yovng & Rubicom) 
forecost'f for 
"Television and tha Adver- 
tising Agency: An Era oj 
Real Creative PiMerning'"' 
\n ■ 

3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBS 
OMt JAjs MmI* 



RW€ Gets P^yffifces For 
40 m News Stafo 

Under a new agreement reached 
last Friday <9) between the net- 
works and the Radio Writers 
Guild, stall: news writers get a 
blanket raise jf $33.75 per mouth, 
witli severance pay and extra 
money for work done on holidays. 
Between .35 and 40 writers are 
covered by the agreement. 

CBS, ABC and Mutual have ac- 
cepted the tcrm.s, but the holiday 
pay clause still has to be worked 
out with NBC. The new pact is 
effective from July 1 through SepL 
.30. 1949. The Guild originally 
.sought the right , to reopen Uie 
agreement to permit a cost-of-liv- 
ing salary boost, but finally com- 
promised on a shorter-lerm deal. 

An agreement covering staff 
script writers is still in negotiation. 



Judy Stanr Hurt in Crash 

Chicago, July 13. , 
Judy Starr, radio songstress, 
suffered internal injuries and pos- 
sible skuU fracture l^Viday <9) in 
an auto accident north of Chicago. 
Singer, driving alone,, careened off 
another car and smashed into a 
house. " ' 

She was taken to St. Franei» 
hospital. Biranston. UL. vAtm iwr 
condition remains serious. . 



AFRA Votes Ikw 
^so^h PoScy 

New rule applying to rehearsal 
stand-ins has been adopted by the 
New York chapter of the Ameri- 
can Federation of Badio Artists. 
Measure was adopted by referen- .- 
dum vote of the membership, after . 
discussion at the last meeting. June 
lOi. It becomes effective Monday 
(19). ■ 

Begulation calls for the use of 
a stand-in whenever any actor (or 
singer or announcer) is absent 
from re!iearsal for more than 15.. 
minutes. The stand-in is to be paid 
by the absent actor according to 
the following scale: 

On commercial shows, $8.75 per 
hour, with one hour minimum, and 
$4.38 per subsequent half-hour. 

On transcription shows, $7.90 per 
hour, with one hour minimum, and. 
$4 per subsequent half-hour. 
' On sustaining shows. $4 per ; 
hour, one hour minimum, and $2- 
per. subsequent half -hour. Employ- 
er may pay the fees at his option. 

At the June 10 meeting the New 
York membership also voted a'u- 
thoriza'^ion of a party or dance to 
raise fund' to cover the cost of 
sending delegates to the annual 
national convention and resolved 
to make two issues of the local 
house organ, Stand By< available 
each year for statements support- 
ing candidates for union ofiice. A 
proposal that all membership meet- 
ings be automatically adjourned at 
midnight was deferred with tlte 
stipulation that it. be the first «r> 
der of business at the next aec^ 
ing. 



86 



TBUBVISIOIV 



Wednceday, July 14, 1948 



D.C TV Due for Coiqile Mwe Years Of 
Floundering; B.O. Not Yet Affected 



(No, 5 in o series hy Vamety-- 
correspondents showing how tele 
is projecting itself in the key 
cities around the country-) 



. By IHUBRMAN LOWE 
* Washington, July 13. 
With fewer' than 14,000 sets, in 
operation in Uie Washington 
metropolitan area, television here 
is just beginning to come out of 
the taproom and into the home. 
It's still regarded as prime bait for 
the eating and drinking spots, par- 
ticularly on nights when there is 
an important sports event. How- 
ever, it hasn't been around long 
enough ixi make a real dent on 
boxoffices or to hypo them sub- 
stantially, so that opinion is mixed 
here on just what effect it has on 
other fields of entertainment. ' 
Here is the roundup: 
Video- seems to have no ap- 
preciable effect on the gate of the 
Washington Hedskins, the town's 
powerful pro eleven. Griffith Park 
is sold out game after game for 
the 'Skins and it's figured that tele 
helps to take care of the over- 
flow. Same is true for the baseball 
Senators. General belief is that 
Video has hypoed the b.o. for pro 
wrestUng which picked up last 
winter after 'the television cameras 
began to play on the rasslers. 
Some help is also figured toward 
pro boxing, which has never been 
too sensational in this area. The 
town has a good pro basketball 
team, whose home games were 
teDevised last Winter but with no 
definite decision as to whether 
TV helped or hurt the gate. 

So far as the picture houses are 
concerned, it's too early to tell. 
Morty Gerber, of District Theatres 
(large chain catering to all-Negro 
audiences) points out that when 
something like a Louis- Walcott 
fight comes along attendance drops 
as much as 80%. However, this 
isn't attributed to TV since most 
customers^ don't have video sets 
but do have radios. Generally, he 
believes, tele hasn't yet fait his 
business and "It will be a long 
time yet." 

'Excuse For Poop Piistures'. 
Frank Boucher, president of 
I). C. Variety Tent, and manager 
of the K-B Circuit, has gone out 
to meet television half way. Op- 
erating on a tiein with Philco 
tlealers, his Apex theatre distrib- 
uted ballots on "why I like tel&- 
vision" with the winner to get a 
$1)000 receiver. ^"Tele will supple- 
ment but never supplant pictures," 
says the confident Boucher. "All 
the exhibitors needs are good pic- 
tures. AH this talk of the threat 
of television is merely an excuse 
for poor pictures." 

There were hopes here that ad- 
vance ballyhoo on the Republican 
Nation^tl Convention would hypo 
the sale of television sets. This 
proved a complete disappoint- 
ment. However, after people have 
witnessed such things' as major 
fights and the convention via 
video; set sale has perked up. 

One interesting angle is the be- 
lief that sports are getting shoved 
out of first place in importance. 
One television spokesman in this 
area figures popularity of pro- 
grams, in this order — variety 
shows, dramatic shows, news, 
sports. 

The three operating stations 
here are running about 25 hours 
a week except in such unusual 
situations as the political conven- 
tion weeks when all rules are off. 

Much of the local advertising 
on tele comes from the retail 
dealers themselves. In the current 
hot spell, stations aren't trying to 
sell commercials as much as they 
are readying interesting packages 
for the fall when they figure the 
. market should be much better. 
Considerable amount of experi- 
mentation in local shows is under 
it gets its television feet under it. 
working a "Hayloft" show (bam 
dancing, etc.), trying to cash in 
the popularity of hillbilly stuff. 
Another new show is built around 
a ballad singer. 

On a national basis, Washington 
tele stations figure they'll origi- 
nate exactly what originates here 
on sound radio — - news and com- 
mentary programs. All in all, it 
figures as a pretty safe bet that 
Washington TV will do a couple of 
more years 'of floundering before 
it hits its stride. 




Pioneer Scientific Corp. signed 
to sponsor a 10-minute Friday 
night comedy show feitturing 
Buddy Young and Richy Victor 
over WBKB (Balaban & Katz, Chi- 
cago). Outfit ill plug its Polaroid 
tele filter tk.rough ' the Cayton 
agency. 

Harry Alter Co., Chicago dis- 
tributors of major home appliances, 
inked renewal contract for spon- 
sorship of a once-weekly wres- 
tling show over WBKB. Agency is 
Malcoim-Huward. 

WPTZ, Philly, has added two 
new summer accounts. The "Buten 
Weather Man" will telecast week- 
end weather conditions in nearby 
resorts during the vacation monthsi 
Eddie First is the "Weather Man." 
Account was placed by the Phil 
Klein .Agency for M. Buten & 
Sons, paint manufacturers. 

The Austin Co., Philly construc- 
tion outfit, has contracted for a se- 
ries of five-minute film programs 
to rup during July, through Puller, 
Smith and Ross. 

WPTZ, Philly, renewals include 
the Stoney McLinn "Sports Scrap- 
book" for Gretz Beer, through 
Seberhagen, Inc.; Gray & Rogers 
signed up for 26 additional weeks 
for Barbey'js Sunshine Beer; the 
J. R. Kupsick Agency renewed the 
spot campaign for Brentwood 
Sportswear, and the Grey Agency 
renewed for the BVD Corp. Gimbel 
Bros, renewed "Handy Man" for 
another 13 weeks. 

Beneficial Saving Fund Society, 
the first Philly bank' to use TV, in- 
creased its spot campaign on 
WPTZ, with an additional 26* week 
contract, through the Richard A. 
Foley agency. 

Pioneer Scientific Corp., manu- 
facturers of Polaroid television 
filters, inked to sponsor Thursday 
night wrestling matches over 
WARD (DuMont, N. Y ). Agency is 
Kayton, Inc. 

General Time Instrument Corp., 
makers of Westclox, signed for a 
series of one-minute spots on 
WBKB (Balaban & Katz, Chicago). 
Agency is BBD&O. 

N. Snellenburg, Co., one of the 
PhiUy's leading department stores, 
and Peirce-Pbelps, distributor of 
Admiral television receivers, are 
co-sponsoring 18 daily announce- 
ments o.ver WCAU-TV, Phillys, 
during Democratic convention. 
WCAU'TV felt that viewer interest 
could best be held during the con^ 
vention by limiting commercial 
breaks to 20 seconds. Brown and 
Williamson Tobacco used a similar 
series of announcements during the 
GOP conclave, plugging Kool 
Cigarets. 



Don Meier 

(So(m Manager, WBKB, Chicago; 
findi Hiot 

"TF Begins to Pay Off, 
Sponsdr-Wise" 

on tditerldl feotwi ia 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
PREVIEW 

Out This Month 



Houseman's 'Chorus Girl' 

"A Day in the Life of a Chorus 
Girl," an eight-minute short film 
for use as a 10-minute sponsored 
video show, will be produced by 
John Houseman for Tele News. 
Howard Teichmapn is writing the 
script, with Houseman slated to 
direct. . - 

It will be a semi-fictional docu- 
mentary starring Gloria Stevens, 
chorus girl from "Inside U.S.A.," 
at tht Century. N. Y, 



Herb Moss TV Package 
Production Log Starts 
Roiling; 6-Way Spread 

Herb Moss, who this past season 
directed the "Vox Pop" airer on 
ABC, is henceforth channeling his 
1948-'49 activities into television, 
with a' six-way package log already 
on the agenda. 

Lineup includes a -Phil Silvers 
audience participation show, pack- 
aged at $2,000, called "Laugh and 
Learn," built around a Silvers 
o'wned-and-operated school . for 
dancing, music and magic. Silvers 
is being teamed with Charles Hay- 
wood. Joe Stein and Will Glick- 
man are the scripters. 

Hoss also has a $2,250 package 
for Mel Allen called "Meet Your 
Hero," in which kids from all 
walks of life are given a chance to 
meet their favorite sports hero. 
Yasha Frank is doing the scripting 
on this one, 

Lennen & Mitchell has optioned 
another Moss package, "Great 
Talent Hunt," priced at $1,850, 
which William Morris agency is 
handling. Jerry Lewis and Dean 
Martin, the nitery comics, have 
been packaged for a situation 
comedy with an audience participa- 
tion gimmick. ABC web has 
optioned "Sing for Your Supper,'* 
packaged at $1,500, With Warren 
Hull as emcee and originating from 
either the Astor hotel roof or the 
Terrace Room of the New Yorker. 
It's also a participation show, with 
Harry Ommerle handling. 

"Television Workshop," with a 
$900 price tag, has students doing 
scenes from established plays and 
judged by other students. Lee 
Strasberg is the "teacher." An- 
other $900 Moss package is "Cross- 
word VarietieB." 



GEN. lUS READIES 
MAJOR TELE PLUNGE 

General Mills, which recently 
announced its intention of staying 
out of television for the immediate 
present, is apparently switching its 
plans; Indications are that the food 
processor, one of the top spenders 
of radio, is about to enter the 
video field in a major way. 

Ed Smith, the firm's director of 
radio, was in New York last week 
for confabs with tele execs of both 
its agencies. Dancer - Fitzgerald - 
Sample and Knox Reeves. A com- 
plete survey of video availabilities 
and prospects was made. 



Television Reviews | 



Inside Television 



Press agents who contact newspapers around ;the country for radio- 
tele, interests report that television has presented an assignment 
problem in some towns. Attempts by picture editors or reviewers to 
ipove in on the new medium have been meeting, say the pa.'s, with 
stiff opposition from presiding radio editors. 

Contention set up by the radio eds is that any entertainment that 
comes mto the home by electronic device remains within their province 
and that only, time the film confrere should be permitted to concern 
himself with video professionally is when the thing is shown in public 
places, like picture houses. In some instances, film reviewers have 
tried to justify their expansion tactics by pointing out that private 
scanning is an old custom of theirs since they do most of the reviewing 
in projection taoios. 



Harper s magazine is conducting a television survey of its subscribers 
Questionnaire asks not only about the make and price of the set the 
subscriber owns or plans buying, but inquires what stations are most 
tuned, quality of reception, quality of programs, number of viewers in 
family, viewing hours, etc. <> ui 



,„«fc T iF""**^": ^^^^^ ?n ? tele serial it will be film rather than live, 
with JuUan Funt as scnpten Video shows would not, however, dupli- 
cate Funfsscnptng for "Nora Drake," but consist of a separate series 
Toni officials believe that at this stage of tele development one time 
live shows are a waste of coin, *^ ^ """^ 



John Gibbs, eastern radio representative of Berg-Allehbere ii work- 
ing with the agency's Hollywood office to set up production units to 
make television films in Hollywood. The idea is tb uaT ta?™» nn fho 
B^A list to produce the films, with Gibbs selling the i to sUnwSf 
through ad agencies in New York. 



AT LIBERTY CLUB , . 
With Jacqueline, Gordon Gaines, 

Sharon De Vries, D'Artcga 
Writer: Sy Frolick 
Director: Rojjer Muir 
15 Mins.; Thuis.; 8 p.m. 
U. S. RUBBER 
NBC, from New York 

{Fletcher D. Richards) 

"At Liberty Club" is based on a 
sound video idea of presenting 
variety bills in an informal dress. 
This type of show, however, is only 
as good as the performers on it. 
As such, this quarter-hour session 
needs strengthening. The talent 
on this show rarely rises above 
inediocrity despite lots of effort to 
make it appear otherwise. Bright- 
est thing about the session is the 
handling of the U, S. Rubber plug 
via a brief puppet and cartoon 
sequence. ; 

Show has a cafe setting in which 
Jacqueline plays hostess to as- 
sorted guests who stroll in and 
take their turn on the floor. Jac- 
queline, a Parisienne singer, also 
chanteuses a couple of numbers 
with only a mild impact. Comedy 
is supplied by Sharon De Vries, a 
zany operatic soprano. Her takeoff 
on "Romeo and Juliet" on the 
preem show (9) was frenzied but 
dull when it wasn't in questionable 
taste. Program was topped off by 
a pleasant romantic ballad ren- 
dered by baritone Gordon Gaines 
with D'Artega backing up on the 
organ. Hem, 

RATES HIGHES'r 

With .Tack McCarthy, m.v.. Bill 

'Corum, gruest 
5 Mins., 8:10'p.m. 
R & H BEER 
WPIX, New York 

A tame little idea, this, tliat 
won't hurt anybody's feelings and 
that spans five minutes with guile- 
less speed. When caught Friday (9), 
it preceded the pickup of the 
Giants-Dodgers game from the 
Polo Grounds. 

Basically, the charade contained 
in "Rates Highest," which, inci- 
dentally, is the' sponsor's trade 
slogan, is as surefire as any device 
having to-do with ratings or prefer- 
ences. In baseball, especially, it 
implies plenty combustibility. 
Again, it's one of those things that 
will probably get the bartender 
reaching for the bungstarter to 
quell an argument. 

The program calls upon the lis- 
tener to declare by ballot which of 
three players filling the same posi- 
tion on the Giants, Yankees and 
Dodgers teams rates as top man. 
On the program caught the candi-' 
dates were of second-base alloca- 
tion, namely, Jackie Robinson, of 
the Dodgers; Stuffy Stimweiss, of 
the Yanks, and Bill Rigney, Giants. 

Jack McCarthy, who m.c's the 
five-minuter, first cases the guest 
of the evening, a sportswriter, for 
his No. 1 choice and then pitches 
the ballot idea to the viewers, with 
the explanation that the diamond- 
eer garnering the most votes will 
be included in the program's pic- 
ture gallery of the all-star team 
representative of Greater New 
York. Telecasting of photos of can- 
didates in question is ^part of the 
routine. To give the thing a little 
more zip the program, could make 
these closeup shots of the candi- 
dates in action. 

Product is amply plugged within 
the five minutes. For the fadeout 
McCarthy and his guest are con- 
fronted with a tray of R & H suds, 
and the pair go through the ges- 
cture of clinking glasses as a tran- 
scription rolls off the R & H theme 
song, "Dormez Vous" (Go to Sleep). 
A natural inference from the 
themer, incidentally, is that the 
brewer IS competing for prospects 
with Sanka Coffee. If that's the 
angle, the request sounds a little 
misplaced on this budding medium. 

Odec. 



PLACES. PLEASE! 

With Barry Wood, Mary LaRoche, 

Olira Suarez, Bob DeVoye, Ber- 

nie Laytcn 
Producer: Barry Wood 
Director: Ralph Levy 
15 Mins.) Mon.-Wed.-Pri., 7:45 nm. 
Sustaining 

CBS. from New York 

This new backstage tele .series, 
giving featured performers, bit 
players and chorines from Broad- 
way shows and niteries a chance 
at some individual stuff, has a 
warming, informal quality that 
makes attractive video. Playing on 
the average audience's yen to get 
behind the scenes, and masking 
the program carefully with a dis- 
arming, easygoing style, Barry 
Wood as producer-singer-emcee, 
has hit on a familiar formula, but 
hit it satisfyingly. 

' ^^i!^^ accompanying an 
artist through a number, while 
other cast members limber up in 
the background; a perfomer 

•■.■■•,,■,.■■.',■ ■ ■ . , , 



ambling down the aisle of a de- 
sorted theatre onto the rehearsal 
stage; a couple stagehands movinir 
props during the act— all this i« 
worked in artfully to good im- 
promptu effect. Talent picked for 
the airer, judged by the show 
caught Monday (12), although not 
outstanding, is satisfactory. Singer 
Mary LaRoche lazied through a 
ballad, and dueted for finale with 
Wood; Wood had a number of his 
own as well; Olga Suarez did a 
modern dance bit; Bob DeVoye had 
another, and latter two did a dance 
together. 

Program is easy on the eye ear 
and brain these dog days, and 
okay. Current week's shows, Mon- 
day (12), Wednesday (14) and Fri- 
day (16), were on 6:45 p.m. sched- 
ule due to the Democratic Conven- 
tion. • Subsequent programs will 
be at the series' regular time. 
7:45-8 p.m. Bron. 



TELEVISION CKAPEL '. 

With Rabbi Louis I. Newman, Can- 
tor Nathan G. Meltzoff; Joseph 
Yasser, organist; others 

Director: Edward Stasheff 

Prod. Assistant: Clay Yurdin 

30 Mins.: Sun., 5 p.m. 

Sustaining 

WPIX, N. Y. 

This is television's first Weekly 
religious program, and WPIX is 
doing a surprisingly good job of 
.showing that such a series can be' 
both educational and entertaining. 
As an out-and-out public service 
show, for which there can be no 
financial returns, the station rates 
plenty of credit. But for making 
it a show that will also attract 
viewers for its entertainment qual-' 
ity, that credit is earned even ^ 
more. 

WPIX has set up a special 
chapel in its studio, which is used 
for nothing but this program. For- 
mat revolves so far strictly 
around actual religious services, 
with the Catholic, Protestant and 
Jewish faiths rotating, and the 
fourth week every month given 
over to a different denomination, 
such as the Greek Orthodox or one 
of the colored faiths. Present 
plans call for special shows at the 
holiday periods of any of the de- 
nominations, with remote pickups 
from churches and synagogues also 
scheduled in the future. 
_ Show caught (11) featured Re- 
formed Jewish services, with Rabbi 
Louis I. Newman of Temple 
Rodeph-Sholom (N.Y.) conducting. 
Markings in the chapel were natu- 
rally changed to. conform to the 
Jewish theme. Assisted by Cantor 
Nathan G. Meltzoff, organist Jo- 
seph Yasser and various soloists. 
Rabbi Newman presented the most 
important Hebrew prayers, trans- 
lating them into English for the 
benefit of non-Jewish viewers. Al- 
though they were dignified in 
keeping with the serious theme of 
the show, the services were inter- 
esting enough to appeal to all 
lookers. 

. Director Ed Stasheff and his as- 
sistant. Clay Yurdin, handled their 
cameras well, spotlighting the 
soloists neatly to heighten the. 
haunting quality of the Jewish 
prayers. It's too bad that some 
ot the other .stations which in- 
cluded religious programming in:* 
tijeir original applications to the 
A'CC have never followed through 
on those plans. Stal. 




Golnmnist-emcee Ed Sullivan 
dished up a consistently good 
brand of vaudeo Sunday night 
(11) over CBS - TV, captioned 
"Toast of the Town." Certainly 
Skitch Henderson, the Costello 
Twins, Joe E. Howard, Joey 
Adams with Tony Canzoneri and 
Mark Plant, and Lena Home, sup- 
plemented by what is seemingly a 
permanent line of six, and also 
a Post Office Quartet, made for a 
sock lineup. Basically each act is 
standard and seemingly nonchalant 
about the new iconoscope medium. 
Adams was particularly insouciant, 
mildly mugging his way to a strong 
personal click. The layout's stum- 
bling block was in the too-leisurely 
pace, with SuUivan's too-leisurely 
emceeing a factor. 

From the teeoff, the personable 
maestro-pianist Henderson maae 
for a good entr'acte. The Costellos 
(femmes), with their acro-dancing 
segued into the venerable 
Howard's "I Wonder Who's Kissing 
Her Now," and of course the song- 
smith's leading of a community 
sing rarely misses. Th.at goes aKso"' 
for his Cakewalk, the camera doing 
right by his nimble shoes, despite 
the vet songsmith's 78 years. Miss 
(Continued on page 32) 



VecTnewlay, Jfnly 14, 1943 



TRUEVISION 



Sit. 



CHEWY INTO HIGH TV GEAR 



NBC Has die Edge 

Tiade comment is more and more vocal concerning advantages 
enjoyed by NBC, through its UCA manufacturing connection, in 
the development of television. NBC can pour millions into TV 
program service and worry very little about immediate TV adver- 
tising revenues, since the sales of RCA receiving sets will be 
highly profitable. Meantime, CBS, its chief rival, must fmanee 
highly expensive television entertainment from either radio-pro- 
vided funds or current advertising contracts. 

William S. Paley has steadfastly resisted all proposals, many 
made as early as 1930, for CBS to establish a set-inanufacturing 
arm. Neither in the case of radio sets nor more recently in the 
^a^e of television sets has he figured iliat CBS should spread out. 
v^S' solo excarsian into industrial production has been through 
plionograph. records. 



if s 



8[^^ Eveii' TimeiaMe 

Piit Back to 1% Philip 



: Possibility that a television sta-*' 
tion may be able to break even 
financially, wliich had been looked 
for some time tliis year, is not 
probaMe naw until at leasf 1950. 
That's the opinion of Lawrence 
lE^illips, director of the DuMont 
te,le network whose WABD (N.Y.) 
had been figured to be the first to 
reach that magic black ink status. 

Chief reason for the delay, ac- 
cording to Phillips, is the new FCC 
regulation requiring a station op- 
erating as long as WABD to pro- 
gram at least two hours daily on a 
seven-day per-week operation and 
to total 28 hours weekly. That, 
Phillips said, nieans an expansion 
in both personnel and facilities, 
With an attendant increase in the 
payroll. Also responsible for the 
continuatipn of financial losses, 
Phillips said, are generally in- 
creased progranuning costs; a 
more competitive market in N, Y. 
witli the addition of new stations, 
and stronger demands on the part 
of viewers for better program 
quality. 

He pointed out that there's been 
a great increase in interest in tele 
by advertisers. "The courting stage 
has passed," he said. "The girl has 
said, 'I will/ But even so she hasn't ■ 
set a date for the marriage." 
Where' a broadcaster has control 
over operating costs and program- 
ming costs, both of which are up, 
111' said, he still can't break even 
imlil the income matches those 
two factors. And income, he point- 
ed out, is in the hands of the ad- 
vertisers. Most clients now ai'e in 
the process of setting up their ad 
bud.gets for tiic new season, so that i 
a better guess on potential income | 
will lae possible within the next! 
, 60-90 days. I 

Breakeven point additionally, I 
Phillips said, is dependent on I 
when advt-rtisers think that tele j 
-will aid their sales. That means, 
he declared, that time charges 
must reach a point where they're 
profitable both to the advertiser 
and to. the station. High rates in 
an area with comparatively few 
sets may be equitable to all con- 
cerned. For example, he said, a 
station such as WNHC-TV (Du- 
Mont affiliate in New Haven^, may 
charge comparatively high rates 
because it's the only station in the 
area. Advertiser is thus assured of 
a virtual monopoly in viewers and 
can count on a good sales impact 
for aU his commercial plugs. 

In competitive situations, such 
as N. Y., programming operations 
of individual stations may have a 
serious effect on other stations. 
Citing such costly shows as the 
''Texaco Star Theatre," he de- 
clared that "we may be moving 
into a situation where the expense 
parade is led by one of two ad- 
vertisers. As a result, the viewer 
may be spoiled to the extent that 
he won't bother tuning into any- 
thing but high-budgeted shows 
and will bypass sustainers on other 
stations." Phillips refuted that 
idea however, declaring that show 
business, including tele, is not de- 
pendent on money but on enter- 
tainment quality, knowhow, imag- 
ination, etc. 

• CBS STOPS 'STOOP' 
• CBS pulled "Col. Stoopnagle'S 
Sloop," a half-hour stanza, after a 
single performance. It got its 
single airing June 30. 

Ai'tUiu- Moore was the producer 
and writer. 



J. R. Poppele 

Prssident, T«(ei/ision Sroacfcosferi 
Associafion 

defcrils 

"Moral Responsibility Ciled 
€ts Challenge lo Television" 

an editorial feature in the 

3d Annual Special 
RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

of 

Out This Month 



Session Set For 
Chsmnel Beefs 



Washington, .July 13. 

Testimony on specific- proposals 
for individual cities and television 
channels was completed Friday (9) 
in the Federal Communications 
Commission's cliannei redistribu- 
tion and reallocation hearings. 
General appearances were post- 
poned until July 26-27. The future 
hearing should prove interesting 
as .several companies are propos- 
ing to present arguments for more 
channel.";, higher froquonoy tele- 
vision and directional antenna. 

Chairman Wayne Coy and Com- 
missioners Rosel Hyde and George 
Sterling sat in the hearings last 
vveek vvhile the attendance con- 
tinued to dwindle. Applicants 
presented their own regional prob^ 
lems. 

The FCC Bar Assn and many of 
the attorneys involved asked 
Chairman Coy for a later hearing 
on the legality of the proceeding 
and to protest the basic principle 
of FCC's allocation plan. Coy as- 
sented. 

Attorneys say the FCC may be 
overstepping its powers in allo- 
cating channels throughout the 
country and not giving an individT 
ual hearing to any proposal by an 
applicant. The only appeal an ap- 
plicant has is in a large rules meet- 
ing such as is now taking place, 
whereas the attorneys say they 
would like to appear individually 
before the Commission and be 
heard in the same manner as with 
standard stations. Presentations 
of the findings of experts employed 
by the applicants should be heard 
in detail and judged on their 
merit, the lawyers contend. 



G£ Mulls Duplicating 
ABC Quizzer on TV 

General Electric is considering 
sponsorship of simultaneous tele- 
cast of its radio quizzer, "What's 
My Name?" Thursday nights on 
ABC. Increased talent cost would 
be relatively small for a show of 
that type. 

Understood the results of the 
simultaneous AM-FM performance 
of the "Breakfast Club" program is 
a factor in the bankroUer's inters 





'JUS! II SM' 

Chevrolet, which has been in 
television up to its hubcaps for 
the last three years, will soon 
plunge into the medium up to its 
roof. 

Group of 184 local Chewy deal- 
ers within reach of N.Y, tele sta- 
tions' transmitting signals have al- 
ready allocated $450,000 to TV ad,-" 
vertising for the remainder of 
1948, sewing up among other 
things, rights to the N.Y. Yankees' 
pro football games next fall. 
Chevvy parent company's 1949 
budget is now being planned and 
its. 'TV allocation may double the 
dealers' figure. Auto company has 
signed to bankroll the Yanks' 
games for 1948,-'49 and '50. 

Chief factors in the car com- 
pany's greatly-expanded tele ac- 
tivity are its ad agency, Campbell- 
Ewald, and the agency's tele vee^ 
pee ; Winslow H. Case. In a re- 
alignment of the agency last, week, 
prexy Fletcher Richards, who had 
headed up C-E of New York, left 
to start in business for himself. 
Formerly a .subsidiary company, 
C-E of New York is now a branch 
of the parent CrE agency which 
headquailers in Detroit. As the 
first step in its new program, the 
N.Y. outfit has set up shop in a 
suite of new offices devoted strict- 
ly to TV. Other media will be 
handled later as the N.Y. office ex- 
pands to other floors in the build- 
ing, but for the present the inter- 
est is' centered almost exclusively 
in TV. 

Plans for investing that $450,000 
budget in addition to the Yankee 
football games, according to Case, 
include the sponsorship of 14 stake 
races from varioiis N. Y. tracks; 
dramatic series on the NBC-TV 
over WCBS-TV: -oa half-hour 
east coast web, which will probably 
run each Monday night starting 
about Sept. 1 and for which at least 
half of the total budget budget has 
been earmarked weather spots on 
various N.Y. outlets, and a special 
one-shot Christmas Eve benefit 
show for underprivileged children. 
Latter will take place in the WNBT 
(NBC, N.Y.) studios, where a party 
given the moppets, with top-name 
entertainers on hand, will be tele- 
vised. 

Yanks for DuMont 

Yankee games are to be aired 
over WABD (DuMont), which tele- 
vised the games last year under 
sponsorship of Spring Mill Fabrics, 
InC; Bill Slater will repeat as an- 
nouncer. All seven home games 
will be picked up. with as many of 
the out-of-town games as are avail- 
able. Cost of the dramatic series 
is to be partially shared by dealers 
in other cities on NBC-TV, who 
are now forming local associations 
[or their entry into tele. Under 
the agency's guidance, meanwhile, 
the dealers are building a reserve 
fund for sponsorship of other spe- 
cial events that may turn up. 

Chevvy's resurgence of interest 
in tele, after l.ying comparatively 
low with sponsorship only of the 
Telenews Newsreel in eight cities 
for the la.st year, points up the ad^ 
vantages in tele for auto manur 
facturers. Ford has long been one 
(Continued on page 32) 



MARTIN GOSCH SELLS 
2 NEW TELE SHOWS 

Martin Gosch, whose "Tonight 
on Broadway" television series re- 
cently ended a run on CBS-TV, has 
sold two new video shows, one to 
Dumont and the other to CBS-TV, 
First is a comedy series to co-star 
Zero Mostel and Joey Faye, to 
stiH t in about four weeks on WABT 
(Dumonti. probably in a Sunday 
night spot. 

•The other will be a dramatic se- 
ries with the radio school and 
drama workshop of the Neighbor- 
hood School, N. V. It will start in 
August on CBS-'TV. Both shows 
will be sustainers. 



A P«Hradox! A Broadway Tur% 
Becomesa TV ^ to Set New Vt^ue 



Other television news on 
page 5. 



•F. M. FLYNN ■ 

Prasfdehf 6/ WWX . 
dstails his views «n 

'Programming Trends 
of the Indie TV 

Station" 

■ *'■ •* ■ *■ 

an editorial feature in 



, t<A3iMETYS 
3d Ahnuat Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 

PREVIEW 

: Out This Month 



NfiCs&^talion 
CeaM Teknet 



Hollywood, July 13. 
. An NBC six-station Coast tele- 
vision network is in the offing, 
though many, "if s" and "buts" 
loom in the horizon, it was learned 
throubh Hal Bock, net's C o a s t 
video director. 

Net's Coast standard broadcast 
stations; KOMO in Seattle. Wash- 
ington; KMJ, Fresno Calif., and 
KFSD, San Diego have applied to 
the FCC for tele licenses while 
affiliate in Portland, KGW, has 
been granted its construction per- 
mit. San Francisco TV station, 
KKON-TV, (SF Chronicle) has 
been inked by NBC as tele outlet 
and net will operate Us own 
KNBH here. 

Bock stated that though no 
papers have, been signed with tlic 
stations which has applied for tele 
licenses, as they have not yet re- 
ceived the go ahead from the FCC, 
but there is nothing to. stop them 
from nodding as they pass one an- 
other. With the inception of af- 
filiated stations in Portland, 
Seattle, Fresno and San Diego, 
NBC will have 'i^ owned, operated 
and affiliated video outlets. 

With western and eastern chains 
operating, NBC will have a good 
start on nationwide network, which 
according to Sid Strotz, NBC- v-p, 
is not likely before 1953. 



'Hawdy' Snares Its 1st 
Sponsor, Polaroid; Tootsie 
Rolls Also Sweet on It 

"Howdy Doody," hour-long pup- 
pet show aired Tuesdays. Thurs- 
days and Saturdays on the NBC 
television network, jsnagged its first 
sponsor this week , when the Polsr- 
oid Co. pacted to bankroll a 15- 
rainute segment of the show on 
Thursdays. Signing of Polaroid 
was the fir.st indication that NBC 
is willing to break the program into 
individual segments for sale to par- 
ticipatiiig sponsors. 
. Despite the' evident, slowness 
with which sponsors are being 
lined up for "Howdy," the show 
may be slotted across-the-board on 
the NBC-TV web in the near fu- 
ture. Emcee Bob Smith, who also 
(Continued on page 32) 



TED COLLINS EYES 
SITE FOR TV STATION 

Ted Collins, Kate Smith's man- 
ager and producer, is looking over 
Dallas and Boston as possible sites 
for a television station. 

He ha.sn't decided between the 
two cities as yet, however, and has 
no application before the Federal 
Communication Commis.sion. It's 
understood he may not make a 
decision until October or Novem- 
ber. 

It's his own project, with Miss 
Smith not figuring in it. Some 
months ago Collins was reportedly 
contemplating a venture in FM 
networking, but he's apparently 
shelved this plan. 



- Legit playwrights whose efforts 
flopped miserably on Broadway are 
finding both a reprieve from 
critics' pannings and unexpected 
money in television. And while 
that money now doesn't average 
more than $250 per performance 
for any play televised, it's believed 
pos.siblo that the day may come 
when a playwright may make more 
from TV than he now does from 
having his show produced oa 
Broadway. 

Paradoxical situation of a poor 
Broadway play becoming a very 
good tele vehicle was first sighted 
by Owen Davis, Jr., NBC-TVs pro- 
gram procurement director, and 
with a play written by his w.k. 
father. J. Walter Thompson ad 
agency's tele department, seeking 
a show for the weekly "Kraft Tele- 
vision Theatre" on the NBC-TV 
web, approached Davis, Sr., to buy 
his "No Way Out," Admitting that 
the show had flopped on Broad- 
way, Davis didn't want to see it re- 
vived and it took considerable per- 
suasion on the part of tlic JWT 
boys before he consented to its 
being televised. 

Came t>ie telecast, however, and 
to the playwright's considerable 
surprise, the show received- «xcel» 
lent viewer reaction. Many lookers 
wrote the network, praising it as 
one of the better plays to be pre- 
sented in th-i series. Davis, Jr., 
then realized that the same situa- 
tion had held true for sdverjil other 
shows which had died a quick 
death on Bi'oadway, including such 
non-successes .is "Dark Hammock," 
penned by Mary Orr and Keginald 
Denham; "The Wind Is Ninety,'" 
written by Capt. Ralph Nelson, and 
others. 

The Secret is Out 

Reason, according to the NBCr 
TV exec, is that playwrights, will- 
ing for the stage, throw too much 
extraneous material into a show in 
order to pad it out to ' a two-and- 
a-half-hour three-acter. WoiHliness 
slows the pace, the show gets 
panned and flops. Because the 
average TV play never runs more 
than one hour, however, most of 
this extraneous material can be 
trimmed. This leaves only the most 
salient points in the work and, as 
a result - of the switch in media, 
the former Broadway flop becomes 
a TV click. 

Since tele demands only that a 
play should hold viewer interest for 
an; hour, the renewed availability, 
of many Broadway turkeys' opens 
up an entire new field for TV prop- 
erties. According to Davis the suc- 
cessful adaptation of many Broad- 
way shows, including short-termers 
such as these, would tend to dis- 
prove the Idea that a good TV 
show can only be one that's ■writ- 
ten specifically for TV. Scanning 
tlifi non-success as well as the 
Broadway clicks means the agen- 
cies and broadcasters have a mucii 
bigger job, bul, because so many 
more plays may be found for TV, 
the extra work is well worth the 
effort. 

Another advantage In the un- 
foreseen situation is that many of 
the plays in this so-called mediocre 
group were never sold to Holly-' 
wood. Hence, according to Davis, 
it's much easier to obtain tele 
rights to them. In the same way, 
he pointed out, broadcasters may 
find an unexplored field of stoi'y 
properties in the many novels that 
never made the bestseller lists. Too 
much verbiage, which might have 
limited sales on the book, can be 
trimmed out of the tele adaptation 
and, if the story has any merit, 
the broadcaster can come.up -with 
a good show. 



DuMont's NX-to-Hub 

DuMont Network is building its 
own relay system on the way to 
Boston. The DuMont relay already 
extends to New Haven, Conn., 
where the web's affiliate, WNHC, 
has been receiving program for 
several weeks. 

DuMont starts feeding programs 
to WN AC-TV, Boston, this Sunday 
(17), but over AT&T's miei-owave 
relay. 



Vcdii«Bday, July 14, 194» ■ P^SaSOG^rf . ^ 






For several years, Hooper co-incideiital ratings have 
reflected popularity of programs among telephone 
homes in the major cities where all four networks have 
affihated stations. Now^, for the first time, the new 
U. S. Hooperatings measure the entire nation— tele- 
phone and npntelephone, urban and rural. 

wnen the entn-e nation is measurea, i>DL- s leaaersnip 
widens— the new U. S. Hooperatings give NBC 17 of 
ihe top 20 nighttime programs and all ten of the top 
ten daytime programs. 

Great as NBC's lead is in 36 cities, it is even greater 
in 48 states. 



top 20 evening programs 

fIRST U. S. HOOPERATING SURVEY MADE JAN,-FEB., 1M8 

1. Fibber McCee & Molly NBC 

2. Truth Or Consequences. ................... .NBC 

3. Charlie McCarthy NBC 

4. Jack Benny NBC 

5. Fred Allen NBC 

6. Ra'dio Theatre 

7. Bob Hope. .J NBC 

8. Amos V Andy NBC 

9. Your Hit Parade i NBC 

10. Bandwagon. • • • ■ • -NBC 

11. Music Hall NBC 

12. Aldrich Family • NBC 

13. Bums & Allen NBC 

14. Red,Skelton NBC 

1.5. Mr. District Attorney NBC 

16. Godfrey's Talent Scouts 

17. Fannie Brice. . • • • • 

18. Date W5th Judy NBC 

19. DiiffyV Tavern NBC 

20. Bob Hawk NBC 



top 10 daytime programs 

f\m U. S. HOOPERATING SURVEY MADE JAN.-FEB., 1948 

1. Right To Happiness ' NBC 

2. Backstage Wife NBC 

3. Stella Dallas NBC 

4. When A Gill Marries NBC 

5. Portia Faces Life NBC 

6. Tbung Widder Brown NBC 

7. Ma Perkins ■ ' NBC 

8. Lorenzo Jones • • -NBC 

9. Pepper Young's Family NBC 

10. Just Plain Bill NATIONAt BROADCASTING COMPANY 



30 



RAme BKVIGWS 



Wednesday, July 14, 1948 



MEL TORME SHOW 
With John Brown, Sidney MiUer 
Writers: Harmon Alexander, Ben 
• Perry 

Producer: Frank Danziff 
30 Mins.; Tues., p.m. 
PHILIP MORRIS 
NBC, from New York 

(Biouii ■ ■ 
As summer sub for the Dinah 
Shore-Harry James show, program 
braintrusters for the Philip Morris 
account have cooked m> a situa- 
tion comedy series with crooner 
Met Torme as filling and icing. 
Beclpe for this show calls for a 
fast mix of familiar boy-and-girl 
gags and some vocalizing by 
Torme. The singing is far and 
away superior to the gagging,- but. 
unfortunately, there's lots more of 
the latter than the former on this 
show. The scripters are sticking 
too close to their files with the 
result that the comedy has a 
routinely mechanical quality. The 
elastic in the sna»pcrs is spent. 
It's doubtful whether this show 
could survive in the more competi- 
tive fall atmosDhere. 

But Torme gives the impression 
that lie could grow into a comedy- 
singing personality under proper 
handling. He's a credible sopho- 
more type equipped with a pleas- 
ant speaking voice and an ade- 
quate sense of timing. Besides, 
Torme's stylized vocalizing can 
carry a show single-handedly if 
necessary. In this show, he's 
spreading three numbers over the 
ha'f-hour, 

. Preem stanza (6> opened on a 
college pompus with Torme .play- 

.Ing a not-too-smart student soda 
jerk in the local drug store where 
the usual college characters con- 
gregate. There's a smart-aleck 
sidekick who's continually outfox- 
ing him, a dumbdora gal in the 
throes of an unrequited love for 
Torme, and a cantankerous boss. 
Within this triply warmed-over 
setting, the scripters found it utter- 
ly impossible to be original. The 
lines and situations are saturated 
with that "this-is-where-I came-in" 
tii-ed feeling. 

Plugs for the tobacco product 
are triphamraered a'ong a slogan- 
ized groove of non-logical' content 

. but psychological eflfectiveness. 

Herm. 



SUSPENSE 
("The Last Chance") 
With Cary Grant, Paul Frees, Shcp- 
pard Menkin, Herniand Wald- 
mnn, Maxine Marx, Fred Camp- 
bull, John T. Smith, I>aws Butler, 
Berry Kroeser, Stanley Farrar; 
Lud GlUSkin, conductor; Lucicn 
Moroweck, arranger; Frank Mar- 
tin, announcer 
Writer: Larry Marcus 
Producer-Director: Anton Leader 
30 Mins.; TliurSi, 9 p.m. 
AUTO-LITE 
CBS, from Hollywood 

(Newell■Ev^rnett^ 
The Auto-Lite sponsorship of 



MY FAVORITE HUSBAND 
With Lucille Ball, Lec Bowman, 
Hal March, Vcola Vonn, Jay No- 
vello, Jancy Scott, Wilbur Hatch 
orch „ ■ -i.ij,. 

Writers: Frank Fox, WiUiam 

Davenport 
Director: Gordon Hughes 
30 Mins.; Men. (15), 9 p.m. 
Sustaining 

CBS, from Hollywood 

CBS has come up with tli<! 
sleeper of the summer semester. 
Booked in for a one-shot filler on 
July 5, "My Favorite Husband, 
based on the "Mr. & Mfs. Cugat" 
novel-mag series, with Lucille Ball 



Suspense " merges an advertiser | and Lee Bowman in the lead roles, 
and a program that had bumpy ca- j hit the situation comedy jackpot 



BALLET TIME 

With Reed Severin, Maya Dcren 
Producer-dircctot-writer: Se vcri n 
55 Mins^r Sat.. 5;9.m. 

WNYC, N.:Y. • ■ : " ^ 

"Ballet Time" is a new summer 
series di.'scussing "music for the 
dance." The show admittedly is 
an interesting idea. However, the 
inaugural program by no means 
can be termed representative of 
the whole series — or at least let's 
hope it isn't. Opening shot con- 
fined itsalf exclusively to religious 
and secvtlar masic of Haiti. 

These weird strains were record- 1 
ed on the spot last soring by Maya j 'I 
Deren, who was on hand Saturday 
(101 to make a lucid explanation 
of the noises. Other commentary 
was supplied by Heed Severin, con- 
ductor: of the show, and former 
critic for Dance IMagazine. Haitian 
music is chiefly interpreted by 
drums, and while the hulk of it 
may be very ''exciting" to Severin 
the average listener is more apt 
to be impressed with its. monotony. 

Some of the recorded samples 
stretch out inordinately long and „,.„,,,.rv,.. 
It's doubtful \\liether any but the .vHt« . Jir^j 
faithful would be able to endmv ' 
the' tom-tom eflects for a full 55 
miautes wliich this stanza runs. 
A little of this Haitian hotcha goes 
a long way. Meanwhile, according 
to Severin, throughout the summer 
various unusual novelties will be 
Ojffer^d covering all fields of dance 
supplemented by guest experts 
who will be interviewed in con- 
nection with the topic at hand. 

am. 



reers last season. The ignition sup 
ply firm had its troubles bankroll- 
ing a Dick Haymes show against 
the Al Jolson-Kraft stanza -and the 
rest of the Thursday night lineup 
on NBC. And "Suspense" had its 
misadventures in shifting to full- 
hour format, becoming a regular 
vehicle for Robert Montgomery 
and having- its original producer; 
William Spier, succeeded by Anton 
Leader. 

The present setup promises 'a 
somewhat better situation for 
everyone concerned. The show it- 
self is back to lialf-hour length, 
which seems best for a trick-for- 
mula series of this sort It has a 
policy of using various stare, there- 
by permitting greater story flexi- 
bility than possible when every 
script must suit the same star (al- 
though a single star in the same, 
continuing characterization may 
tend, to build a following). Finally, 
in Leader it has a producer-dii-ec- 
tor of demonstrated ability. As for 
Auto-Lite, it seemingly has better 
prospects of bucking the comedy- 
variety competition on NBC with a 
dramatic thriller series than with 
a musical program. Finally, this is 
another CBS sale of its own pro- 
duction to a client. 

The premiere of the series, last 
Thursday night (8), oifered Cary 
Grant in Larry Marcus' adapta- 
tion of a Lou Lusty -skin-tingler 
titled "Tlie Last Chance." A yarn 
about a crooked gambler tracked 
down by the unseen, relentless 
brother of one of his victims, the 
piece was a firstrperson narrative- 
into-flashbacks, with a phone con- 
versation to set the climax and 
terse, eloquent sound effects for 
the grisly payoff. It was artfully 
scripted (with only a couple, of tiny 
holes), skillfully produced and per^ 
suasively played. Grant was excel- 
lent in the long part of the harried 
prey, while Stanley Farrar, Shcp- 
pard Menkin and Fred Campbell 
were effective in supporting ■ parts. 

The Auto-Lite commercial pat- 
tern was unusual for a dramatic 
show. There was an opening plug 
in the form of a dramatized com- 
mercial (father, mother and son at 
a service station and listening to 
the broadcast on their car radio). 

sponsor-identification cut-in at 
approximately 10 minutes, and an^ 



with such satisfactory results that 
it gets a permanent network berth 
starting July 29. 

In terms of summer radio (or 
year-round radio for that matter) 
here is adult, smart scripting tliat 
never attempts to play down to its 
audionce and is always in good 
taste. That's a tough parlay to 
achieve and probably can be at- 
tributed to the Frank Fox-William 
Davenport team-up on the , writing 
end. Fox and Davenport are on a 
summer sabbatical from the "Ozzie 
and Harriet" program, which 
means they check oft the new CBS 
sustainer when Ozzie returns in the 
■fall. That's when the real test for 
"Favorite Husband" will come. 

As it shapes up now, the ''Cugat" 
adaptation is slick radio that han- 
dles the triangle nonsense in a 
manner, when not closely grooved 
to -the Ozzie pattern, that's remi- 
niscent of the better drawing room 
comedies in legit and the early 
Capra pix. That's sock for radio — 
but they achieved it on the July 5 
broadcast; ■ 

Cast was excellent right down 
the line, with Miss Ball, Bowman 
(who goes off after the one-shot), 
Hal IWarch, Veola Vonn and Jay 
Novello playing with just the 
proper restraint, Rose. 

THERE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN 

With Pat O'Malley, narrator; Cath- 
leen Cordell, Jim Boles, John 
Larkin. Ruth York, Kosemary 
Rice; Sylvan Levin and orch 

Writer: John Hagsart 

Director: Martin Magner 

Producer: Wynn Wright 

30 Mins.; Fri., 8 p.m. 

Sustaining' 

Mutual, from New York 

This series of half -hour drama- 
tizations is aired "in cooperation 
with" Personal Romances magazine 
and comes off as a not very success- 
ful attempt to highstyle material of 
soap-opera caliber. Pat O'Malley 
serves as regular narrator, with a 
different cast each week. 

Last week's (9) episode started 
off promisingly, with the premise 
that "when a man. marries again, 
its because he adored his first 
Wife." It was a "itebeeca" sort of 
thing, in which a second wife found 



other major dramatized plug at the j herself fighting a losing battle 
close. With a sign-off' jingle. It was | against the ghost of a' "perfect" 
good integration of commercial i first .wife and mother, kept alive, 
and program, though the drama- ! in spirit mainly by her adoring 
tized idea may quickly wear out. if I teenage daughter. As tiie story 



continued. 



Hobe. 



CBC SUMMER MUSICAL 
WHh Howard Cable and orch, Gi- 
selle, Bernard Johnson, gtiest 
star; John Rae, announcer 
Producer: >Tackie Rae 
30 Mins.; Thurs., 9:30 p.m^ 
CBC from Toronto 

In a program keyed for summer 
listening, Canadian Broadcasting 
Corp. is presenting a half-hour 
show from Toronto wwhich does 
better than just fill in time. Ty- 
ing show together is some smooth 
continuity delivered neatly by an-' 
nouncer John Rae. Howard Cable, 
..who has done well in the com- 
mercial field, handles the music. 

On show caught Cable presented 
an original number composed and 
arranged by himself, "Ritual Camp- 
Fire Dance." Number de.serves 
more listening, Other numbers ar- 
ranged by (Sable included "Mid- 
night In Paris" and "Why Shouldn't 
I?" in wliich hs was able to inject 
much 'Schmaltz. 

Thrush on show is Giselle, who 
has a pleasant enough voice. Best 
of her numbers was her "Grand- 
father's Clock." ■ A dttet with gues- 
tar baritone Bernard Johnson 'was 
pleasing, as well us Johnson's own 
numbent, AVm,. 



was unfolded, by a generally com 
petent cast under at least adequate 
direction, the developments strayed 
lurthei.' and furtlier from the plau- 
sible. The daughter showed up 
with a fiance who had been the 
second wife's lover in Honolulu; 
the daughter tried to push her 
stepmother into the river where 
her own mother drowned, and the 
second wife ran off with her step- 
daughter's fiance, leaving her im- 
happy husband with the advice to 
cure- his "sick" daughter. 

Other sequences in this series, 
which has been on for sevei-al 
weeks, may come oft' better. Being 
confined, however, to the sudsy, 
romantic yarns of tlie cooperating 
mag, the stanza can only hope to 
lUre that segment of ■ escapists who 
buy this type of reading. Doan. 



THE SOUND AND THE FURY 
With Joe Mulvihill, narrator; Jesse 
Firs, Genevieve Weaver, Clar- 
ence KavanauiSh,' Vi Kavanaugh, 
Robci-t Bennett, John Rose, Al 
.Henderson. Lawson Ocming 

"uccr: Tom O'Connell 
30-mins.; Mon., 7:30ip.m. 
WORKERS FOB WORLD SECUR- 
ITY' 
WTAM, Cleveland 

Through a joint endeavor of 
radio, a civic organization, and 
AFRA, WTAM is presenting a 
series of eight programs aimed to 
illustrate the immediate need for 
concerted action to organize popu- 
lar opinion against war. 

The "Workers For World Secur- 
ity" foots the talent fee, the station 
gives the time and participating 
AFRA players yield slightly finan- 
cially to put the entire venture 
across. 

Writer and producer is Thomas 
E. O'Connell. Production-wise, the 
series "Sound And Tlie Fury" is 
good with the sound effects and 
musical bridges tying in neatly. 

Joe Mulvihill, as nan-ator, does 
an accreditable job. In the chapter,, 
"The People . . . Yes," Karamu 
players Jesse Firs, as Gabriel 
Jones, and Genevive Weaver, as 
Mai'y, are outstanding. Clarence 
Kavanaugh, Vi Kavanaugh, Lawson 

Deming, Al Henderson and Robert with Burgess Meredith, per 
Bejnett handle their roles' with ' 
proper quality and dexterity. 

In pressing for his desired effect' 
to show the need to outlaw a future 
war that may eventually create a 
super-state, O'Connell writes with 
too subtle a pen. Hence, in adapt- 
ing "The People . . , Yes" for 
radio, the final effect is that of a 
radioshow well done; a "Buck 
Rogers" yam that entertains for 
30 minutes and fades into the past. 

The writing ahcl handling of the 
show become so subtle that it 
floats over the heads of the bulk 
of the listeners. ' Mark. 



RADIO X . ^ „ 
With Grover A. Wfialcn, Mayor F. 
H. La Guardia. others; announc- 
er Jack Farren , „ , 
Producer-director; George Wallach 
Writer: David Karp 
80 Mins.; Thurs., 8 p.m, (one shot) 
Sustaining 
WNYC, N. Y. 

AVith New York's municipally- 
owned station WNYC moving into 
its 25th year last Thurs. (8). the 
outlet ambitiously attempted to 
telescope the history of the preced- 
ing years into an .80-minule docu- 
mentary, Highlights of the chrono- 
logical cavalcade were recorded 
excerpts of several of F. D. R.'s 
fireside chats and a number of the 
late Mayor F. H. LaGuardla's talks 
to the public. 

While portions of the airer were 
charged with nostalgic interest to 
the listener, the cold statistics as 
reUited by several narrators proved 
ratlier diill. Format had a group of 
voices shout the individual years 
in unison,.a narrator recalled the 
station's milestones and to further 
point up bygone incidents inter- 
mittent ■ recordings of notable 
events were spiiced into the pro- 
gram. 

WNYG's 1924 inaugural was 
flashbacked with a short recording 
of the opening day's fanfare. 
Grover Whalen handled, the two- 
hour function, while guests were 
John Boles, Vincent Lopez, the 
Happiness Boys as well as other 
pioneer radio names.. With this out 
of the way, a narrator reviewed the 
station's accomplishments, include 
ing the Masterwoi'k Hour, its re- 
porting of the 1929 stock market 
crash, its opera matinee and other 
"public service" features. 

In view of the foregoing pats on 
the back, it was considerably amus- 
ing to hear the recorded voice of 
LaGuardia, who commented at a 
new transmitter dedication in 1937, 
that his administration had "found 
it (WNYC) in a dilapidated condi- 
tion both physically and morally." 
At any rate the colorful LaG per- 
sonally did much to advance the 
station's listenership. For through 
his frequent talks to the people in 
subsequent years, he was WNYC. 

Otherwise the cavalcade noted 
that tiie station had pioneered with 
its talking book for the bhn^l, its 
broadcasts of city council meetings, 
stressed that it Iiad originated 
more than 600 programs from the 
N. Y. Wofld's Fair, recounted its 
wartime activities and United Na- 
tions coverage. Nor did the script 
overlook mention of WNYC's Pea- 
body, Variety and Ohio State 
awards for individual program ex- 
cellence. 

For the finale, Seymour Siegel, 
station dii-ector, paid tribute to 
other New York outlets for their 
felicitations and expressed confi- 
dence that the coming year would 
result in greatei- growth for radio. 

Writer David Karp was up 
against a tough task in trying to 
compress so much into a limited 
time segment. His script, however, 
handled the situation well enough. 
Whei-e improvement could have 
been made was in the .script's pre- 
sentation. One way ot overcoming 
the monotonous narration would 
have been throush employment of 
short musical hrid.qcs with themes 
adapted to the mood of the inci- 
dent about to be touched upon. 
■ . ■ ■ : Gilb. 



MOREY AMSTERDAM SHOW 
With Shirley Mitchell, Charles 
Irving, Betty Garde, Jackson 
Beck Millard Mitchell, Art Car- 
ney, Ginny Powell, Hank 
Sylvern Orch 
Writers: Sid Zclinfca, Louis Melt- 
zer 

ProducerpDirector: Irving Mans- 
field 

30 Mins.: Sat.. 9 p.m. 
Sustaining 

CBS, from New York 

CBS can pi'etty near stand pat 
on this one. In projecting Morey 
Am-sterdam with a coast-to-coast 
sho\vcase, the network has come up 
with one of the more promising 
among the fresh talents in the, 
radio comedy field. In the "Morey 
Amsterdam Sliow" which preemed 
Saturday night (10) in the 9 to 
9:30 p.m. segment, CBS seems to. 
have found the proper formula to 
accentuate the. uninhibited, Jet-! 
youriselfrgo brand of zany ism. that's 
peculiarly Amsterdam's own. 

Long familiar to New York 
listeners via his WHN ci'oss-the- 
board show, and his Sixth avenue 
nite'ry, Amsterdam, with a fairly 
gooid. assist on the CBS script-pro- 
duction end, lias sharpened (and 
cleaned up) his ■ routine for maxi- 
mum comedy values, suggesting 
that the web's months of .prepara- 
tion in. adapting an Amsterdam; 
formula for the bigtime kilocycles 
may pay off, even iii the fall-winter 
sweepstakes competition. 

From here on in, of course, a 
lot will depend on the show's 
scripters, and on the basis, of last 
Saturday night's initialcr, . Sid 
Zelinka and Louis Meltzer seem^ ; 
save for a few hai-d-to-take mo- 
ments, to have hit the proper 
tempo. Show is practically a 
stooge's delight, and with sueh 
capable supporting performers as 
Shirley Mitchell, Charles Irving, 
Millard Mitchell, Betty Garde, et 
al., in and out of the half-hour 
frolic, the yok payoff is consider- 
ably heightened. 

In addition there's a proper : 
stress on vai'iety, with Ginny 
Powell as the featured vocalist- and 
Hank Sylvern's orch going around 
twice for an effective break-in on 
the continuity. 

Irving Mansfield direction and 
overall production maintained : 
good pacing. Rose; ; 



t ♦ » t ♦ ♦ n »♦ ♦■♦ ♦ » ♦ « ♦ » ♦ ♦ 

follow-up Comment 

Beatrice Lillie, guesting Thurs- 
day night (8) on the U. S. Army's 
"Roll Call" program on NBC from 
New York, did a virtuiil one-woman 
shoWi despite infeWol: material. 
Herb Shriner also appeared on the 
stanza for a standard comedy 
raonolog, but otherwise the English 
comedienne had to ean-y the broad- 



manent m.c. of the series, playing 
straight man and a girl named 
Hildy Palmer having a few lines 
as Miss Lillie's maid. According to 
the network boys, this was to have 
begun the regular format of the 
series, a special pattern having 
been used for the previous week's 
appearance of Irving Berlin and 
Marlene Dietrich. However, it's dif- 
ficult to figure how other guests' 
could adjust to such a formula, 
since even the accomplished Brit- 
isher failed to make it integrated 
entertainment. Using the fact that 
(Continued on page 48> 



SERENADE TO AMERICA 

With Ted Dale and orch; Kay 

Aimen, guest soloist; Ray: Mor- 

saa, announcer 
Writer-Producer: Clay Daniel 
30 Mins.; Thurs.."7:30 p.m. 
BENSON & HEDGES 
WNBC, N.Y. 

( Ktidner) 

WNBC staffer Clay Daniel mixes 
waxed music and live announce- 
ments, and turns out a qualitv 
production for Benson & Hedges' 
Parliament cigarets. The caucht 
sequence last Thursday (8) was a 
memorial to George Gershwin, 
devoted entirely to selections by 
the late composer. Overall j)roduc- 
tion was firstrate. And it was 
particularly pleasant to listen to a 
musical aner free of bursts of 
studio audience applause followlne 
every number and intro. 

Daniel uses some sort of studio 
device to achieve liveness in groov- 
ing tiie disks, for Ted Dale's neatly 
contrived orchestrations came 
through with the clarity and full- 

^Tiuii ^ Kay Armen 

exhibited nice control, range and 
enunciation in piping such taves as 
"Summertime," "They Can't Take 
That Away from Me," and "Thn 
Man I Iiove." Orch's contributions 
ranged from "Strike Up the Band'' 

Bess'" ' 

Ray Morgan's plugs for Parlia- 
ments are only sUghllv ingratiat- 
ing. b»t the copy is a bit long- 
winded and somewhat overzealotiti 
—as when smoking these cigs is 
described as "one of the supreme 
pleasures in life." Doan 



PERSONAL AUTOGRAPH 

With Jim Ameehe. Dinning. Sisters 
(3), Rex Maupin's orch; Helen 
Humes and the Sportsmen (4), 
guests; Herb Ncwconib,. an- 
nouncer 

Writer: Leonard Knopf 

Producer - director: Hunter Rey- 
nolds 

30 Mins.; Sun., 4 p.m. (CDt) 

Sustaining 

ABC, from Chicago 

Show heard hud the Dinning 
a musical with double guest spots 
and a "Pen-and-lnkling" writein 
to vai-y the mixture as before. As 
a warm weather offering it's okay. 

Show heard f4) had the Dinning 
Sisters demonstrating tlieir ilair 
for chime without passion, while 
Jim Amcche linked numbers to- 
gether with dialog that waxed spry 
without getting cute. Orch backed 
well, shimmering the strings to 
good efi'ect throughout. Standout 
in the guest spot was Helen Humes,' 
sepia songstress who rode the rhy- 
thm in good style via two stand- 
ards. The Sportsmen were okay in 
a calypso and a pop. 

"Pen-and-lnkling" cbn!;e.st offers 
10 albums to listeners who identify 
a vocalist heard via platter and 
send the "best" statement as to 
why the vocalist should trill on 
"Personal Autograph." Vocalist 
to be identified at this session was 
obviously Peggy Lee, but the an- 
nouncer left nothing to chance bjy : 
adding. "Do you think you have it 
pegged?" 

Idea behind the title is that 
guests sign musical John Hancocks 
in the listeners' preciciCis Uttle non- 
existent autograph boolc. .Tudging 
from the present popularity of 
giveaway shows, most listeners 
would prefer having the signatin* 
on a check. Boixt. 



MAN ABOUT MANHATTAN 
With Wayne HoweU 
10 Mins.; Mon. thru Fri., 6:35 p.m. 
WNBC N. y. 

This is a hybrid disk jockey show 
jammed into an open 10-minute 
spot for local airing, on AVNBC. 
Wayne Howell fills this session with 
a cohibination of light chatter and 
pop tunes serving to illustrate oc- 
casional gags. Sometimes the light ' 
chatter becomes a bit heavy-hand- 
ed but, on the whOl^i^JHowell main- 
tains' a breezy pace. This spot will 
undoubtedly improve as Howell 
eases up on the straining for laughs. 

On the kickoff show (12), Howell 
dropped such uncasual comments 
as "Senator Pepper threw some 
salt into the Democratic wounds," 
then slopped to apologize for the 
bad pun. Some of the sound ef- 
fects backgrounding his gab also 
were corny. But Howell has a lika- 
ble personality, nonetheless, and 
the couple of musical selections 
were firstrate. lierm. 



Wednesday, July 14, 1 948 

H'wood Makeup Pretties Politicos 

„„ „ . , ■ Philadelphia, July 13. 

WFIL-TV pulled a smart bit of exploitation by importing a top 
Hollywood makeup specialist to do the faces of Democratic party 
big shots before they go under the television lights. Station brought 
in Hal Kmg, director of Max Factor's makeup deparfment, to. re- 
pair the ravages of time and smoke-filled rooms by prettying up 
the Democrats about to be telecast. 

Prior to making appearances before the Convention hall audi- 
ence and the additional millions on video, party officials can receive 
preliminary makeup and camera tests in the special WFIL-TV stu- 
dios set up for the purpose in the Bellevue-Stratford hotel. 

Idea for makeup tests stemmed from observations made during' 
the GOP telecasts, when that party's key figures in many cases 
showed to distinct disadvantage due to the harsh lighting. 

WFIL-TV equipped a studio in the Bellevue and all Democratic 
leaders have beeti invited to discover exactly what type makeup 
is best suited to their individual facial characteristics. Men and 
women getting the tests will appear under the lights and before the 
TV cameras in one room, With their images to be projected in an 
adjoining room, there to be viewed by party associates and specially 
prepared TV monitors. 

In addition, WFIL-TV will have staifers on hand to coach the 
politicos and olfer advice on the most effective video techniques. 
Tests are offered as a special service and won't be telecast. 

Network-wise, biggest splash is being made by NBC-TV, which 
has imported its staff inakeup artist, Dick Smith. As a matter of 
fact, with pte-convention news dull and deadly. Smith's presence 
here was a blessing for the NBC video sta If, which made hay with 
a Saturday (10) show on TV makeup. With Peter Roberts handling 
the commentary chore. Smith did a 15-minute show with models 
and on Bob Stanton, showing proper makeup for TV. Though this 
was the first departure from the straight and narrow for web 
convention coverage, there is likely to be a lot more of the same 
unless the news comes out of its curreiit doldrums. 

Other nets report similar consciousness of the import:ance of 
helping nature in front of the tele cameras. ABC's Pauline Fred- 
erick is offering her interview subjects the benefit of a special 
Elizabeth Ardeh makeup kit, beuig tried out here for video. 



CONVGISTION NEWS 



81 



for "Democrats in the Lobby," 
net's simultaneous AM and TV 
show, and debuted the Demmie 
leader on tele . . . Paul Mowrey, 
ABC national director for tele, is 
responsible for addition of a news 
editor assigned to the pool to keep 
video announcers informed of 
political developments outside Con- 
vention Hall... As result of re- 
search during the GOP confab, 
CBS has assigned three newsmen, 
Ed Murrow, Quincy Howe and 
Doug Edwards, exclusively to tele- 
vision, because poll showed audi- 
ence found fast change of faces 
confusing . , Charles CoUingwood, 
CBS ' West Coast correspondent 
who headquarters at KNX, L. A., 
brought his frau, Louise Albritton, 
east this trip; 



Tele Gawkey Kid 



Continued from page I 



Memos on the Demos 



By FLORENCE LOWE 

Philadelphia, July 13. 
Life-NBC plans to use a kine- 
scope recording of the Dewey- 
Warren acceptance speeches imme- 
diately after the Democratic Pres- 
idential and Vice Presidential ac- 
ceptances are televised, tieing it 
all into one complete story , . .Mar- 
garet Arlen, CBS commentator, 
couldn't get a cab to her hotel 
when she arrived in Philadelphia 
at the height of the preconvention 
rush. So, when she heard the lucky 
occupant of a hack direct the 
driver to the same hotel she was 
headed for, she asked him if she 
could hitch a ride. He was willing 
and she and some of her net co- 
workers climbed into the back seat 
with James Caesar Petrillo. Just 
what part the AFM boss is taking 
in the Demo proceedings isn't 
known, but he's around, . .Edward 
Arnold copped a seat of honor on 
the speakers' platform during Sen. 
Alben Barkley's keynote speech 
Monday night. The "Mr. Presi- 
dent" of ABC, who was a spectator 
at the GOP meet also, says he's an 
impartial observer... More net 
brass in on opening day, including 
NBC's Charles Denny and CBS' 
Earl Gammons and Frank Stanton 
...Ike and Leon Levy, local CBS 
biggies, competed with Conven- 
tion Hall doings Monday night by 
throwing a party in connection with 
the Ike Williams-Beau Jack bout 
. . .Drucie Snyder, Secretary of 
Treasury's offspring, who has her 
own radio show back home in 
Washington, being televised all 
over the place. Mondaj^, when 
the power failed at the Bellevue- 
Stratford, Miss Snyder climbed six 
flights of stairs fo keep her date 

• on DuMont . . . DuMont, incident- 
ally, didn't bother moving its tons 
of tele equipment into Convention 
Hall this time. They've set up a 
remote control system, with wire 
Strung from the mobile unit parlted 

outside the hall to the studio in- 
side. Much cheaper, they say, and 
just as . good . - , The indies, though 
far from feeling they have an ideal 
setup admit they have a better 
technical break current session 
with more of them on the platform 
. . Warner's KFWB again operat- 
ing very actively and efficiently 
with Clete Roberts and N. Lewin 
... Latter team broadcast the de- 
pai-ture of James Roosevelt from 
L. A., hopped a plane and picked 
him up again as he arrived in 
Philly by train ... John Cameron 
Swazy, NBC newscaster, climbed 
into what he thought was a com- 
pany car, so it was quite a . shock 
when the chauffeur asked, "Is the 
Senator coming too?" Seems he 
picked a good one — ^vice presiden- 
tial hopeful Sen. Alben Barkley's 
car. 

With the prospects for the circus 
atmosphere and general current of 
excitement on which tele capital- 
ised in the GOP meet practically 
oil at the cufrent Democratic Con- 



vention, web video producers spent 
most of the time before the Mon- 
day gavel thinking up gimmicks 
and planning for more personality 
telecasts . . . Concrete step in this 
direction made by ABC, which in- 
creased number of mobile units 
from two to five, in an effort to 
dig for color and news items . . . 
One mobile unit, earmarked for 
WENB-TV in Chicago, was nabbed 
by the net's convention staff for 
use here before being shipped west 
...ABC doing a lobby pickup at 
Bellevue-Stratford, National Dem- 
ocratic hdqs. . .Ed Chester, recently 
transferred from CBS shortwave 
and Latin America, being broken in 
here in his new role of director of 
news and especial events for TV. . . 
Margaret Arlen, looking around 
for a good spot for her femme in- 
terviews, nabbed the hotel florist 
shop on its Sunday oil, after CBS 
engineers pronounced it acousti- 
cally perfect . . . General lack of 
interest in the current convention, 
contrasted with the big doings 
fortnight ago, has resulted in less 
network brass on hand . . . Margaret 
Arlen, WCBS commentator, com- 
muting to N. Y. daily this time. 
In her pre-convention week end 
here, la Arlen chalked up inter- 
Views with Jim Farley, James 
Roosevfelt, Helen Gahagan Douglas 
and Mrs. Emma Guffey Miller, of- 
ficial convention hostess . . . Life- 
NBC's famed "Room 22," outfit's 
convention Hall studio, boasting 
silver paint on the ceiling, which 
Was added for extra reflected light 
...Another new wrinkle in the 
Life-NBC bailiwick are five monir 
tor sets to watch the competition 
. . Ben Grauer, NBC newscaster, 
got a new seersucker suit, if noth- 
ing else, from his GOP tele stint. 
A friend, who thought he looked 
rumpled around the edgeis during 
his telecasts, got his measurements 
and sent him the new suit for use 
this time . . . NBC, with a combined 
AM-TV staff of 200, stole a march 
on the other webs by teeing off on 
Wednesday (8), and did' 10 video 
and 16 radio pre-convention shows 
. .ABC chalked up a first when 
Ted Malone nabbed James Farley 



Nets Won't Do So Handsomely, But fill 
Give Wallace Confabs Good Coverage 



It Worked! 

Philadelphia, July 13. 

CBS veepee Earl Gammons, 
in from Washington to keep an 
eye on the Demos, marched 
into Convention hall sporting 
his GOP convention badge as 
credentials. He said he just 
wanted to see if it would be 
spotted. It was. 

A guard admired the "beau- 
tiful badge" and commented, 
with some awe, that it was the 
first of Its kind he had seen. 
Then he bowed Gammons into 
the hall. 



sense, There's no question about 
this being professional. 

Kound-Robiii First Time 
Yesterday (Mon.), first day of 
the Democratic Convention, 
marked the most intensive series 
of tele broadcasts in the history of 
video ■ by NBC, according to its 
claim. For the first time a round- 
robin telecast — originating in New 
I York, Philadelphia and Washing- 
i ton— was held. High ranking Dem- 
ocrats went over the corax in all 
three cities. Total p{ 17 video 
cameras was used in the three 
cities, including those employed in 
the tele pool shows at Convention 
Hall. All NBC non-pool shows were 
handled in cooperation with Life, 
same as during the Republican 
Convention. 

One show was a direct pickup 
from inside the White House. This 
was held up for about 10 minutes 
due to a blowout of power in the j 
Bellevue-Stratford which faded the | 
pameras and backed up the pro- 
gramming. 

Following the long day of ses- 
sions, NBC took its tele camera 
into the Hotel Barclay where Mrs. 
Pearl Mesta, noted Washington 
hostess, was throwing a big party 
for politicps, 

CBS is doing eight big special 
shows for the Democratic Conven-" 
tion, half of what they did at the 
Republican meeting. The net fig- 
ures no more than one for the 
Wallace Convention. CBS has de- 
velbped one unique gimmick. It 
has turned all its TV commentary 
over to only three men — 'Ed Mur- 
row, Quincey Howe and Doug Ed- 
wards. The net made a survey 
which showed that the public 
didn't care for frequent changes 
in commentators. 

DuMont has been operating 
with its straight, comprehensive 
coverage, which includes a mobile 
unit at Convention Hall and the 
studio at the Bellevue. When the 
power blew out at the Bellevue 
yesterday the net was just wind- 
] ing up an interview with Sen. Carl 
Hatch, of New Mexico. 



Willard E. Walbridge 

(Saks Manager, WWJ-JV, Deinil) 
. writet on 

Other Important 
Factors Than Sales in 

TV's Payoff to Sponsor 

♦ » • -■. 

an editorial feature in 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

Out This Month 



ABC's 75G Added Nick 

ABC expects its commercial pro- 
gram rebates to cost the web 
nearly $50,000 more during the 
current Demo convention than they 
did for the GOP powwow. 

Reason is that the net found de- 
layed regional playbacks' of con- 
vention sessions, interspersed with 
live pickups, during the Republi- 
can confab resulted in confusion 
for listeners. This time all con- 
vention pickups are going through 
live. 

Cancellations during the GOP 
meet ran to approximately $27,000. 
The nick in billings for the Demo 
coverage is expected to be close to 
$75,000, 



Man With 3 Ears 

Philadeltthia, July 13. 

Martin Hoade, directing 
NBC's kinescope recordings at 
the Democratic^ convention 
here this week, practically had 
to grow himself another ear to 
handle his job. 

Hoade walks around the 
floor of Convention Hall with 
three earphones on his head- 
Since he has the usual quota 
of only two ears, he's forced 
to switch them continually 
back and forth. One of the 
phones is a direct wire to NBC 
headquarters in N. Y., another 
runs to the NBC control booth 
in the hall and the third goes 
to NBC's "Room 22" in the 
hall, where the web conducts 
its TV interviews. 



Video, Newsreels 
In Hot Exchange. 
Over Hot Lights 

Philadelphia, July 13. 
Feud between video and the 
newsreels goes on apace at this 
convention, the television boys hit- 
ting back at th<e newsreelers whom 
they accuse of spreading some 
slurring; stories at th^ G. O. P. ses- 
sions. 

Latest comeback of the TV 
crowd is that the hx>t bright lights 
are solely for the benefit of the 
reelers and that video could oper- 
ate with much less light in Phllly's 
convention hall. 

"They are blaming television for 
the heat caused by the bright 
lights in the hall," said one tele 
spokesman. "Fact is, with the im- 
age orthicons, we don't need nearly 
this much light. We are actually 
taking the rap for the newsreels 
which need the ligbt. This is the 
same volume of light which has 
been used for years at conventions 
for the benefit of the reels. It was 
used before we Were televising con- 
ventions.'^ 



LEE HATS CANCELS 



PEARSON ON DEMS 

Washington, July 13. 
Drew Pearson's scheduled tele- 
vision newscasts of the Democratic 
National Convention over the Du- 
Mont network were. cancelled last 
week. Lee Hats, through Wein- 
traub agency, sponsored a nightly 
appearance of Pearson during the 
Republican conclave and had ■ con- 
tracted for time when the Demos 
met. 

Pearson told Variety that the 
agency decided to cancel because 
it was not satisfied with the pro- 
duction facilities in Philadelphia's 
Convention Hall. He said lie and 
the agency felt tele had to be im- 
proved a lot and better facilities 
provided before it would warrant- 
the amount of money expended.* 



lEPTWlCH, JR., TO CBS-TV 

Alexander Leftwich, Jr., vet 
radio, stage, Him and TV director, 
has been named a producer-direc- 
tor for CBS television, effective 
next Monday (19). His first assign- 
ment will be on "Face the Music," 
15-minute musical now aired across 
the board on the CBS-TV web. 

In another CBS-TV assignment, 
Robert L. Bendick this week was 
named assistant director of news, 
special events and sports for the 
web. 



Philadelpihia, July 13. 

With the Democratic Convention 
not yet to the point of nomlnatioa 
speeches, i-adio is rushing to com> 
pletlon its plans for the Henry A. 
AVallace New Party Convention. 
The Wallaceites descend on Philly 
for a 'three-day convention July 
23-25. The webs will do less hand- 
somely by Wallace in both, AM and 
video coverage. . 

Tentative plans for television are 
for a Ifetwork pool handled by the 
Philadelphia afllltate,5 and with 
little or no special events. The tele 
groups hope to whittle costs down 
substantially. For the Republican 
and Democratic confabs, the 15 ' 
participating tele, stations will be . . 
charged roughly $5,000 a station . 
for the Philadelphia programming, 
A tentative price of $900 per sta- 
tion has been set for the \Vallace 
convention. With the hope that 
this can be shaved even more, in \. 
the way of cutbacks, for instance, 
CBS will eliminate its studio at the " 
Bellevue-Stratford but will main- 
tain a studio at Convention Hall. 
No mobile unit will be brought 
here. 

Ball Park Background 

Only new deal in tele and sound 
radio coverage, however, will in- 
volve wiring of Shibe Park, home 
of the baseball Phillies and Ath- 
letics. Wallace will make his ac- 
ceptance speech in the big ball 
ipark, on Saturday (24) night, thus 
; moving the locale to the site not ; 
used by either the Republicans or 
Democrats. 

The third party managers plan 
to tie the Wallace appearance in 
AVith a fund-raising drive which 
Would feature considerable circus 
hullabaloo. Hope is to get Holly-' 
wooders and other show business 
folk to take part in this. 

Radio coverage will be less com- 
prehensive, but with the nets plan- 
ning three fairly Iptensive days, 
however, the individual stations 
and small regional nets which have 
had representation at the iEtepub- . 
lican and Democratic shows will be 
missing with few exceptions. 

ABC, for example, is keeping all 
installations at Convention Hall, 
and most of its headquarter suite 
at the Bellevue. In addition, 
special facilities will be installed 
in Shibe Park. Among the ABC 
commentators assigned will be 
mer Davis, Baukhage, Walter Kier- ; 
nan, Ted Malone, Martin Agron- 
.sky. Earl Godwin, Don Gardiner 
andTris Coffin. 

CBSS' News Roundui» 

On Friday, first day of the con- 
vention, CBS figures to handle the ' 
opening day in a news story round- 
up in the evening,, Which will b« 
the plan generally followed by the > 
other nets. The webs expect to 
broadcast nominations and ballot- 
ing as they occur on Saturday af- 
ternoon. Acceptance speeches may 
go over all nets in toto. 

One thing messing up advance 
planning by the nets has been the 
inability or unwillingness of the 
Wallace people to give definite 
times and schedules. Thus far 
about the only thing to .which the 
nets could pin down Walter Fris- ' 
bee, in charge of Wallace Conven- 
tion publicity, was that the nomi-i 
nation speeches would'be made be-, 
tween 10 and 11 p.m. EDT, on Sat- 
urday night of the convention^ This 
has ' enabled the webs to do some ' 
definite planning for the Shibe 
Park share of the show. 



John H. Piatt 

(Kraft Food< Vecpte, inXhtlrft of 
AdytrthingI 
warns 

" ^Don't Viidereslitnale the 
Power of a Woman''— 'food 
Companies' Slant on Tele 

Advertising" 

■..■■•*•*■■■♦■,.■-,■.■ 

an editorial fcatare in 

P^iETY '« 
3d Annual Spteial 
RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBER 

Out This Nioath 



Demos Write Tree 
Radio, Tele' Plank 
Into Party Platform 

Philadelphia, July 13. 
The Democratic committee draft* 
ing the party's 1948 campaign plat- 
form has, it Was learned today 
(Tues.), incorporated a plank recog- 
nizing radio, television as being on 
the same level with the press from 
the standpoint of guarantees of 
freedom. 

Inclusion of the free radio-tele 
plank was disclosed as the com- 
mittee worked to put finishintt 
touches on the platform in hope to 
announcing it either tonight or to- 
morrow (Wed.). 

The Republicans, for unknown 
reasons, did not write such a plank 
into their platform. They did liavo 
one in 1944, however, whereas this 
I is the first time the Demos havei 
^ recognized 'this right for radio and 
TV. 



32 



niiJii« 



Wcdnesflay, July 14, 194S 



Momtoring the Fm'eip Conntries 



(Follousinfli is news ra&w in woriows nations os rmmivtet from 
their ofjicial htoadxasU by the V. S. Government.) 

Washington, July 13. 
BtrUn: V. S. Militai-y Govern- 
ment's new 75,000-watt shortwave 
transmitter, BIAS, which began 



sei-vice this Week In Berlin, is 
headed by William Friel Heimlich, 
former program director for 
WOSU, Ohio State University's 
Station. Heimlich, who left the in- 
telligence branch of the Berlin 
conimand as a colonel last October 
to assume a civilian post with the 
occupation forces, said the new sta- 
tion will serve eastern Germany 
and Serlin as a "weapon in the 
•' figlit for freedom." . Heimlich went 
on active duty as a reserve officer 
in 1941 and served in France and 
Germany. From the beginning of 
the American occupation he has 
been the G-2 staff officer for the 
Berlin command. 

France: The National Assembly, 
.studying the credits of the French 
Broadcasting Co., pointed out the 
need for giving radio a status in- 
suring it independence mid im- 
partiality. The I^resident of the 
Higher Radio Council also said that 
French television technique is two 
years ahead of foreign countries 
and that France should be able to 
develop this branch of industry. 
The Secretary of State discussed 
^Tt'rench broadcasts to foreign coun- 
tries and the system of exchanges 
now practiced. Exchanges are now 
being made with 43 countries. All 
credits for- radio were finally 
adopted. 

England: Talks between repre^ 
sentatives of the BBC; and the 
broadcasting organizations of the 
other Brussels-pact countries, 
Fj-ance, Belgium, the Netherlands, 
and Luxembourgt' opened July 2 
in London. ; The conference is con- 
sidering broadcasting cooperation 
to interest listeners in each other's 
country to serve the cause of Euro- 
pean understanding. 

Denmark: A conflict arose be* 
tween the East and the West at 



the International Radio Congress 
in Copenhagen concerning Spain's 
access to the Congress. France 
pointed out the necessity of achiev- 
ing European unity ... radio waves 
luiow no frontiers, it said. 
. During the Congress two plans 
were submitted for the wavelength 
areas. A Dutch plan made room 
for more stations, while a Russian 
plan would aftord better listening 
conditions. Several delegates had 
not/ received copies of the Dutch 
proposal, so the President sug- 
gested the technical committee 
begin work with no conclusions un- 
til all delegates have received 
copies. 

India: The Shillong and Cauhaii 
stations cf All-India Radio began 
broadcasting July 1. Shillong will 
operate on 205.48 meters and Gau- 
iiatt on 384.S. meters. 



Theodore C. Str*iberl 

(Preiidtnt of WM) 
ddvcmew torn* arqmnmta i» favor 
of 

"Regional TV 

ISetworks" 

■ * ■* 

M Miilorial fetrtur* ia Hi* 
3d Annual Speciol 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

of 

Out This Month 



CIRGLII6 THE KILOCYCLES 



Philadelphia— Robert Z. Mor- 
rison, Jr., former manager of 
NBC's radio-recording division m 
Washington, D. C, has joined the 
sales slafr of WFIL. Mornson will 
be in charge of new busmess for 
WFIL's AM, FM and TV outlets. 



RAYMOND TAKES WRAPS 



GFF 3 




Tele Followups 

SSi Continued from page 26 s5 

Home whammed for the finale with 
"Do I Love You?" and "Honey- 
sucKle Rose," with Henderson at 
the ivories and the Illinois Jacquet 
band for accomp. But that caca- 
phonous finale by the sepia band- 
men was a chaser; mayhaps it 
"raised the roof of Carnegie Hall," 
as Sullivan announced, but for 
home consumption it's a surefire 
trailer for Anacin; 

In actuality, "Toast of the Town" 
is more of a nitery than a vaudery 
show. Seemingly the intent is to 
showcase potentials for futjure 
horizons, Sullivan announcing that 
Miles and Winchell got con- 
tracts as result of showcasing on 
his program last week. 

Incidentally, there are occasional 
flashes of good camera usage, such 
as Howard superimposed on the 
community sing; the double sil- 
houets of the Gostello Twins, giving 
them a foursome appearance in 
their terps, and the like. On the 
other hand, the left camera gave a 
decidedly dusky appearance to all 
acts; the right camera (right from 
the audiencej was on the light side. 
Miss Home particularly suffered 
from the camera technique. ' 



"G>wboy Hymns," by 
The Texas Kangen, 
is the fitst album of its 
kind! This exciting new al- 
bum by Bibletooe (eatunis six 
outstanding cowboy hymn 
selections. 

Just one more accomplish- 
meot of The Texas Rangers, 
Amctica's largest and finest 
group, playing and singing 
Western tunes! They've built 
a national reputation that can 
' be put to work for your client, 
through their top quality trah^ 
scribed tunes. It's appropriate 
that The Texas Rangers music 
is transcribed vertically for 
high fidelity i . , America's only 
vertical cut transcriptions of 
Western music. You'll find 
them ideal for either EM or 
AM. Tbty are priced right for 
your market, and your smtion. 

WfVfi> Wrif« or P/ion« 
for ComphUt DetaUs 



mm «. OMNCH nKKHicTto.'r 



Kermit Raymond Radio Produc- 
tions this week took the wraps off 
a trio of 'new plattered programs, 
starring Jackie Gleason, Fred Rob- 
bins and Frank Gallop. 

Gleason vehicle is a' quarter- 
hour five-a-weeker titled "It's a 
Great Show," in which he goes 
backstage at Broadway legits, niter- 
ies, sports arenas, etc., to inter- 
view the star porformer, working 
a slice of the show itself midway 
into the pickup. 

Robbing has been packaged in 
an hour-long, six-days-weekly "Rob- 
bins' Nest" disk jockey^ stint which 
offers guestar ' interviews as an add- 
ed attraction. Gallop's disker is a 
five-minute, six-times-weekly com- 
edy routine with guest comics. 

K-R outfit is continuing to add 
outlets for its "Hollywood Open 
House" series, latest being an un- 
usual deal whereby Kaiser-Fraser, 
via the Weintraub agency, will 
bankroll the helf-hour variety stan- 
za (marketed as a once weekly 
program) on a five-a-week basis for 
10 weeks over KFI, Los Angeles. 
Show is being spotted in hiatus- 
vacated spots of toprated NBC 
shows. 

"Open House" also has been 
sold to the Rural Radio»NetWoi-k 
o{ seven upstate N. Y. stations. 



Louisville— D. C. Summerford, 
WHAS assistant technical director, 
has resigned to take position of 
technical director with Mid-Amer- 
ica Broadcasting Corp. of Louis- 
ville, which is now installing new 
5-kw station on 1080 kc. New AM 
airer recently announced appoint- 
ment of Joe Eaton as general man- 
ager. Eaton was with WHAS for 
18 years, 10 of which he served as 
commercial manager. 



Washington — Washington Eve- 
ning Star s WMAL and WMAL-TV 
expect to approve final plans on a 
new office building and radio-tele 
studio within next two weeks. Star 
has the lot at 12th and K sts. 
Austin Co., of New York, is archi- 
tect and builder. 



Baltimore — WMAR-FM is pick- 
ing up and rebroadcasting a BBC 
program which originates only. 45 



Chewy 



of 



ss Continued from pace 27 

the heaviest spenders in the 



miles away, in Washington, after 

the shortwave signal has crossed 
the. Atlantic and returned. Pro- 
gram is BBCI's "Radio Newsreel," 
which calls in its Washington con-e- 
spondent and other foreign report- 
ers, WMAR-FM's antenna atop ■ 
the O'SuUivan building snags the 
signal as it's flashed back from 
London. 



Denver ■ — A fourth consecutive 
national award for excellence in 
radio writing has just been won by 
KLZ's only femme newswriter, 
Lucille Hastings. At its annual 
meeting, held last week in St, Paul, 
the National Federation of Press 
Women announced that its first 
award for preparation of a radio 
newscast had again been won by 
Miss Hastings. 



St. Louis— May Schaller who is 
• Cousin Emmy" on the KMQX 
hillbilly early a.m. program last 
week was sued for divorce by her 
husband, Elmer Schaller,- a farmer. 
Lenzburg, 111., 20 miles from St. 
Louis, who alleges she was any- 
thing but the kind, pleasant per- 
son radio dialers believes her to be. 
The couple were married three 
years ago and separated last 
March 19.: 



Whatever it is that converts a 
top vaude end legit performer into 
a standout television entertainer 
may be still undefined, but William 
Gaxton doesn't have it. Star of a 
number of Broadway clicks, Gax- 
ton took over . as emcee on the 
"Texaco Star Theatre" on the 
NBC-TV web July 6 with almost 
negative results. Granted that he 
would have had to be a sock come- 
dian to equal Milton Berle's excel- 
lent work in the Texaco emcee 
spot, Gaxton fell far short of the 
mark. His only saving grace was an 
okay rendition of several of the 
songs he helped popularize — and 
he partially killed that good efl'ect 
by bragging about the fact to the 
audience. 

With Gaxton throwing a damper 
on the entire hour, the other per- 
formers nonetheless scored con- 
sistently, maintaining the high en- 
tertainment factor the show has 
evidenced since first it took the air. 
Especially standout were Rose 
Murphy, with her stylized singing, 
and Jack Pearl with his oldtime 
vaude routine. Beatrice Kraft 
dancers looked good but evidently 
hadn't had enough camera re- 
hearsal. With only Miss Kraft and 
two men in the company, they 
went out of camera range too often 
to make it look as though their 
routines had been reset for tele's 
limitations. 



WGN Chalks Up 3 Sales 
To Shake Chi Doldrums 

Chicago, July 13. 
Tele biz came out of the dol- 
drums here last week, with WGN- 
TV chalking up three sales. WBKB 
also scored via purchase of the 
Bud Young-Richy Victor comedy 
show by Pioneer Scientific Corp. 
(polaroid television filter). Ten- 
minute weekly show was sold for 
13 weeks. 

New trio of WGN-TV bankroll- 
ers are Patricia Stevens, modeling, 
to sponsor four Sunday showings 
of "Cross Question," starting July 
18; Commonwealth Edison, to 
sponsor the seven-a-week WGN-TV 
Newreel for 13 weeks; and Peter 
Fox Brewing to sponsor four show- 
ings of "Sportsmen's Comer," 
starting July 16. 



^ Drive-hs in Pollout 

Albany, July 13. 
. The first experiment in Albany 
radio criticism of motion pictures 
ended last week when Paul Bruce 
Pettit,' instructor in stagecraft at 
N. Y. State Teachers' College, re- 
signed after broadcasting five 
nights a Week via WROW for 
seven months. 

The Fabian-Hellman Mohawk 
and Saratoga dtive-ins, which had 
been sponsoring the reviewer for 
six weeks, bowed out, whereupon 
the station switched ^ettit's air 
time from 6:45 ,to 7:15, Believing 
the lattet spot to be a poor one 
— in view of other programs tried 
there — Pettit resigned. 

Departure of the critic-educator 
was not imwelcome from the view- 
point of many tlieatre and distrib- 
utor men. Pettlt's itointed crit- 
icisras'-^perhaps the most consist- 
ently direct tftte!re4 here-^did not 
strike too feaponstve a diotd with 
tliem. 



Philco Appoints Moran 
As Special Video Rep 

Philadelphia, July 13. 
John J. Moran, former sales man- 
ager of the accessory division of 
Philco Corp., has been appointed 
special television representative for 
Philco. 

Moran, who joined the company 
in 1936, will assist Frederick D. 
Ogilvy, manager of television sales, 
in Philco's expanding program as 
new TV stations go on the air. 
He'll also aid distribs in territories 
where video is just getting under 
way.' , 

H'sTomeonln' 

Washington, July 13. 

The FM Assn.*board of directors 
has voted to extend associate 
memberships to retail dealers of 
FM receiving sets, in an expansion, 
program: 

J. N. (Bill) Bailey, FMA execu- 
tive director, said the original 
operation was mainly promotion, 
but the association will now advise 
members on the "general problems 
incident to FM operation." 

Bailey addressed the. annual 
Leadership Conference of the Na- 
tional Electrical Retailers Assn. 
today (13) in Chicago. More than 
4,000 retail dealers belong to 
NERA. 



medium and plans t» bankroll foot- 
ball games in practically every TV 
city in the fall. 

According to Case, "radio has 
always been a questionable 
medium for durable goods, such as 
automobiles. We could never put 
our finger on exactly what radio 
could or could not do. Television, 
though, is the greatest medium 
ever to come down the line for us." 
He declared that TV today is just 
about on the borderline, ready to 
pass over from a medium for ex- 
perimentation into one that will 
actually pay off in the way of in- 
creased product sales. 

Under the supervision of Case 
and Leo Langlois, C-E specialist 
in tele programming and produc- 
tion, the agency has worked up 
some novel filmed plugs in the way 
of glorified singing commercials. 
Running one to one-and-a-half 
minutes, they use the Chewy name 
only as a prop on which to hang 
entertainment; For example,, 
Langlois said,' one of them features 
Janie Ford, Tony Russo and the 
David Lambert chorus in a song 
especially written for the plug, 
which will background films of a 
boy and girl cruising around in a 
Chewy. Instead of plugs, Case 
said, the commercials will r,^re- 
sent virtual miniature musical 
comedies. 

As the 1949 Chewy budget is 
drawn, Qie agency will expand its 
tele activities. Entire copy-writing 
staif in the Detroit homeofCice, 
I Case said, has been indoctrinated 
with TV knowhow, having been ro- 
tated in various phases of tele 
work. Some of that personnel will 
be moved to the N.Y. office, which 
will .also recruit tele personnel i^l 
the east. 



Houston — Glenn H. McCarthy, 
wealthy oil man and new prez of 
the Shamrock Broadcasting Co., 
which jias taken over KXYZ has 
announced the following staff 
members as new officers of the or- 
ganization. Fred Nahas, exec 
veepee; Reese Reincclcer, present 
station manager, vice prez and 
general manager; Terry Lee^ pro- 
gram director and sales manager, 
veepee, and Earl R. Scholton, sec- 
retary-treasurer; Technical super- 
visor will be Gerald Chiuski. 



Howdy Doody 

SE Continued from pag;6 27 ^ 

does several daily radio shows for 
WNBC, is having a $tudio built in 
the basement of his New Rochellei 
N. Y., home, from which he plans 
to air his 7 a.m. show daily. As 
soon as the studio can be equipped' 
for TV, it's planned to move 
"Howdy" there and add two more 
days per week to the puppet's 
schedule. 

Sweets Co,, maker of Tootsie 
Rolls, is talking of picking up a 
15-minute segment of "Howdy." 

Installation of a studio in his 
home will enable Bob Smith to 
continue his five-a-week eyeopener 
show while expanding his cnores 
on "Howdy." WNBC feels Smith 
IS too valuable a property in the 
ayem spot opposite CBS' Arthur 
Godfrey and agreed to the at-home 
pickup so Smith could return to 
bed after the show and catch a few 
more winks before starting 
"Howdy" rehearsals at 2 p.m 
Under present arrangements, Smith 
crawls out at 4:30 a.m. and comes 
into Radio City for his WNBC 
stint, and stays up the rest of the 
day. 

Plans also are. to record his 
Saturday "Triple B Ranch" stint 
80. he'll bave weekends off. 



%l Pay Hike for Hnb's 



ise 

Boston, July 13. 

SalM'ied workers, supervisors 
and management representatives 
of the Hub's Westinghouse station.<( 
which include WBZ, WBZA, WBZ- 
FM, WBZ-TV and WBOS, have 
been granted an 8% pay raise, 
the third in two years. 

Based on a 40-hoiir week, the 
increase is retroactive to June 13. 




iXxtj luiv* stnrs in tlieir . 
i-yrit niHl »8k your a<Iri«e ahout 
learnlnjr rndlii and tX . . f«n 
'nm nbont The American Y'uiver- 
Kliy'H nrfTedftoO ronrH^fl In RhiIIo- 
TeleriDlon for a roll«ii:< A*tm*. 
'Ten 'em noboily eomett out a noI- 
Igiied pro, but tliey x«t tlie ddita 
anil teclinlcs, pins a M. H, lt'« aollil 
RtuflT, Time u|i«M<: now leamlnir 
tli« abr'n i* sood' biz (or radio and 
XV liopefillit. , 



* >|iM(h anil 



COURSES: • ^tWinv 
mito tadiMK % music 
ing * actrnit * 'aiinouaciH(| * pra- 
ituction: * mIm :* mdiragwimnf 
* puUk lervic* progmmming * 
peKciei and ttgulaiioat * itltriad 
coursH in pub/ic refotians, journal* 
isni} buiincss odminitfrafion, adrcr- 
thing and ih» socio/ Kicncos. 

TEACHEitSi afl prominenf pros in 
Wa$hiHgton Kadio^TV. 

FACILITIES: comploMy equipped 
sludio, tenlroi roam, recoidKng 
equipment e fieM iHml «bsarvali0n 
trips to commertiaf jtadfro and TV 
studios. 

DATES: Faff, Spring and Swrnmer 
Sessions. 



for complete dtiath, 

writ* Director of 
Radio «tnd TefcvInMi 



rj|flM 

Mmerican 
Uiiiversity 

1S81 F StJ,W.,Wit$liil«t«i %.U. 



Wcdncaday, July 14, 1948 

Quaker Oats Nixes Olsen 
As 'Honeymoon' Emcee; 
Fears Confusion on Plugs 

■ " Chicago, July 13. 

' Because of a nix from Quaker 
Oats, which until recently hired 
him as m.c. of its "Ladies Be 
Seated" daytimer on ABC. Johnny 
Olsen was cancelled out a.s m.c. 
of the networlv's new "Second 
Honeymoon" series, after being 
scheduled for the assignment. 
Qualcer Oats pressured ABC to 
keep Olsen oif tlie new .series, for 
fear there might toe confusion of 

. sponsor identification, since. "La- 
dies" and "Honeymoon,'' have con- 
tiguous time spots. ABC hopes to 
persuade Quaker Oats to ease its 
.oppo.sition before long. 

.Meanwhile, Bert Parks is tem- 
porarily, handling the "Honey- 
moon" program, with Olsen slated 
to m.c. the new ABC evening give- 
away series, "Get Rich Quick," 
starting Monday (19). He also con- 
tinues his "Rumpus Room" disk 
jockey series across the board on 
WJZ, N. Y., and shortly sta)'ts a 
television version of the same show 
«ne night a week on WFIL-TV 



U&RtEfr 



RADIO 



33 



SCHNOZ, MOORE, COHAN 
WIN WRITER'S SUIT 

Los Angeles, July 13. 

Jimmy Durante, Garry Moore 
and Phil Cohan won a decision in 
Los Angeles superior court where 
they had been sued for !^10,000 by 
Jack Douglas, radio wlter, charg- 
ing breach of contract. 

Douglas declared he was fired 
without cause from his $1.250-a- 
week job on the Durante-Moore 
radio show in 1946. Defendants 
said the writer refused to revise a 
script and walked out after the 
fourth weefc 



Trammell Fetes Strotz 
Prior to Coast Safari 

Niles Trammell, NBC prexy, 
tossed a farewell cocktail party 
last weeK for Sid Strotz, the web's 
No. 1 television man; and Mrs. 
Strotz, who left for a two-month 
stay on the Coast. Number of net- 
work execs attended. 

Hal BoclK, who will head up the 
Coast phase of NBC tele opera- 
tions, preceded Strotz to the Coast 
early last week after several 
months' indoctrination period at 
New York headquarters. . 



TEDDY WILSON SPREADS 

Teddy Wilson, sepia pianist, Is 
joining the ranks of two-station 
performers. He's just been pacted 
tff do a 15-minute stint on WOR. 
N. Y., Saturdays at 4;45 p.m., start- 
ing July 24. 

. He also has a- cross-the-board 
stanza on WNW. Y. iaUie, at 
1-1:15 p.m. I 



Prep '3 Men on Horse' 
As Airnold Stang Show 

Arnpld Stang is being .sought for 
the lead ,in "Three Men on a 
Horse," radio version of the John 
Cecil Holm comedy, which Mildred 
Fenton is readying as an inde- 
pendent package. The program is 
aimed for a fall start, vitli Holm 
doing the adaptation. 

Currently starring in "Always 
Albert," situation comedy sustainer 
on CBS, Stang plans to leave the 
show after his eight-week contrac- 
tual commitment, even if it con- 
tinues beyond the summer. He'll 
also presumably resume as a com- 
edy stooge on the Henry Morgan 
show if and when it gets another 
sponsor. 

Stang has been offered a film- 
for-television series of 30-minute 
shows, to be produced in New 
York, fetarfng in the fall. Mickey 
Schwartz, formerly with para- 
mount, will produce it independ- 
ently. , , , 



Mpls. Star Takes Whack 
At FCC for Exceeding 
Power on Libel Rule 

I Minneapolis, July 13. 

j Federal Communications Com- 
1 mission took another editorial beat- 
ing from the Minneapolis Star 
[Which assailed the FCC in its rcg- 
! ular editorial columns for "stepping 
;tar beyond its authority" in ruling 
that a station miEiy not censor 
> libelous material from political 
1 broadcasts. 

I "The FCC is not a legislature," 
; the editorial declares. "It has no 
power to create ow amend law, but ' 
; only to administer the law given it 
I by Congress. : And Congress' gave 
it no" powers over the laws of libel. 
Its views on the long-established 
principle that all who participate 
in the furtherance of libel are 
i themselves liable are no m.ore than 
I wishful thinking. They would he's 
cold comfort to a broadcaster haled 
into a law. court on a libel charge." 
I Until the next Congress can 
! straighten things out, the editorial 
asserts, the broadcasters are in an 
; awkward position— all the more so 
I with a Presidential campaign com- 
iing up this year. It wonders what 
jwill happen if some crackpot, for 
! example, with a personal estate 
j worth no more than . $250, gains 
{access to a microphone as the head 
I of a politicab clique and proceeds 
to libel some prominent citizens. 
"Does the FCC really believe that 
I the libeled persons would have re-, 
course only against the crackpot?" 
. it asks. , . ■ 



DIXIE WEB ELECTS 

Houston, July 13. 

Phil Duscnberry, manager of 
KRIC, Beaumont, is prez of a new 
five-station web which will be 
known as the Dixie Network. 

Other officers are Virgil Evans 
of KREL, Baytown, veepec, and 
King Robin.son, KATL, Houston, 
secretary-treasurer. Besides the 
three ouj^lets gbove. ^ o ther meipbers 
of the web 'are KOLE, Poit Arthur 
and Qrange. 



Taylor Longhair Disker 
May Cross Board for WOR 

I "Deems Taylor Hour," new 
: transcribed longhair music stanza 
: with the w.k. music critic in the 
I role of highbrow disk Jockey, may 
get a 30-minute cross-the-board 
jslot or WOR, N.Y. A wine com- 
j pany is . reported interested in 
I bankrolling the program. , 
I Series is being packaged .by 
Radio Features, affiliate of the 
Schwimmer & Scott ad agency) 
with Maurie Robinson, former. NBC 
associate director^ dii^ecting ami 
producing. - 



Inside Stuff-Radio 

NBC is quietly prepping a two-reel promotional film, at a cost of 
$75,000, depicting the web's growth from crystal set days to its present 
AM-FM-TV spread. The film, in 16m with souhd, will be printed for 
screenings before civic organizations, business an4 trade groups, ad 
agencies, advertisers and others. . , 

Camera work is being done by RKO-Pathe, whose New York studios 
were recently leased by NBC for television purposes. 

Web hopes to finish the film in time to premiere it at the NBC con- 
vention at Sun Valley, in September. Clearance also Is being sought — 
from the musicians' union, newsreols (some clips are used) and top 
NBC stars who have film contracts — so the film can be televised on 
NBC-TV. Ben Grauer will narrate the two-rceler from copy prepared 
by Phil Reisman, .Tr., of RKO-Patlie, Shooting script was drafted by 
Jack Snow of NBC. Roy Porteous is NBC contact man on the project. 



Reason that Ballantine Beer hooked both WB2-TV and WNAC-TV. 
Bo.ston, in its telecast of the Beau Jack-Ike Williams bout Monday il2) 
was because of the Siamese arrangement which prevailed between them 
that particular evening. The two outlets had committed themselves to 
carry the Democratic convention via AT&T's microwave relay and since 
the convention broadcast, would have to be cut off for the ring event 
one of the stations would lind^itseli without a program; ; 'The dlleroina ■ 
was solved by booking them both for the fight. 

The Ballantine emanation from Philly -represented the most exten- 
sive intefmixture of network affiliates to date. WFIL-TV, which orig- 
inated the -event, is tied up with ABC, whUe WABD, Now York, and 
WNHC, New Haven, are DuMont releases, WBZ-OT and WTVR, Rich*, 
mond, have NBC franchises, WMAL-TV, Washington, is strictly also 
ABC, while WNAC-TV and WMAR, Baltimore, maintain arrangements 
with both ABC and CBS. , ' . 



John Byram, eastern story editor of Paramount, and William Brown 
Meloney, producer-husband of Rose Franken, unexi>6ctedly did an ove't>-' 
the-coffee broadcast last weekend with '£d Fitzgerald, something they 
not only had never thought of doift^, but also the!' kind of pro^rftift 
they'd never even heard. , 

. Incident happened when Pegeen Fitzgerald, was taken ill and wa^ 
unable to do the regular Sunday morning show w'ith her husband, 
over WOR, New York, but piped from their honie: in' New Canaan, 
Conn. The Fitzgeralds had dined the previous night at the Meloneys, 
so when Mrs. Fitzgerald became ill she vyas put to bed there. Next 
morning, as she hadnit recovered,. Meloney and Byram^ his weekejid 
guesl, were shanghaied' for the broadcast. . . ; ' 



.Radio and Television Directors Guild i^s mulling a, proposal by Robert 
Lewis- Shayo'n, nevO' prexy of the N. Y. local,' that, the- guild stage' a. 
fullscale satirical revue on broadcasting at RTDG's annual ball. Shindig 
is slated for Nov. 12 at the Hotel Astor, N. Y. ' ; ' 

Shayon's suggestion was that radio needs a counterpart of the' Wash- 
ington nevtrs correspondents', annual gridiron dinner and that the di- - 
rectors are the logical group to stage such an annual $hoW. Gilild's 
council has endorsed the idea, the tentative thought being that RTDG , 
would pay union tabs for performances and nominal fees for material 
used in the sketches, blaclcouts, etc. Nieki Burnett, the guild's national , 
exec secretary, already is receiving scripts from' interested writers, 
directors, actors and others. , 



&litty nights 

in a suiteme 



JRqdio Sales Aceoiinf Executives travel 750,000 mile^ a year 
to visit the stations they represent. As they live out of their suit- 
casesj'tliey work for you. For they get first-hand information 
' which otherwise you would have to go out and get for yourself. 
Tliey bring back to yon lace-io-face fads about the people, 
the progranjs and the .selling power delivered by each station 
they represent. It means that without ever leaving home, you 
can get inside information on how you can make your sales 
curves hit new highs in your most hnportant markets. 




'Voice' a Whisper in Europe 



; Cotttbraed troiBi pace 25 i 



ting tiis radio shows widely heard 
in Western Europe, according to 
sources here; is to have them aired 
locally by the various radio admin- 
istrations. This could be done by 
exchange of disks and scripts, with 
the countries of Kurope obviously 
not willing to be entirely on the 
receiving end of such an airangc- 
mcnt. 

Loiiis MerUn, boss of Luxem- 
bourg radio, sums up the feeling, 
of TOost of the radio ffltecs. With 
the multiplicity of local pr^ss and 
radio services in Western Europe 
th^'s no reason why "people 
should put up. with static and fad- 
ing to get news of iUnerica on the 
shortwave." Merlin goes further 
tlian most of hi!? government ra- 
dio colleagues in adding that the 
"Voice of America" label fa bad. 
A& he sees it; Enrope is tired of 
propaganda and is apt .to resent 
programs bearing this tag. Ixie 
same shows withd,ut the label could 
be aired under local auspices in 
Europe and their chances «f being 
heard "improved 100%;' 

- XJ. S. Point of View Still Felt 
Though our dx voice is- muffled, 
there's no doubt that the U.: S. 
point of view is widely felt in 
£ii«rope. Desperate need for the 
Vaakcie doBai: by most of tbe form- 
er occupied countries isn't dis- 
couraging infiltration of U. S. info 
by any means. For example, in 
fYance the tremendous importance 
of American news services is 
eveiywhere evident. AP, UP, and 
INS . tags are seen daily in the 
dozen or so Paris papers which 
daren't depend solely on less chlp- 
_ heavy France Presse for full cov- 
' erage of world news. Ditto is true, 
according to oHicials here, for the 
influence which the American Em- 
bassy, UN and UNESCO staffers 
exert on official French organs. 
'For example,' a U. S. staffer is 
heard daily on the official Fcencb 



wov 



Contiauetf tarn page 2» ; 



tb« AVCO rule that their offer 
Should be considered. 

Victory is requesting a hearing 
and according to the petition is 
confident that a grant of its appli- 
cation would "better serve the 
pfiblic interest, convenience and 
necessity than would a grant of the 
application of General." 

General has proposed to pay 
Bulova and Behshel $200,000 in 
cash,, the 10% of common stock in 
WNEW now ovmed by O'Dea, and 
documents releasing W o d a a m 
Corp.,: (Bulova and Henshel) from 
all claims involved in two pending 
actions brought by O'Dea. 

.Victory advises that Leigh vrill 
pay $155,000 in cash; Weil, 24,000, 
and Hartley $21,000, and that O'Dea 
will transfer to or on behalf of Vic^ 
tory the identical considerations he 
would transfer t» or on behalf oi 
General. 

Attorneys for Victory indicate 
they think the Commission . will 
set an early hearing date for pur- 
pa.se.s of settling the question of 
sale. FCC regulations prohibit 
owner.ship of majority stoclc in 
more than one station in a city, 
and ai"e anxious, attorneys say, to 
settle the case of Bulova owner- 
ship. 



radio in the role of a disk jockey 
playing American music, adlibbing 
about U. S. life and customs. 
American jazz and film stars have 
almost as much vogue as V. S. 
cigaiets in the French capital. 

In Belgium, the radio adminis:- 
tration has a 14rman monitoring 
sei-vice which picks up news from 
U. S. and other-overseas radio and 
incorporates it into tlte half-dozen 
daily newscasts sent out over the 
local Flemish and French radio 
i^'stetns. 

Both Dutch and Belgian radio 
men e3q[»ressed a desire for more 
radio material from Uncle Sam for 
local airing. In Holland, the 
shortage of dollars has required 
dosing of the- radio and info office 
that, country formerly maintained 
in New York. As a result, radio 
boss Vogt mourned the fact that 
Hollanders had no means of hear- 
ing the voice of the Mayor of 
Amsterdam when he participated 
in. the Golden Jubilee ceremonies 
in Manhattan last month. 

There are few good shortwave 
sets in Holland capable of picking 
up the "Voice of America" airers, 
Vogt said. As is true in most of 
Europe, the average citizen has a 
tough enough time getting food 
and lodging for his family, much 
less buying "luxury" items like ex- 
pensive radio sets. HoDand, in 
fact,, bulwarks home radio listen- 
ing tqr providing a cheaper central 
radio system tied in with telephone 
service for those without receivers 
of their own. While shortwave set 
ownership in Belgium is mo^ng 
up compared to prewar years, 
there's little indication of any but 
sporadic dialing of "Voice"- airers., 

Situation in France is probably 
true for most of the other former 
ocenpied countries. Average sal- 
ary is about 30-50,000 francs a 
month or the equivalent of $100l to 
$160. Most sets being manufac- 
tured here include both long and 
shortwave bands but officials esti- 
mated that a Jiigh-quality receiver 
capable of tuning the "Voice" pro- 
grams from America would top 
$100 and would probably Asa mam 
higher. 



Firan Harris 

(DitttlM •» TV and Mothn Htt¥nt, 
KvthmvH « ftfom) 
.'foresMt 
''66,000,000 Atidience for 
Commercial Plugs hy End 
of '4S" 
■ «, •.■«.■ *,•,■ 
a* wBtoriai, featnw in tk« 
3d Annual Spectol 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

of 

Our TMs M»nfh 



Fron The Production Centers 



Contiuued fr»m paee 24 



Kaycee PromotioB Mgr. 
md kx $??.S0 Is 
Anti-Tnnffim haak 

Kansas City, July 13. 
Johnny Eraser, promotion man- 



rommunitv Chest for 1948-49. Committee includes Lewis Allen Weiss. 
wTt^Mer Marvin Young, Jack Van Nostraad, Bob BalUn, Justin 
Dart LidWayne Tiss ...Tony Stanford, "Duffy's Tavern" producer 
back at Young & Bnbicara after a month east .... Frank Moms of 
KtCA Chicago-bound on vacation. .Edward Arnold back following. 

hi'i last "Mr President" broadcast from Manhattan Tom Ludcenbill 

of Esty agency m from New York to confer with Jimmy Durante and 
PhU Cohan on their fall stmt for Camels. 

Johnny Jacobs, announcer for Gene Auti-y show, takes over emcee 
snot on "Teen and Twenty Time," following death of disk jockey 
Mauri Cliffer. Show, owned by Cliffer's widow, is up for sale. . . .Snag 
Wenis joined the regulars— Roger Price, Leonard Stem and Sid Fields 
—on ABC'S' "Comedy Writers Show" Ruby Irwin, Young & Rubicam 
scripter and Bemie Smith, writer on the Groucho Marx show and Coast 
rep of '"'We- the People," to Chicago, where theyll be hitched I^iday 
(16) KTLA is right on top of the Carole Landis case. Thursday (8> 
they telecast "Hoad Show," 1941 United Artists release starring IVIiss 
Landis. Next Thursday (15> tliey'll beam "Men Are Not Gods," Rex 
Harrison starrer of 1937. Latter will he first in the Sir Alexander 

Korda series tofced by station for telecastuig Lawrence Tibbett. Jr., 

signed by Ciint Stanley of Ken Bolsti s^Escy £cr male lead, is "T«8 
Gale Bobbins Show." situation comedy tele layout that tees off on 
KTLA next Wednesday (21.>, , 



IN cmcAGO . . . 

i . u Harrv Kogan bowed out as an ABC musical director last week ... 

ager for WHB here, is poorer by ^^^^^ Lynch, general manager of WCFL, bedded at LitUe Co. of 

$77.50 as a result of an escapade ' jjai-y hospital, Woj-tli, 111 '.'RCA- Victor Show" emanates from here 

in which he essayed the role of a \ Aug. 15 Henry Livezey, manager of NBC guest relations,, recovering 

political prankster in Independ- i f^om an appenttectoB«y....Anne Hershey, songstwss on "Music From 

n;i t»™.«j««t Tr,.«r»„ « i the Heart of America," and Charles Ockert, an tasurntce man, pUa 
ence, Mo., President ir«man s ^^^.^^^^^ ^^j^ g^^^p^j.-^ ^jj^ ^jfipg ^logg^ j^iy ^^^^^ 

home town. Bob Hurleigh, WGN news chief, is author of "Taxes, Taxes, 

A large, black "Ex" appeared i Taxes" in the current issue of Partners .... New engineering Uneup at 
in front of the title before the Tru- ' ABC has BiB Cummings as operations supervisor, Bob Whitnab.as diief 

„„ , OA ch»oi nrniiaw of 'TV and FM, and Byron Speiis as recordmg supervisor. 

T^f ?iL r w i The King's Jesters launch a new series on WBBM Aug. 9 . , , , Sidney 

erected by the Chamber of Com-, ^ ^ ^^.^ midwest TV 

wafLdii^ X the citv 'An IS? filiates.... Don McNeUl caBa off his presid^tial campaign via a 
^ JL:^ t^il^wi^ chmiflr.! "Breakfast Qab" broadcast at New Philadelphia, Ohio, in mid-August 

*ffiT» rS fh.. ii,^^„<=^ • • • "Hint Hunt" set to origmate from Syracuse, N. Y., for one week. 

°r efy^^^,.,^^ Ltlhf «:rZJ^nf ' startmg Aug. 16. . . .Caesar Petrillo, WBBM maestro, has penned a nw 
?L .i^ thi nifmw waJ; twne, "Back in the H^art of the Hills" . . . Mathilde Ernestine, freelance 

i™r scripter, off to intex-^iew UN delegates for background material to be 

iraceo to .rrasei. used in a projected series of .anti-communist shows. .. ..Soprano Nancy 

Can- iias her second network hearing Satnraay (17) via Mntoal's "CW- 
cago Theatre of the Air". . . Del Gay, former BurtcHi Holmes staffer, 
has joined Television Advertising Productions ss jdioto director ... . 
Maestro Freddy Martin press-partied in e^neetimi ivitll the WGN tee- 
off of his recorded "It's Show Time hx jIollywood'^. . . ■ Jac^ Ftdton 
leaves WBBM's music staff Friday (16) to taike over the feaieW jat ttae 
Chicago' theatre. 



Writer Waitfed 

SITUATION COMEDY 
TaEViSIONSEKIES 
Bex 444, Variety 
154 Weit 4«th St. 
New York 19. N, Y. 



Ochs Ducks Out of CBS 
For Ward Whdock Post 

Ace Ochs is resigning from CBS 
end of this week to join the Ward 
Wheelock agency. He'll move to 
the Coast to take over du'ection of 
the Campbell Soup "Club 15" cross- 
the-board musical on Columbia. 

Patti Clayton (Mrs. Ochs) is 
checking off the CBS "Stag It 
Again" show to join her hufiband. 

Ochs recently was switched from 
the web's radio production depart- 
ment into television and wrote-pro- 
duced-directed the "Face the Mu- 
sic" TV program. 



He appeared in the magistrate 
court of J. J. Brady in Independ- 
ence and pleaded guilty rather than 
await a week's delay for a trial. The 
charge was unlavrfully and will- 
fully defacing the property of an- 
other. Brady sard he would over- I 
look the political aspects of the 
case, but he couldn't overlook the 
fact it was a prank in the Presi- 
dent's home town and Jissessed a : 
fine of $25 plus $2.50 costs. Pre- j 
vioHsly Fraser had paid $50 to T. H. i 
Parkman, a partner in the sign j otiier locals, particularly Los An- 
firm from which the C. of C. leases , geles where a branch of the Art- 
the roadsign, and a prosecuting 
I witness. 

] When asked by tlie court for an 
i explanation, Fraser merely said, 
l"It's just one of those tilings." 
' Philadelphia. 



AHA 



ComtimneA liMi pace H ; 



ABC Sets Night Whirl 
For 'Get Rich Quick' 

"Get Rich Quick," new giveaway 
stanza with Johnny Olsen emcee- 
ing, has been set for a nighttime 
ride on ABC after having been 
stymied out of an afternoon cross- 
the-board spot because the delayed 
playback schedule would cut Coast 
dialers off the show's phone call 
list. 

l^Tow the stanza is slotted in the 
9:30 Monday night period, to start 
next week (19), and will go through 
live to the Coast. 

Format, has studio and listener 
(via pboae) eairtestants eompetiog 
Iijt vifftoas suses lor casli prizes. 



PRIME TAKE IT' AS 
BI6TME GIYEAWAy 

Hollywood, July 13. 
"Take It or Leave It" looks set 
to go whole-hog for the fabulously 
successful giveaway , format this 
fall. Martin Straus, chairman of 
the board of Eversharp, was here 
last week gandcring new twist for 
the top-rater worked out by the 
Biow agency, whereby listeners 
will get the same break as studio 
audiences, with emcee Garry 
Moore utUizmg the phone . gim- 
mick, ■ 

Move is designed' to keep "Take 
It" up there with the top 15 in the 
Hooper Derby. » Five of the,, first 
15 on the last Hooperatings, in- 
cluding the Eversharp show, were 
audience participationers. 
pen layout, in forth position, was 
topped only by "Stop the Music," 
in second place. Jackpots on the 
new show are slated to top any- 
thing offered by radio heretofore, 
including those big $20,000 takes 
that are now cnmnionplace. 



Producer— Dwsctor— Writer 

AvsUable Aiqp»t 1 

Ten years Kew York network experience. Imaginative 
in the creation ot new shows. Desire agency connection 
in New York or Hollywood. Highest professional recom- 
mendations. BOX 145, VARIETY, 154 West 46th ist„ New 
York 19, N. Y, ' ' 



Evelp Peirce 

As Compton Supervisor 

Evelyn Peirce, supervisor.of day- 
time radio at the Compton agency, 
has resigned effective Frid^ (16). 
However, with a vacation coining 
to her, she actually left the office 
last Fridiiy (9). Shell rest for a 
month or so in Vermont, then 
decide between several prospects. 
She is still not fully recovered 
from injuries received in a recent 
auto crash. , 

There will be no formal suc- 
cessor as daytime supervisor, but 
Storrs Hayncs, manager of the 
agency's radio department, will 
take over « large part of Miss 
Peirce's duties, with the remainder 
divided among several others. Be- 
fore joining Compton five years 
ago,. Miss Peiite was in .the nto- 
duction end e£ {be JBHwmi»y 
theatre. 



ists Committee is active, the liber- 
al forces will now hold either the 
controlling strength or at least an 
influential voice in national af- 
fairs in the union. 

Tlie 104 deleirateM ele^-ird to rept'(>.s(*nt 
Nt»vv Toi'k at liui imtiomU ('(Mivenlion 
A.iig, 211-29 in Boston ave Karl SWeiiaon, 
:iSH : Nolsoli Ca.Ht\ o7fl; t'ljivton Collvor, 
?.5!); Ted O.Hboni, 3+5; Betl.v Oardtt, :i4;i; 
Ben Grauer, S\'£; House .lamcsyn. U-TO; 
ATine Se.vmour, :iti8: IHin Meviiuuir, 328; 
William r. Adatua, 321; Sfiuitn f'ola- 
wortli, 318; Parkfti- Femiell.v, 3,1 S; Tprt 
fifl C'orala, 313; Vlnlmi ItHywortH. .113; 
ll.vrun Mct'ormli*. 313; Ed Heglev, 512.; 
MinerTa Fioae, 3^i. 

Jay JoBtjn. WS: VIrKinia PnyiiB. SM;- 
f'ai-l BastlMlt, 301: BUI ftiimii, 301); Bii 
Herlihy, 298; Robert 3. Vrni-oH. 
Fi'ailk Gallop, 2»t!; l^wlglit Woisl, 2,11!; 
Jim Boles, 296; Kric Droaslor, 2(>S; Alice 
Kruat, 4S1: Arnold Mihu, 2!II; N<-tl Wevor. 
288; Marsarrt Speaks. 28S; VickE Villa, 
2»T; Alan Brunei!. 285: Kliwibstth Mor- 
fian, 284; Alex Mclvco, 280; .lolin Mi- 
Gov-fvn, 280; Waltor Gii.9taffloii. 279: 
Ludllo Wall, 278; .Tafli-inn Book, 277; 
Kennelh, Hoberts, 277; Waltor Klnsclla, 
270; ffivorett Sloaiio, 276; Ri\nto.>> Ortoca 
273; I.on Clark, 272; Sydney Smitli, 272; 
Ann Tliomap, 272, 

Peggy Allenby, 209; ITorni-e Braliain, 
208; Keiineih lianKliari, 207; iidwiu 
Jerome, 207; .Taek .irtlnn'. 268; (iimrKo 
A. I'utnam, 203; (fopii Kmerfioii, 202- 
Tom Hlllrley, 260; Ian Martin, 250; .raiiiex 
Van l>yk, 259; I,pori K. .Tarnev, 264; 
Irene Beaslsy, 263; Muriel iciiklnnd, 
252; I.anny Koss, 252; Iticliai'd KL'irk, 
Tha 252; llalpk C'amavKO, 2,'l ; Alieo Vour- 
4,ue I man, 2f.l ; Jaok Ciwlollo. 248; Mitsit 
Houia, 247; .lames p. Sler-iUion, 247; 
Adelaide Klein, 240; Matlliew Oriiwiey, 
241; Pert Kelton. 211; Ilratrr Sonder- 
Kunra. 211: tJoRrne Iiwciilliisit, 2»S; 
ICraidt Butter. 2.17- Kinir <!aWer. MS; 
Krnifat Chammll. iK: 3otbi.1i De Santift, 
2;ir>; Jonepli (Jvntin. W4; Batpli S- BCD, 
2»|; Helen Claire, 233; Alan Hewitt, 

Kd WraiTBe, 231: Clifford Carpenter; 
229 : Wendell Holmes; 228 ; Kay ttaixt 
£28 ; Irene Bu1>lia.rd, 227: Billy iteaiield. 
22i;: Martin Betrley. tii; llelpup mmiaii. 
22t: John W. T.,«i:kin, 284; Alex Sconj-by, 
224; Howard Clanejr. 222; Marian 
Shciekler, 822; Robert Wryijell. 221: Ezra 
KMiae, 221; Gertrude Warner, 221' I.os 
nanion, 230; Stefan Selinabel, 219; Chiiin 
X«>el). 217; Joan Mhea. 215; Mji.ion Adama 
31B; Fran Carlon, 316; l^'ioretief Free- 
man. 21S:, Mary .Tanc JllRbv, 214: War- 
ren R. Parker, 214; Amanda RuiUlolph. 
214. ■ ■ ■ 

As indicated by the relatively 
light vote, there was little election 
caiupaignuig by either the Indepen- 
dents or the AC. A group of indi- 
viduals: tn each faction decided on 
its slate of candidates, but except 
for one letter sent out to the 
membership Iqr supporters of Miss 
Pious, the electioneering ended 
there. 



NE4NS HEAim OFF 

"Behind the Front Page." Sun- 
day night series on Mutual for 
Mutual Benefit of Omaha, is re- 
ported about to be moved to Ciii- 
cago, with Gabriel Heatter re- 
placed as m.c. Reason for the 
shift is understood to be the de- 
sire of the Chicago office of Ruth- 
rauff & Ryan» agency on the a(s 
count, to handle the production 
itself instead of letting the New 
York office do so. Another angle 
is the determination of the spon- 
Jior's advertising director to revise 
the format of the program. 

The in.surance billings were tak- 
en to R & R by tile executive wlio 
previously liandled the account for 
Ihe Meyerhoft' agency. The busi- 
ness has beo;n with the Chicago 
oifice of B & R, with Heatter be- 
coming the radio spokesmen when ' 
the firm sponsored his "Brighter 
Tomorrow" show. When tliat was 
dropped he continued as m.c. Of 
the "Headlines" series. 



Buffalo — - Arthur Simon, exec 
veepee of WKBW here and former 
manager of WLIB, N. Y., obtained 
a release from the Buffalo station 
effective June 28. His future plans 
haven't been announced. 



4 \^ 












"Or «Iw bioMt wHh Yoa" 
"This Tin* for KMps" 
Mift,; LOU CLAYTON 



IVIlnneap(»Us— Tooy Moe, former 
promotion: director of KELO 
Sioux Falls. S. D., has been named 
head of promotinm and pressi info 
department at WCCO, succeeding 
Carl Ward, tnnsferried into sta- 
tion's sales department. Moe en- 
tered radio in 1937 at KSOO. 



RADIO 6IRL FRIDAY 

Exptrienced script writ- 
ing, Mntinuity, produc- 
tion, promotion; aH^, 
around assistant to homed 
exec. I 

IOK734S 
Twlalr. IB«^ Wtat <Mlli 91;^ 



WdhuiMhf , Inly 14, 194M 



•ll€lil!!$niAS4MII78IC 



ts 



SEE END-OF-SUMMER DISK TOCE 



Ph^ers SaiqiressiBg CU Move 
To Retaliate Vs. Pubs Ctftii^ Down 



National Q&iecs o£ the Music 4^ 
Publishers Contact . Emplos^ees 
UniAn acted dmstically last week 
to suppress an incipient movement 
among Chicago members to i«- 
taliate against publishing firms 
tliat have been cutting down their 
plugging staffs. Mort SchaeSEer, 
the union's midwest regional di- 
rector, was instructed by Hfew Yorit 
to summon all Chicago cardholders 
to a meeting and warn them that 
any further pursuit of such tactics 
would put ih^ raerabei'ship. in 
jeopardy. 

The MPCE'« action stemmed 
from a report tbat certain Chicago 
contactmen had taken it on them' 
selves to urge orchestra leaders 
and station librarians to refrain 
Irom listing the current plugs of 
pubUsh^ who have been shear- 
bis their payrolls. Bob Miller, 
fclPCE executive secretary, who 
conveyed the national's message to 
Schaeffer, pointed out to the latter 
that the union was "violently op- 
posed t« any form of recrimina- 
tion" and that any behavior which 
ivas inimical to th« union's prestige 
wonld be met by hauling up the 
celf-^ppointed retaliators on 
charges. 



Mus-ArtHeiV 
MGACSeen 
Hypo to Band Biz 

Important figures in the band- 
eelling business have expressed tlie 
opinion that out of the merger of 
the Mus-Art Agency with General 
Artists Corp. could evolve a state 
of competition whi-eh would be 
^stimulating to ilic field as a whole. 
With the high-powered personnel 
acqidned fimsugta the takeover in 
a positiim to in much siroBger 
attracti'imS'th^ it tiad been accus- 
tomed to, llie expectation is tliat 
GAC will now be better able to 
give Music Corp. of America.' the 
njost powerful agency in the field, 
some iieall competition. 

Gontaioed m liii^ line of antici- 
pation is the Uiought that the cali- 
bre of operator as leprescnted, for 
instance, by Russ Facehine, Jack 
Whiltemoi-e, and Lyle Thayer, 
M-A. partners, can, if reinforced 
with talent and organization, pro- 
duce the sort of ideas which would 
be of benefit to tJhe entire business. 
It is commonly believed among 
band executives that, one of tJic 
things tJiat the business seems to 
be suffering from most is a lack 
of aoitiatlve and a tendency to ac- 
cept the situation as just going 
through one of those stages, and 
without anybody trying to crash 
throuigb Qie general letdown with 
new Meas. 

llw feeling now is, and the 
SiOUiTce indudes top MCA execu- 
tives themselves, (hat the GAC 
newcoatexs will strike out in foree- 
tal fediion to bore into many a 
sltaation held heretofore exclu- 
sfcrely Ijiy MCA by riiecr ability to 
lotei«st tbe hotel operator in new 
ideas on band and fioorshow pres- 
entation. With a more potent or- 
gaaization behind them, these same 
ftK-Mus-Artites will also, it is fig- 
ured, be aWe to bring in other 
propeitles and thereby strengOten 
Uteir approach in hotel and cafe 



5 Times for BaHylioo 

Coltuoibla iteoords has picked 
out fivtf of its current releases on 
which to concentrate a crosfr* 
country ad campaif^, with the 
dealers co-oping on costs. 

The plattNS are root l^rper's 
"Candy Store Bines,"* Arfljiff God- 
frey's "Turkish Delight," Doris 
"Day-Buddy Clark's "It's Magic." 
Franlt Sinatra''s "Just lor Wow" and 
Jerry Wayne's "I'd Love To Live 
in Loveland." 



Music Men's 13th Annual 
Golf Toumey on Aug. 18 

The Professional Music Men 
stage their 13th annual golfery 
this year at Bethpage, Farming- 
dale, L. I., on Aug. 18. 

As in the past ; the music pub- 
lishers, bandleaders, singers, pho- 
nograi^i companies, radio stations, 
picture companies, etc,, donate 
prizes.- ■ ■ . ■ ■ 



Per Year Bi^ere Lag 

Charlotte, July 13. 
Before sales went on the tobag- 
gan North and South Carolina, ac- 
cording to Charlotte distributors, 
absorbed 5,000,000 phonograph 
records a .year, making the area, 
despite its low incouM tatii%, one 
of the most remunerative for the 
disk industry below the Mason- 
Dixon line. Its 7,000 jukeboxes fur- 
ther attest to a high per capita ab- 
sorption in recorded musical fare. 

liiese distributors report that 
hillbilly and face and jive records 
contintie to lead the demand, wiHi 
sentimeatai ballads mnning about 
nip and tuck with the latter two 
categories. Sior example, Decca 
has so far this year sold S4,800 
copies of Ted Weems' "Heart- 
adbes" in the two states, while 
"Walldng the FloQr Over You." a 
hillbilly number, has chalked up a 
sale of 58,000 copies. 

Biggest single draw in this mar- 
ket is Victor's hillbilly warbler, 
Eddy Arnold, widi Southern Ra- 
dio Corp. here having a standing 
order of 12,000 copies, sii^t vm- 
seen; of anything he turos out. 
CJose rivals are Capitol's Tex Wft- 
liams and Decca's iSmest Tubb. 



PEIiiLLfl MEETS 
fl 






Dicker West Orch 



Despite James C. PetrQlo's turn- 
down last week of the "Institute 
Plan," submitted to him by the 
major, recording companies, there 
seemed to be some optimism in 
these quarters that a way will be 
found out of the impasse by the 
end of the summer. That the 
Araericm Federation of Musicians 
chief hasn't shut the door com- 
pletely against acceptance of some 
compromise of tlje plan was indi- 
cated by the fact that Petrillo and 
members of the record industry 
committee are slated to meet with- 
in a few daj'S to draw up a joint 
statement on the union's reaction 
to the plan. 

There's a strojig belief still 
prevalent tliat the big tufn which 
will lead to the lifting of the 
recording ban will take place after 
Labor Day. Employment has been 
dropping precipitously in all fields 
where musicians are employed, 
and the refsonipg in these quar- 
ters is that PelTiUo, faced with 
(Continued on page 41) 

. ■ ■ .. .... 9 

Jobbers Report 
Sl^t Incre ase 
bi Sheet-Selng 

Sheet music jobbers repoi-t that 
business has been picking up dur- 
ing the past week. They say that 
even though the hike is very slight 
there's cause for optimism, prin- 
cipally because the jump in the 
number and size of orders is not 
of a regional but nationwide com- 
plexion. 

The break in the lethargy which 
had prevailed in sheet music since 
early April became Grst noticeable 
the middle of last week, with the 



V CI*— J <T» 1 > ' becomiiBg somewhat of a 
for aurano ISanK ; flurry by Monday morning's (12) 
Alvy West and Ms unit are die- ! mail. 

The flow of orders is apparently 



leering for an appearance with the 
"Break the Bank" radio show on 
the stage of the Strand, N. Y., late 
in August. It would be the band's 
first theatre date in the east. 

Currently doing a five-a-week 
radio series witii Jerry Wayne on 
CBS, West is booked to play a 
six-week return date starting Sept. 
23 at Uie Hotel Edison. N. Y. 



not reflecting a concerted interest 
in any particular numbers, or even 
the top-selling tune, which circum- 
'Stanoe has led to a surmise in job- 
ber quarters that dealers have, as 
the result of a sudden counter 
pickup, slid down to bare inven- 
tory and are rushing to replenish 
their stock. 



BBC Me Loms As (rf Cids, 
WiA Staff Orchs Also Set To <;o Out 



RCA 20% Off 

RCA Victor's ilistribution of 
royalties on pop records for 
the quarter ending April 30 is 
about '20% under what it was 
for the previous quarter, it was 
revealed last week. It's the 
ilrsi appreciable -drop front 
that company since the record- 
ing business stalled, on its 
boom in the early '40s. 

Payments from Decca. Co- 
lumbia and Capitol are not 
due until Aug. 15. 



Irish Masician Setnp 
Tan^y, With Burn Due 



Dublin, Jul^ £ 
With musicians being imported 
from the Continent for Sadlo Eir- 
eann's symphony orch and other 
combinations, local toolcrs are get- 
ting hot imder the collar. Some 
vacancies in radio orchs were kept 
for Irish citizens, 'but station <a- 
ilcials said there was not sufficient 
local talent on tap. Musicians 
cracked back that the pay pros- 
pects weren't -so hot eitiier. 

Recent government changes have 
brought a new Minister for Posts 
and Telegraphs (James Everett) 
and as controUing anthority lior 
radio he's getting the eye from the 
local PetriIlo-~Pat Malone. secre- 
tary to (he Federation of Irisb Mu- 
sicians. 

Mahtne says he's going to 
strai^ten out the tangle and is 
getting together -with Everett to 
define exact status and conditions 
of employment. A possible pay hike 
and less playing time also are like- 
ly to figure on tlie agenda for their 
talks. 



London, Jtuily 13. 

Cabinet Intervention is fM^og d6o 
manded by Members of Parliament 
into the ban on British Broadcast- 
ing Corp. broadcasts oiganised by 
the Musicians Union which has 
farced radio chiefs to decide to &xt 
the Light Program to ilve hours a 
da.v from Aug. 1. 

Unless the gnvemmHnt stxas in 
within the next three weeks, the 
strike will definitely take place. A 
complete stalemate has been 
reached and no conciliatory moves 
are coming- from either side. The 
imion demands a lO-isbilling in- 
crease on tli« sresKBt fee for a 
studio broadcast. 

BBC program piUnaners estimate 
tliey can preserve tiie Home and 
Third Programs and reduce the 
Light Program to 6-11 p.ni. with a 
possible full Ligtat Pitngam on 
Sunday, by the introductioui o£ 
Continental broadcasts. But the 
imion is keei^g its tramp cards 
secrat, stating only that 0te cuts 
will be far greater than Broadcast- 
ing House at present imagines. 

Key points are the 10 BBC stafl^ 
orclicstras, ranging from the BBC 
Symphony to the Welsh. Light. 
Which have as yeit been «onddered 
eicempt fmni the atrikd. TSmr it'n 
imderstood Hie union may call 
them outiat tite last minute, leav- 
ing the BBC with no oiribestras at 
its disposal. 

Both the BBC «taff daoce-bands. 
conducted by ..Stanley Bladk and 
Biil3^.Te^ient, will definiteiy come 
out on strike, tbe uwioo. Orig- 
inally they wene )i(3ieved to be ex* 
cmpted; 1 ' 



Jack Fulton "Sevf B&it^s^ 
At Chicago Theatre 

Chicago, July 13. 
Jack Fulton takes over the baton 
at the Chicago theatre, making 4iie 
second change within six numths 
there. 

He replaces Henry Brandon, who 
took over from Lou Breese when 
vaudeville went over to the .State- 
Lake, Jan. 20. Fulton starts July 16. 



fiEim SHEET BEST SEUEBS 



Survey oi retial slieet ituttte 
^Ics, based on reports tAtained 
/rom leaMng jiimres is iSt dHet, 
and s7iou)t«9 comporotiwc sales, 
rating ibr this and last week. 



Naiional 
KatiBig 

This Last 
wfc. wk. 



Week Ending 
July 10 



Title and rtitliaher 



to 



T 
O 

'T 
'A 
L 

f 
O 
1 
N 
T 
8 



I 1 •TTan Ciiat Be Trae" (Biltmore).. 2 I t I I 



I 116 



_2 

Jl 

5A 
SB 
8 



"Wsedy Weodpecfcer^ (Lewis). 



2 3 2 2 



2 W 



•Tily Hawiwacss" (Blasco) 3 



"atrfaae Baar" tSnace-VH).'. ■ ■ . . . - B 



7 19 



73 



6 3 30 



46 



^•TooBe OoMc Doolie" <CJLllarris) 



46 



7 



26 



7 6 "»ick«r Bind Sa ne" (Bobbins). 



8 8 7 10 24 



8 3 



'"HaKntcd UeaS;' (WiHiamson)- ■ ■ ■ 5 Iffl 8 C 8 10 



30 10 



23 



9A 15 "Love Somebodly" (Kramer-W). . . 



SB 11 "fai tSm m a iBax^ (Rcmiric)- 
10 14 "Sabre Pance" (LeedsTT 



3 14 



13 



11 



"Tea Leaves" (Morris) ^ ^ 



10 



12 



"Ten Me a Story" <Laurel). 



13 



'"Tree in tbe Meadow" (Shapiro). 



UberWouU 
Comp^e WiA 
P«atiffiuiS^tan 

While the Miisie Publishers Con- 
tact Employees . union and a few 
recakilrant publishers 'continue 
locked in an argument over the 
elimination of Dr. John Peatman's 
melliod of rating ladio song pei-- 
formances, Hidiard Himbcr is mov- 
ing into the field Immediately with 
a cliecking service of his own. The 
biindman claims that he has sold 
several publishers on iiis method 
of rating plugs, and announces that 
Morty Keith, in the ptiblishing 
bnsincss on his own and formerly 
on Chappell's contact staflf, will 
head up the project. Himbcr has 
tagged it the "RH System." 

Himber, whose band is now at 
tlie Biltmore hotel, N. Y., explains 
tiiat his pattern for rating radio 
plugs will contain featuws that no 
other previous method has incor- 
porated. TSirough Ms ss'stem, 
ffimber holds, the publisher of a 
twne will know within two weeks 
whether the numbea has a cbance 
of going somewhere, as compared 
to what te describes as Peatman's 
much atower method. With Peat- 
man, aeoiBrding to Himber, it takes 
two 9»»)ths before the pub can 
get a bnoad enough plug picture 
upon which to base an evaluation. 

Himber's sheet will covfir radio 
perfonnances, local and nationally, 
from 8 ajn. to 1 a.m. Eatings wiH 
be d<^«cmined according to the fol- 
(Continued on page 38) 



Desmond Sells Ic^ 
Pr«-Ban Disks to M 

Johnny Desmond has sold eight 
privately-recorded masters 1o 
M-G-M Records. He waxed the 
disks last winter, before imposition 
of the AFM recording ban. Deai, 
signed last week, calls for Des- 
mond to g^ back the money he 
spent to make the records, plus the 
standard royalty on sales. 

Singer currently has two regular 
radio shows, "The Tecn-timers" 
and Raymond Paige's '"Musicome* 
dy," ^nd a five-a-weejc video series 
on CBS-TV. 



ORCiiesTiiAS>iiir;sir 



Wc(ln«»i1ay, July 14, 194S 




Wednesday, July 14, 1948 



UeOrchestrafrT'Music 

Columbia and Decca Records are taking full advantage ot Majestic 
Records' bankruptcy by unshelving old Ed<jly Howard etchings made 
for them when he was vocalizing with Dick Jurgens' before the war 
and when he was sideman-vocalizer with George Olsen orcb. Columbia 
is releasing an album made by Howard nine years ago along with the 
Jurgens' platters on which Howard will get 100% billing. Decca is 
digging back even deeper into its old biscuit barrel, dusting oil for 
release the old Olsen platters on which Howard will also get top place- 
ment. Howard, on his own, was credited with just about keeping 
Majestic diskery going, until label was dragged down into bankruptcy 
Obviously, Col. and Decca are seeking to capitalize on Howard's name 
and the slack in getting his disks out. 



OIICIII!S1W«LS*BfV«IC 



WMAK, Nashville, in its initial broadcast of its "Siar Dust Spin " 
is disk stanza, raised the question as to what became of a record 
that Dinah Shore and the late Glenn Miller cut in London during the 
war. .The job was done in HMV s studios and the understanding had 
been that the proceeds were to be split between American and British 
Army Relief. The raiser of the query was Kdward M. Kirbv, program 
^.p. of WMAK, \yhD at the time was a colonel in charge of radio for 
V. S. Army public xelaUons. Kirby thinks the master ought to be 
pulled out of the vault and platters made available over here, if onlv 
as a collector's item. 



"I'll Never Smile Again" has replaced "Sierra Madre" as the under-^ 
side of Decca's biggest selling disk of the year, "Little White Lies" 
waxed by Dick Haymes. Label explains that the strategy is not new 
After "Lies" started on its surge, the-company realized that it not only 
had a smash but a standard seller on its hands, and figured that to help 
prolong the life Of this one it would be better to have another former 
hit as a mate. -In other words, the buyers would have two big songs 
instead of one. "Smile" was a top seUer in 1941. 



John G. Pealman 

(Dinttot, OfHtt of Itmanh) 
Writes on 

Music and Television 

. An Editorial Fcatiir* 

iR",tli« ■■ 

3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

of 

Out This Mouth 



Fists Fly at Meet 



MAXINE SULLIVAN S£T 
FOR LONDON CA^NO 

Maxine Sullivan . has been 
booked to open at the London 
Casino July 26, taking off by plane 
next Tuesday (20). After closing 
in London singer will play Ireland 
and Scotiand. 

She closes at tlie Penthouse, 
N. Y., and is due back in this spot, 
whose supper club policy she in- 
troduced successfulU^r, the latter 
part of September. 



Harry Fox Admits He s Stunped 
On Royalty System for Television 



Steel l^er Sallroem 

Burns; 15G Damage 

Atlantic City, July 13. 

Steel P.'er's'Marine ballroom, on 
far end of structure a quarter of a 
mile at sea, escaped destruction by 
iire liast week when recently in- 
stalled sprinkler system automatic 
cally turned in an alarm and 
blocked fiaates until arrival of fire 
department. 

Blaze started shortly after 2 a.m., 
while' members of Tex Beneke's 
band were leaving pier. They 
rushed out with Kremen and 
grabbed their instruments. Fire- 
men later said damage amounted 
to $13,000, fire starting due to 
cigaret carelessly tossed. 

It was the second fire in a- week 
for George liamid. Blaze started 
on end of his other pier, kno\m as 
Hamid's Million - Dollar, during 
early hours of June 30. This sus- 
tained little loss. 



For the second .time in two 
weeks a meeting of the member- 
ship of Local 802, American Fed- 
eration of Musicians, blew up in a 
row Monday (12). The bitterness be- 
tween the regime of . Pres. Richard 
McCann of 802 and the opposing 
Unity party this time actually cul- 
minated in sporadic fistfights on 
the floor. Following the meeting. 
Unity again addressed to AFM 
prexy James C. Petrillo a protest 
against MeCann's alleged arbitrary 
action in refusing to abide by de- 
cisions made at these membership 
gatherings. , ■ 

The proceedings opened with a 
moiion by David Freed, censuring 
the incumbent administration for 
"illegal action by the executive 
board." Debate took on a pyrotech- 
nic complexion and McCann sud- 
denly asked for a voice, vote on ad- 
journment and then declared the 
meeting at an end. Echoing his 
stand of two weeks previous, Mc- 
Cann asserted afterwards that at- 
tendance had been ''packed" by the 
rival party and that anyway, said 
tlie local's prez, he had yet to hear 
from Petrillo on his (McCann's) 
protest on Unity action of June 
14.' At a meeting staged that day 
on the local's 0oor the Unity group 
put through a resolution demand- 
ing that the administration restore 
to their jobs four union executives 
who had been fired, and another, 
ordering that McCann and his co- 
horts refrain from distributing be- 
tween Oct. 1 and Dee. 15 monies 
from the fund allotted 802 by the 
AFM from the latter's recording 
and transcription royalty fund. 

McCann's announcement that the 
meeting stood - adjoUlTied was 
greeted with boos and catcalls. As 
he and his supporters moved out 
of the Palm Garden meeting hall, 
groups of members engaged in vio- 
lent argument, and in a few mo- 
ments fists were flying. A call was 
put in by some unidentified person 
to a nearby police station, and 
.,when squad cars appeared on the 
scene the .fisticiiifs and the general 
uproar had ended' 

McCann has contended that 802's 
executives had every right to dis- 
miss the four men, namely Max 
Arons, Herman Tivin, Henry Mac- 
caro and Al Manuti, on grounds 
they were not performing their 
duties eflEieiently. On McCann's 
ori^al paeked-meeting protest to 
Petrillo, the latter overruled him 
but deferred acting on the appeal 
against the two June 14 resolu- 
lions. Stand taken by McCann on 
the distribution of the royalty coin 
is that to do otherwise prior to a 
holiday period would be contrai-y 
U) the membetship's best welfare. 



Sonesmitlu Abroad 

Songsmiths Abner Silver and 
Benny Davis are set for a two- 
month holiday in Europe, taking 
them from London to the Riviera. 

They sail July 23 on the Nieu 
Amsterdam. 





































iCTJtaiii 


SI BEST S 




i 


El 


IB 


















1 








































Suney ofi retail disk best 
sellers, -based on reports ob- 
tained from leading stores in 
12 cities, and showing com- 
porotiue soles rafinfii for thii 
and lost tmefc. 




New York— (Liberty Music Shop) | 






























n-Ross) 


to 


nkins Music Co.) 


anel's Mus. Shop 


[Sherman-Clay) 


Music Co.) 


Kresge Co.) 


m-Clay> 


B 

g 


V 

a 
w 
a 

u 
a 
t-^ 


earson) 


V 

o 
t 

A 


National Wf^iC Ellffilig 

July 10 

This Last ; 
wk. wk. Artist, Label, Title 




q 

- m 
"O 
13 

*r1 

u 
a 
o 

U 


Detroit — (Grinne 


Kansas City— (Je 


Los Angeles — (D( 


1 
'3 

s 

n 

B 


Boston — (Boston 


«i 
t» 

I 
s 

. ai, 


f 

.£! 
CO 

T 

45 
« 


Minneapolis — (D< 


Omaha — (Schmol 


Indianapolis — (Pi 


h 

r 

o 
I 

N 

8 


1 1 


KAY KYSER (Columbia) 
"Woody Woodpecker Sons", , 




1 




10 


1 






3 


t 


i , 


2 


2 


1 


87 


2 2 


K. GRIFFIN-J. WAYNE (Rondo) 
"You Can't Be True, Deai^.. .... 


4 




1 




2 


3 


1 


10 


''4 


1 




7 


83 


3 5 


SPIKE JONES (Victor) 




3 


5 


.2 


7 






6 






'■-■4:' 






54 


4 3 


DICK HAYMES (Decca) 
"LltUe White iLIes". 




2 






3 


8 


2 


9 




« 






3 


52 


5A 8 


DORIS DAY-B. CLARK (Col) 




8 


1 


6 


8 




« 




7 


8 






6 


36 


5B 6 


JON-SONDRA STEELE (Damon) 


6 






5 








5 






1 




36 


6 7 


ANDREWS SISIURS (Decca) 




9 








9 




10 


.4' 


9 


. 


4 




30. 


7A 4 


KING COLE (Capitol) 




5 








3 


4 










5 




27 



7B - 8 



PIED PIFEI^ (Capitol) 
"My Happiness"....... 



27 



AL TRACE (Regent) 
8 12 "You Call Everybody Darling". 



3 3 



25 



9 10 



PEE WEE HUNT (Capitol) 
"12th St. Rag" 



2 4 



22 



TEX BENEKE (Victor) : . 

10 11 " St. Louis Blues March" . . ■ . 

SlLA FITZGERALD (Decca) 

11 14 "My Happiness" 



5 



15 



14 



' FREDDY MARTIN (Victor) 

12 ' 11 "Dickey-Bird Sons" 



1 6 



13 



DICK HAYMES (Decca) 
13 . . "It's Masic" . . 



.. .. 4 .. 7 



II 



14A .. 



MEL BLANC (Capitol) . 
"Woody Woodpecker Song" 



10 



14B 



PATTI PAGE (Mercury) 
"Confess" 



10 



IS 



ART MOONEY (M-G-M) 
"Bluebird of Happiness", 



16 



KING COLE TRIO (Capitol) 
"Put 'Era in a Box" 



7 7 



17A 



PERliY COMO (Victor) 
"Haunted Heart" 



BLUE BARRON (M-G-M) 
17B ■ ■ "You Were Only Fooling". 

~: LARRY CLINTON (Decca) 
18A 14 "Dickey Bird Song" . , 



18B 



NiCK DE FRANCES (Col) 
"Tea Leaves" ■ ■ ■ •: 



AItT MOONEY (M-G-M) 
lOA IS "Bab y Face". ,^ . . ^ 

■ ■ ^'"-■■■ANNE VINCENT (Mercury) 
19^ 15 "You Call Everybody Va Tling^^ 
_^ JENKINS (Decca) 

18C 14 "Maybe You'll Be There". 



10 



"ffiESFaasgsfM'TM-G-M) 

19D .'. "Fiddle Fad«e;v^.^-_:_:^^.— ._;.-jij 

BinCrMiSSSSlACKSON (King) 

18E .. "I Kave Yam. Yc» I Po^- 



10 



FIVE TOP 
ALBUMS 



PIIO'GIIESSIVE 

JAZZ 
f Iqn IC*nt9n 
Qapitol 



INSIDE U.S.A. 
B. Ulli*-J. Haley 

Victor 



SONG HITS Of OUR 
TIMB 

Decca 



EMPEROR WAITZ 
ting Crosby 
Decca 



AtftUM NO. 3 
Al Jolion 



Efforts of Harry Fox, agent and 
' tru.stce for music publishers on 
mechanioal rights, to collect a fee. 
on theatre and 16m flim rented fos 
television purposes has, as he sd» 
mitted last week, met so far with 
confusion and frustration. About 
all Fox lias actually accomplished 
is to add to the many worries al- 
ready piled on video station oper- 
ators. As the result of a communio 
catioii Fox recently circulated 
among Ihero, some operators are 
afraid of becoming involved in 
litigation over their use of such : 
film. 

In trying to establish some sys- 
tem of asserting his clients' rights 
in the .'ilm being booked around in 
television, Fox has found himself 
confronted with several perplexing 
problems. The main one has heea : 
the fact that ASCAP has already 
given such stations the right -to 
perform the soundtracks on this 
old film, whereas, a number of pub- 
lishers who have instructed Fox to 
get after such usages contend that 
they iiad not assigned their TV 
rights to ASCAJP. Even thougb 
the mechanical right is separate^ ; 
from the performing ' right, th« 
question arises whether stations 
under the circumstances can be 
held liable for the mechanical 
rights of played Aim. 

Fox's circular letter to video sta- 
tions teed oif with the Statement 
that it had come to his attention'' 
that many musical features and 
shorts which were being televised 
had originally been }i«ensed.£trictiy 
for theatre and home use, taoA tint 
the copyright owners involved liad 
not included television ttghts in 
the license. The letter went on to 
ask tliat the station make certain 
when booking musical films Uiat 
the latter are properly covered 
with a TV authorization from the 
music's copyright owner, " " ■ 

Glad to Cooperate 

Answers that Fox has received 
to date from stations have invari- 
ably beep to the effect that the 
communicators would be glad to 
cooperate with hjMi if he in return 
would fumi^ Utem witti a list ot 
films that have J>een properly li- 
censed, or advise them which films 
aren't covered by a TV license. 
This reaction lias only servtd to 
stymie Fox more than ever, sinttje 
there is no way in which he can 
come up with any such informa- 
tion. 

He hasn't the least idea of the 
films ihjit are being made available 
for television, even though he'% 
certain that in no Instance where 
in past years a license was issued 
for theatre or home use did the 
authorization include television 
rights. Fox now admits that all he 
can do is grope his way through 
the situation and perhaps arrive 
at some solution throuj^ the hii< 
and-miss method. Fox alsi^ finds 
himself stymied from proceedings 
through the producers of the films 
them^lves since in the majority 
of cases they are now out of busi- 
ness and the films have passed 
through .several ownerships. 

Fox believes that copyright 
osmeps can establish order for 
themselves in the video field as 
regards the use of flbn it they pre- 
vailed upon ASCAi> to adopt for 
that medium a system wRich has 
prevailed for years on radio pe??- 
formances.. Video station, accord- 
ing to Fox's suggestion, should t>e 
required to furnish ASCAP with a 
log of the numiiers broadcast with 
the name «f the film, if such is 
the source. 



Riab,KiieS«e4StaT 
* On Unpaid Kojialties 

Hollywood, July 13. 
Riaito and Dixie Music, both 
New Vorli; firms, have filed suit 
against Four Star Records in the 
Los Angeles federal court for a 
total of $63,750 which the two pub- 
lishers claim due them in royal- 
tics. The papers also ask for an 
accounting. 

Dixie, which assigned its claim 
to Riaito, states in its complaint 
that Four Star waxed 12 of its 
numbers but made no accounting, 
nor paid any royalties. Rialto'a 
own claim, which names $60,000t is 
for "Sweet Thing," which F«Bjr 
Star used as the underside of the 
■Deck of Cards" platter, 



38 



Wednesday, Jidy 14, 1<%48 



Jocks, Jukes and Disks 



By Ben Bodec 



Dinah Shore— "This Is the Mo- 
ment," "Lo\>e That Boy" (Colum- 
bia). On the basis oi "Moment" 
Miss Shoi-e still rates as queen of 
the pop sisterhood. The etching 
is a blend of technical brilliance, 
dramatic wallop and melodic color, 
with all this adding up to a per- 
formance that should tickle the 
disk counter's carriage trade in a 



My Favorite Five 

By EDDIE GALLAHER 

(.WTOP, Washington) 

"Black Moonligfit" (Bing 
Crosby). 

"Nitslit and Day" (Frank 
Sinatra). 

"If I Loved ..You"- (Perry 
Como). \ 

"Love Is the Sweetest, 
Thing" (Bay Noble Orch). 

"Rosenkavaliet Waltzes" 
(Eugene Cta-mandy). 



big way. Sonigy Burke's lush 
stijng backing rounds out a pro- 
duction that shines with quality. 
Even the ?nate, a hot rhythm ditty, 
comes over with a sparkle all its 
own. 

Dick Haymes— -"Every Day I 
Love Lou," "Hankerin"' (Decca). 
Haymes will have to take a back 
seat when It comes to comparing 
his version of ''Hankerin' " with 
Gordon MacRae's, but in "Evei-y 
Day" he's got what sounds like a 
three-way bellringer (jukes, coun- 
ters and performances). Woven 
into this catchy .iingle is a light, 
playful touch that makes it sound 
as though it were written with the 
Haymes personality in mind. 

Gene Austin--"Keep a Knock- 
in',"- "My Blue Heaven" (Univer- 
sal). Objection raised from com- 
petitive quarters about Austin's re- 
recording of bis smash seller of all 
time, "Heaven," for Universal will 
probably turn out a tempest in a 
teapot. The item on this platter 
that does pack a solid sales nudge 
is the perliy "Knockin' ". Les 
.Paul's support is in itself worth 
the price of admission. If the nlim- 
ber can get the exploitation brealcs, 
the Austin tag wiU again be heard 
frequently around the trade. 

•Patti Paffe — "Ready Set Go," 
"(Gotta Have.Moi'e Money" (Mer- 
cury). Neither of these comes up 
to the.winning flavor of "Confess" 
and ^'Tomorrow Night." This 
femme counterpart to Frankie 
Laine is, however, on the way to 
major appointments in her field. 
Her batting average so far runs 
sjirongly in her favor. Both items 
in the latest release are hard- 
punching rhythm things with a 
Harlem idiom, with the instrumen- 
talizing of tlie George Burnes 
Quartet oh "Ready" really sharp 
stuff. 

Andy Russell — "I Kiss Your 
Hand, Madame," "Just For Now" 
(Capitol). There's a swell bundle 
of melody and phrasing in the ro- 
mantic standard and a smooth ex- 
hibit of lyric jungling with Dick 
Redmond's current number. 

Frankie Carle Orch — "I Don't 
Want to Meet Any More People," 
".That Five O'clock Feeling" (Co- 
lumbia). The melody of "People," 
which Carle likewise inked, is 
slightly reminiscent of "Sunrise 
Serenade," a facet which in itseU 
Ifends heaps of promise for the 
newcomer. "People" not only 
makes soothing orchestral fare but 
gives .Marjorie Hughes a spi*ing- 
board for one of her best vocals to 
date. Nan Wright has tlie task of 
whipping the words of the coup- 
ling, conventional dance music, by 
contrast, into an attractive roman- 
tic narrative. 

Beryl Davis— "Where Flamingos 
Fly," "I'm Waiting for Ships That 
Never Come In" (Victor). Miss Da- 
vis rides the British import with a, 
fine sensitivity in both melody and 
phrasingi proving also at her re- 
laxed best. The coupled oldie has 
the benefit of a delightly Joots 
Camarata background. 

Kay Starr — "Mama Goes Where 
Papa Goes," "Many Happy Re- 
turns of the Day" (Capitol). 
"Mama," the type of shout song to 
which she .seems to have a strong 
affinily, doesn't add much to Miss 
Starr's stature. The stylist, how- 
ever, hits the buUseye in senti- 
mental appeal with the attached 
oldie. There's no question about 
her power as a heart -singer, and 
the only flaw in this singular talent 
is a slight harshness in the low 
uotes. The tutth to the top might 
iMrlmtneASKtrably eased i{ she side- 
. tcaclced'her leaning lot race stuff 
and specialized in ballads. 
. i:«mmy Rvbert^ — "Where Flam 
, inios Fly," "JBvelyn" (M-G-M). Si 
0uvet^« whUom voca]|ist applie$ jn 



neat gloss to "Flamingo" and in- 
fuses the underside with much 
melodic pleasure. Ro*berts' sturdy 
baritone seems headed for a snug 
niche in the' business. 

Nellie Lutcher— "Cool Water," 
"Lake Charles Boogie" (Capitol). 
The Lutcher lisp performs a slight 
case of mayhem on the haunting 
strains of the western but is her 
hurricane groove when she applies 
her digits to the engaging beat of 
the "Lake Charles" instrumental, 
which she also cleft'ed. Interpolated 
during the boogie-woogie bliti!: is 
the information that the number is 
named after the place she was 
born. • 

SCorjiB KowSjScjrs — - wen "five 
Chiclcens; Twenty-five Cows," "I 
Want To Be a < Cowboy in, the 
Movies" (M-G-M). "Twenty-Five" 
bears the imprint of solid comedy 
hokum and should take big with 
the country trade. The l.vric makes 
its laugh points skillfully and the 
melody has a ,nice, rompy lilt. 
"Cowboy" is lesS'%ntertaining, with 
the surplus of gunshot effects mar- 
ring the comic possibility of the 
verses. ' " 

Tommy Dorsey Orch — "Baby, 
Baby, All the Time," "Judaline" 
(Victor). "Baby" may not only ring 
up something of a hit for Dorsey 
but swing the spotlight on his staft 
chirper, Lucy Anne Polk. This miss 
with the slightly fogbound larynx 
and sexy style appears to have 
come upon the right song; Anyway, 
she wraps it up in torrid fashion, 
and the • band's frantic interlude 
imparts an appropriate dash of 
spice to the affair. The flipover 
"Judaline," with Stuart Foster on 
tlie vocal, finds Dorsey's sliphorn 
in a sweetish mood. ■ 

Platter Pointers . 

Mary Small (Apollo) pours tonal 
quality and heart appeal into the 
Vic Mizzy-Mann Curtis chant, "My 
Home, My Home," and doubles the 
good impression in her treatment 
of "Lullaby of the Leaves" . 
Johnny Mercer and the Pied 
Pipers (Capitol) cook up a tasty 
morsel of modern musicality. out of 
"Limehouse Blues" . . . Skitch Hen- 
derson (Capitol) strikes a nobby 
level of dansapation in "Mine," 
and Nancy Reed's lyricizing en- 
hances the impact . . Hall Sisters 
(Victor) reinforce their standing 
as one of the better harmony teams 
of the business with their delivery 
of "A Man Could .Be a Wonderful 
Thing" ... Art Moon^y (M-G-M) 
makes a pleasing mixture of sweet 
ballading and rhythm pyrotechnics 
from "There's Music in the Land" 
and "Chillocotlie,". the latter fea- 
turing the Galli Sisters . . . Jeffrey 
Clay (Dana) moves up several 
rungs in the crooiier division with 
his ingratiatingly contrived "Isn't 
It A Crazy- World?'' The label ixas 
built up the side into an excellent 
production ofiering- 



^ ♦♦♦ ' ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦*» V 

Disk Jockey Reyiew 



"THE ELEVEN-HUNDRED CLUB" 

With Joe Mulvihill 

45 Mins., Mon.-tliru-Fri., 11:15 p.m. 

Sustaining , 

WTAM, Cleveland 

Against a nightclub atmosphere, 
Joe Mulvihill does just what is ex- 
pected of a late-hour disk show- 
he plays records with a minimum 
of jabber and alleged comedy. Fre- 
quently, he interviews stage or ra- 
dio personalities and his technique 
keeps the stanzas at a moving, en- 
tertaining clip. 

He employs a somewhat differ- 
ent introduction— the sound of a 
musical group warming up. It ar- 
rests the listener's attention. Then, 
the music— and lots of jt. Show 
runs 30 minutes llu.'ee nights a 
week. ' JWarJc. 



Kimber Sysiem 

: CoiiUAued from jiage 3S s 



lowing uses: one point for a sus- 
taining instrumental, two points 
for a sustaining vocal, three points 
for a commercial instrumental and 
four points for a vocal on a com- 
mercial program. The . logging, 
Himber Says, will be done by an 
office organized by Keith and him- 
self, and the service will*'be sold 
for a fee of $50 a montli to adveiv 
tising agencies as well as publish- 
ers. He anticipates a list of 50 
subscribers. 

Himber points out that his 
method v;ill go a long way toward 
making it unnecessary for contact- 
men to romance orchestra leaders, 
and that the point system of his 
will increase employment among 
songpluggers since it will need 
more men to service orchestra 
leaders and vocalists. The contact-- 
men's main res^son for urging the 
discontinuance of the Peatman 
sheet is that rating systems and the 
rpublicizing of iierf ormance reports 
militates against fne songplugger's 
best interests, since radio program 
people have a tendency' to pick 
only from tunes on such lists and 
to show a disinclination to accept 
anytliing that hasn't been ex- 
ploited sufficiently to make one of 
these weekly sheets. 
• • Publishers who oppose the dis- 
continuance of the Peatman sui-vey 
argue that it would be presumptu- 
ous for the union or the industry 
to figure that, if such a collectively- 
supported report were put out of 
businessj program producers would 
not be open, even to subscription, 
if necessary, to another similar 
service. If the thing is important, 
those who have become accustomed 
to referring to it -for guidance will, 
say these publishers, .find some 
means to . fill, their want . ' 



Band Reviews 



GUY LOMBABDO ORCH (H) 
With Carmen Lombard©, .Leberl 

Lombardo, Kenny Gardner, Don 

Rodney, LomUardo Trio (Rodney, 

Fred Hiffman, Clifl (L- ass) 
Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, N. Y. 

It's about time the crying towels 
came out again and the professional 
critics started telling once again 
how Guy Lombardo is pushing back 
the band biz 20 year.'!. Its about 
that long since Lombardo has been 
around with his brand of schmaltzy 
dance rhythm- 

Thp professional critics, from a 
strictly musical standpoint, feel 
that Lombardo has long since 
passed the accepted standard of 
what a current hit band should 
sound like, and they're again being 
what too often professional critics 
are inclined to be. They're being 
smug,- single-minded, arbitrary. 
Yet, they've got to bo\y to those 
who count most. — the public. The 
public has long since professed a 
distinct preference for the too- 
simple rhythms 'of Lombardo and 
his Royal Canadians. The public 
comprises the paying customers, 
in case the pro critics are prone • 
to forget. 

Let's look at the record. 

For 20 years Lombardo ha's been 
on top. or near it. in the sale of 
disks. For 20 years he's -been among 
the top-grossing bands in the hotel- 
dining rooms. And there have been 
radio, pictures, theatres. 

There "have been great-grossing 
outfits through the years, and all 
through this period Lombardo. with 
his sticky, corny beat of the rac- 
coon-coat era, has maintained his 
Standing right up there on top de- 
spite what today is acciepted as a 
passe style. 

Listen to a recording of a Lom- 
bardo band of 20 years ago. and 
listen today. There's hardly any 
difference in style; today, perhaps, 
it's only a more polished arrange- 
ment. 

The insouciant leader is always 
a prime draw, with his unaffected 
batoning, and now at the Starlight 
Roof of the Waldorf, where he's 
playing one of his frequent repeat 
dates, Lombardo can be seen and 
heard playing to a patronage that 
one doesn't find in most dance 
spots. No swingsters here. There's 
hardly any variance in that one- 
two beat, with that quavering back- 
ground of loppypops and jell.y- 
beans, the kind of sugar-coated con- 
fection that has lost little taste over 
the years for the Lombarclo prom 
followers of the '20s. 

Brother Carmen Lombardo is 
confining his activities to fluting 
these days, with that wavering 
•Voice something of Jiis iirofessidnal 
past; brother Lebert on the trum- 
pet also makes his presence felt, 
and there are the Lombardo Trio, 
plus Kenny Gardner, who does a 
neat job of t^noring, and Don Rod- 
ney, who baritones in doubling 
from the guitar. 

The band is comprised of an in- 
strumentation that's highly geaied 
for the sweet style it has used for 
two decades, including twin pianos, 
guitar, bass, ' diiims, three brass, 



three sax, tuba and a mellophone. 

Lombardo is in here until Aug. 4. 
when Freddy Martin comes in, and 
there can't be any question as to 
the biz he'll do. Not for current" 
day youngsters, perhaps, but for 
the customers who were youngsters 
20 years ago Lombardo still re- 
mains a sock draw. It's the young- 
sters of 20 years ago who are keej>- 
ing Lombardo in championship : 
speedboats. Kahn. 



JOHNNY GUARNIERI QUINTET 
Claremont Inn, N. Y< ' 

Long the leader of a..trio, pianist 
Johnny Guarnieri expanded his 
crew several months ago to a quin- 
tet. Here at the . city-owned Clare- 
mont's open-air bandstand the 
tenor sa.x (Bob Stuart); drums 
(Frank Garisto), string bass (broth- 
er I,,eo Guarnieri) and guitar, (Guy* 
Smith) combo is doing a good job. 

It's a smooth aggregation built 
around Guarnieri's , pianology. 
widely known and respected by 
name-band - and jazz musicians 
alike. Here, however, the need is 
for dance music and Guarnieri and 
his boys are equally proficient in 
dishing out a waltz as they are at 
a rhumba or samba. But they 
never groove themselves: Guar- 
nieri's playing points up tlie fluid 
musicianship. 

It all boils down to a sweety 
highly listenable. product that's 
equally okay for dancers as well as 
the dinners. Gilb. 



CAB CALLOWAY ORCH (7) 
With Mary Louise' 
Rag^ Doll, Chicago 

Latest maestro to hit the saloon 
concert circuit with a small combo. 
Cab Calloway has done so ■without 
harm to his brand of musical sliow-- 
man.ship. Septet, labeled the Cab 
Jivers, is made up of two reed-s, 
two brass and three rliythm. Cal- 
loM'ay fronts with his itsual jitbug 
routines and roams up and down ' 
the range in well received vocals. 
All in all, it's an okay perform- 
ance. 

Odd fact is that Calloway, .so 
long identified with jive, has be- 
come something of a musical con- 
servative. The motion^ are still 
there, but musically it's fairly Con- 
ventional stuff. Fronter still lacks 
a novelty song to frame his vocal 
style with the boff provided in the 
'30's by "Minnie the Moochev." 

Calloway's terp-f renting retain.s 
all its drive and vigor. Songstress 
Mary Louise sells well. And the 
band itself is nicely relaxed. • 

Maestro's go at "Nature Boy" in 
both straight and hoke singing was 
pre'ceded by ballet clowning that 
got laughs. In "Minnie the Moodi- 
er" he had the aud yelling back 
hi-de-ho's. One of his best is an 
arrangement of "Manana,"in which 
Calloway dons sombrero and se- 
rape, slouches on a chair, and ex- 
changes gags with the pianist. 

Baxt 



1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 

X 5. 

i: 

8. 



10. 



Best Sellers on Coffl-Madiiiies"!!:i^ 



WOODY WOODPECKER SONG (7) (Leeds) , Kay Kyser Columbia 

YOU CAN'T BE TRUE DEAR (14) (Biltmore) Gri^/in-Wai/ne " ' ' Cd" 

MY HAPPINESS (9) (Rlasco) Jon & Sondra Steele. ' ' ' Dainou 

YOU CALL EVERYBODY DARLING (2) (Mayfair) ; . . Al Trace ,' , negerU 

TOOLIE OOLIE DOOLIE (12) (Chas. K. Harris). . . } Andrews listers Decca 

{Vaughn Horton Continental 

LOVE .SOBIEBODY. (4) (Ki-amer-W.) D. Day-B. Clark . . . Colm Za 

WM. TELL OVERTURE (6) (Tune Town) , . Spike Jones [ . . . .Victor 

LITTLE WHITE LIES (18) (BVC) .' [Dick Haymes Decca 

(Tommy Dorsey Victor 
NATURE 180Y (13) (B«rke-VH) King Cole Capitol 

IT'S MAGIC (3) (Witmark) \ ^^^^ Haymes d«cco 

I Dons Day Colwnbia 



Coming Up 



PUT 'EM IN BOX (Renrick) : ; ; . . . .- Kins Cole CApitol " ' 

BLUEBIRD OF, HAPPINESS (T. B. Harms) , Art Mooney M-G-M 

HEARTS WIN (Miller) ' . . . ; ■. , Petty Trio Uniuersal 

BLUE SHADOWS (Santly-Joy) ; Bing Crosby Decca 

HAUNTED HEART (WiUiamson) \iP Staiford Capifol 

. . ...«..» {Perry Como Victor 



TELL ME A STORY (Laurel) 

: ■ ; 

t DICKEY BIRD SONG (RobbiniS) 



: I Sammy Kaj/e Victor y 

■ " ' " *' ' " ' •. • ■ I Ames Bros. ..Decca " 

( Freddjy Martin tr ictor 
• . • • < • • • • \ Larry Clhvton. ........... .Decca 

SERENADE (Leeds) ' Buddy Clark Colwiibia 

MAYB£ YOU'LL BE THERE (BVC) Gordon Jenkins Decca 

HEARTBREAKER (Leeds) Andrews Sisters , , . ; Decca 

.. . ,j Ferko Strws Band. . ^palda 
FOR EVERY MAN A WOMAN (Melrose) ...................... Tony Martin Victor 

MAHARAJAH OF MAGmOA (Mutual) ; . . . ; | i.- • ^1^*9'' 

V ' (Toni/ Pastor . Golumbia 

RUN, JOE, RUN (Preview) , Louis Jordan Decctt 

BABY DON'T BE MAD (Paramount) .' Fi-anfcie Laine Mercitru 

CFigwres in porcwtheses indicate number oj wecTcs song Iios been in the Top 10.] 



RAY PEARL ORCH (12> 

With Shirley Rae 

Muehlebach Hotel, Kansas City 

Ray Pearl band is becoming a 
landmark around the Terrace Grill, 
supper spot of Muehlebach. This 
is fourth consecutive year Pearl 
has done a month's stand. Outfit 
is long on the sweet and soft .style, 
and as such probably can repeat 
annually. Biz is holding up well 
enough with Pearl. 

Pearl's sweet style is generated 
by three reeds, two trumpets, two 
trombones, bass horn, guitar, piano 
and drums. Saxes carry the lead, 
setting .pace on volume, a happy 
arrangement for this, room. Otlier- 
\vise the trew is "pretty mucfi 
standard business-man bounce. 

Pearl goes in for emphasis on' 
vocals, with at least five hands who 
can handle the mike. Shirley Rae 
chirps both ballads and rhythm 
numbers in moderately good style. 
She's the fifth femme vocalist, with 
the outfit within the past year. 
From the side men. Pearl can call 
Eddie Santini, Pat Bofi'man. Bob 
Hardy and Pat Herman for vocals. 
Santini and Hoffman divide rhythm 
and novelty numbers, Hardy and 
Herman handle ballads. There's 
considerable getting together be^ 
tween these four for duo, trio and 
quartet work, widely varying the 
band's vocal fronting. ■ 

Leader worlw hard on the stand, 
a house requisite here, and crew 
sums as well-rounded for hostelries 
and ballrooms. Qui7i. 



Spike Jones' New Tour 

Hollywood, July 13. 

Spike Jones starts a new tour in 
late August after a two-Week hon- 
eymoon in Honolulu with liis bride, 
songstress Helen Greco. 

Bandleader opens at the Cal- 
Neva lodge, Las Vegas, Aug. 27, 
and then has a series of dates on 
the Coast up to Oct. 1, when 
"Spotlight Bevue," tlie CBS airer, 
.resumes, " 





VcdnegtUiy, Jnly 14, 1948 P^S^^ff $9 

>--~ "TWO BUYS FRO* 3»** } f! 

Recorded by the Following Artisfs: ^ 

/ V BLUE BARRON JOHNNIE JOHNSTON HAL MclNTYRE * ^ ^ \^ ^ 

' I TEX BENEKE ART KASSEL JOHNNY MERCER \ ! 

§/ MINDY CARSON BEATRICE KAY VAUGHN MONROE 

DICK HAYMES KORN KOBBLERS ART MOONEY >^ \ . 

HARRY JAMES GUY LOMBARDO JO STAFFORD ' y 

^ / GORDON MacRAE \ 

ON CAPITOL COLUIViBlA - DECCA - MERCimY^^Mi^^ 



HARMS, INC. 

Harry Garfield, Prof. Mqr 



|?EMICK MUSIC . CORP, 
Joihtiny White Pro' Mgr 

RCA BUILDING - ROCKEFELLER CENTER - NEW rORK 20 



M. WITMARK & SONS 

Not F'-eeiina, Prof Mqr 



40 



ORCHESTRAS-MUSIC 



Wednesdajr, July 14, 1948 



American Publisher of 'Intermezzo' 
Sued on Film Deal, Accounting 



Carl Gehnnans Musikforlat, orig- 
inal publisher of "Intermezzo,"' 
brought suit in N. Y. federal court 
last week against Edward Schu- 
berth & Co., charging the latter 
with failure to account for royal- 
ties on the tune as well as wrong-? 
fully licensing Republic Pictures' 
use of the number. A declaratory 
judgment is sought, 

"Intermezzo," best known as the 
title song from the Ingrid Berg- 
man-IiesM'e Howard film some 
years ago, was published by the 
Swedish firm in 1939 as "Souvenir 
de Vienne." Written by Heinz Pro- 
vost, the tune was transferred to 
. Schuberth, which received the 
American rights under a prewar 
deal entered into by the two com- 
panies. 

Original agreement stipulated 



that Musikforlat was to receive 
from Schuberth 50% of all royal- 
ties of the song derived from pub- 
lic performance for profit, and fur- 
ther stated that the Swedish pub- 
lisher was to retain all picture 
rights. Schuberth also was to make 
twice-yearly earning statements to 
Musikforlat. 

But, According to the complaint, 
Schuberth has failed to make an 
accounting since March 31, 1947, 
and further violated the -pact by 
negotiating the Republic Pictures 
licensing deal. On May 1, 1948, 
Musikforlat notilied the defendant 
that it was cancelling the agree- 
ment as of May 5. liut the plaintiff's 
claims were disputed. Whereupon 
the Swedish pub asked a. declara- 
tory judgment to determine its 
rights..;.'' 



The Peatman Annual Survey of Song 
Hit s with the Largest Radio Audiences 

(July 1, 1947, to July 1, 1948) 

The 35 song hits with the largest radio audiences are listed below in order of the total ACJ points 
received in the Audience Coverage Index surveys during the year. [Hongs in stage or film productions 
are indtcate<J. Songs currenily active are marked with an asterisk.) 




'Numberof 

y SonffTitle Production Publisher 

*"Now Is the Hour".....-. ... Leeds 

"But Beautiful". .... i.. . . . ... "The Road to Rio" Burke & Van Heusen 

"Ballerina" Jefferaon 

"You Do". . . . ...... ... . . "Mother Wore Tights". Bregman-rVocco-Cohi 

"Four-Leaf Clover" ■ ■ • . Reinick 

"1 Wish I Didn't Love You So'V /. ''Perils Of Paulinie''. . . Paraihount 

"Serenade of the Bells" v ... Melrose V 

'^Golden Earrings" . . ... ... . . "Golden Earrings" . . ; . Paramount 

"How Soon" . . . . . ....>. Supreme - 

"Near You" . . . - . .Supreme 

"Best Things in Life Are Free" ... "Good News" . . . Crawford 

"Manana" : . • • ■ • • Barbour-Lee 

"I'll Dance at Your Wedding" . . ........ . . . ... , . . George Simon 

"Beg Your Pardon" , .... . : ..... ... . ; ; . . i .......... . .Robbihs 

"So Far". . ...... , . , . .V. . . ., . . ."AUegrb'! . . . . . . . . . . s Williattison: 

♦"Haunted Heart'?. . . ... .... * . .. ."Inside U S A.". . . , . . . Williamson 

"Peudin* and Pightin' ".. . - . . . .... ..... Chappell ' : 

"Civilization" . . . . . . . . ..."Angels in the Wings". E. H. Morris 

"Almost Like Being in Love" "Brigadoon" ......... Sam Fox ; 

*"Dickey-Bird Song". , . . ... "3 Daring Daughters" .. Robbins 

*"You Were Meant for Me" ... . . . 'JYou Meant for Me" . Miller 

" . . And Mimi" . . . ........ .... ; : , . ....... .... , . Shapiro-Bernstein , 

"Peg o' My Heart" . . . , .... . Robbins , 

"Whafll I Do".. .....f...."Tlie Big City" ....... Berlin 

*"Baby Pace" . ........................... v Rehvick 

♦"Nature Boy" ... ^ . . . . . v. ...... . . . , iEtiirke & Van Heusen 

"Papa Dance With Me". ...... .. . "High Button Shoes" • • E; H. Morris 

*"Laroo Laroo Lilli Bolero" . . . .. . ..................... Shapiro-Bernstein 

*"Tell Me a Story". . . ..... ... . ....... . .............. Laurel o 

"How Lucky You Are" . ....................... . . . . . i . . Peter Maurice 

""'Sabre Dance" . . ..... Leeds 

"Stars Will Remember" .....Harms 

"Whiffenpoof Song" Miller 

"Lady From 29 Palms" , .i. ............. . v. . ... V .Martin 

■^''Toolie Oolie Doolie" Chas. K. Harris 

Issued with coprrlBllted ACJ SCRVEY far week ending July 8, OFFICIi OF BKSGARCH, INC, 





Total 


Wee 


Rank 


ACI Points ACIS 


1 


27,290 


27 


2 


23^472 


23 


3 


21I188 


25 


4 


J9]670 


27 


s 


10 15(17 


21 


6 


19 021 


28 


7 


1 n 944 


26 


8 


17 855 


24 


9 


17 766 


20 


10 


17 fi'iS 

± i .VtJ'J 


20 


11 


16 661 


28 


12 


16!491 . 


18 


13 


16,245 


18 


14 


16,070 


20 


15 


16,043 


22 


16 


14,994 


18 


17 


14,804 


26 


18 


14,684 


20 


19 


14,336 


31 


20 


13,679 


21 


21 


13,267 


21 


22 


12,779 


16 


23 


12..580 


20 


24 


12,541 


21 


25 


12,309 


15 


26 


12,055 


11 


27 


11,870 


19 


28 


11,819 


15 


29 


11,655 


22 


30 


11,501 


20 


31 


10,791 


18 


32 


10,694 


21 


33 


10,372 


25 


34 


10,204 


20 


35 


10,031 


15 



FAVORITE STANDARDS OF 1947-1948 SEASON 

The 35 stOTidards loith the largest radio audiences are listed below in order of the total ACI points 
received in the ACI surveys during tiw year; July I, IMl, to July 1, 19^ 

Number of . • 

in 

fcy SongrXitle Publisher 
"Begin the Beguine". . ..... ... ... .... . . . . . . . , Harms 

"Blue Skies Berlin 

"Just One of Those Things" . . . . . . Harms 

"Night and Day" . . . . Harms 

"Smoke Gets in Tour Eyes". TB Harms 

"What Is This Thing Called Love", -Harms ^ 

"Star Dust" . ............... J , . i . i , . Mills 

"All the Things You Are"v. !!! -Chappeli 

"Easter Parade" .... , Berlin 

"Embraceable You". T ! Harms 

"Lover" ..-.'.'.'.-eamom 

"Somebody Loves Me" . ; Harms 

;;Temptation" Robbins 

"Liza" , , , .... , ; . . , ; . , , . . . . liamis 

"Alexander's Ragtime Band'\ . . . . . . v. i : ' . ! Berlin 

"Body and Soul" ; . ...... i Harms 

"Or Man River" ' t r Hirmo 

"Where or When" ! . . ! ! ! ! ! " ! ! ' ' : ' " t fi Ha?ms 

"I Know That You Know" '"' vJr^ 

"Dancing in the Dark". ..... , ; , . ' " " ' ' ' ' ' ' warm^ 

"TicO Tieo"... ....... ....... V ••■ rhnc Tf TT,«rf<, 

"Tea for Two" ' ' S??;,^' ; 

"Take Me Out to the Ballgame" '.:'.[ " ' BrS-av 

"Falling in Love With L^ve" . , " " ' 

"Summertime" .• ...•.[ y '' ''' 'mMS^ ' 

"1 Can't Give You Any thing But Love Baliy" .. . . " Mills 
"My Blue Heaven" " ' ' ' " i^^^^^^^^ 

"Always" .. . . : ;........;;::::■■•■■■■*•■■••■'•" ^ . 

"ManlLove" . ' ■' 

• "Someone to Watch Over Me" . .'.y.'.'.'.".'.'." " """ ' v^Zl 
"Oh Lady Be Good" 

"On the Sunny Side of the Street" . "' " ' '"'^ 

I'April Showers" (also current, 6 weeks'): ! ! W.' V [ ' ' ■ '..•g^B,*"**^; 

"ySS''""' ^" •?TI^'-- 

'■ '• ^ .T. B. Harms 

Issued with coityilghted ACI Sl'UVElC tor week endinir Julv ft. IIMR 

■ ' " OPPIOE OP RBSEIAnCH, INC. 





Total 


W< 


Bank 


ACI Points ACI 


1 


7,886 


34 


2 


5,839 


24 


3 


4,640 


19 


4 , 


3,628 


.18 


5 


3,504 


14 


6 


3,489 


18 


7 


3,185 


17 


8 


3,173 


15 


9 


3,148 


2 


10 


2,937 


12 


11 


2,858 


13 


12 


2,750 


10 


13 


2.734 


11 


14 


2,5.39 


V 9 


15 


2,518 


9 


16 


2,494 


11 


17 


2,329 


6 


18 


2,321 


13 


19 


2,278 


10 


20 


2,243 


11 


21 


■ 2,178 


12 


22 


2,064 


10 


23 


2.000 


4 


24 


1,958 


7 


25 


1,956 


7 


26 


1,847 


8 


27 


1,784 


8 


28 


1,694 


9 


29 


1,6^4 


8 


30 


1,658 


8 


31 


1,640 


9 


32 


1,628 


8 


33 


1,613 


5 


34 


1,548 


3 


35 


1,495 


S 



GRANZ TO PROMOTE 32 
KENTON DATES IN FAU 

Hollywood, July 13. 
Stan Kenton band will be pro^ 
moted in 32 jazz concerts during 
September and October by Nor- 
man Granz, but it'll be strictly 
dance tempo in tank towns. They 
will be blared in key towns east 
ofi the Rockies, and on each date 
orch is reportedly getting $1,§00 
guarantee against 60% of the 
gross. 

Granz will get no billing , nor 
will his old tagline, "Jazz at The 
Philharmonic," be used, according 
to the. terms jf the deal. Kenton 
insists only members of his aggre- 
gation can be postered, so Granz 
will act merely, as publicist on 
dates. 

Unusual aspect is that some of 
the bookings are two-niters, new in 
jazz concert promotions. Kenton 
will play Sept. 1546 iJi Philadel- 
phia; 17-18, Carnegie Hall, N. Y.; 
19-20, Boston; Oct. 27-28, Baltii- 
taottf. These are towns where Ken- 
ton did wow biz last season. Other 
dfttes include Yale, Michigan, Wis- 



consin, and several other midwest 
educational emporia. 

Deal with Granz does not pre- 
clude Kenton bashing for other 
H^'" work a dafe for 
Will Whittig, operator of Pla-Mor 
Kansas City, and has promised to 
play a pair for Herb Carlin, man- 

.ager of Chicago Civic Opera 

1 House. 

Carlin will toss his promotions in 
some Chi spot other than site he 
manages. He's credited with largely 
helpmg Kenton set that $11,000 
gross for single concert last winter, 
but Opera House reaped the big 
profits, CaMitt being just on a 
salary. 



America's Haw IntliHmnnlal Hit! 



★ 
★ 



fiddle 
ftiddlc 



★ 
★ 



LET A SMILE BE 
YOUR UMBRELLA 

Fi;ntnted In aoth Centary-Fok'n 
. "Ghe My KetitU'ds to Broadnrny'' 

MILLS MUSIC. Inc. 
1019 Braadway • Maw Koik 19 



The Top Favorite 

MY HAPPINESS 

lyric by Btliy Pcttrton MhiIc by leiiity ieivMhw 

All Maltrlal Available 

BLASCO MUSIC, INC. 

**H"wte Kamrn'm^Jhi,-'-'' 



wmm 




W olneaJay, Jnly 14, 1948 ' 

Bands at Hotel B.O/s 

CoTcni' : Xatal 

Itanfl , nr ij _i /^AA'"!5iv PI<iy«a Week Oii Ditto 

Xavier Cugat Waldorf (400; $2) 6 3,195 18,765 

Skitch Henderson.. Pennsylvania (500; $1-$1.50).... 2 1.300 2.745 

Bay Eberle* New Yorker (400; $1-$1.50) .... 10 1 ,310 13,685 

Johnny Pineapple. Lexington (300; $1-$1.50) 87 775 78,225 

Lawrence Welk....RoosevpIt (400; $1-$1.50) 17 l.iiOO 25,425 

Carmen CaYallaro+* .Astor (700; $1-$1.50) 8 3,515 31,110 

* New Yorker, ice show. 
** Dick Jurg'ens replaced Monday (12), 

Chicago 

Chuck Foster (Boulevard Room, Stevens, 650; $3.50 miTn.-$l cover). 
Ice show grosses melted in warm weather. Fair 3,000, 

Bay Morton (Mayfair Room, Blackstone, 300; $3.00 lmin.-$2 cover). 
Kay Thompson and William Bros. Sock 3,700. 

George Olsen (Beachwalk, Edgewater Beach: $1.50-$2.50 min.). Terrif 
Monday t5) crowd of 6,200 added up to sensational 17,000. 

Florian ZaBach (Empire Room, Palmer Housed 550; $.3 50 min.-.$l 
cover). Packed opening day (8) for summer revue headed by Liberace 
and closing for lUldegarde (7) gave room fine 4,300. 

Los Angeles 

Mieueliio Valdes (Ambassador, 900; S1.50-$2). Fair 2,300 tabs, 
Jan Garber iBiltmore; $1-$1.50). Solid 2,900 covers. 

Location Jobs, Not in Hotels 

(Chicago) ■ 

Marty Gould. (Chez Paree; 500; $3.50 min ), Danny Thomas debuted 
(9) to sardine-tight room. Gigantic 6,000. 

Henry Kine (Aragon; $1-$1.J15 adm.). One^nighter of Griff Williams 
(5th) helped along to satisfactory 10,000. 

Al Trace iBlackhawk; 500; $2.50 min ). Catching on under press 
build-up to oke 2,400. 

George Winslow (Trianon; $1-T$l. 15 adm ). Holiday gucster of Alvino 
Bey i5th) sparked ticket take to neat 12,000. 

(Lqs Anaeles^ 

. . Buddy Rich and Helen Forrest (Palladium B.. Hollywood 1st wk.). 
Very big 11,200 callers. 

Desi Arnaz (Casino Gardens B., Santa Monica, 2nd wk.). Good 6,600 
takers. 



ORCHBSTRAS-MVSIC 



41 



B-VH, Morris Sued 

fti Contract Breach 

A $15,600 breach'of-contract 
damage suit against Hometown 
Music Co. came to light in N. Y. 
supreme court last week when Sid- 
ney Pro-sen moved to examine 
Burke & Van Heusen, Inc., a Home- 
torn stockholder, Also a defendant 
in the action is Edwin H, Morris, 
Inc., which took over the B-VIl 
catalog. 

In 1947, according to the com- 
plaint, Prosen entered into an 
agreement wiih Hometown where- 
by he was to be its general man- 
ager for five years at $75 weekly. 
Howeverj he claims, he was fired a 
year later. Plaintiff also asks 
counsel fees. \ 



8 Vktor Execs Now Sat in Jdgment 
On Times Subnntted for Wm% 



RCA Victor introduced on Mon' 
day (12) a new wrinkle in song- 
picking. Publishers are now re- 
quired to submit their new tunes 
before a committee of eight Victor 
executives, -of whom Jack Hall- 
strom is the chairman. 

At the initial meeting of the 
committee Monday the piubs were 
quizzed In detail about each sub- 
mitted manuscript. The questions 
dealt with the overall plans which 
the firm had for the song; for in^ 



stance, whether the latter had been 
as yet recorded by anyone abroad, 
or whether it was scheduled as a 
No. 1 plug tune. 

The committee includes repre- 
sentation from the artists and rep- 
ertoire department, the pop sales 
department, the hillbilly reper- 
toire recording' division, hillbilly 
sales department, foreign recording 
division and the general publi<^y 
department. Intent of this. soAg- 

(Continued on page 42) 



See End-of-Summer Truce 



Continued from page 35 ; 



doing something to reduce the 
number, will by that time apply 
himself diligently to evolving a 
method that will leave his union 
with at lea.st a sizeable chunk of 
the royalty pie. The recording com- 
panies have at no time been ad- 
verse to continuing the system of 
paying the AFM a royalty on all 
records manufactured, and the "In^ 



TELL ME 
A STORY 

LAUREL MUSIC CO. 

1619 Broadwoy 
New York 

TOMMY VALANDO 



ircHlnrMl In M-fi^M's 
"BIG CITY" 

DON'T 
BLAME 
ME 

Hmie by. . . 
JIMMY McHVGH 

ROBIINS 



The NofloM's 
Bfggesf Reqiwsf Song 

I'd Give 
A Million 
Tomorrows 

(For Just Om Yostcrdfay) 
OXFORD MUSIC coiroMnoN 



rstitute 5ian" had been presented 
on the premi , that it fell within 
the precincts of the Taft-Hartley 
Act and lawfully permitted the 
AFM to benefit from the royalties 
that the recorders would pay into 
this plan. 

Main impediment to the union's 
acceptance of the "Institute" is 
th.1t the disbursement of the funds 
would be left to a three-way group 
(industry, union and public) on 
which the AFM would have but * 
minority vote. It is believed among 
recorders that this stumbling block 
may have its solution in am under- 
standing on who Is to be appointed 
to the board of trustees. 

Meanwhile, Rep. Fred Hartley 
fR., N. J.), co-author of the act, 
has become interested in the fact 
that the recording and music pub- 
lishing businesses have become 
victims because of the restraints 
imposed by the act upon the AFM, 
and he is getting actively into the 
situation. He feels that he can 
work out a settlement which could 
be consistent with ths tenets of the 
labor law. 

Hartley Unaware 

Hartley declared last week that 
he had not been aware of the 
economic harm that the act had 
caused the music business, as a 
whole. The situation, he said, had 
been brouglit to his attention by 
tha radio and television interests, j 

The Jer-sey representative had i 
been told that the multi-million- 
dollar phonograph recording com- j 
panics, recognized for their honest ' 
business methods and accurate ac- 
countings, were barred by the 
AFM ban from carrying on, while 
bootleg outfits acro.ss the country 
were cashing in on their scavenger 
opportunities. It was explained to 
Hartley how .jukebox "mobs," un- 
<lerwriting overnight labels, were 
supposedly marketing "Mexican" 
or "Cuban-made" recordings, but 
which were actually done by scab 
musicians in the States. The a cap- 
pel la and harmonica-backgrounded 
platters, he was also informed, 
were not helping to le.s.sen the 
widespread unemployment. 

He was likewise advised of the 
formula that the major diskers 
have submitted to Petrillo but that 
the AFM head had rejected it since 
he has his eye on getting Con- 
gress- to rewrite the copyright law 
so as to make provisions for mus^ 
cian control over jukebox and disk 
jockey performances. Hartley 
feels that he can solve the im- 
passe between Petrillo and record- 
ers, pointing out that he, as co- 
author of the/ act, should know 
Wtaethw it's "flexlWe." 



T^EREWASA time GENERAL 

WHO LIVED \H A SHOE 

HE H^PSOMANYHffS'.... 




1 



A HUNS 




^^"fTZ^: iVo W r«l««*^' 



W|ore«ry— — 



HiWAlV. 



mm 



'S 



ANU These HITS in Manuscript 

«WATCH THAT FIRST STEP" 
Did yoM hear Artlmr Godfroy do it? 

"THE CANNIBAL'S MENU" 
Jock Smlfh'i oHdioKos cot it up. 

GENERAL 

★ ★★★★★★ 





MUSIC PUBLISHItIG CO., INC. 

400 MADISON AVfNUE« NEW YORK, N. Y. 



For Solo* BostoR Mwk Hi i«yl»to» Sf^ lotfoii. Moss. 



42 



OBCHESTRAS-IMIJSIC 



Wednesday, July 14, 1948 



On the Uplieat 



New York 

Mills Music acquired North 
American 'rights to "Dream of 
Olwen/' a British bestseller pub- 
lished in England by Lawrence 
Wright . . . Anahld Ajemsan, con- 
cert violinist who recently wed 
Columbia Records* George Avak- 
lan, is a Victor recording artist 

' . .. ; DeLuxe Records now inter- 
changing masters with Day Dis- 
tributing of Los Angeles. Platters 
of . both firms will be released 
simultaneously in the east and 
west as a result Of the deal . . . 
N. ' Y. Local 802, American Fed- 
eration of MusicianSr sponsored 
concert for patients at the Bronx, 
N. Y., Veterans Hospital Monday 
(12). A 50-piece symphony orch 
under direction of Ray Block was 
paid by the AFM's Recording and 
Transcription Fund . . . Composer 
Alex North cleffed two new works 
for clarinet. Tagged "Revue" and 

^"Pastime Suite," the pieces are 
published by Mills Music' 



will return here in December for 
next MetFQ film. 



Hollywood 

Dick Haymes opens at Roxy 
theatre, New York, starting July 
28 . i ^ Elliot Lawrence signed with 
Columbia pix for a series titled 
"Thrills of Music." Disk jockey 
Freddie Robbins set to m.c. films 
featuring Lawrence band with 
Alan Dale and Mindy Carson , han- 
dling vocals . . . Frank .Skinner as- 
signed to score "Family Honey- 
moon" at U-I . . . Frankle Laine 
inked for fortnite starting Sept. 21 
at Fairmont, . Frisco. .Pe^gy Lee- 
Dave Barbour combo will' follow 
for two weeks . . . Clark Dennis 
and Virginia Maxey inked to ap- 
pear in the Charlie Barnet mu- 
sical short now lensing at U-I < 
Miklos Rosza began recording his 
score for Harojld Hecht-Norma 
Productions' "The Unafraid," at 
U-I with a 75-piece orchestr4.. . . 
Joe E. Lewis booked for fortnight 
at El Rancho, Las Vegas, Sept. 15. 
Stand will be comic's only western 
stand next season. Herscfael Gil- 
bert inked, to arrange the Heinz 
Roenheld score for Harry Popkin 
production for UA, "My Dear Sec- 
retary.*' . . . Perry Cfomo concludes 
role in Metro's "Words aiid Music" 
this week, trains back to N. Y. 
July 18 and will lay off rest -of 
summer until Jiis Chesterfield air- 
er resumes in Tall over NBC. Como 



Chicago 

Ray Morton orch reopens the 
Blackstone hotel's Mayfaii- Room 
Sept. 10, following summer shut- 
tering this week . . Rose Murphy 
into the Rag Doll July 23, follow- 
ing Anita O'Day, v^o opened 
Tuesday (13). Louis Jordan's Tym- 
pany 5 set for Aug. 20 . . . Savoy 
ballroom, sepia entertainment cen- 
ter' here- for almost 20 years, 
closed Thursday (8) when .the 
State of Illinois moved in. Loca- 
tion will be reinodeled for unem- 
ployment compensation Offices . . . 
Estclle Weinberg switching from 
Santly-Joy to Advanced . . . Toot's 
Mayf air in K. C. has dropped its 
name policy until fall . . . George 
Winslow's orch shifts from i the 
Aragon to the Trianon July 26. 
. . . Ray Pearl into Kenny wood 
Park, Pittsburgh, for two weeks 
Starting Ju^ 19 . . . Florian Zab- 
ach's otch anchored at the Empire 
Room of the Palmer House until 
Sept . . , Orrin Tucker at Elitch 
Gardens, Denver, July 21-Aug. 5 
. . . Don McGrane into the Bis- 
marck hotel's Walnut Room TueS" 
day (13) for four weeks . . . Tony 
DiPardo's orch closes at the Forest 
Park Highland hotel, St. Louis, 
July 24 and opens two days later 
at' Shreveport's Washington- You- 
ree hotel . . . .Benny Miller now 
with Laurel Music . . . Benny 
Strong orch into the Boulevard 
Room of the Stevens hotel Fri- 
day (16). , 

Detroit Juke War 

Detroit, July 13. 

Detroit police laid down the law 
to the jukebox industry here Satur-r 
day (10) when they threatened to 
remove jukes from Kll Detroit tav*: 
ems if any further violence ap^' 
peared out of their operation and 
maintenance. 

The ultimatum was handed dis- 
tributors, union maintenance offi- 
cials and' ' operators after the 
stench-bombing of a hotel, five tav- 
erns and a restaurant Friday (9) in 
a flareup that appeared to be a 
jukebox war in the making. 



I NEED MUSIC 
FOk LYRICS ! 



Good or bad this is my favorite kind of lyric. If any 
music publisher or music writer thinks it "good," I'd 
be glad to hear from them. 

This Spring, I'il Hear a Robin Sing 

VERSE 

This Spring, I'll hear a robin sing 

In the pear tree blossoming 

And ril he remembering 

Your love and everything 

That love and springtime used to bring. 

CAORVS 

THiis Spmng/maybe-the last for me, 
So, l^^'^^a^^ sweei with memory 
L^t 'ftt^ hear an'obin sing, and find &gain the stars 

above me 

While, th^ breeze a whispering, mminds the heart of 

one so lovely. 
Oh, if this Spring should bring, you reme^mbering » 
Then the rahin and I, both would sing. 

VERSE 

This Spring I'll hear a church bell ring 

And I'll be a wondering 

If you are remembering 

Our love and everything 

That Spring and lovetime used to bring, 

P. 5. STALLINGS, BOWIE, TiX. 



Oet tbia ad, title Attd lyvic Ate being copyrighted. . 
^ease Watch for ads in other National 'Theatrical Magazines. 



■ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦* M »»»f»*»t««« » « *♦♦*»«»♦ 

1 Songs with Largest Radio Audience ii 

Thirty songs of the week (more in case of ties), based on the 
copyrighted Audience Coverage Index Survey of Popular Mime . . 
Broadcast Over Radio Netioorks. Published by the Office- of lie- 
search, Inc., Dr.- John C. Peatvian, Director. 

Survey Week of July 2-8, 1948 



. Shapiro-B 
.Paramount 
, Remick 
, Chappell 
Santly-Joy 



A Tree In the Meadow ... . . . . ... . ■ • • ' 

Baby Don't Be Mad at Me. ; . , .... . , . , . , . . 

Baby Face ■ ; 

Beyond the Sea ; • • • • ■ 

Blue Shadows On the Trail— ^' "Melody Time" . 

Crying For Joy • Monaco 

Don't Blame Me 

Haunted Heart— *"Inside U.S.A." wmiarasoB 

I May Be Wrong Advanced 

I'd Give a Million Tomorrows — Oxtortt 

Only Happens Dance With You— t"Easter Parade" . Bcrlm 

It's Magic— t"Romance On High Seas" Witmark 

It's You Or No One Remick 

Little White Lies : BVC _ 

Long After Tonight , Broaacast 

Love Of My Lif e— 1'"The Pirate" T. B. Harms 

Love Somebody ; Kramcr-W 

. My Happiness; . » . . .^i. . . . . . :, . . . ^ . ... . . ... . . . • ■ • , . Blasco_ _ 

:: Nature Boy Burke-VH 

Now Is the Hour Leed.s 

P. S. I Love You LaSalle 

Put 'Em In a Box— fRomance On High Seas" Remick 

Rhode Island Is Famous For You— 'i'"Inside U.S.A," . Crawford ; 

Sabre Dance .. . ...................... Leeds . 

Serenade (Music Played On a Heartstring) . Duchess 

Steppin' Out With My Baby— t "Easter Parade" .... Bei-lin 

Tell Me a Story . . . , . . -. . . . ............ Laurel 

We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye Woids-Music, 

Woody Woodpecker . . .-. . . ; Leeds 

You Can't Be Trae Dear Biltmore 

The remaining songs of the week, based on the copyrighled 
Audierice Coverage Index Survey of Popular Mttsic Broadcast 
Over Radio Networlts. Published by the Office of Research, Inc., 
Dr. John G. Peatman, Director, 

A Bed Of Roses ,. . . .Tohnstone-M 

A Boy From Texas . . Shapiro-B ■ 

A Fella With an Umbrella— t "Easter Parade" .... . . Feist 

Better Luck Next Time— t"Easter Parade" ........ Feist 

Bride and Groom Polka ... , Simon 

Delilah ..... . . . . , .... . . ..... . . . .... . ... . ... ... Encore 

t Dream Girl — 1"Dream Girl" Famous 

Dream Peddler ...... it . ..Southern 

Dolores ; Famous 

Encore Cherie . . . . ; ..... ... . . . . . ... . . . . i . . * . . . . .Miller 

Ev'ry Day I Love You . . . . , . ...!.. ... . ; .... .Harms 

Piddle Faddle ; . . . . ; . . .Mills 

Home ...... Mills 

Hooray For Love— i "Casbah" . . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . .... Melrose 

I Went Down To Virginia .... . . . ... . . . . , ...... . . . . Jeffer.son 

It's a Most Unusual . Day ....... . . ; . . . . Robbins 

Just Because ; . . . i . . ............ .. . , . . . . i , ...... Leeds 

Laroo Laroo Lilli Bolero ; Shapiro-B 

Little Girl ; Leeds 

Nobody But You .... . . . . . . . . . ...... ....... . .... . Duchess ■ 

Pecos Bill— t"Melody Time" Santly-Joy 

Take It Away Pemora 

Toolie Oolie Doolie C. K. Harris 

What Do r Have To Do— 1 "Are You With It" ...... BVC 

Yours ., Marks 



Legit Musical, i Filmusical. . • 



RISING mHES' BIG 
SURPRISE FROM BRIT. 

Recently, introduced in the U. S. 
market minus ballyhoo or fanfare, 
the London label's "Underneath 
the Arches" is moving into the hit 
bracket with no logical reason to 
Support its heavy sales in several 
key cities. Platter was cut by 
Primo Scala, a banjo-accordion 
outfit, and originally was intended 
strictly for British consumption.' , 

Several weeks ago' London's New 
York headquarters received about 
6,000 copies for unscheduled re- 
lease, 'fhe firm shipped a few 
batches to distribs in its sales area 
and was amazed when its Chicago 
representative disposed of 3,000 in 
two days. Company's sales rep in 
Philadelphia sold the disks at a 
similar ratio. 

The sudden popularity of 
"Arches." is termed one of those 
unsolvable "freaks," especially 
since the banjo vogue set by "Four 
Leaf Clover" long ago shot its bolt. 

"Arches" originally was pub- 
lished in England by Campbell- 
Connelly in 1932 with words and 
music by Bud Flanagan. When 
Robbins later acquired the North 
American rights, Joseph McCarthy 
wrote a new set of lyrics. Mean- . 
while, most of the American major 
diskeries are rushing out a cap- 
pella versions to cash in on the 
boom before it's spent. 



Col/s LP. Splurge 

Columbia Records will launch a 
national newspaper ad campaign 
in connection with its long-playing 
micro-groove record. White the 
company seeks to make the public 
conscious of the l.p. development, 
it has a far more-reaching motive 
for tliis campaign. It figures that 
if the ads only serve to get people 
into the retail outlets they will 
have paid off. The assumption is 
that if people can be induced to 
come in for a demonstration the 
visit will end with a percentage of 
them making some disk purchase. 

The major problem of the record 
trade for the past three or moi-e 
months has been to find ways ot 
getting whilom buyers back into 
the stores. . 



DON'T BLAME ME 



8 Victor Execs 

[ Continned from page 41 : 



INJUNCTION VS. FEIST 
WRITERS ON 'RUM' 



picking setup, it was explained, is 
to apprise every segment of the or- 1 Coca-Cola,' 
ganization concerned with prepar- 
ing, selling or publicizing of -an 
etching of everything connected 
with a song even before it goes 
into production. 

No indication was given at Mon- 
day's gathering what Victor's own 
immediate plans were with num- 
bers it might select from those 
being offered^; An inquiry as to 
where such tunes may be recorded 
was I'eeeived -with dead pans. No 
committal of any sort was made. 

The only other committee idea 
foi; .song-'pickihg recalled was one 
that the late E,' P. JBitner intro- 
duced in the early part of his 
career as general manager of Leo 
Feist. His committee used to meet 
Monday mornings and listen to 
writers, but he learned in quick 
time that writers were in the habit 
of pitching their songs to pubs as 
quickly as completed and npt wait- 
ing for a weekly audition. After 
losing out on several tunes that be- 
came big hits, Bltner abandoned 
the committee arrangement.: 



' A Gnat Niw MImm 

KING COIE TRIO 



on 



Copitol Reconb 



A decree permanently enjoining 
I Leo Feist, publisher of "Rum and 
as well as the song's 
writers from infringing upon the ' 
West Indian composition, "L'Annee ' 
Passee," controlled by Maurice j 
Baron, was signed last week by 
N. Y. Federal Judge Simon H. Rif- 
kind. The court, several weeks ago 
upheld Baron's claim that Uie I 
"Rum" melody was lifted from his f 
"Passee." j 



HARRY WARREN MUSK INC. 



Tops of the Tops 

Retail Disk Seller 
"Woody Woodpecker" 
Retail Sheet Music Seller 
"You Can't Be True, Rear" 

'.'Mosi Requested!" Disk 
"You Can't Be True, Dear" 
Seller on Coin Machines 
"Woody Woodpecker" 
British Best Seller 
"Galway Bay" . ■. . ■ 



In signing the decree, Judge Rif- 
kind also ordered an accounting 
and ordered Feist to surrender in- 
fringing copies of "Rum" to be de- 
stroyed. Evidence of damages sus- 
tained will be taken by special mas- 
ter Francis J. QuilUnan. 



"SUP *ER 
DOWN AGIN, 
PAW" 

CHOICE MUSIC, INC. 

Garrt Romero, Prof. Bfgrr. 
9109 Snnsot Btnl. IBW Broailvrajr 
llnlljrwooil 40, Cal. New York. N. V. 
OBest view 1-S«0« . GOInmba* 6-11180 




The Blonde Bomb Shell of Rhythm 

and Her ALL MALE ORCHESTRA 
LATIN QUARTER, NEW YORK 

iHdcfinitciy 



EXCLUSIVE MANAGEMENT 

ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP. 



JOE GLASER Pres. 
745 Fifth Av2., New York 22 203 No. Waboih 

PL. 9.4600 Chicago 



WeineaAayt July 14, 1948 



AGVA Election Results Due in Month; 
Much Speculation on Exec Sec ?(k 



Ballots for the forthcoming elec- 
tion of officers and board of gov- 
ernors for American Guild of 
Variety Artists came off the press 
this weelc and are being mailed out 
to the membership, numbering 
about 22,000. It is figured that it 
will talce the better part of another 
week for making. It will take sev- 
eral more weeks for return and 
counting by the Honest Ballot 
Assn., certified by AGVA to make 
the compilation. Consequently re- 
sults of the election will not be 
known until, the middle or latter 
part of next month. 

Ballots contain nominees for 
: prexy, veepees, secretary, treasurer 
and board of 45. Electees are to 
have complete control over opera- 
tion of the talent union. All are 
non-salaried posts. However, of- 
ficers and board will select an exec 
secretary as replacement for cur- 
rent title of national administrator 
at a salary to be fixed by board, 
presumably $7,500 a year. Whether 
Hyman Fain* currently functioning 
as chairman of Associated Actors 
and Artistes of America board, 
which took over control of AGVA 
after ousting of Matt Shelvey, for- 
mer national director, would be 
named for that spot Is problemat- 
ical at this time. Fain is exec sec 
of American Guild of Musical 
Artists, who has been functioning 
as such in addition to AGVA. 
Dewey Barto, AGVA delegate and 
member of the committee, has also 
been mentioned for top spot but 



is not hkely to be named, even 
though Insisting from outset that 
he is not seeking the berth. 

Logical selection for the spot 
would be Dave Fox. head of union's 
N. Y. local and assistant national 
director under current regime. 
Fox's long tenure- with AGVA and 
his familiarity with union matters 
would seemingly give him the 
edge on qualitative background. 
Fox, to date, has not been making 
a pitch for the job. He's been 
plenty occupied carrying the ball 
for current committee in un- 
tangling snarls inherited from pre- 
vious administration. However, it's 
an open secret that many of the 
top members of union will make 
a strong pitch for Fox's appoint- 
ment. ■ 

However, whoever gets top spot 
wiU have plenty of work with 
limited powers under new AGVA 
constitution. It will be an interim 
appointment subject to removal by 
officers and board at any time, 
with cu.stomary two-weeks notice 
and severance pay unless removed 
for cause. This gimmick makes 
job far less attractive than pre- 
viously when the national director 
bossed the works. 



NICK lUCAS 

Now Appearing 

"KEN MURRAY'S 
BLACKOUTS OF 1948" 

El Capltaa' ThMilM 
HdlywaMl. CoL 



COMEDY MATERIAL 

For All Branch** of TlicalrScali 

FUN-MASTER 

"Th* ORIGINAL Show-Bln Cog Fib" 

Not. I to 22 @ $1.00 oach 
3 DIFFERENT BOOKS OF PARODIES 
(10 in *acK book) $10 par book 

FftBE €0rv OF "HUMOR BCSI- 
NKSS." The Sliow-BIz Giiicazino witb 
rHcb ¥3.00 ininimum order. 
S<"n<l lOo for lists of other comeily 
miiterlal, (mngs, parodies, miustrei 
patter, black-outs, etc. 

NO C.O.D.'S 

PAUIA SMITH 

100 W. S4th Street, KOW Tork M 



Creditors Close Florentine 
Gardens, H'wood; Acts 
Paid Off With Bond Coin 

Los Angeles, July 13. 

Shuttering of the Florentine 
Gardehs, Hollywood boulevard nit- 
ery, is likely to be permanent, with 
debts reported near the $100,000 
mark and complaints of rubber 
checks bouncing in the offing. 
Ralph Meyer, assignee for the cred- 
itors of the Frank Bruno bistro, 
attempted to work out a -plan to 
reopen the spot with the acts col- 
lecting nightly. George White, pro- 
ducer of the "Scandals," and Flor- 
ine Bale, AGVA representative, 
were reported willing to go on 
with the show, but various other 
creditors were unwilling to go 
along without more assurance of 
collecting their coin. 

Meanwhile, Miss Bale announced 
that some of the checks drawn by 
performers for their last week's 
work had bounced. Thirteen prin- 
cipals and 17 choristers will be 
paid off by AGVA from the cash 
bond of $4,100 which Bruno had 
to put up before the show opened, 
but there is a possibility that the 
amount will not be sufficient to 
cover all outstanding talent bill. 



Martha Short, songstress, opens 
at the Penthouse Club Friday 
evening (16) in spot vacated by 
Maxine Sullivan, who is off to 
Europe for a concert tour. 



AMERICA'S TOP HEADLINE SINGING GROUP 




A "NATURAL 
FOR 
TELEVISION 

All Major Metworb*, 
Vhentre* and Clnbi> 
V. B. and Canada 

Personal Direethnt-^ED KDil 
«BOI BKO BaUdlBC, New York ISO. N. X. 



RCA 
VICTOR 
FAVORITES 



1 



BOYS 



i 



VAiniEvnuLR 



4S 



Bob Smith 

ffft* "Hawdy D*<Nly" M) 
trf«i( tha InvmII* •HdimMi miller 
tha titia af 

"Ae»op GeU a TV Facelift — 
And the Kids Love It" 

Frank Paris 

(th» fnipp»l*»r) 
addi fa the "Howdy Deody" Man'i 
ExpotitioH In 

3d Annual Special 
RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

Out This Month 



Hygienic Vaude Units 
Set for Tour of Small 
Town 1-Nite Stands 

Wilmington, O., July 13. 
Hygienic Productions, producers 
of the exploitation film "Mom and 
Dad," is branching into the vaude 
field with a twO'hour revue that's 
slated to start a national -tour on 
Aug. 1. Company prexy Kroger 
Babb declared his firm's move was 
prompted by a survey which 
showed that theatremen in towns 
of 50,000 and less feel their cus- 
tomers could support stage enter- 
tainment at least one day every 
month. 

Tagged "The Best Is Yet to 
Come," Hygienic's unit plans to 
have five acts in its layout built 
around a name band. Project also 
calls for a new edition to teeoif 
each month with set of different 
talent. Local acts will augment 
the traveling groups. First unit is 
inked to hit a string of small Ohio 
towns starting Aug. 1. ^ack 
Crouthers is staging the produc- 
tions. 



MARTIN OFF TO LONDON 
ON TALENT QUEST 

Sydney, July 6. 

David N, Martin, head of Tivoli 
vaude loop, planes to London July 
16 for an extensive looksee and 
talent quest. He .will be away 
several weeks. Apart from vaude 
talent Martin will pact some legits 
for Down Under playdates between 
vaude-revue runs. 

Martin is only recently back 
from U. S. trip, where he signed 
Chico Marx and Ben Blue. He 
also brought out George Formby 
and Tommy Trinder from England, 



Kay Thompson, Joe £. Lewis 
Pacted for Spa'^ Piping Roc 

Kay Thompson and'the Williams 
Bros, have signed for a two-week 
engagement starting Aug. 3 at the 
Piping Bock, Saratoga Springs, 
N. Y., by Nat Harris, operator of 
Spa spot in addition to the Harem, 
N. Y. Deal' has an alternate coin 
setup, with the act reportedly 
slated to get $10,000 a week for 
one show a night or $12,500 for 
two shows a night. Living accom- 
modations are also provided for 
the troupe, including Joseph Ma- 
rino, accompanist, and Bobert Al- 
ton, the Star's collaborator on 
lyrics and musical numbers. 

Co-staning on tiie same; 'bill will 
be Joe E. Lewis and the D'Audrea 
danceri;' 



(Hlio Booze M Rebirning Jac^ 
Before Dismantling l-Arm Ban& 



Partner Attaches Camy 
For Share of Profits 

Toledo, July 13. 
Cavalcade of Amusements, carni- 
val which was to finish an 11-day 
stand in Toledo, July 10, was the 
object of a receivership petition 
filed in Common Pleas Court there 
that day. Louis W. Greiner, for- 
merly of Toledo, asserted he pur- 
chased a half-interest' in the show 
in May, 1939, but never received 
his share of the profits. 

Court was asked to forbid re- 
moval of carnival property from 
Lucas County, and also to name a 
receiver and order a judgment in 
Greiner's favor for the amount of 
withheld profits. Named as de- 
fendants are Harry L. Bernstein, 
doing business as Al Wagner, 
owner of the show; -and his wife, 
Hattie. 



Lieut. Col. Lampkin 
Named Production Head 
Of Vet Hospital Shows 

Veterans Hospital bamp Shows 
last week appointed Phil Lampkin, 
ex-Army lieut. col. formerly with 
Special Services and Armed Forces 
Radio Service, as head of its pro- 
duction department. He succeeds 
Ben Piermont, who exits for other 
show biz activities. Lampkin as- 
sumed post immediately, , and 
will ready new units to go 
out on the circuit this fall. 
Prior to joining Army he had 
considerable show biz background. 

For eight years he was musical 
director and asst. stage producer 
at Loew's Capitol, Washington. 
Prior to that he held similar posts 
with Fanchon & Marco and Para- 
mount-Publix. He also produced 
and directed several radio shows. 
As head of the Army Becruiting 
publicity bureau, he produced thct 
"Voice of the Army" transcrip- 
tions. 

Establishing and operating the 
first overseas Armed Forces Radio 
Service station in Panama- in 1042. 
Lampkin was also adviser to Lieut. 
Gen. George H. Brett on commer- 
cial radio stations in Central Amer- 
ica, Ecuador and Puerto Rico. 

Returning to the United States, 
he became Pacific liaison officer 
in San Francisco. There he han- 
dled all USO-Camp Shows and all 
Hollywood Victory Committee per- 
sonalities, arriving at and depart- 
ing from west coast ports. 



Coluinbus, July 13. 
Club and cafe owners were 
notified by the State Liquor Dept. 
July 16 that more than 200 slot 
machines seized by liquor agents 
since 1945 will be destroyed Aug. 
10. 

The order instructed enforce- 
ment chief Donald T. Geyer to 
notify all known owners of the 
machines that they ^ could, , upon 
proper identification, obtain th^ 
contents of the slots withiit IS 
days of notification., ' 

Geyer estimated the machinesi 
of five, 10, 25 and 50-cent denomi- 
nations, contained anywhefe from 
$7,000 to $10,000. The machines 
have been kept in a basement vault 
since their seizure. 

The enforcement chief said he. 
would seek a supplemental order 
later to determine the disposition 
of money in those machines whose 
ownership could not be traced. An 
inventory has Ijeen ordered taken 
and checked against office records 
to determine ownership. The list 
will be made public this week. 

The machines were seized in 
raids over a four-year period. Un- 
til now no director or liquor board 
had assumed the responsibility for 
ordering their destruction. 



'Three Hucksters have been 
added to Latin Quarter, N. y., 
show, co-featuring Ina.Ray Uutton 
orch and Willie Shore, comedian.' 




JANE 



JOHNSON 



AmerietP* 
Foremost 
MarimhUn 




GEOR€E| 

GUEST 



SIJLLIVA«[ 

CURRENTLY 

PENT HOUSE CLUB Indefinitely,. N«w York 
RADIO: Saadayt. 3-3:15 P;M., WNEW 



JM MAISOUUISk. 



GEORGIE KAYE 

NOW 3RD WEEK.PARAMOUNT, NEW YORK 



Ed Sullivan 

"A comedy Click." 



Yarkty 

"Solid waves of applause, 
had audience rocking." 

Odec, 



Pbrothy KiigallM 

Jeuriial-Amcrlcan 

Tops in Town: "Georgie 
Kaye's clowning on Para- 
mount stage." 

Frank <putnn 
Daily MIrrar 

"Sock stuff.'* 



Earl Wilton 

N. Y. foii 

"Bravo." 



liiiboard 



Oiraclion: GENERAL ARTISTS CORI^ORATION 



"Keeps audience laugh- 
ing constantly . » . got 
yoks."— Leon Mors*. 




44 



WAMmKVWUM 



Wednesday, July 14» 1913 



Mwe Woes Be^ LHigank h 

NasffTO, Buch & Bid^s Suit 



Despite a recent decision by 
N. V. Supreme Court Justice 
Ueetat u|diolding a personal maii- 
a^ettent ^act between Nat Nazar- 
TO «nd Buck & Bubbles, Negro 
tiHoedy ad^ tbe case is stlU thresh- 
ing about in tlie legal mill. Aiter 
Justice Hecbit enjoined Ford Lee 
Washington {Bnclcl from breaking 
tbe agreement and also denied 
Jobn W. SubHett (Bubbles) an in- 
junction to prevent tlie manager 
from interfering in his affairs, at- 
torneys for bstti perfonaers ap' 
plied fo a i$tay before the Appel- 
late 01vision. 

FoUomng a biiet bearing of 
both sides, Appellate Justice Ber- 
nard Sidertag indicated that he 
would Older a suspension of en- 
foFoenient o> the injunction against 
Buelc pending trial or an ^ippeal. 
Howerar, It 'iwas .pmnted out by 
Nazano's attorney, Charles D. 
Seanloni tiiat a stay could not be 
signed until the lower court order 
was entered iijd bond furnished 
by Nazarro. As of Monday ( 12 ) 
this ^lat* not been done, altbough 
Scanlon said it would be ''^vitfain 
a few days." 

Meanwhile, according to Buck's 
counsel, Ernest Mahler of O'Brien, 
DriseoU, B«£tex;y & Lawler, the 
team bas been adidsed tbat it's 
free to seek employment imde- 
penden'Jy of Xacarra. aiesDiiieeded 



that in the event the comics ob- 
tained ei^ployment on their own 
they wrould be liable to damage 
actions from- tbe manager. How- 
ever, he added that any such suits 
would b« met with a valid defense. 

The comedians are attempting to 
rescind and cancel a contract with 
Nazarro dated March 14, 1947, 
which has two years to run. Agree- 
ment provides that Hazam) re- 
ceives 30c. of every dollar of the 
team's earnings. Buck likewise gets 
30c., while Bubbles draws 'Mc. la 
addition, Buck is guaranteed an in- 
come of $2,600 from tlie manager, 
b» t it's alleged tliat actually it's 
not a "guarantee" at all since the 
pact is . jieppered with escape 
clause in favor of Nazarro. 



Gypsy Edwat^, Arvin Trio 
Wind 20-^M«s. Nitey Date 

Minneapolis, July 13. 

Longest engagement for any act 
in local nitery history ended, tem- 
porarily at least, when Gypsy Ed- 
wards and Mel Arvin Trio departed 
from the Music Box after 20 con- 
secutive nnrntbs. TSjey're taking a 
monlh'js "vaeatton," Ae&st they've 
had in more than two years, before 
deciding on "a return engagement" 
which tta? spot has requested. 

In the meanwhile, club has 
booked in Mu^cal Quintones. 



Sh«^ IBanctt, satiric impres- 
siooist. iadbo Spivy's Boot. N. 



Wte iiMHir 




He Wmm Tte 
Itor's f r^feiiis 

THEREFORE 

We are proud and happy fo oaaoiiiice our support of 
■&I^.Mm,fer'fhe office of GtiUd President, ^allots are 
■our » Hti maU cmrf siio«M be la Hue hands of all taem- 
bers bf Jmfy IS, 

THE COMMITTEE FOR 

EDDIE MO 

For Preslilent of Amorican Guild of Voriety Artists 



BOB ALDA 
BVD ABBOTT 
DANNY 

MII/CON BERPE 
JOE BESSER 

LARRY BLAKE 
BEN BLUE 
JACK CARSON 
JERRY COLONNA 
LOV COSTELUO 
BING CROSBY 
FRANKLYN D'AMORE 
JIUWY DURANTE 
FRANK DEVERS 
MILTON FROMM 
EDDIE PARR 
JACKIEGREEN 
BOB HOPE 



FRANCES LANGFORD 
PINKY LEE 
■ NICK LUCAS 
HARRY MENDOZA r 
eABMEN MlRANpA 
DONALD O'CONNOR 
BOBBY PINCUS 
MARTHA RAYE 
FRANK SINATRA 
NICODEMVS STEWART 
3 STOOGES 
3 SWIFTS 
DANNY THOMAS 
SID TOMACK 
RUDY VALLEE 
JOE WALLACE 
EVERETT WEST 



Oweu Davis, Jr. 

detail* that 

"Actors Like Tele- 
vision^' 

^- , 

oa aStottai tMtmm ia <te 
3d AmHMii Special 

RAD10>TEL£VIS10N 

NUMBEIt 

«f 

Out This Mtsnth 



Prior to 



ete 
Trek 



London, July 13. 

Climax of Sophie Tucker's tri- 
umphant return to - London was a 
lunch giv«n in Iter honor by 
Foyle's, Briti^ booksellers, who 
make a feature of "liteiary 
luitAes*' to d^sUngui^cd writeri,. 

Some 300 attended, which 
mailced the launching here of 
Soph's book. "Some of Thtwe 
Dig's," at the Dorchester hotel, 
July 7. Ciiarles B. Cochran was 
chairman and welcoming speech 
was made by Hannen Swaffer, who 
had left a sick bed to attend. He 
gave an earthy resume of La 
"Tucker's career, reminiscing anent 
her London debut and disclosing 
the fact he was the first to write 
about her over bere in' the Daily 
Exvoess, ' wb&A be then repre- 
sented. He p»d tribute to ber 
staling qualities and lovable per- 
sonality, endorsmg the sanccre af- 
fection in which stie is held in tliis 
city. • 

Other attending included Ted 
Shapiro, Hariy Kichman, Jack Du- 
rant, Margot Grahame. George 
ftobey, G. H. Elliott,- Bod Flanagan, 
Kexvo and Kaos, Nellie Wallace, 
ail spotlighted on introduction by 
Cociu-an: 

In her responding speech Sophie 
liad' no need to stress her obvious 
emotional reaction to tlie unusual 
occasion. She told how the idea 
foF.her book arose and its develop^ 
meat, and faded out by singing 
the song which gave it its title. 



iLCNITERIESCOASnNG 
, WITH MODEST SHOWS 

; Atlantic City, July 14. 

Crowds far beyond usual for tlie 
first ^wo Weeks in July are ringing 
up merry and welcome jingles on 
i«!Sort cash .egisters. With the 
three day Fourth of July holiday 
establishing a near iiecord as a 
tarter, it looks liUe one of the l>est 
Julys ic the city's history. 

First two weeks weather was 
ideal for resort biz, Hot in the in- 
terior, cool at the shore. AH amuse- 
ments, hotels, and restaurant peo- 
ple are elated by spiraled biz, , 

George Hamid reported July 4 
business secmid best for three days 
he has bad since he took over Vae 
pier nearly a dozen years ago. 
"Ice<^I>ades" also doing well with 
sellouts at all performances. 

Miterics now -going fuU blast 
h.ive modcstiy budgeted attrac- 
tions. They're passing up expen- 
sive bands and acts for the present, 
but may unleash bankrolls if con- 
tinued heavy biz warrants. 



Set For Xatin Qaarier 

Sophie Tucker will play her an- 
nual stand at Uie LaUn Quarter, 
N. Y., starting. around Oct. 3!. Con- 
tract was inked last week by Lou. 
Walters, operator, and William 
Morris agency, repping Miss 
Tucker. ^ 

Soph, who broke alt records at 
tlie Broadway bistro on appearance 
there last year, will come in with 
all new material and songs, some 
of which had been part of her 
tepertoire on recent triumph at 
the London Casino. Walters will 
build new production around her. 
She'll ifollow the run of Ted Lems 
band and unit, which opens at tbe 
spot Aug. 22. 

Miss "Tucker is due back from 
London next week and wiJl vacash 
with her sister until Sept. 3, when 
she goes into the Chez Panee. Chi- 
cago, for four weeks wiUi options. 



^mser Leases tiew Coiia, 
Hiami, Site for 99 ¥r& 

Miami Beach, July 13. 
i Final details were ironed out 
I this week between Murray Wein- 
ger and the estate which owns 
property on which old Copacabana 
was located, with Weinger taking 
a 9d-yea'r lease at a rental which 
wiU run well over $700,000 for 
the 'tenure.'. 

Deal is tantamount to an out^ 
right buy of the property, whidi 
includes an additional section of 
land that will allow for a building 
accommodating 700 in main room 
and 300 in lounge. 

Expected tliat the new club will 
be ready before year's end, «ith 
Hildegarde tentatively set to open 
the room and Barry Gray to re- 
turn to the cockliail lounge. Gray, 
who 'is curreatly holding forth 
from the WKAT studios here, con- 
firmed reports that he may go to 
Kew York city and a spot in the 
Green Room of ti:;c Hotel Edison. 
I Also staled that he will remain 
i under Copacabana sponsorship, 
while up north, plugging the new 
room bettig built. Weinger, this 
weelc, is in New Ybrk city, ironing 
out details in the designs for new 
spot with Iforman Bel Geddes. 



AGVA Paid Off 



18,713 flR Coast 



American. Guild of Variety 
Artists, since June 1, has disbursed 
'^|>18,703 to perl'omiers working on 
Coast who w.ere not paid o0 for 
nitery engagements. Sum, un- 
equaled in any past period, indi- 
cates general nitery conditions and 
number of spots which arc folding 
in the Hollywood territory. 

AGVA policy is not to permit 
acts to work in any nitery untii a 
cash bond ■ covering a week's 
salaries is posted with union. Only 
sizable spot, with big bond, which 
has folded is Florentine Gardens, 
from which Florine Bale, Holly- 
wood AGVA' rep, uxacted $4,100 to 
cover week's salaries for perform- 
-ers. All other payoffs came fropi 
datively small operations through- 
out state. 

Last year in the Coast area 155, 
an all-time high, niteries had 
bonds vp with AGVA to cover one 
or more acts employed in itach. 
Pmsently 74 tKnu& are on file at 
the union. 



Elaine Jmrdan. song stylist, has 
been added to bill at the Mermaid 
Room of tbe l>ark Central hotel , 
N. Y. JBolding over on same show 
are Brenda Carr, songstress, the 
Smoothies, and the Timetoppers 
quartet,.'-' • 



Marilyn Maxwell Sails 
For Benny's London Date 

Marilyn Maxwell trained in from 
the Coast last Thursday <.8) and 
sailed for Britain the following 
I day aboard Uie Queen Mary. Ac- 
I tress is scheduled to appear with 
•Jack Benny and Phil Harris at the 
London Palladium. 

With, her JPaUadium booking 
starting July 16 for two weeks, 
Miss IviaxweU said it was possible 
she would stay o?'cr for another 
week or so to entertain troops on 
the continent Ottlerwisc her 
plans are indefinite witli no filqi 
commitments awaiting ber at 
present. 



HUMORISTS 

My complete ^menol of choice, 
one-line "iieekicr-s^elcliers," ia- 
suhs, slurt, ribs, vAeezes, and en»- 
cee quips, $1\00. , 4^uality, . n«t 
,i)uaatif;y. Heck, I'm 52, . and l eant 
ttdte Hiem wiA no. Yeatl be 
roblMd, to be- sore. 

BUSTER ROTHMAN'S 
Gag -Retort Suf^ly Works 

10 W. 22 St.. ScyCTKe. N. J. 



T1^£T WmS Al?£AL 
IN IHinGeATIOK SNARL 

Charles Trenet. French singer. 
Was admitted to- the United States 
last week as a permanent resident, 
immigration authorities announced 
after Watson B. Miller, Commis- 
sioner of Immigration and Natu-' 
ralization, had sustained an appeal 
from a ruling excUuiKng the singer. 

Trenet was detained at Ellis 
Island upon bis arrival here May 
14, and was released for 60 days 
on June 6 pending- an , appeal. 
Jacques Arnould, the singer's ac- 
companist, vras.also permitted to 
remain here imder the ruling. 

After a vacation, Trenet plans 
.embarking on a concert tour in 
U. S. and Canada in autumn: How- 
ever, he may play a - couple of 
vaude or niteiy dates in the ior- 
terim. 



RICHMAK A Hlf IN LONDON 

London, ,Tuly 13. 

Hany Richman made a triumph- 
ant return to Lrandon after 10 
years when be appeared at the 
Casino yesterday (12). He sang old 
favorites, giving endless encores, 
well omninnlQg his time period. 

Senpr Wences, on same bUl. was 
also jm4>Hh*>iidlng bit. 



COMICS 

ivu jcars* trx|ierirnrf writinu nil 1y|wr» 

276 W. 43rd Sftw liew Y^ik Citr 




WILLIS 

SHORE 

Latin Quarter 
New roriL 




WeflneBday, July 14!, 1948 



45 



and the 



f 



■■ S"'* «f ■til. ». ■■■■■■■■■ 



SAYS 







PARSONS 



9, Wf^- 



WSKINK JOHNSON 



ffloiiy I 



Our hMrtftlt Qrarifadc to evtiy pile In fh* |W«ftHional world and ou 
who hove helped US along (he way. >, j » t » «... 

And a special thanks to our buddy. Roy Rogers, ©ood lack to yon Roy. 
singing group in your future pictures and radlj slijw! 

BOB NOLAN and the SONS OF THE PIONEERS 

Exclusive Managtment 

MONTER-GRAY, INC. ? 
873« Sunset Blvd. 
Hollywood 46. Cdlif. CRos»virty^'11?t 



friends 



FOR BOOKINGS OF 
Fatr»-^Fa(li».^Thcatre*— Concerts 

Write, Wire or Phone 

MARTIN M. WAGNER 
3749 Laurel Canyon Blvd. 
Studio City, California, SUnset 1-1953 



Public Relation - 

DON HIX 1^ 
i404 Hollywood Blvd. 
Hollywood 2«, Calif.. Hollywood 4111 



*» mnb to «««'*2^!iw£»«' 



*• toe' 



HERE'S THE PROOF! 



EUREKA, CALIFORNIA . . . REDWOOD CENTENNIAL . . . JUNE 26, 1948 

"SONS OF THE PIONEERS WERE THE SENSATION OF OUR SHOW . . . BROKE A TEN-YEAR RECORD 

THFRF COULDN'T BE A MORE COOPERATIVE GROUP , . 
. . . THERE COULDN T Bfc A ivwk ^^^^^ GOWAN, MGR. 



4ff 



VAMJBKVttMM 



Wednegdaf, July 14, 1948 



Hi y Bbtros An^fing CoiiTentH»eers 
But Not Unlea^ Bankroll for Talent 



Philadelphia, July 13. 
Burned by the lack o£ biz from 
the Republican convention, local 
nightclubs prepared for the Demo- 
cratic onslauglit with hopefulness, 
but scepticism. There were several 
attractions in town for the visiting 
delegates, but the clubs didn't go 
all out as they did for the previous 
parley. 

Heading the list of things to do 
for the visiting Trumanites ai-e the 
Ted Lewis show, at the Click; Phil 
Began, who also vocalizes for the 
convention, in the Latin Casino, 
and Norman Granz's "Jazz at the 
Philharmonic," in Giro's. 

In the main the nitery men said 
"so what;" Palumbo's, which pre? 
sented Milton Berle during the 
COP conclave, shuttered last week 
and -didn't even bother to stay 
open for the Demos or the Elks. 
The latter bunch were the livest 
group of spenders so far, although 
the Democr.^ts promise .to be even 
. more lucrative, if only to escape 
from the monotony of the doings 
at Convention HalL 

For reasons best known to the 
City Fathers, tlie vice squad is 
clamping down on closing hours, 
slot machines, etc. The town is 
really sloughed, and any overtime 
entertainment is done strictly be- 
hind closed doors. 
. Since Philly has a. 2 a.m. curfew 
and the convention proceedings 
ended Monday after midnight, the 
nightclubs liave to get it fast or 
vinder cover. This also lends a 
prohibition quality to the whole 
business for the visiting delegates. 

Absence of names in the spots is 
impressive, but the clubs aren't to 
be blamed. The Republicans tossed 
a damper on the town's enthusi- 
asm for conventions. Everybody 
from taxicab drivers to busboys 




BeaulHul Ntw Navy 

SIGNAL FLAGS! 

Koc rai'ntvnls, shows, rlrcuses! ('flnmlote tti o( 
2ii dtiTffi-ent '*alplialJ(sl" Signal Flags, uiaile 
otiJEinallj- for I'. M, Naty bnttle'diii;'*. i\oVf 
Vfileasiid ag war surplus, AH bran<l new dnfl 
III iwifeet comlltloit— m^Tcr used. Noue smaller 
tiiitn 4' !iy 4'-=— mnny lsrft*i\ BriUtant fii«t 
toiois; flnei. loitg-wearihg bmiUoK'. Ml diffey- 
t'Ui -m) two it.igs alike!, llaoli eqiiipiiet! wltti 
tntiUl vlsbp fur hangiug. Compleile set uf 

26 FLAGS f6r $13.95 

■Order Itr wail tmlty! Sond Hieok nr motier 
ortler fadt] IM fur pnSfttaiift amr liiimlUuci tur 
.nultv 0. o. 1). Immcdiata deUmr.: Sails- 

HUGH CLAY PAULK 

Dept. W 

49 Fllmoutll St., B«sl«ll 15. Mt»., af 
■»>3 No. KUtat Am, Taiielu. tCaiiai 



■squawked. The hotels, to some ex- 
tent, got it and apparently had 
carte blanche from the powers that 
be. 

Last Sunday, two of the town's 
leading inns served drinks in 
dining rooms, although Philly's 
Blue Laws forbid serving of spirits 
on Sunday. 

After-Uours Spot Get Gravy 
Principal beneficiaries of the in- 
flux of conventioneers are the 
private clubs, the fabulous array 
of after-hour dining and drinking 
rendezvous that rival anything dur- 
ing the Volstead era. The Pen and 
Pencil, the CR, the Moravian, 
Variety, Alpha, Vesper, Mercantile 
Literary Assn.-, and many others 
all make deliberate bids for the 
Visitors and get them. 

Despite a uniform opinion that 
Democrats are better spenders 
than Republicans (which seems to 
have been borne out over the 
weekend) the niteries made no 
special preparations for their con- 
vention. 

Lewis opened last week at the 
Click (1,400 capacity) and has been 
doing terrif business at both 
dinner and supper shows. Norman 
Granz's unit has been playing to 
so-so trade at Giro's and Regan 
started off promisingly last night at 
Jack Lynch's Latin Casino. 

"But the rest are going on as 
usual, with no attempts to jack up 
prices. The GOP affair discouraged 
the nightclub men, A fellow who 
kicked in $250 to bring the con- 
vention here saw only one delegate 
all week — and he bought a bottle 
of beer. Another cafe owner 
loaned' his jacket to a coatless 
Republican, and the delegate 
waltzed off with it. 

Film men are unanimous in the 
opinion that the conventions (ex- 
cepting the Elks) mean nothing; 
the.v hurt if anything, since they 
drove the regular customers out 
of town. It'll be a long time be- 
fore the entertainment industry 
here goes overboard again for the 
privilege of seeing the next Presi- 
dent picked in this burg. 



Horsey Shindigr 

Pluladelphia, July 1.3. 

Mrs. Pearl Metta, Washing- 
ton's No. 1 party-giver and the 
heiress to the social mantle of 
the late Evelyn Walsh McLean, 
tossed a four-star shindig last 
night (12) at"the Mirage Room 
of the Barclay* 

The party was the sort of 
thing Lite goes to, and, in addi- 
tion, WPTZ telecast the affair 
after its convention program. 
In requesting the telecast, Mrs. 
Metta tossed in a request of 
"her own. She asked that the 
cameramen, stage ■ manager 
makeup man, etc., all come in 
dinner wear. 

Demand seemed all the more 
curious since Earl Wilson, Dan- 
ton Walker. Paul Gallico and 
other .syndicated press and 
radio figures arrived but de- 
finitely not in tux. 



DURANTE VICE ROONEY 
FOR VANCOUVER EXPO 

Vancouver. July 13. 

Jimmy Durante, pix and radio 
star, has been pacted for Pacific 
National Exhibition Show in place 
of Mickey Rooney. 

Rooney had option with show, 
but had beea unable to confirm to 
show's management his definite 
availability for date. 

Understood show will cost $15,- 
000 for four days. Plus Durante 
there will be other acts and a line 
of girls under the direction of 
Aida Broadbent and Edwin Lester, 
dance director. 



mm VICE LOMBARD 
IN m CHI BRANCH 

Chicago, July 13. 

William Morris Chi; office la.st 
week replaced Pat Lombard, who 
leaves for its New York office, 
with Jack Archer, who joined, WM 
after dropping out of the new 
Continental agency setup. 

Irving Greeni bead of the local 
act department, left WM and suc- 
cessor has not been announced as 
.vet. Green will return to New 
York with future plans indefinite 
as yet. . 



Cancer Clinic Beneftts 
Under Earl CarroU Will 

Hollywood,. July 13. 

A cancer research clinic will be 
set up under the terms of Earl 
Carroll's will which has been filed 
for probate in Hollywood. Estate, 
amounting to. more than $1,000,000, 
named showgirl Beryl Wallace, who 
died with him, as chief beneficiary. 
Dated Oct. 31, 1947, will stipulated 
that if she died before she can 
inherit, "her portion shall go to 
set up a cancer research clinic." 

Bequests of $32,000 go to friends 
and relatives, and half of his stocks 
and bonds go to Mrs. Jessie I. 
Schuler, J)rincipal backer of hi% 
theatre restaurant. Will described 
her as "my very dear friend." Car- 
roll also specified that $50,000 be 
spent for a marble memorial at 
Forest Lawn where his and Miss 
Wallace's ashes will repose. 

CarroU-Wallace idyll has long 
been a notable show biz romance. 



Borsellino's, Cleve, 

Shutters for Summer 

Borsellino's Club, Cleveland has 
shuttered for extensive alterations 
which will raise seating capacity 
close to the 300 mal-k. 

When refurbished room reopens 
in late August, Sam Borsellino, 
owner, intends to plunge on top 
talent, such as has been 'giviug 
him competisb at Tommy Mc- 
Ginty's.CIub. 




MANN 

HOTEL 

ROOSEVELT 

NEW ORLEANS 

Held Over 4 Weeks 



MoiMgeiiwiit 
GENERAL ARTISTS CORPORATION 



HILDEGARDE'S EUROPE 
TOUR; OPEN-END DISKS 

Hildegarde and Anna Sosenko, 
her personal manager, leave on 
the America today (Wed.) for a 
six-weeks tour of the continent, 
returning to the U. S. Sept. 1. 
White overseas, Hildegarde has 
been pacted hy a London packag- 
ing outfit, Tower Productions, to 
do a series of 13 open-en^ tran- 
scription shows in Paris for airing 
over the commercial Luxembourg 
station. Deal calls for a minimum 
guarantee of $35,000 for the series 
plus a split of sponsorship out- 
lays.' ; 

Hildegarde returns to the U. S. 
Sept. 1 in time to fill a concert 
booking at the Pacific Auditorium, 
Milwaukee, Sept. 18. Stal ling Oct. 
5, she appears for first time at the 
Cocoanut Grove, Ambassador ho- 
tel, Los Angeles, for live weeks. 
Her fall 'tinerary also includes 
dates at the Mark Hopkins hotel, 
San Francisco; the Olympic, Seat- 
tle; the Chase, St. Louis; and the 
Ainsley, Atlanta. Christmas eve 
she opens a three-week engage- 
ment at Murray Weinger's newly 
remodeled Copacabana^ Miami 
Beach nitery, and then heads back 
to New York for her ~ annual 14- 
week stay f t the Hotel Plaza's Per- 
sian room. Norman Bel Geddes 
did over the Gopa, recently razed 
by iire. 

In Rome she will have a private 
audience with the Pope, arranged 
through Cardinal Francis X. Spell- 
man in the U. S. Hildegarde will 
skip Germany on her continental 
junket due to traveling restric- 
tions. . 



Fireworks Display At 
Utah Fair Boomerangs, 
10 Injured Will Sue 

Salt Lake City, July 13. 

A fireworks accident at the Utah 
State Fair Grounds on July 5, 
which resulted in serious injuries 
to an'll-year-old boy, and minor in- 
juries to nine others, has been fol- 
lowed up with complaints sworn 
out against Sheldon R. Brewster, 
fair mgr., Harold L. Welch, mgr. of 
Beehive Midways, Inc;, sponsors of 
the display, : and James Powers, . 
who set olf the fireworks. 

Accident accurred near end of 
the display, when an aerial bomb 
failed to ri.se over 50 feet, and ex- ■ 
ploded in the crowd. Complaint 
against the j-hree cliarges tliem 
with presenting a fireworks display 
without a city permit. 

Some quesstion of jurisdiction 
arose after the accident, with city ; 
police claiming the fair grounds 
were under state supervision, and 
I state offlcials tn.ssin§ the ball back, 
[to the city. Final decision was the, 
'city had jurisdiction. City police 
and fire chiefs said no police or 
fire dept. supervision was arranged 
for because they: had received lio 
official notification of the display, 
despite the fact it had been adver- 
tised in the papers for a weefc ■ 
Hearings on the complaints have 
been delayed because Brewster is 
out of town. 

The 11-year-old boy is in the 
hospital in a "critical condition," 
with a fractured skull, and serious 
bead burns. 



Halpern Opens New 
Nitery in Saratoga, N.Y. 

Saratoga, N. Y., July 13. 

Herman Halpern, who operates 
Barbary Coast nitery in Albany, 
opened Barbary Coast hotel and 
Country Club in Saratoga Friday 
(9). Otto Greene, emcee at the Al- 
bany spot, is handling the "Gay 
90's Cavalcade" at the Spa. Wilson 
Lewis' society orch is on podium. 

The Spa hotel and night club, 
the former St. Christian's school, 
has been remodeled to accommo- 
date 115 guests and 1,000 diners, 
with parking for 500 Cars. 

Saranac Lake 

By Happy Benway 

Saranac Lake, N. Y;, July 13. 
Many holiday visitors hit colony 
on past weekend. The Will Rogers 
and Trudeau sanatoriums, Robert 
Louis Stevenson's Home and the 
William Morris Camp Intermission 
got most of the visitors. Niteries 
did boll biz. Durgans featured 
Jack Phillips, comedian - emcee; 
Karl Kilroy orchestra held sway 
at Top Hat cafe; Hotel Saranac 
offered Jerry Uvannis' orch While 
the Birdies toplined Blue Har- 
moniacs. 

Dr. Joseph Ecker, former Rogers 
medico, in from Glenn Gardner, 
N, J., for a two week vaca,sh; ditto 
Winnie Heagney former sec to Dr 
George E. Wilson, Rogers Medical 
Supt. 

Lee Klimick upped for one daily 
meal after three month siege of 
bed routine, beating a bad setbaick. 

Birthday greetings are in order 
to Margie Regan, Helen Morris and 
Walter Romanik, all Rogerites. 

Sal Ragone and his frau Doris 
Gascoyne, ex-NVAites to England 
and Italy visiting relatives. Both 
received all-clears here in 1935. 

Sherwood Kaines orch from the 
Deerwood Adirondack Music Cen- 
ter will give a series of eight con- 
certs during July and August in 
tlie colony's Town Hall. 

Natalie Smith planed in to holi- 
day with her husband G. Albei-t 
Smith, who is recuping from major 
operation. 

The D. T. McMahons, Irma Lalis 
and Irma Cosgrove in from N Y C 
to .visit Rill (DeccaJ Lalis, who is 
doing OK. 

Lucille Hynes and Anila Langan 
shot in from Flushing. N Y to 
cheei; v^f Frank (Par) Hynes, who 
IS doing ^nicely, 

William Morris Memorial Park 
playground for kiddies, opened 
July 4. Shamus club furnishes free 
milk for the kids during July and 
August, Lena DorcmeUi and Pa- 
tricia MuUin will supervise. 

James B. Cole, Warner Bros, 
sound engmeer, in from Albany to 
visit Jame Wotton, overhauled 
sound equipment of the Rogers. 

Helen Proffitt planed in from 
Brooklyn, N. Y., to bedside hus- 
band Arthur Pi-offitt, whose latest 
cluiic report upped him for meals. 
Write to tiiose wIm are m. 



Mm Blen Stays Open 

Biz being on the upbeat at Le 
Ruban Bleu, N. Y., has prompted 
Tony Mele, spots operator^ to fore- 
go usual summer shutdown and . 
remain open. 

Current talent display is topped 
by King Odom Quartet and in-- 
eludes Muriel Gaines, Delora 
Bueno and Nermann Paris trio. 



Dante, magico-illusionist, opens 
at Hickory House, N. Y, tonight - 
(Wed.) for indef run. 



CAPPELLA 



AND 



PATRICIA 



"Two tantationol dancer* making a 
firil opptaranc* in England . . . Speed 
and groc* hove *eldom been to 
baaulifully demonsrrated, and in the 
(ocond half they held, up the thow. 
After q polonaise and a new vortion 
of 'fhrfO Blind Mice;' the audience just 
would not let them go until they had 
danced again. . . ."—THE LONDON 
STAGE (Brighton Premiere), June 10, 
1948. 



"Cappalla and Patricia literally 
ttoppod the firti night ihow with a 
britliant dancing act.';-. THE STAGE 
(London Premier*}, June 24, 1948. 

NOW WITH THE REVUE 

"A LA CARTE" , 

AT THE 

Savoy Theatre, London 




HEENE and HOWARD 

Tomeily Diiiirn AiiIU'h' 
liKMi man r,ih tvi<:i';K 

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL 

, NEW YORK 

Dlinnkq to I.KON I.KONIDOFF 
Dir.: MATTY ROSEN 



NOVELTY ACTS 
IfflHiMHol* Work Conttoclt^S 
One «( Now York's wo>» famout club* 
looking for Girl VeMriloquist, Girl 
Jcaahi't Oirt Puppoieor, Exotic Danterf, 
Mitig«|(, Acrobats, Dog Act, Roller 
Skalert and other Circus type acts. 

Call G«org* C. Maurcr 

Helot Capitol, CI «-3700, Ext. 1023 

NEW yOBK 

Anytimei AA*( *M P. M. 
. 0«ly V«|i ValMii Apply 



ttTcidnefltlaf, July J4, 1948 



47 



New Acts 



ABE BliRROWS I put alter ego back in hiss case 

Comediiin Guest comes back with bolE encore 

55 Mins. . „ _ | of parade which is somewhat simi- 

House of Hams, San Francisco ( lar in tlieme to first number. Hand- 
That the advent of a comedian I some youngster doesn't have 



who packs a potential punch can 
attract the interest of the talent 
merchants Is indicated by the sev-. 
eral scouts' hithering to Frisco to 
eye the debut of . Abe Burrows, 
heretofore known for his air work 
and script writing. And if a night- 
spot audience reaction at the 
House of Harris is a ;f air barometer 
(Which it should be, since it has 
fed off the talents of such as Harry 
Richman. Dwight Fiske, ,Rose 
Marie, Ben Blue and others the 
past season) then Burrows is in for 
some lush pasturing for some time 
■heneei" ■ • ' ■ ■ ■ ■ 

A hefty pixie in makeup fweight, 
198; height, 6 ft. 1 in.), convinc- 
ingly hald, slightly .jowly, and 
wearing spectacles. Burrows (in 
moderate portions) is a compote in 
appearance as well in appeal of 
' such worthies as Joe E. Lewis, Zero 
Mostel, Jid iVynn and that. Lindy 
waiter \\'ho gives you that rye- 
bread look when you don't finish 
the noodle soup. Definitely: un- 
hampered by a good voice, leaning 
almost entirely on satire and 
whimsy, Burrows has patter and 
song copy which will not only 
please the cover-charge payers but 
will also cut the plate as- a per- 
former's actor. 

Burrows opens with some mild 
comment concerning his radio 
background and then goes to work 
satirizing song types of one kind 
and anoi.her. First jibe is at the 
"Gypsy U'ype Song" which blends 
off into some nonsensical stuff 
about. "A Gypsy's Heart Is Churn- 
ing." Then follows an inane item 
in the French fashion, "Ron, Ron, 
Ron," with laugh-provoking ad- 
noidal sound effects. Both these 
items are offered from floor mike 
and glom big hands. As a break off, 
Burrows introduces his accompan- 
ist, Milton De Lugg, toying with 
name for comedy effect, then takes 
over at centre piano himself with 
a big click of "Walking Down 
Memory Lane With Not a Doggone 
Thing to Remember." Excellent 
followups include "You're Playing 
Ping Pong With My .Heart," and 
"You're the Pani^y in My Garden" 
done with concert baritone effect. 
Back at front mike. Burrows closes 
approx 45 minutes with "The Laun- 
dry List Song" and "The Southern 
Type Song," both scoring heavily. 
Three beg-offs are "Waukesha NM- 
ural Bridge'' in the best hoke tradi- 
tion, "Hawaiian Type Song" in 
which high' point effect is a gulp, 
and "The Girl With the Three Blue 
Eyes" which is smash material. 
Total time onstage 55 minutes with 
customers asking more. 

Sum total is spirited, refresh- 
ingly slanted, clean throughout 
entertainment that shows big prom- 
ise for vaude as well as niglitspots. 
Accompaniment by Milton De Lugg 
is first rate backing. Ted. 



marked accent and 
home in top spots. 



should be at 
Zabc. 



THERESE BREUER 

Songs •■• 
5 .Mins. 

Sawdust lYaH, N. Y. 

A diminutive brunet, . Theresc 
Breuer has a corny, down-to-earth 
chirping ,stylo well suited for the i 
casual trade this side street Times ' 
Sq. saloon attracts. When caught 1 
she warbled "Teasin' " and "Or ' 
Man Mose," dressing up the oldies 
with appropriate gestures. 

Miss Breuer's raucous delivery is 
what the customers want here, but i 
the better bistros are beyond hier ■ 
i-eaoh unless she develops a less ! 
strident tone and a wider reper- i 
toire. Her rufl'led .skirt and blouse- 
gives her the aura of a bobbysoxer. ! 
A snappy gown would help both I 
her sex and sales appeal. Gilb. 

GISELLE & FRANCOIS SZYONI , 

Dancing ; 
8 .Mins. .... . i. 

Palmer . House, Chicago i 

Brother and sister team, French | 
imports, are youngsters who show I 
top-drawer background in ballet I 
and acro-dancing: However, they 1 
are still lacking in a few touches I 
which would make them suitable I 
for the top rooms in the country. I 
Femme blonde has some terrif toe I 
whirls, but she makes them seem 
too easy. Some posed waits might 
prove more effective. Act needs 
a little better routining to estab- 
lish more flash. 

Male, while equally as good a 
dancer, s,eems slightly stiff and 
should smile a bit here and there. 
It's not that serious. Duo might 
also do something on the more pop 
side in way of contrast. Zahe. 



vestments in 20 to 25 reasonably 
profitable pictures a year, the re- 
turn would be only about 6%. He 
said that wouldn't even cover the 
cost of operating the office that 
had been planned. 

Asked how biv were the profits 
thaf could be expected from simi- 
lar loans in the commercial financ- 
ing field, in which the syndicate is 
now operating, Katcher repilied: 
"I'd be ashamed to tell you," 



B. 0. Ebb 

. Continued from- p»ge i 



Indie B.R. 

Continued from p^ige 3 



DELORA BUENO 
Songs-Pland 
12 Mins. 

Cafe Madison, N. Y. 

Delora Bueno is typical of the 
songstress-pianists who frequent 
the ace boites of New York's cast 
side. Her vocal numbers are in the 
sophisticated idiom while she in- 
tersperses her warbling with a dash 
of Noel Coward, et al, on the 
ivories. Although her overall rou- 
ti;ies vary littl* from her chanteuse 
contemporaries, this thrush is sev- 
eral steps ahead of them by virtue 
of a poLsed, effortless style. 

A dark, Latin type. Miss Bueno 
further enhances her overall pro- 
jection by a svelte coiffiu)-e and an 
attractive gown. Aside from piping 
the usual American standards, the 
songstress also contribs French, 
Portuguese and Spanish strains in 
an equally proficient manner, 
workmg the intirae cafe trail the 
past year, the gal recently picked 
up some video shots. Photogenical- 
ly she's ready now, and "with a dash 
01 more vocal settsoning she's a 
.prospect for a Broadway mu^iical 
or films. G%Vb. 



to the apparels trade more profit- 
able. 

Katcher's plan was a grandiose 
one. He aimed to finance a mini- 
mum of 20 to 25 pictures: a year. 
Theory was that by backing a large 
number, there was greater assur- 
ance of profit, since it was likely 
the successful films would over- 
balance the losers. 

Syndicate Was planning, if Kat- 
cher had found the field fertile, 
to set up an office oh the Coast with 
its own staff of acco.untantsi' budjget 
men and production experts to 
keep a close watch on its invest- 
ments. It was planned as a large- 
scale operation in every way, with 
millions of doUar^s ih loans out all 
the time.' 

Rental Stodips' 'Intereist 
One of the angles' was to get 
guarantees from rental studios of 
100% return to the syndicate of 
its investment in pix made on the 
lot. Katcher succeeded in selling 
the idea to at least one studio, but 
it demanded three years i'rom date 
of release before it, voiild make 
good on its - guarantee.; Thiit" was 
too long to tie up mortey, Katcher 
said, even if you Were sure of get- 
ting it back. 

Pitch to the rental lots was thiit 
the only prospect they had of ob- 
taining business was to get indies 
back into production. Rental 
studios recehtly h4ve been carry- 
ing faeiavy overhead with little re- 
turn because of the dearth of indie 
production. They have already 
gotten to the point of offering com- 
pletion bonds and guaranteeing 
the last 15% of bank loans for p)-o- 
ducets who will rent their space, 
Katcher said that his investiga- 
tion showed a wait of 24 months 
could be expected from the time a 
'ban was made until the film got 
into release and hacl paid off suffi- 
■iently to start tetuming their in- 
vestment to lenders of second- 
money. Distribs get their fees for 
releasing and for prints and adver- 
tising, and banks get their loans 
back, of coui'se, before second- 
money financiers move into the 
payoff line. 

Attorney declared that distribu- 
tion companies delaying release of 
films Beyond any reasonable need 
for developing advertising-exploi- 
tation Campaigns appeared respon- 
sible for the wasteful time lag. 

"No matter how much money a 
financing, syndicate had," he 
anri * j-- - -. - . f- * w pointed out, "it couldn't show a 
and then fading is sock stmt. Ex- .easonable profit with every loan 
disk jockey has amazing nodule ijei . ' fo.- two vears before there 
Tnd echoS..;i" 'v!s e?en"a '^ance^of getting the 

"H.^'lVpin^sized dummy for a investment^ b^^^^^^ alone a re- 
banter routitie similar to those oi , turn on the \^^^- ,,„^„..,' vj^x, 
other venU-os. but get,* fine salvo i .Careful ?"Uimetic .Miowed. ^^^^^ 
f« off-hand iits when he Uics lo cher exTplained, that by making m 



afford to sit back on their releases. 
While companies such as Univer- 
sal-International, with several pix 
not yet played off, have scheduled 
four new releases for July alone, 
other distributors, such as Metro, 
can afford to shove back their re- 
leases. M-G, for one, has post- 
poned two of its three August re- 
leases until September, with 
"Search," the European-made film 
which Metro is distributing, now 
scheduled as the only feature for 
release next month. 

Thus, "Date With Judy" and 
"Julia Misbehaves," both originally 
scheduled for August, won't come 
out until the following month. 
Other releases will be .similarly de- 
layed throughout the year. Com- 
pany will still have plenty of prod- 
uct available for August, Including 
such pix as "On An Island With 
You." That film, for instance, has 
played in many key city first runs 
but, because of the booking log- 
jam in New York, AVon't open on 
Broadway until July 29, when it's 
slated to go into the Capitol. Other 
big-budgeters which can support 
Metro during the summer dol- 
drums include such current'heavy- 
grossers as "Easter Parade" and 
"Pirate." 

Despite Metro's delayed releas- 
ing schedule, the company is cer- 
tain it will be able to release air 
most one picture a week starting 
in the fall. In addition to its oW 
product, M-G will also have on 
hand a batch of new films from 
outside producers. First in the 
series of films to be . supplied by 
Hal Roach goes out in October. In 
addition, Metro has contracted to 
I distribute Argosy Films' (John 
j Ford-Merian Cooper) "Three God- 
{ fathers," plus at least two films 
I from Enterprise under the- •dis- 
tribution deal recently concluded 
with that company. 



Variety Bills 



WEEK QF JUtV 14 



Nuiiicml« in connection with IiIIIh Ii*I0w lnd|vfit« OfXiaUilt dnf of •how 

• . wliriltvr full or Hiillt wiwk. 

fjitfer in nn>'<^"tH«H«n I"(U<'HjeN ciriMiU: (l> liMleiicnilent; (LI Lo: w; Moiiii; 
(D I'tintmmint; KHO; (S) Sloll; (U) Wamvr; (Wit) U'uller Keitde 



XlilW VOnH CITY 

riniUni (10 15 

Paul Wincliell 
Jerry Malitihey 

Hkiimay Ennfs Ore 
MukIc IIhI1(|[) ]A 

,V»in Oi'ouia. ..' ; 

Et Tetl'^y-Kftrdos 
.lune . Kovflst 
■i' P Vallftlt 
('(ir]>f5 tie Baliet 
(tocUet'lPS ■ 
Sym Ol-q \ 
['ariiitioiiiit (I') 14 
Kain UomUiue Btl 
To Ktafford' 
(jcor-i^iG Kuye . 
Ijiinw Jitros 

Koxy (I) 14 

,rac'Ule .utiles 
^'lvi.ni HIaine ' 
('Firol' I^ynne 
Tlie BruiHps. 
Arnold Rhixia 

srmml (W> Ifl 
rount .Basio Ore 
.rimie Holiday 
Zpj>hyi;e ■ 
ump & Siumpy 
liKONX 
rrotoiia (I) - ]0^2« 
Smart & Karry 
Arno Kp'nnf (.t . 

.liininUn (1) U-17 

Stuart & Bafry 

Arrio Bennett 

;i Arnauts 

"Woody & Robby 

Buddy Boylan 

IjOo Delyon , 

Monette & Perry 
18-30 

Olson Sr. .toy 

Uantrlp.r OlrcuR ■ 
ATLANTIC «niXlf 
Sieel IMfr (1> U 

KeJiney Girls 

Florida 8 
Viola I>ayno 
]l«nny Younprman 

U^L'lIftlOlW 
Hippodr«m« <1) 15 
Tex Eltl;er 'Co 
*:iirley (.'leniena 
r-umt na l.anfc 

Stfttc XW U-Vi- 
The .BarrettH 
Clio Pltfhone 
Milt r^o9fl 
The GlriantH 
18-»1 
Poland ft, Iteitl 
Marsha, Carroll 
r.r.v K DaviB , 
:j .AVards v ■ , ■ 
' CAMDISN . 

A nonnfrUyi A Bop 
Sue CarHon 



Schary-Metro 

Continued from page 3 ; 



to. assume responsibility for all: 
Metro production except the musi- 
cal unit, with authority over all 
executives who have been in 
charge of the dramatic unit, plus 
full control of all - production. 
I Schary's attorney, David Tanne- 
|baum, and Rubin reportedly are 
I working oat a long-term contract, 
i Numerous phases are etill un* 
! agreed . on but indications are that 
! an agreement may be reached by. 
I tills weekend. • 
I Started As Writer on ; Lot 
i Schary formerly woi-kcd with 
Metro, having been made an exec 
producer in 1942 after years as a 
writer on the lot. lie joined Van- 
guard Films as a producer in 194,3 
j and moved over to RKO in 1947 
! as exec veepee over production. 
I He resigned from that post two 
! weeks ago, following the takeover 
'of RK ' by new owner Howarid 
Hughes. 



C Kjliiiiy Pets 
,lliiiiuy r.ei'fla . 
,XU*> TliwrSf'ii. 3,. 
(illiWiiO 
CMilcKKi) (I') 15 
.naiT.v. liHbblit ..V ■ 
tirtrnl0i.ili-ats'' ' ,■ 

Oi'iiMithl (1) 1.1 

VaivsJln. iVtoui'Oft O 
i\loontiiai<l.<i . 

*i HappIUi'*'?! 
(^eo ( V« ■ Ulttlie 
Jtly ]:.a\vront'«, 
KilOlo .luliiiiv 
iilaii Hiuiiint'l 
KcKiil (l>> 

r: vvnii.Tni.« I'n 
['(■(Ir,- Durnntl 
KdrttP KiliB Bd 
l*!i:i)h Kri>wn 
.I.^MICKI'OW N 
I'llllK'c (W) 14 
oiiLv 
Tex TtUtei! npv 
UINH.SrON 
n\vii.r (Wl<> I«ri7 
.\nson SiH : ■ 
»t lljlton; To 
.'VnOi'pws, T\^^inH , 

Joyce !Hra%('ll« 
MIA.MI . 
Ol.vniDia d") 14 
Ruilcnko Bros 
WaUy Ovei-nian 
Duke of I'mJurah 
.StoVe Evatis 
Kl<Aai'd Ailair Co 
<).VIAJI.1 
Oi'pliviiin (I') Id 
MH1» Bl'OS 
.S Dunhani Bd 
Afara'rtaU Bros 
T.arry & T^yiio 

i>Hii'.Ani<i,rHiA 

ruirman <l> IS 

Deleon Sie 
.laiils RnudgU 
Pat«y (iarvet.t 
The MatU'atJS 

ROCK I'oiin 

IMIitre (l> 1H-1S 

•T.auKli 'IMnie" 
O'Dojinell & lilair 
Ilobevl.'i * WliltB 

Hob J.oo 

(;ica.'<on Sanborn S 

DTK'A 
Stnnlpy («') IK-IS 
.Art Mbonpy Ore 
WA8in>"<i'M>N 

Cupitoi (I.) in 

T.ane <Ma(re 
.Sinni'ns MarinetH 
Buddy V.ewls 
Gov Dai'19 Rd 

irowonl (1) 1« 
B Hawkins On? 
Slam Slrwacl 
(lavvlR * Sffcit 



M.Hdrli?a) 
lionnMv *,'«nn 
.Ulrha,'! Jilllca . 
W(>OI> UltlSKN 
Knuilre (S) n 
■VullBhtK Oirls '48 
B.'n Wi;lKt<>y , 
.Maria Carnien 



TIPQ & Chloo 

Moray firoH & 

Davo 
iToy DoxUir 
Xtii nny -.^ . B,vron ■ 
.Mooro ft lt«.ttvn 
Poppy Willlttms I 



Cabaret BiDs 



NEW TOSS cm 




are , 
and • 



CLIFFORD GUEST 
Ventriloquist 
12 Mins. 

Pahner House, Chicaeo 

while the bistro circuits 

crowded with voice-throwers 

their better halfs, this Australian 
yentro gives forth with a remark- 
able demonstrsition. His impression 
M an English fox hunt with the 
sounds of horses and hounds off in „„aiii;iuK. 

ali'd'/^^r/,.1"^„^'l^'T"LrT.^ Po-ted. put 



and will not be sold exclusively to 
a single .station in each city, as 
20th did with its "Camel Newsreel 
Theatre." Stations will pay a serv- 
ice fee pro-rated on some schedule, 
but whether it's to be dependent 
on the set circulation in each mar- 
ket area hasn't yet been deter- 
mined. No sponsor has yet been 
set, with both 20th and UP hoping 
to corral a national advertiser who 
will bankroll the service on a na- 
tionwide basis on ail stations. 
■ While the service will not olTer 
up-to-the-minute pictures as does 
the "Newsreel Theatre," it will 
,olve the problem of stations being 
orced to utilize static still pictures 
•n their news shows. Entire idea, 
in fact. i,s llie result of a tremen- 
doas demand made on 20th during 
the past to open up its film library 
to stations, for just such a purpose. 



Hl[>p«<li'<>in« (.>I> Vt 

Iffnot'aTif'e la 13Il«s 
Hanild Bcncs 
(itady.4 lin.y 
Micha.el Moore 
Slatl. Nixoii 
KpuIharntoiiSc Ore 
O'KepIo SIS * 
B. Ttlohards 
Aerial Hfiiways 
iMaurlce Freneli 
.llmwiy Elliott 
.r & M Klnaon 

BltKiHITON 
llippuarame (M) Xt 
S • AhI aires 
Borrah WInevitch 
Havptonlcn Ru.sval8 
Walter NIblv 
ltl)ey.& Heller 
ToscatieMi 
I'.e.slle .Strange 
Kobei't. 'Havtoln 
V*a.l)"ar 3 

CAltnlFJ" 

New (S) Xt 
ATystery (iavali'ade, 
i\f t'otlRano Co 
Wot'-e .fe Poke' 
.Jfukij * Williams 
KIsie . Bower ^ 
Vi<s Ray 3 

CMIKWICK 
Kiiipirn (N) n 
Max JliUol' 
•Su/.Plte Tani 
Katiil«en Moody 
1 )uiu*a,n Gray , 
Alfied Thrlpp , 
iX'Bear *. DuBarry 
t''iyinR ('omets 
llal Aiauk )ki 
UIi«HY 
Grand («t) It 
Xesv MadhHtters 
Mj'd fip>")i»oiJr 
Madlvtit^rs Bd 
t'on^iance, l^VAnjs 
Kavle O.K'ar 
Pn.t. O'Brien 
Eric Plant 

KDINUt'TSOIt 
Kmpire C-tl) VI 
Pii-rlidllly Hayrlde 
;<a.t .laciclpy 
1 i^ltrricanes 
4 Pa»olaa 
Marianne TJn/'Oln 
.lack Francois 
I'iXSIU'RV r.\KK 

jt>iuiiii'« (M) i;; 

.Vai'lJonaltl & 

Crahnlh 
.Mei'ry Mat's 
Kftffe Itros & 

Aitiiei te 
Kridle tiray 
t'eggy Aloi ilmer 
r.ow Pai'lttfr 
Beg Railcnile 
D'orbcn & Barrle 
Gr,A8<jow 

Kmpirr <»1) I« 
Trooper Sis 
t'ejtl: Jiallcy 
:1 .Tolsprs 
t'liefaio Co 
-■ilberl Wiiclan 
(Ja.^ton. I'aljncr 
I'etpr Sinclair 
Dcf'amp & IJortfre 

r.KICKSTKK 
Op^ra llonae (N) IS 
.Snow White 
T Uwarfs 

r»la<'« (S) 12 
'l^alt'nt Parade 
Bryaif .Mlrbie 
TItmaton At Steu'art 
(Wirctn llariia 
.\'edIo('k ,t .Marlo'w 
iMKinar * 
VValwu AUr'n'te 



HlppA<lrom« t!M): lii 

VIo .t>llv'**r- 
Pat, Kirkwood 
Fred 11inrie.v 
MelaOiriiio Oi'e 
ilariiyji IJiKijtowcf 
Michui'l liMUIne 
■iulle AndrSWS 
.Icaii (iai'HOtt 
Saiitlgo,. jB<t ,: 

ranaillnm (M) n 
Tli.inlts (or .Mi'nnovy 
Hdsar Util'Rt'n 
(;iia,i-lie iUcCarthy ; 
O H Blllott, • 
tlertie Uliaiia 
Hellle Wiillave 
ISIla Siiic-lds 
Uiindoir Suitoj>: 
O'l'^nrrcll A', j>'iivflj'« 
FrMldle Sanborn 
k' B'mbcvK'r *, I'am 
Kraiilc M.R'rVowft 
Jlarie I.cml!ii>. t'.lias, 

.»1AN»'H WKIC 
lllpp<idroni<i' («) If! 
nnbb Wllfirn 
.ltrnin.y f)'l>pa - 
(lella. T.loloii ■ 
-M .'<ovi"ati 
r.en TonhK 
Slim Unyder 
CilHS liafiue 

3 Ua VK'V.KX 

ICmpirp CVI) I« 

.And .So- We Go On 
i«fiy Bonji 
'I' * 1> Ketidatl 
Noi*ry ■ ■ . : 
A &. i' Kelllble 
I^etersbn Brow 
I'^rani-anaa ; 
.lark Kelly <'o 
.SIIKP'KKIIS iirsii 

iSniplr* (!<) 12 
Trindei' Show 
'ronjjuy Trjnder ; 
UalLlou Bi:oit .& 

Jttairtta ' ■ 
(rroasel'to. 3 . 
Woods *; itarretf 
: i$ol> B<tn)and 
ir^rry ."\ilfH n 
Ivue.sier & SltRiid 
iial t'ollliiH 
.loan .Oarrle 
Hoi, (iiV)fiiiri ■ 
('oliii Dunne 
.r 'J'iUfi' (-iti'ls 

KfiiK'H Dl! VI 

r'avan 0'<'onnor. 

l>OUg-laa /lol)InKOti 

.MoBn K Wi'own 

Ciial'iliian Inn^'H 
Sr.\l>KIII..\NJ> 
ICmplfe (.Mt li 

'i'his Was Army 

ISrilfe All^n 

Sonnv Daiviif-jB 

Ifeiody 6 . 

Ken Kymi 

Dave I'arl! 

.ioVinrii*' Slanlon 

Stan Sander,« 

Mnbtile tiriihain 

Toltuliv Tioflf^' 
SW.V.NHBA, 
Kinpire (.H) 12 

Splva Dronffi 

Krnlf Loilnua 

t ToiniiKOaii 

:{ t^abail'-roft 

<5en« I'litfon « 

Baa.'H 

i.fXvlH KinK 
B]'*'\VHiei- A- T-otinKa 
A n'li lira Vhoa 

WaI t erltti iikpi<>n 
llippoilroiiie t.^l) 1'' 
I''iaill« ,t- .l.ucn.1 
Maurice Krencli 
Rr.linctl At. .Morcnj 
Job6 JiioicMio Cti 



Cafe Suclcl) 

lli4IWUtOWII) 

.MiUU'Kd italloy 
A von L-oni? 
t 'atvin .lacitaoiY 
iiiunuind Ilall Ur« 

L'liinu UoH 
Katiiarine Chant 

.lai'H Sod 

i.aiu'io Long 
;} .Cantons 

.Matt Tuch ■ \ 

.N'oro UoKDls* 

ij] l.aniffortt . 
ifall-Uitli 
Betty Bonnie 
rtalph Yonng : 
Ray Matono 
-M 13ui'so Oro 
AlvaroB Ore 
llluinond Ilorscfihar 

ay Marsliall 
Oi'ace & Nl«co 
(-liorftl Octet 
iJ Handler Ord 
Alveroa Mora 
tiuenger Uallot Line. 

Oliai'Ioteerfl, 
J'altTKon & Jack9'n 
Harold Kin* 
Betty ?Iay» Oro * 
.)ack r.opee Ore 

El Cliico 
Fernnmla Crespi , 
conUo £,utB 
Victoria Barcelo 
r.ltii A Rozlno 
[..OR Panchos 

llnvnna-Jladrld 
riiKo Inar 
'MirlnttauB 
Ualph Font Ore 
Mfl-olilto Oro 
lintel Belm't.plabt 
I'Mdle .qtone Ore 

' iriitfi niitmor* 

Jtiojiavd nimber O, 
rra,i'old Nai^el Ore 
Ifofel Comtnatlorr 

13 Hacbui-n Oro 

llolcl ItdlBOD • 

Ray Scott 5 
No I nnii A» 

Tony Crate 
lin:^e^ Wolaster 
pownnv .Sl FonvlU'' 
FfnthooKfl fllDb- 

Itai'tlia ,%ort ■ 
lEHHha Kodel 
Oscar Wulzer 

State Br«« 
ii^RV f^a.rrfd! 
Itonio Vincent 
(Ji'iandos . j 



Pony Bavnftr 
.Tooy Gilbert 
t'arol KinK 
Donn Ardun T,lii« 

' llotvl Aslor 
C Cavallaro Oro 
l^enny lierina.n Ore 
llutel New ynrkrr 
itay Bberle Oro 
loe Bevue 
Muriel t'aeh 
lintel PenmylVMnla 
Slcltoh Hendorson O 

Hutel St Morlti 
Menconi Ore . 
Uotty Goorge 

Hotel St fiecle 
Clal Saundern Oro 
ii^'apcee JIaddm 
liaszlo .& Pepito . 
.MUt Shaw Oro 
t'eplto Arvello Or* 

Hotel Tatt 
Vincent I,QPe:& Ore 
Olinrllo Drai» 

Hotel Wnrwlcb 
.Man McPaiBO a 

Lutiii tkPortpr 
Ina Ray Hiitton Or 
VVlUle Shore 
H Huckntera 
Danny niouardl 
At Morean ' 
Costello Twins 
Patricia Adair 
RIcharda-Adair Per 
M, Frlfthctte • 
.E'upl Campo Or* 
Bon VIvantfl ; 
n Harlow Oro 
. f.con * Kiltll*'* 
nddlo Davis 
Art VVanor Or# 
BOBlta Moyotto ' • . 
Goo & Will* - 
.ludlth Blair, 
Albertns 
tlarry Prim* ' 
SlioTiard r.ln* • , 

Old ItouniHiilfia., 
Sadie Banks 
.roe t,ii Porto Ore . 
ITAquila Oro 

VerHnillffi 
Nancy Donbvan 
nob Ornnt -Ore 
Pancliito Ore- • - 
WWnSSik irnrn 
Hal Graham Ore 
Ourley Cloncnts t 
Raphrony ' ' " , 
■E*at Dennte - 
Hud t'an^eron 
HOKe 'IMiurstoh ■ - 
I'Intc Pete 

Woldnrr-Afstorla , , 
■(■Iny 1.,ombard Ore 
MlHclia Bgrr Oro 



CHICAGO 



Blucbliawb 

Al 'I'raf'G Orch 
.lacUie Van 
Hotel Blaekitom 
May Jlortoi) Ore 
Kay 'riiompfion 
W.IIIIa'tnB 'Uros 
■ Hotel ntMnnrh 
Boiv Mc'Orane Orcb 
tticliara <jrordon 

Helslnga 
fCt'n Berry 
.layne Walton 
i'ii'clyn 'i'en-y ■ 
.M ii> e Younjf 
Rill Chandler Ore 
fi Kdeevrater Rcarli 
<lfo Olaen Oro 
Hobby Jfay 
Apdrea l.)iinrH 3 
Boko tlie 1>ob 
Hetty <irfty 
i;>oro(.by JUIM 



DnncRi'S M2) 
Therons (0) 

(ihez I'tirea 
Danny Vltuinas 
Alartha Kintr 
Mage & Knrr ■ , 
Tieroy Bros t2) ■ 
M Oould Ore 
Lane' Ada.rnn 
1> Oil testa \ (;ombe 
Porothy Uoruen 

Dancers tj<i, , 
Hotel flieven* . 
Chuck Foster Ore 
Rttdy Ricliaids 
The Prestons £2) 
.Tcan Arlnn 
Maii.i»j Hpelmsn 
.SItatlns: Bl\'dears ^ 

I'almer House 
Liberace 
♦Clifford ftiirst . 
M Abbott Dncrs. 1« 
Plorlan SiaBacb tiro 
aiselle & F «!iyonl . 



' Jessel's Deal 

s Continoed from page 3 



I.. 



biz properties HAed up such as 
"Call Me Mister;" "I Don't Care," 
the Eva TangUay biopic (Betty 
Grable); and his remalce of 'Bur- 
lesque," now called "When My 
Baby Smiles At Me," with Ban 
DaiJey doing the original Hal 
Skelly role. This is primed for 
late fall release, "Waltz Into 
Darkness," by William Irish., is 
next on Jessel's agenda after 
iVIister." John M. Stahl will direct 
Waltz," Linda Darnejll starring. 
! Producer is now junketing with 
;the Darryl Zanucks in Europe as a 
t.sort of "bonus" from the studio 
,for his "Burlesque" chore, which 
' the company regards highly. .lesset 
' has dates with Winston Churchill 
and General de Gaulle. One of 
the plans is for him to introduce 
Churchill at the Los Angele.s Press 
Club when the British statesman . 
visits tlie U. S. next winter. ': 
Jessel returns in 10 days or so, 
fl.vJng both ways, but the Zanucks 
I including their 1 5-year-old Susan) 
will sojourn in South France for 
a month and return from England 
where the 20th production head has 
.some intensive business parl^y*.^^ 



48 



BKVIEWS 



WednMtlajry Jnljr 14, 1948 



Hnse Reviews 



Palladinm, Loniloa 

London, July 6. 
Edgar Bergen, "Tha3ik& for the 
Wlemory" with Ella Shields, Gertie 
Citanay Nellie WoUoce. G. H. EI- 
Kott, Talftoit O'VaneVi, Ramoipn 
Siittfm, Billy Dancers, J^ranilc Mar~ 
loxoe, Freddie Saiibom, Freddie 
B«7nb(?rger &' Pom, Marie Louise 
ft Charles, 8 Rosebuds unth Paul 
Conrad, Skyrockets Orcheitra. 



Edgar Bergen has the slickest 
ventriloquial act ever seen here 
and deservedly won entbusiastie 
accUiim, Bergen scored extra plau- 
dits for being smart enough to I 
'topicalize his banter with Charlie ■ 
McCarthy, shooting some wit- j 
ticisms at Britain's new national { 
health esmpaign during an opera- i 
tion scene with his wooden part- 1 
ncr. ■, 

The show bit the right note from 
the opening aerial act of Maarie 
Louise and Charles, which is stand- 
out, followed by the return of come- 
diqn Freddie-Bambergei: and Pam in 
rare fcnrm. Freddie Sanborn con- 
tribs best xylophmiing since Teddy 
Brown. Then came/Frank Marlowe, 
wiiose knockabout antics had audi- 
ence yelling for more, and got bim 



good iift at finish via two tiny 
pooches pitching in with yowling 
to musical accompaniment and lead 
the orch with tail-wagging. 
^ Cole has a nice aggregation of 
femmes this time mtt, contributing 
his usually well-arranged group vo- 
cals briskly and to good response. 
Working out of » Victor Herbert 
medley, "TeBBptation," and "May 
1 Never Love Again" are sold to the 
hilt and supply a perfect clincher. 
Act Itas lots of appeal and could 
lift any doings jcnto real distinction. 
Audience went for it in a very big 
way here. 

' Biz okay. Bwrm. 



' ; ,4tjp»iii», Bf. ¥. 

Intertmtifmal Sweethearts of 
Rhythm Orch (15) vjith Betty 
Shepherd, Vi Bumside; Wyntmie 
Harris, Teddy Bacon, Ralph Coo- 
per, Vtrion Harris, George Wil- 
Vmm, Siteage's Brownskin Chorus 
(B). with. Toby Winters; "Woman 
From Tangier" (Col). 



Current sepia layout though 
tacking in marquee lure shapes 
up' as entertaining fare that pleases 
the usual colored clientele of this 
house. New cooling system is also 



ci«;c jicuiuK j,uF luuie, auu tiui. hiiu helijinfi at the b o 

^w.^"I^^Hf^^f fK/5i Top billing is divided between 
^r^L'^^^^±lL^^^ J^fi Wynonie Harris, baritone special- 



of tlje show, presented by Don 
Ross under the title of "Thanks 
for the Memory," reintroduces 
seven old<time. vauders. 

Kamdolph Sutton opens with one 
of his .famous comedy songs and 
follows with "On Mottier Kelly's 
Doorstep." Comedienne Nellie 
Wallaee-T-as coarse and as funny 
as ever; male impersonator Ella 
Shields iwesents her "Burlington 
Bertie" munber; Tajbot OTarreli 
contribs oldtioters; comedian BiUy 
Danvers injects new life and 
laughter into his old.stwies; Gertie 
Gitana warbles and daqces with 
unusual freshne.$s. For an hour 
th^ had the oldsters in the au^ 
dience nostalgically singing with 
them, and the youngsters enjoying 
the songs their mothers used to 
Sing. It's no wonder the combined 
talent and memwies of these seven 
have been packing them in wher- 
ever "Thanlis for the Memorjr" has 
played on the road. Voclc. 



Orieatat, CM 

Chicago^ Julu 8. 
Dicfc Haymes, Artie Danrt, Zon 
& JE>if2;an Brniord, Emerald Sister? 
(2), Carl Sands' House Oreh (17) 
with Matilyn O'Shaughnessy, 
"Dangerous Tears" l2Qth>. 



izing in blues, and International 
Sweethearts of . Bhythm, aU-gal 
orch Composed of colored and ofay 
members. Outfit, comprising three 
rhythm, five reeds and six bra.sses, 
give out in loud and blary tempos. 
However, despite slick -arrange- 
ments and good niusiciansfaip, they 
don't seem to registers on the deci- 
bels as wrell as they should. Could 
be tliat Apollo audiences may have 
an antipathy toward ienune out- 
fits, previously demonstrated a few 
weela back when Ina' Bay Button's 
outfit didn't do great sdtakes here 
either. 

Band takes over on "Rompin' the 
Bamp" as prelude to Betty Shep- 
herd's sultry warbling of a brace 
of ballads to fair reception. Teddy 
Bacon, hoofer, wakes 'em up with 
slick line of acro-dance routines to 
score nicely. Ralph Cooper, em- 
cee, teams with house comics 
Vivian Harris.and George Williams 
for comedy skit. 

Band takes over again for .meet 
version of "All of Me," backed by 
choral setup of gal. tootlers, with 
subsequent spotligliting of Vi 
Burntdder saxist, on "Robina Nest." 
Coopeir and Miss Harris then 
throw in a bedroom skit such ats 
would make Mae West blush but 
kills them here. 

Wynonie Harris grabs the loud- 
est hand in closing slot with a re- 
prise of some of his former disik 
faves such as "Wynonie Blues," 
"Lotta Papa Mamma" and "Here 
Comes the Blues." A solid hit. 

Brownsldu Chorus, fronted by 
Toby Winters, contribs trio of 



Cuts in daytime prices to match 
the recent downscaliog at Bala- 
ban & Katz Loop houses brought 
in standees at the first show. 
Opening day b.o. reached a hefty 
$9,000. 

ISmerald Sisters open bill ^h 
comic aero routines heavily salted , 

with thumping prattfalls. Pair offs | numbers spacing the acts. Gals are 
to prime hand, following tandem looliers and can hoof. They win 
rolls on and off a table. Lou and nice returns on Harlemania jungle 
Lilyan Bernard's harmonica duets number and finale. Miss WiutiNrs 
of a classic, two stai^Eards and a I does jungle dance solo in subdued 
jive closer are well received. [kootcb style. Edba. 

Marilyn O'Shaughnessy, winner — — - 

of a local chirp contest, vocals, OlymiilaK, Miami 

with the maestro, Carl Sands m a i Art Javrett, Dime Barry, Rochelle 
keyboarding followup. Orch's go;& Beeie, ieiois & Van, George & 
at Hora Staccato has brass men yi,,,, Dormande. les Rhode Bvuse 
doubling for a total of nine viohn.s. Ort/i; "April Showers" (WB), 

Although Artie Dana's materia) ! ' 
thins at some pwnts, he neyertbe- Current stage bill stresses come- 
less draws steady yocks, ComiCs ; jjics, with the overall making a 
nose bears the brunt in a jest ses- 1 pleasant session, 
aion that ends with impressions, | Art Jarrett vet tenor 
mostly pale except for Jimnty Du- 



Radio Follow-Bp 



COBtteuerf from p<»ge M , 



Miss Lillie is starred in the legit 
revue, "inside U. S. A." at the 
Centiury, N. V., the bioadcast pre- 
sented her as a vice-presidential 
candidate on a nationwide cam- 
paign tour. Some of the material 
was borrowed from the legit show, 
but it all seemed a bit desperate 
and taxing. Allowing for apparent- 
ly insufficient rehearsal, the chief 
fault was the labored script. 



Mel Allen has hit upon an inter- 
esting stunt in using guest broad- 
casters for an Inning diuing some 
of the N. y. Yankees' away-feonir 
home baseball games. Besides be- 
ing a friendly gesture, it provides 
a basis of compiiBaBg tiie New 
York bcaud of ' spm^asting with 
that in the various other American 
League cities, and sometimes gives 
an enlightening, hint of how the 
Yankee team looks to the out-af- 
toTiTiei-. The Jiigbt of July 6, for 
the seventh inning of the Red Sox 
game in Boston, the guest spieler 
was Jim Britt, an obviously capable 
performer. Allen has done the 
same thing recently from St. Louis 
and Cleveland, also with pleasaint 
listening results. The practice is 
worth continuing, possibly more 
freqaetttly. 

The intermission gab on the 
N. y. City symphony broadcasts 
from the Central Park Mall, N. Y., 
via WNYC, New Yortr, sounds like 
a satire of a bad commercial. Pro- 
fessional copy writers at the ad 
agencies know better than to write 
commercials that long: As heard 
one night last week, the blurb not 
only plugged the station's program 
booklet, but did an< interminable 
sell for good music in. general and 
WNYC music programs is particu- 
lar: ■ ■ . 



I%ht (M Reviews 



Cb« Farec, Cbl 

ChicoffO, Jul!) 9. 
Danny Thomas, Martha King. Le 
Rou BTO.S-. (2), Mage &Karr,Doro- 
tkvDorben line (10), Marty Goum 
Orch, Don C/iiesro Rhnmbn Bana; 
$3.50 minimum. 



rante ' bit Return has him imi- 
tating the Pathe News rooster and 
chanting a thank-you. 

Dick Haymes lofts lyrics with a 
sure and expert touch. Singer, 
arousing femme squeals through- 
put, opens with "Great Day" and 
follows with two pop standards for 
choice returns. "Old Man River" 
takes him off to salvos, with teen- 
agers calling for faves. Closei-, 
"Little White laes," wins more 
plaudits. Baxt. 



. topUnes 

.and does okay with his high-rang- 
ing vocalistics and self accomps on 
guitar. Blends ballad-pops neatly 
with "You Can't Be TraieT and "I 
May Be Wrong" .standouts. 

Comedy iinpressionist Dave 
Barry, almost steals show via a 
canto of waggery that keeps laughs 
coming at steady pace. Material 
is mostly fresh, and wh^ there is 
a familiar tinge, slick delivery adds 
newness. TakeofJs on radio and 
screen toppers interwoven in nifty 
manner garners top returns* 

AoOthet' solid comedy sequence 
is the dance satires of Rochelle dnd 
Beebe. Duo win hearty palm pay- 
off with their screwy versions of 
the ballrooinologists who. take 
themselves too seriously. 

Rdusding out laugh side of lay- 
out, UHicyelisfs George and Tim 
Dormonde do stunts with clown- 
Pleasing setup reaches strong I'^S to bring laughs and gasps, 
climax with ensemble singing ofl'-'<^wis and Van teeoff WU with 
Lest^ Cole and bis guartet of: clever terp routines for hesflthy 
lookers after successive Spots ofiP^^i^iE- 

good variety. Following a solid ' . Rhode house orch handles 
getaway via- special overture by 3o ' backgrounds In capable fashion. 



nipp«droHt«, Balto. 

Baltimore, July 10. 
Lester Cole & Debs (5), Mmreif 
d Eaton. Jimmy Leeds. R&maine & 
Babette, Jo- Lombardi Bouse Orch 
nZ); "FnUef Brush Man" (Col) 
(Zftd wk'>. 



Lombardi house, oreh, who punch 
out arragagement of "Ciri Bin Bin," ■. 
Koihaine & Babette, hice appearing I 
mixed duo of bsUmcets, turn in' 
smart routine of tricks that set a 
Iproovey pace. 

Jimmy I«eds interpolates com- 
fcbr banter while manipulating 
yo-yo and closes solid with har- 
.toonicaing of "Peg O' My Heart.' 



Lary. 

■■■;Awai»-. Stages' Cal. tuSbt--: 
Sacramento, Jiily i^. 
Adrian Awan, who handled the 
entertainment at the CalitorDia 
State ji^ir in IfMI*?, is dof^g it again 
this year. 

Three shows will be presented 
between Sept. 2 and 12, with a 
(Wey & Eaton fdltow wttb typical j budget of $120,000, the highest to 
W ^UHOe crossfire wMch gets « date. 



'What Cotter 

22 CMUfnocd fioBi page 23 ss: 

stn(iying it." Another program 
exec said his web was- "awaiting" 
clarification" of the code. Still an- 
other said it was his impression 
the code did not go into effect as 
far as the nets iire concemed until 
Jan. 1. 

Unanimously, they confirmed 
that they are continuing to solicit 
free merchandise in return for 
brand-name plugs of the products 
on the air and are not considering 
these pings as "advertising copy." 

There wasn't any question, how- 
ever, as to the clarity of the spe- 
cific restrictive clause applying to 
merchandise giveaways, except 
whether brand-name mentions on 
sustainers constituted commercial 
copy. The provision clearly states 
that trade-name mentions, "or 
language sufficiently descriptive to 
identify" .products, "should. . .be 
considered as advertising G«py and, 
as such, a part of' and inejuded in 
the total time allowances as herein 
provided." 

The producer of one of the give- 
aways that's clicked seemed to sum 
up the common attitude: "The 
code doesn't mean a thing. As long 
as the giveaway fad lasts, the nets 
will do as they please about plug- 
ging mendiaBdise." 



Maifcle 

^ Continued troia page 23 ssi 

sponsor paid George Zacbary as 
producer last season. As director 
of "Studio One" Market has been 
getting $425 a week from CBS. 

"Ford Theatre" as such will be 
a combined CSB-K&E operation, 
with Markel reportedly insisting 
that Vincent McConnor be given 
the script editing assignment, as 
successor to Howard Teiclimann, 
McConnor was respomiible far 
about a third of the "Studio One" 
scripts. 

Fate of "Studio One" is still up 
in the air, with CBS program di- 
rector Hubbell Robinson huddling 
with William S. Paley and Frank 
Stanton on the advisability of 
making it a Coa.st production un- 
der Harry Ackerman's supervision, 
with William Robson as producer. 
U "Studio" goes west, it will Ufcely 
be changed into . an hour adven- 
ture-type show. AltertMLtive is to 
scrap the sJtow cotaplet^Iy. 

A major reason why the sponsor 
was reluctant to switch "Ford 
Theatre" from NBC to CBS was 
the sacrifice of volume discounts 
the move Involves. With "Ford 
Theatre" nqd the Fred Allen show 
both on NBC. the auto concern 
earned a sizable amount in re- 
bates. But by moving "Theatre" 
to CBS, the firm loses a reported 
$2SO,000 discount 



Added kick that many P^^ons 
of this spot get from Danny Thom- 
as comas from the fact that they 
applauded him upward in the days 
when he was caviar to the masses. 
The Chez was his first stop when 
he made the long jump from .a. 
North Side nabe nitery to the tog 
time. Some ol Ms routines aire 
so well known to ringsiders that 
they call for them by name. 

Striking quality about those self- 
same routines is their insistence on 
good taste and avoidance of even 
pale blue. And as a dialectician 
Thomas illustrates the difference 
between winy chararieri'/ation and 
sour racial stereotyping. His sensi- 
tivity in regard to materUd is evi- 
denced by omission of his wailing 
Syrian standby because of current 
tension in the Levant. 

Comic opens in mellow,, remi- 
niscent mood, recalling his 'stand 
at the now-defunct 5100 Club, then 
switches to wry comment on his 
radio show. In a serenade to his 
old home town, Toledo, he mixes 
lugubrious nostalgia with Chamber 
of Commerce statistics. A travel- 
ogue of Trinidad has him chanting 
a calypso, followed by an ^ccotmt 
of Pat Murphy'!? hectic wake. His 
familiar Italian describing a base- 
ball game serves as a salvoed 
closer for a yoCk-studded seanon. 

Mage and Karr teeoff ball With, 
smart tap terping, varied by the 
male's solo of "Donkey Serepade" 
while tlie femme cleats annoyance. 
Martha King, seen recently in the 
Chi company of "Show Boat," sur- 
prises with her prime reception in 
a spot that can- be tough tor con^ 
traltos. Songstress clicks with 
three show tunes and draws heavy 
hand with "Come Back to Sor- 
rento." 

The Le Roy Bros.'s puppet work 
is deft and clover. Pair pulls the 
strings on a Hawaiian hipper, a 
balloon-blowing clown, a frantic 
skin-beater, and a brace oi skele- 
tons. Luminous clown and grave- 
haunting slceletons make for a well- 
received novelty. 

Dorothy Dorben line steps out 
intpre-ssively in a Balinese num- 
ber and a flounced-gown summery 
sequence. Marty Gould orch backs 
neatly, with Walter Popp at the 
83 for Danny Thomas, Baxt. 

VenniillAM, IV. \. 

(FOLLOWUP) 

Nancy Donovan is the new 
thrush at Nidc & Arnold's plush 
East 50th street nitery, and the 
Irish-American songbird, a strik- 
ingly titian beauty, doesn't forsake 
the Continental aura which has 
dominated this bistro. Still under 
the influence of the Brisson-Piaf- 
Soiidor parlay, she medleys a 
famihar cavalcade of French pons 
(wisely doing the English versionsi, 
taut doesn't forsake die oidd sod 
metier altogetho*. 

Blend this with a surefire pot- 
pourri of American pops, coupled 
with a striking personaUty, a 
trained voice that doesn't need the 
mike (although she utUizes it in 
the main) and seasoned with well- 
powed cafe floor presence, and 
^iss Donovan is on the road to 
Mandalay. No nitery newcomer 
however, her performances in the 
past have been in the big small 

brieagues'^*' ^""^ '^'^^ 

For the cafe she's a wise mid- 
sunimer stopgap, obviousiv not as 
cosily as Edith Piaf, et al (who 
incidentally returns in September) 
nor even Suzy Solidor, likewise 
slated for a midwinter encorrhat- 
ing now gone back to her Cafe de 
I Opera home base in Paris 
Per usual Bob Grant aAd Pan- 

f "t^" ""^ orthodox and 
Latin tempos. Grant also doubling 
as an okay batoneer confcrenrfcr 
^ Abel. ' 

CMfiire R«M»in, f hi 

(PALMER HOUSE) 

Liberacc, Cliff^rA^^clMle 
& Francos Szyani. Mcrrirl Abhoit 
dancers (10) F«on„n Zabacrorch 
(12); cover $ 1, min iimmi $3.50. 

Merriei Abbott has brought back 
her colorful line and built a show 
m-ound her dancers with a con- 
tinental motif. Two of the 
arc imports, and Llberace, star^ 
the show, provides intimate touch 
In addition, Florian Zabach uses a 
violm choir of seven pieces. 

Zabach. who h«a not been seen 
here in some years with a larae 
band,- has been taking his job as a 
glamor maestro less seriously attd 
has built a combihatiou which 1^ 



fit well into any large room. Ac- 
cent, backing the leadei»'s violin 
solos, is on the fiddle section, with 
other members doubling on the 
.strings. Compositions played are 
mostly on the standard revue kick 
although tnaestro riiises fki "Bora 
Staccato.". 

Abbott dancers in their return 
display training that places them 
a cfut'above bistro lines. Routines 
have them by-passing the New 
Look, for sciuity, eyefiUing cos* 
tumes in opening number. They 
return later for another number 
with Francois Szyoni in ballet style, 
which i.t more in keeping with the 
motif of revue. 

GiseUe and Francois Szyoni, from 
the Bal Tabarin. Paris, offer nifty 
ballet terps. (New Acts). 

Clifford Guest, former Australian 
disk jockey, has an unusual ventro 
act. ( New Acts) . 

Liberace takes the usual nitery 
semi-classical numbers and dis- 
plays sturdy background of years 
of concert work. Numibers such as 
"Malagnena," "Clair de Lune," 
"14th Hungarian Rhapsody," arid 
othees are- done straight but where 
he-fails is in his srtteropt to do vari- 
ations on "Four Leaf Clover," 
which is hack stuff that any bar 
pianist does and, in many cases, 
much better. In "12th Street Rag" 
he demonstrates ,goad Di-xieland 
style pianoipg. Pianist tries to emu- 
late Hildegarde with a special song 
to greet bis friends, which doesn't 
jell and should be discarded. 

Zobe. 



Cafe K«»watwwn, 

CNKW YORK) 

Mildred Bailey, Avon Long, Cal- 
vin Jackson, Cliff Jackson. Daj.'« 
Martin orch (4); $3 minimmn. 



With its customary emphasis ou 
music; particularly lowdown blues, 
this Greenwich Village standlqr of- 
fers a . solid show for its special 
following. Sven at the dinner show 
Friday night, when business- is apt 
to be light at this time of year, the 
spot was fairly well fUled and the 
reaction was cordial. 

Mildred Bailey, whose casual 
skill at putting over a song offsets- 
whatever she may hove lost in vo- 
cal power, is the merited finale of 
the bill. As always, her easy de- 
livery, clear diction and devotion 
to the melody, coupled with her 
unassuming yet coufident manner, 
holds her audience utterly. She 
sings four numbers, "Keep Your 
Hands on the Plough," "Mare Than 
You Know," "Keep Your Eye On 
Your Best Friend" and the inev- 
itable "Or Roekin' Chair." and 
could stay for a couple more if 
she'd cared to.' 

Avon Long, working under obvi- 
ous difficulties on such a small 
floor and -with the audience at such 
short range,, does three song and 
dance numbers for fair ' effect. 
Never much of a singer, he has to 
depend on that part of the act -wnd 
curtail his usually more impressive 
soft-.slioe hoofing. In such cio.sc 
quarters, .liis wrinkled suit and un- 
bruslied suede shoes are uncom- • 
fortably evident. 

Calvin ,Tackson, introduced 
Simply as "the genius of the 
piano," rips off soiite impressive 
keyboard gymnastics, , but rarely 
lets the composer emerge. Under 
the circumstances, his plasong of 
Chopin's C-Sharp Minor Waltz, in 
which he confines himself to the 
score, is unquestionably, the liigh- 
light. Ilis performance of "Show 
jVIe the Way to Go Home," scme- 
what in the style of Bach and an 
almost completely unrecognizable 
"Lady Be Good" suggest more in- 
terest in the performance than the : 
music. However, the short, enor- 
mously difficult finale is soek. 

Dave Martin's four-piece., crew 
(piano, guitar, bull fiddle and 
drums)! plays the show presentab- 
ly, does two mnnbers by way 
"overture" and is on for incidental 
dancing. Martin doubles as m.c. 
for the show. CliS Jackson sup- 
plies pleasant piano interludes.- 
Hobc, 



Jody Canoya's Coliaitse 
Candsl-NiterTtfHT 

Little Rocki Ark., July 13. 

Stricken with a fainting spell 
while performing here last week 
at the Municipal Auditorium, Judy 
Canova lias cancelled her remain- 
ing one-night bookings and re- 
turned to her Hollywood home to 
recuperate. A local physician 
ascribed her collapse to "complete 
exhaustion." 

Miss Canova had finished her 
songs and had just launched into 
some dance routines when she 
collapsed, falling to the footligbt.s\ 
Stageliands carried her to dress- 
ing room. The auditorium show 
drew some 7,000 spectatws. 



1 BIG UNION' HINGES ON COIN 



No B'way Pkys SoitaUe for London, 



Emile Littler, London producer 
currently xasiting New York, has 
seen no Broadway shows suitable 
for pKsentation in England. Arriv- 
ing by plane last Wednesday <7) 
with bis wife, actress Cora Coffin, 
he has seen most of the nuisica]j> 
and straight plays produced since 
his last visit, and will sail tomor- 
row (ThursJ midnight, on the 
Queen Elizabeth. 

As the producer of the London 
editioBS of "Annie Get Vvm Gan," 
"Song of Norway," "The Medium" 
and "The' Telephone." '"Claudia," 
"Finian's Rainbow" and -other 
American shows. Littler h:is defi- 
nite theories ot the relative audi- 
ence tastes of tlie two (wuntries. 
For instance, he believes that 
"Finian" failed in England because 
tiie public didn't like its "message" 
about racial equality, wtaiuh is not 
a problem there. Without that 
propaganda angle, he says, there 
wasn't enough story to carry the 
sho«'. 

"Annie," on the other hand, lias 
a strong stoiy, plus colorful char- 
acters and setting. Littler believes 
the English public is tired of 
"message" plays .and now prefers 
unadulterated entertainment. He is 
careful to remark that a play or 
musical that is entertaining enough 
can also have* a "message," tmt 
the entertainment must be dom- | 
inant . "''''! 

Among the speeific Broadway i 
shows tbat Littler had considered 
possibilities for production in the 
west End are "Mister Roberts," 
"Allegro,'' "High Button Shoes" 
and "Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'." 

Littler regards "High Button 
Shoes" as primarily a vehicle for a 
comedian and beliejies that with 
some xevision it might do for any 
one of a half-dozen or so London 
/Ionics. He's particularly inter- 
ested in making a deal for this 
play. 

Littler's plans for this season in- 
clude formation of ''Annie' 



Gilbai Miller-Haas 

To Do Worden Pieces 

"My Mother Was a Beauty," a 
series of New Yorker pieces by 
Helen Worden (Mrs. John Erskine), 
has been acquired by Gilbert 
Miller and Boland Haas, who hope 
to have them dramatized in time 
for production on Broadway tWs 
season. Howard Teichmann was 
approached to do the adaptation, 
but has other commitments. No 
other dramatist is set. 

The auQioress is negotiating for 
publication of the pieces in book 
form, either in time for the Christ- 
mas trade or hy next spring. She 
also has another story in mind, 
w hich she may do as a play or film 
ori^al, but that will follow her 
revisions for the book editim of 
"Mother." 





Jed Harris to Revive 
'Green Bay Tree' m '49 
WithRaAbime^Stfa^ 

Sed HatriS' is planning a revival 
of Moi'daunt Shairp "The Green 
Bay a!iee" for the season of t948- 
50. It will star Basil Bathbone in 
the part of Mr. Didcuner, played 
in the original New York produc- 
tion by James Dale. Beatrice 
Straight will portray the girl, oiig- 
inally played by Jill Esmond. No 
one has been selected for the three 
other parts, originally dme hy 
Laurence Olivier, Leo Cr- Carroll 
and O. P. Heggie. 

The revival is to'*e presented by 
Fred JP!ink]ehnffe, producer of 
"The Heiress," at the Biltmore, 
N. v., in which Harris is associated 
and n^ich stan; Rathbone, with 
Mi£s Stxaight in the femme lead 
created by W«idy Hiller. Ihe idea 
'^^^ is to produce "Tree" on the Coast 



Norway" road companies to tour ^*"3^ii^^f. 



the United Kingdom for the sec 
end season, starting in October, 
while the original honiaa produc- 
tion of "Annie," with Dolores Gray 
.and Bill Johnson, is in its second 
year. He will also send out tour- 
ing companies of "The Barretts of 
Wimpole Street," "Charley's Aunt" 
(yiith a production designed by 
Cecil Beaton, who did the lush 
decor for the revival of "Lady W jji- 
demere's Fan" on Broadway two 
Seasons ago) and "Quaker Girl." 
He'll also put on eight Christmas 
pantomimes, all opening the same 
day, Dec. 24. in London. 

Besides his production activities. 
Littler is a member of the 'board 
of directors for 16 West End the- 
atres operated by his brother, 
Prince Littler, He's also executive 
sovemor of the Shakespeare 
Memorial theatre at Stratford-on- 
Avon. His brother is not associated 
in the theatrical productions of 
Emilc Littler, but the British edi- 
tion of "Annie" was partly financed 
by Louis Dreyfus, London repre- 
sentative of ChappeU music. 
However, Littler explains, 



II F 

An outline of the two alternate 
plans for consolidation of the vari- 
ous Associated Actors and Artistes 
of America alfilates into "one big 
unioa" has gone to the member or- 
ganizations for study and action. 
The governing council or board of 
each union will pasis on the pro-i 
posais and then submit them to 
their memberships for ratification. 
The possible results are adoption of 
either the national or regional plan, 
or a program of "levifedization." 
which would hi effect involve no 
drastic chance. 

. Accoediug to various partieipants 
in the recent merger discussions in 
New York, at which tlte alternate 
plans were drawn up, the American 
Federation of Badio Artists is hot 
for full consolidation into "one big 
union." The American Guild of Va- 
riety Arti^ also favors a strong 
central union, as does the smaller 
American Guild of Musicid Artists. ; 
Actors Equity Assn. spolB^men ap- ; 
peared to favor a modified eonsol' 
idation, possibly tiie regional plan, 
while the Screen Actors Guild and 
Screen Extras Guild reps expressed 
preference for the regional alterna- 
tive. ■. • 

The question of television juris- 
diction is a touchy matter to all the 
affiliates.' As the original actor 
union, Equity lias always claimed 
that it retained -jurisdiction over 
new entertainment media,, includ- 
i ing video. Howe\'er, AFKA Is al- 
{ ready entiencbed in the spot 
throit^i its eontracts with tiie net- 
worics and ad ag^cies, ^Ich dom- 
! inate actual telecasting, 
j SAG, which has contracts with 
! all the picture studios, has jurisdic- 
i tjon over films for tele, but mi^t 
' have trouble imposing that author- 
ity in tiie video tmnsmissioa field, 
in which AFRA imids power. Also, 
AFRA controls kutesoope recording 
oil the cathode tuhe. All these 
an^es are potent in the present cir- 
cumstances, since AFBA has indi- 
iContinued on page Si) 



Pay Ibimms, AriAn^ dwse 
Rffldn IMbm Saags to EqvAy Put 



Slugging M«tch 

C^ontract negotiations be- 
tween the League of N. V. 
Theatres and Actors Equity 
Assn., which have been un- 
usu^y bitter tiius jyear, actu- 
ally reached the ^uf^ng stage 
last week. At one point, after 
Lcc SabinsoR asserted that 
rising costs resultiog from 
union rftgulatteas have elimi- 
nated the profit from theat- 
rical productiofl. Clay Clement, 
one of the Equity representa- 
tives, twitted him about re- 
cently buying an eicpeiisive 
auto. 

Sabinson didn't reply at first, 
but apparently brooded: ov^nt 
the eradic, and some moments 
later called Clement a stupid 
so-and-so, and suddenly let go 
a punch, staggering the slight- 
er and considerably older 
actor. The men were sep- 
arated before either could do 
any more damage, and Sabin- 
son was forced to apolof^ 
before the S^quity contingent 
would npsume palavers. 



has completed its season-long tour. 
With production costs ctmsaderably i , > 
lower there, it's expected tliat the i 'llUii " AbccU> 
show can be tried out in Ims V«I«« IVi noowe 
Angeles and San Francisco, then 
bitougfat to Broadway eariy in the 
fall. 

Harris, who produced and di- 
rected the original "Tree" in the 
fall of 1933, will stage the revival. 
H£ also staged "Xlie Heiress." At 
the moment, Harris is preparing to 
direct Jean DaJrj'mple's production 
of Jean-Paul Sartre's "Les Main 
Sales" ("Dirty Hands") for fall 
presentation on Broadway. It will 
be relilled "'Eed doves." 



does most of his productions 
entirely with his own money, as do 
otber English tmoducere. That is 
unlike the V, S. system, under 
which producers raise their pro- 
duction finances from backers and 
usually don't invest their own 
money in shows. 



BRiT.SflM£SPEAfiECO, 
SLATQ) FaR Ui. DAM 

The Shakespeare Memorial 
Theatre, Stratford-On-Avon, will 
come to the U. S. for an engage- 
ment during the 1S49-50 season, 
according to Jack Hylton and 
EmUe Littler, British legit prodiic- 
, ers and members of the exec gov- 
be I emors of the Stratford group. Both 



Final papers for presentation of 
i "Oklahoma:" In Australia were 
i signed over the weekend by Dor- 
; otliy Stewart,' M. Y. rep of the 
i Aussie J. C. Williamson theatres 
chain. Howard Rcinheimcr rep- 
\ resented the musical's authors, 
Richard Rodgei-s and Oscar Ham- 
merslein 11, and the Sidney Fiei- 
sher office, Miss Stewart. Musical 
is to be done in Melbourne the 
■end of Ibe year, probably for 
;ci)ristmas. Williamson will use 



£sM Snbscribers 
IflBortifflCiioinler 
Over '48-^49 Sked 

Boston, July 13. 

There has been criticism here 
from Theatre Guild - American 
Theati-e Society subscribei^ over 
the list of shows annoimced for 
next season, . According to several 
local subscrij»eis, at least one of 
the. plays meo£i<med will definitely 
hot be among those ^%sented by 
TG-ATS. 

In its prospectus for potential 
subscribers, TG-ATS has an- 
nounced that its shows "will be 
chosen from among'" tiie following: 
"Love Life," the new Kurt Weill- 
Alan Jay Lemer musical to be pro- 



^ With prospects of a compromise 
agreement apparently fairly good, 
representatives of liie League of 
N. Y. Theatres and Actors Equity 
Assn. will meet again this after- 
noon (Wed.) to continue nesgotia- 
lions for a new contract to cover 
firoadwaiy and tile road. There has 
tteen slow 1>ut steady progress 
toward an agreement in the last . 
few sessions, particularly Monday 
(12). Meetings are being held at 
the I^itei Aster. N.Y. 

The two main points still .at odds 
are salary mltflmmns. for twtli 
Broadway and Hie road, and th« 
arbitration clause mdttr IMe fi(m< 
tract Tbexte have been some 
pnMpects of a eompromise on the 
salary angle, imt hoth sides appear 
to be adamant on the ' matter of 
aiintration. League -spokesmen 
have declared 13mir inteufcian of 
continidns the aeeatiattoiui its .long 
as.neoessaiT.lio jxaeh an agreement. 
The SJquity contingent, which 
prepared several times to break off 
the talks during the early huddles^, 
lias recently shown more iaeiina* 
tiou to continue. 

The League's last offer of a $10 
general salary raise was turned 
down last week tiy the actor rep- 
resentatlvet, one of whom indicated 
Monday that the union would be 
wilUng. to accept a $20 boost. How- 
ever, several of Hie producer group 
are strou;^ opposed to any f ur^r 
increase. and are in'essuring other 
League members to v^st any 
further concessaons. Equity's orig* 
inal demands were for raises from 
$60 to $75 in New YcmIc and from 
$75 to ^100 on the road, flmlSO a 
week xeheanal pjiy instead «i 
present $25. . 

Although there is an arbitration 
clause .in the present contract, 
League ejcecutives want to expand 
it to cover all cases of ^pute 
between Individual managers and 
Equi^. Obvtoudy motivated by 
recent disputes between the The- 
atre Guild and the Equity council, 
the League favors a- compulsory 



^^ZT^^ ?«tf„ J "L^™:" iari>itrati^n setup for all dijrirences 
^ f^^^^^^^^i'J^^fn 'involving questions of Inlerpreta- 
to Me of Love the Guild produc- ^ ^ ^ ^ pieseht 

Hnn "^.ffrlv .h/ i'^^.^'^'^h; Equity cffljiiil can 

lion, starring the Lunte; The | ,^^1 ^ vrithout constdling 

Heu«ss," last season's Broadway ^^^^ Leafi^ *«r anv ari^tion 
hit starring Basil lJatl*one;"E^^^ ; age»c?T^&S^ h^Lt^fSS 
press of Chma," adapted by Philip ™. _ . j , . j 
Bairy from the original play, by The present eode.if due lo ex- 
Jean Pierre Aumoat, and starrmg P""* ^"8- 15. Equity wants the 
latter; "Jane," another new Behr-i^^w eonteaet to run 15 months, 
'man comedy; "The Play's the ^5^*^ " ^ f^I?^ 
Thing," the current Broadway re- ' ^.^^ S^^n*'''"*^""^^ been 

o' ^ . !,HonHma negotiations, 



vival starring Louis Callieni. and 
"Make Way for Lucia," Alli-ed De- 
Liagre's production of a new play 
hy John van Druten. 

According to word from New 
York, "The Heiress" Is not among 



V principals biit there - wont | the plays on the TG-ATS list, as 
ibe any casting till about Labor] the Shuherts and Marcus Heiman, 
I Day. (representing the United Booking 

! Meantime, "John Loves Mary" j Office, have already turned it 
' opened as a aiccess July 3 at the I down. The Guild had presumably 
i EoyaJ Sydney, for Williamson. 1 okayed it. Hiere's some doubt 



Lindsaj-Crouse 

Couple of New Plays 

Russel Grouse and Howard Lind- 
say, whose "Life With Mother" 
dramatization opens early in Oc- 
tober at the Empire, N. Y., aU-eady 
nave a couple of new pla.vs in 
inind, one of which they'll prob- 
ably start writing as soon as 

Mother" is on the boards. Pend- 
M»g the opening of the "Life With 
•^Father" sequel, however, they're 
tinkering with the "Mother" script. 

Undsay and his actress wife. 
Dorothy Stickney, who will play the 
vlatence and Vinnie Day roles in 

JWpther," as they did in 'Wher," 
TOl spend, August on the Coast. 



Hylton and Littler return to Lon- 
don aboard the Queen Elizabeth 
tomoHiow (Thurs.) 

Initial plans of the British reper- 
tory company was l<>r a four-month 
tour in the U. S. this fall, but this 
fell tlirough due to the group's ex- 
tended engagements in Britain. 
Productions next year will include 
the dual "Hamlet" presentation, 
with the title role played by Robert 
Helpmann, British ballet dancer, 
and Paul Schofield, new British 
legit peisonallty, at alternate per- 
formances. Group will finish its 
cuntent 2fl-week run at the Memo- 
rial theatre, Oct. 1, and will start 
a London date in Novemiier. 

Hie Lmidon showm«i report 
that after a couple of years «i 
deficits the Stratford troupe is cur- 
rently having its most successful 
season, helped by the Govern- 
ment's recent ease of the gasoline 
restrictions. However, the Shakes- 
peare Memorial Theatre project is 
endowed <partly from U. S. dona- 
tions), so it needn't and probably 
never Will be eoromercially probt- 
able. ■ 



Cast is the same as for the pre-. 
I vious Aussie "Bora Yesterday" 
i production, with June Clyde, Hart- 
ley Powers and Stewart Long in 
! the leads. Miss Clyde and Powers 
1 were imported from London and 
'Long from Chicago for the 
) "Bom!' enga^nent When the Syd- 
ney run of "Mary" Mids, the com- , 

! i>any will move to Melbourne, i or closing after the Broadway or 
: where both" "Bora" and "Miary" j tryout premiere, 
will be presented, in that order. ' 



it. 

here whether "The Play's the 
Thing" will be among the actual 



attending the negotiations, with 
Milton Weir, James F. Heilly and 
Brock Pemberton the i^noipal 
fpokesmeii for the League and 
iletaecca Bi<ownsteia-*£3>e;s&ing Sor 
Equity. 



TEICHMMi DUE TO 



Howaxd Teichmann, whose 
Woman in the Case" <woriEing 



Jo Mielziaer 

Hoted Stagt Designer 
fIvM kis expert opMon that 

'inUnmcy Is the Clue 
to TelevimtrCs 

Charm'* 

♦■■*■*■ 

on *di»sr!«9 feotare In 



3d Annual Special 

RADiaTELEVISION 
NUMBER 

Out This Month 



Bro^fflaH Autolmg 



offerings of the TG-ATS. Also, as | title) wUl be put into xefaearsai in 
local subscribers long ago learned, { August by Waiter Fried, in asspeia* 
there's always the possibility that ition with Harold Cluiman and iElia 
some of the most impressive-seem- , Kazan, is also under commitinent 
ing future productions on the list to Barnard Straus to dramatize 
will never arrive at all', either he- j "Howe & Hummel," from the New 
ing cancelled while in preparation ' Yorker articles by Richard Revere. 

The latter script mast be finidied 

I Tile I'ricd^Clurinan pioductlon 
■ %vill be budgeted at about $15M0. 
: Clurman will direct the east of 14, 
1%.T Jo I and the two sets will he designed 

DOSgBL By we Uagre by fialph Alswang. The show will 
Alfred de Liagre, Jr., has ae- .**ve an out-of-town tryout in mid- 
quired the dramatic rights to September. No Broadway theatre 
"Shoestring Symphony," the auto- \ 

biographical novel by composer- I "Howe & Hummcll" will involve 
conductor David Broekman. The a large cast and expensive produc- 
book has a Hollywood locale and ;tion. Straus has Sydney Green- 
relates the author's fantastic mis- I street in mind tor the part of 
adventures in writing a ballet- > Howe and Jose Ferrer for tlie w»lc 
sym^iony for peri^ormance in of Hummel. No director or design- 
Hollywood Bowl, ,er is set. 

John van Druten, several of j Teichmann was formerly asso- 
whose plays have been produced ciated with Orson W«lles and John 
by de Liagre, was reportedly Houseman in the legit and radio 
offered the assignment to diamatize ■ activities of the Mercury Theatre, 
the book, but he's otherwise com- He has written extensively for 
mitted. The producer and auttior radio, and last season was script 
are now considering other adap- . editor of tlie "Ford Theatre" 
tors. . ■■.'series.'' ■ . • , ■ ■ ■;■>■ 



50 



LKGlTIAiATB-^ONCBRT 



Wednesday, July 11, 1948 



Gertie as Ulistre^' at Dennis; 

Conn. Barns Off to Good Start 



Dennis, Mass., July 13. 
Gertrude Lawrence, whose pro- 
ducer - husband Richard Aldrich 
manages the Cape playhouse here, 
will make her annual appearance 
at the strawhatter, staiting Mon- 
day (19), as star in a revival of 
Terence Battigan's "O Mistress 
Mine," with John toder as lead- 
ing man. 

Following bills at the spot will 
inckide John Carradine in "20tli 
Cehturv," the week, of July 26; 
Walter' Abel in "The, Jailer's 
Wench," Aug. 2; Elisabeth • Bei-g- 
'ner in "Escape Me Never,". Aug. 9; 
'Brian Aherne in "Beaux Slrat- 
" agem," Aug. 16; Celeste Holm In 

■ aii unspecified play, Aug. 23. and 
;joan Caulfield in "Voice of the 
: Turtle," Aug. 20. 

^ , Conn. Sirawhats Open Strongly 

New Haven, July 13. ■ 
- Two out of three nearby straw- 
hats got off to healthy starts on 

■ seasbnal openings week of July S, 

■ Milton StiefeTs Ivoi-yton Playr 

■ house shattered its 19-season opeh^ 
ing weelc biz with a sellout on the 

■Joan Caulfield-John Payne "Voice 
'of the Turtle" package! Spot 
-stopped 'iidvertising the -show gn 
Thursday, no seats. being available 
for balance of week. , ; 

At Lewis Harmon's Chapel Play- 
house in Guilford, Mady Christians 

■ in "The Constant Wife" pulled fine 
opening gross, building ,to a Satui- 

' d;>v night sellout; ~ 

' Third cowposture venture was an 

• artistic success but light at the b.o. 
It was the inauguration of a series 
of opera, concert, ballet programs 
at the Andrews Memorial in Clin- 

• ton. Opening (4) concert by Met- 
, opera eolorature Josepljine An- 

• toine, followed several days later 
, (8-10) by second offei-ing, dance 
. satire by Iva Kitchell, drew en- 
J thusiastic reception but low gross. 
. Small attendance indicates that 
: strawhat fans require education for 

this semi-classic form of diversion. 



company, pops concerts, and symph 
orchestra, was in town last week 
to gander Iroquois amphitheatre 
and the musical shows currently 
playing there for a six-week season. 
New Orleans plans a series of 
musicals next • year, he revealed, 
and Poche has been touring . Sum^ 
iner theatres to study their plants 
and methods. 



' £d Lowe Replaces Romero 

Fitchburg, Mass., July 13. 
Edmund Lowe will star in the 
. revival of tlie„ Preston Sturges 
comedy, "Strictly Dishonorable." 
' at the Lake Whalom playhouse 
here the week of Aug. '30. 

He replaces Cesar Romero, who 
" was originally set but has a con- 
flicting picture commitment. 



Gert Stein Play at Princeton 

Princeton, N." J., July 13, 
Gertrude Stein's "Yes Is . for a 
Very Young Man", will be given 
its first production' in the east July 
26-31 by the University players at 
Murray theatre here. 
• The group is composed of iinder- 
grads from Princeton and New 
Jersey College for women. , 

Adelphi College Tryout 

- Garden City, N. Y.', July 13. 

"Time Is a Kind Friend," by 
radio writer Joseph Liss, will: be 
tried out by the Adelphi College 
little theatre here tomorrow night 
(Wed.) through Friday (16). The 
play has been under option at 
various times by several Broadway 
managers, 

Martin Magner, a director for 
Mutual, lias staged. 

Upstate N. Y. Spurt 

Syracuse, N. Y., July 13. 
. A ■ summer theatre boom has 
swung into high gear in upstate 
New York- In addition to the 
Skaneateles summer theatre and 
the Bridgeport Players, pioneer 
sirawhats, the Oneida Castle suiti- 
mcr playhouse opened July 6 with 
"The Late Christopher Bean." Out- 
fit is directed and nfanaged by 
Thomas Fitzsimmons, assistant to 
Prof. -Sawyer Falk at Syracuse 
Uni<'ersity. "All My Sons" is the 
current offering of a six-week pro- 
gram, . ■ . 

In town, the Syracuse commu- 
nity theatre, amateur group, is do- 
ing "George Washington Slept 
Here" this week through Satur- 
day (July 17), George Lascelles, 
former producer-director of video 
shows for WRGB, Schenectady, is 
directing, ■ , 

Due soort in Syracuse are the 
New Vic Players, West Coast com- 
pany headed by Victor Izay,; form- 
er Syracusan, which opens. July 26 
at the • Syracuse Museum of Art 
with "Home of the Brave." 



Cochran Due in U. S. 

London, July 13. 

While Sir Charles B. Cochran's 
current musical hit, "Bless the 
Bride," is still drawing brisk busi- 
ness in its 64th week, the producer 
nevertheless is preparing a new 
operetta by A. P. Herbert and Viv- 
ian Mlis. Tljey authored "Bride." 

Cochran, who presented "Bride" 
in association with Anthony Viv- 
ian,- is also mulling a trip to the 
U. S. His .iunket is tentatively set 
for next fall, ' ' 




Musical for Todd 

With Mike Todd's new musical, 
"As the Girls Go,", scheduled to go 
into rehearsal next September, the 
piece represents some interesting 
statistics on the producer arid his 
associates. Show is his sixth musi- 
cal and the fourtli to star Bobby 
Clark under the Todd aegis. 

In addition, "Girls" will be the 
ninth show for which Howard Bay 
has either staged or designed the 
scenery for Todd- Musical also 
marks Hermes Pan's first dance- 
.staging on Broadway. Score is by 
Jimmy McHugh arid Harold Adam- 
son wliile Bill Roos did the book, 



OldVic Take WiU Pass $1,100,000 
In SRO Sixmondi Anzac Trek 



Larry Parks in Tryout . 

- Worcester, Mass., July 13,- 

. Larry Parks has arrived from 

Hollywood for rehearsals for the 
' tryout. of "A Free Hand," comedy 
.. by Normii'n Panama and Melvyn 

Frank, at Guy. Palmerton's play- 
; house here, opening Monday (19).' 

■ Loren Gage is staging. • 

Subsequent bills at the straw- 
' hatter include Bert Wheeler in 
"Without Rhyme or Reason," a new 
" revue, the week of July 26; Jackie 

■ Cooper in "Room Service," Aug, -2, 
. and Mischa Auer in "20th Cen- 
; tui-y," Aug. 9. , . 

Batson Play In Me. Tryout 

Skowhegan, Me., July 13. 
""Magnolia Alley," new play by 
George Batson, will be tried out 
i for a week starting Monday (19) at 
"the Lakewood theatre here, with 
Jessie Boyce Landis stan'ed, 

Batson authored "Ramshackle 
Inn," produced on Broadway dur- 
ing the 1943-44 season. 



Pic About Sirawhats 

Documentary picture about sum- 
mer theatres is being filmed this 
summer in the east, titled "Young 
Man In a Strawhat." Producer 
is Marvine Flame Productions, 
with Paul Benard, formerly with 
Republic, as director. 

Various strawliats are assisting, 
with sequences - and atmosphere 
shots being done on the scene. It's 
reported that over 35 'strawhats 
will' be visited for background se- 
quences. 



$3,000,000 Rebuilding 
Plan for Abbey Theatre 
Shelved for Economy 

Dublin, July 6. 
National economy measures by 
the Eire government have caused 
the indefinite gigeon-holing of the 
$3,000,000 plan for rebuildihgDub- 
lin's famed Abbey Theatre. Plan 
provides for three theatres in one 
building — one for the Abbey Co., 
second for presentation of plays in 
Irish language; third for experi- 
inental and training purposes. 

Present building is inadequate 
and was originally the city morgye, 
later becoming bank offices. Coh- 
struetion of the new theatre will 
be a government-financed project. 
Only expenditure so far okayed 
has been $4,000 expenses for 
judges of competition among archi- 
tects for plans. 

Opinion here is that while econ- 
omy is given as the main reason 



Farrell Takes Over 

Warner Theatre, N. Y. 

Anthony B. Farrell, the Albany 
industrialist who backed "Hold It!" 
to tlie tune of about $300,000 loss 
(so far), has formally acquired title 
to the Warner theatre. N, Y., at a 
reported price of about $1,500,000. 
He has announced that 'Hold It!" 
will reopen at the former film 
house Sept. 9,' 

In announcing his formal take- 
over of the theatre, Farrell said 
he has changed his mind about 
retitling it the Brafar, and Will 
give it another name to be selected. 

Ohp Production 
For Xmas Opening 

A production; procedure by 
which, actors, writers and stage- 
hands would share the cost and 
profits, as well as the creative ef- 
forts, is currently being set by 
comedian Romo Vincent for a ten- 
tative .Christmas week opening on 
Broadway, It's to be a revue, as 
yet untitled, based on Vincent's 
cuiTent ABC television series, 
"You're Invited," the plot of which 
revolves about his eiTorts to pro- 
duce a: Broadway legiter. 

According to Vincent, one of the 
larger talent offices is ready to 
lend money to individual partici- 
pants. Only snarl is the possibility 
that legalites may disapprove of 
the : investment: method, in lii\e 
with the Internal Revenue Dept.'s 
current njix on limited-partnership 
deals as tax-cvasi5n setups. 



Sydney, June 30. , 

Recoi'd-shattering: biz is being 
racked up by the Old Vic Co., 
headed by Sir Laurence Olivier 
and Vivien Leigh, in its Down Un- 
der engagement. When the unit 
returns to London the take, in- 
cluding the New Zealand coverage, 
will be above $1,100,000 for a six 
months' toUr, and with three plays, 
regarded as not so hot in general 
appeal, "Richard HI," "Skin of Our 
Teeth" and "School for Scandal." 

Old Vic visit is being sponsored 
by the British Cultural Council, 
with the D. D. O'Connor Organ- 
ization, in which Sir Ben Fuller is 
a director. : managing the tour/ 
Every seat for the season has been 
sold in advance, ranging- from $4 
lop, down to $1,50, 

In Sydney at present it's im- 
possible to buy a seat for .1>20 for 
any of the three plays, so great is 
the . public interest; Scalpers 
haven't been given a chance to 
make a cleanup in any Aussie key 
played to date, Perth, Adelaide, 
Melbourne and Sydney. Nothing 
to equal Old Vic's biz has been 
seen.befoi"e in the Arvtipodes. Tlie 
Sydney run finishes in August; 
then a brief Brisbane visit, witl» 
New Zealand to follow. 

For tile fli'st time here, a spe^ 
cially-chartered plane will take tlie 
Old Vic Co, to New Zealand, a .dis- 
tance of 1,300 miles, after a short 
Brisbane stop here with "School 
for Scandal" in August, then ily 
back with 40 mcmbe],'s of Ballet 
Rainbert. ' ' 



'Medea' F8r Denver 

Denver, July 13. 
"Medea," translated by A, S. Way 
from the original Greek, will be 
presented tomorrow night (Wed,) 
, and July 21 and 28 at Red Rocks 
- theatre, natural amphitheatre, here, 
by -the Aspen players. A tryout 
. performance was given July 4 at 
the Wheeler opera house. Aspen, 

The Aspen players are also 
presenting«a revival of "The Im- 
portance of Being Earnest" in 
Aspen this Friday-through-Sunday 
nights (16-18); in Grand Junction, 
Monday (19), arid Glenwood 
Springs, Tuesday (20). 

'Music In Air' OK in L'ville 

• LouisvilH July 13. 

Nice weather favored "Music In 
the Air," Jerome ICern musical 
which opened the lOth anniversary 
season at . Iroquola amphitheatre 

' last week. No trace of rain maireci 

■ the first six performances, which 
grossed a fair $18,500. Amphi- 
theatre seats 3,300, and prices are 

V 'scaled down from $2.40. Polyna 
Stoslca, Met soprano; Gabor Cerelli, 
Hungarian tenor, and .Al Shean 
were featured . in . the Oscar Ham- 
merstcin-Jerome Kern show. 

"Hit the Deck," with Gil Lamb 
urid Maureen Cannon, is the second 

• week's attraction, 



London Ballet Season 

Marquis de Cuevas' Grand Bal 
let de Monte Carlo planed from 
South America to Monaco last 
week after a successful engage 
ment at Rio de Janeiro and Sao 
Paulo, Brazil. Compitny will ap- 
pear ip London, at Covent Garden, 
throughout August. 

George Balanchine left New 
York last - week to join the com- 
pany at Monte Carlo and rehearse 
two new ballets for the London 
run. Antonia Cobos also planed 
to Monte Carlo last weekend, to re- 
direct and pla.v the lead in her own 
ballet. "The Mute Wife," for the 
London season. She originally did 
the ballet for the Marquis' Ballet 
International season in New York 
in 1944, Plans for Grand Ballet's 
U. S. visit are still up in the air. " 



, , , ^ murder trial, hitherto banned for 

for shelving, it's felt that use of 'public p'erformance owing to strong 



buildi Lig materials and labor for 
theatre wouldn't be justified in 
view of the current housing short- 
age. Shelving is expected to last 
18 months to two years. » 



Irwin Poche, New Orleans thea- 
tre OwAer and member of the 

ti0jtfd; of directto', of th« opera Schmidt handles the baton. 



Stanford Little Theatre 
In Regular Engagement 

San Francisco, July 13. 
Stanford Opera Workshop, a 
campus "little theatre" aided by a 
few semi-pro performers, has been 
taken over by a Frisco legit pro- 
ducer, Paul Posz, for a regular 
commercial engagement in Frisco's 
War Memorial Opera House. Ini- 
tial presentation is "Peter Grimes," 
a modem opera by Benjamin Brit- 
ten.. 

Young troupe of players in- 
cludes Howard Ross, Marjorie 
Dickinson, Joel Carter and Stanley 
Noonan. Production staged by F. 
Cowies Strickland, ' and Harold 



Sharin Delays Play 

Due to Angel Snarl 

Eugen Sharin has postponed pro- 
duction' of Steven Vas' "Children 
of Vienna," slated for. August re- 
hearsals, because ' Of defection of 
certain backers. Latter are con- 
cerned due to uncertainty of the 
tax situation and ,pos.sible changes 
in legit partnershij) setups, 

Sharin. former veepee of Eagle 
Lion in charge of^European sales, 
is planing to Europe Friday (16) 
for four weeks. During that time 
he'll try to arrange for importation 
of the Vienna-made film, "Darling 
of the World," story of Gaby 
Dcslys, Pix was 'recorded in two 
languages, French and German, 
and Sharin, if he ties up the U. S. 
distrib, would also arrange for 
English titling. He also plans 
starting production in Vienna of 
the film. "Champagne for Two," 
which script he owns. 



Teople Like Us Liked 
\ In Its London Premiere 

. London, July 13. 
, "People Like Us," which opened 
at the .Wyndham's July 16, was 
enthusiastically received and will 
probably have a successful run. 
It has topical interest due to the 
recent change in the capital pun- 
ishment law. Play, by the late 
Frank Vosper, is based on a famous 



public opinion against the woman 
in the case being hanged. It was 
performed privately at tlie Arts 
Theatre Club in 1929. 

It's presented now by Henry 
Sherek, with direction by Murray 
Macdonald, Unknown repertory 
actress Kathleen Michael is being 
universally acclaimed in her first 
West End appearance as the woman 
Condemned with her lover for her 
husband's murder, 

"Musical Chairs," which Opened 
at the Playhouse Friday (9), was 
well received. The revival, splen- 
didly acted and produced, and 
starring iUchaid Bird, isn't out- 
moded alter 17 years and has an 
even chance of success. It was 
transferred from the Arts Theatre 
Club. " 



Davidson Pacts 2 Shaw 
Tours; Stevens to Head 
New Radio-Tele Dept. 

James A, Davidson Management 
has added Edmond St. John 
Stevens to its stall. The former 
ABC night program manager will 
head up a new radio-tele depart- 
ment for Davidson concert artist's. 

Bureau has also lined up two 
concert tours for the recentiy- 
formed Robert Shaw Chorale, 
which it placed on NBC as current 
summer sub for Edgar Bergen. 
Chorale has been booked for six 
weeks each this fall and next 
spring, to tour as far west as the 
Mississippi,, giving concerts nightly. 

Fall tour will start shortly after 
the cuiTent radio stint, with Shaw 
going along as Regular conductor. 
He'll resume his Juilliard and Col- 
legiate Chorale duties during, the 
winter. 



TbMir* Guild'* 

Liawreiice Langiier 

GMa tlie TV Lily and 
Foresees Medium's tmpaet 
Towards Elevating 
Public Taste 
* « * 

An Editorial FcatHr* in 

3d Annual Sptctal 
RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBER 

. Out This Month 



T-r 



Merman Vacations 

With Ailing Daughter 

Ethel Merman, currently vaca- 
tioning from "Annie Get Your 
Gun," at the Imperial, N. Y., will 
be at Glenwood Springs, Colo,, 
until, her return to the show 
Aug. 16. 

Star is accompanied by her 
three-year-old daughter, who has 
bYjen ill chronically for several 
months. 



MPLS. SYMPH HAS $1,024 
SURPLUS FOR 1947-'48 

Minneapolis, July 13. 

The Minneapolis Symphony Or- 
chestra closed its 1947-'48 .season 
with a $1,024 surplus, according to 
its treasurer's report. Total ex- 
penditures for the past season were 
$344,000, including a $6,000 addi- 
tion to the association's reserve 
fund, the report Shows. Pledges to 
the guaranty fund totaled $133,252. 

Loring M. Staples, Minneapolis 
attorney, was named the associa- 
tion's new president. Expenses 
for the 1948-49 season will be 
$30,000 over previous years, due to 
salai-y raises given orchestra mcm-^. 
bers', he said. 



Jerome Chodorov's Solo 

Jerome Chodorov, vacationing 
in Europe, is working on a play 
for possible Broadway production 
this season. Previously, Chodorov 
has either collaborated with Jo- 
seph Fields or done adaptations. 
Max Gordon, who produced "My 
Sister Eileen," "Junior Miss" and 
other Cliodorov-Fields jjlays, will 
probably get first look at the new 
piece. 

The recent abandonment of the 
projected musical version of "My 
Sister Eileen" resulted from the 
authors' inability to work out an 
agreement "with Columbia Pic- 
tures, which controls the sci-een 
rights. 



Joyce's One U.S. Booking 

Philadelphia, July 13. 

Eileen Joyce, British concert 
pianist and wife of theatrical agent 
Christopher Mann* arrives in tlie 
U. S, Saturday (17) to give one 
recital at Hobin Hood Dell here 
July 20. She'll return to Britain 
immediately afterwards. 

This w'ill be her first booking in 
the U. S. 



Actors' Lab Preem 

Los Angeles, July 13. 

World premiere of Arnold Man- 
off's play, "All You Need Is One 
Good Break." will tee off a sum- 
mer theatre schedule slated for 
weekend presentation by the Ac- 
tors' Lab Workshop. 

Other plays lined up are George 
Bernard Shaw's "Androcles and 
the Lion," Thomas Dekker's "A 
Shoemaker's Holiday" and Robert 
E. Sherwood's "Abe Lincoln in 
Illinois." 



•Wedneeday, July 14, 194B 



Chi B.O. So-So; Repeat 'Annie' 266, 
'Shoes' SRO$38,m 'Money $10, 



UBCITIllfATB 



Chicago, July 13, 4 

Expected boost in legit revenue 
*j^„i furnitui'e eonvention rtele- 
gates didn't materialize, but all 
SlioWs except "Annie Get Your 
GUii" were well above the break- 
even figure, with "High Button 
Shoes " continuing to be sold out 
"Annie," which opened July 5, did 
about half the weekly gross that it 
hit several months back. 

There's nothing new on the 
agenda until after Laboi: Day The 
Blackstone is to be completely re- "Sweet hearts, " with Bobby Clark 
modeled with new seats, carpeting third In the Civic Light" Opera 
and a complete paint job beginning series, is set for the Current next 
this week. : Monday (19). 

Estimates' for Last Week , I ■ , — ^ . '■ ■■ ,: ,. 

"Annie Get Your Gan," Shu-] 



'Wiiislow Boy' Neat 21G 
la First Frisco Week 

San Francisco, July 13, 
"The Winslow Bov" opened at 
the Geary (1,550; $3.60) Monday 
(5) to rave reviews, and as result 
chalked up a strong $21,000 for its 
first week. 



WITH $21,000 FINALE 

Boston, July 13. 



fine fashion for Joan Edwards, ill 
with bad throat 

"For Love or Money," Selws'n 
(3d wk) iliOOO; $3.71). Present $10,- i 
000 figure is on the profitable side. I Finj)l session of "Oklahoma!" 

"lUffh Button Shoes," Great I a1 the Opera House last week 
Northern (8th wk) (1,500; $6.18). | dropped the curtain On the Hub's 
feme old but pleasant song; $38,- | legit seascm. Show had a great run 
000 sellout. I here, dropping off a little in its 

"John lAJves Mary," Harris (22nd I final weeks, but the take is con- 
wk) (1,000; $3.71). Now in fifth j sidered plenty good for this time 
month with okay $12,000- for lastjof year. Last week the 3,000-seat 
week ^ : : ^ Opera House did an estimated $21," 

000, much better than the previ- 
ous week due to closing notices. 
Season resumes early with 
Monte Proser's musical, "Manhat- 
tan Towers," set for the Shubert 
about Aug. 9. Both the Opera 
House and the Wilbur resume 
Labor Day; the former with i re^ 
turn engagement of "Allegro," the 
latter with "Grandma's Diaiy," 

Local strawhats meantime are off 
to a goOd start, indicating better 
takes than last year. 



In Week at St. Loo 

. , St, Louis, July 13. 

A downpour of rain interrupted 
snd then washed out the opening 
of Rudolf Friml's musical, "White 
Bagle," in the Municipal Theatre 
Assn. s al fre.fco playhouse in For- 
est Park last night (Monday). The 
piece, based on Edwin Milton 
Koyle's drama, '^Squaw Man," is 
being presented locally for the first 
time. - 

Despite hot and humid weather 
and threats of rain all d^y, 9,000 
i customers were on deck for the 
! teeoff, with the gro.ss approxi- 
imately $3,500. Brian Sullivan, 
tenor; Helena Bliss, soprano, and 
j Martha Wright have the leads. 
I Jack Sheehan and Doris Patson are 
cast In the comedy roles. 

With the opening niglrt of "The 
Three Musketeers" washed away 
by a cloudburst, it wound up its 
I one-Week engageraient Sunday (11). 
With a nod fronv the critics and 
good word-of-mouth, it lured 60,- 
000 payees for a gross of approxi- 
mately $40,000. 



U.S.PlaysIo 
Jap Comeback 

Tokyo, July 1. j 
American plays, slow to make a | 
comeback in Japan, will soon be i 
a regular part of Tolsyo theatre 
fare. Two U. S. plays — "Our 
Town" and "Three Men On a 

Horse" did nice biz in typical 

short Japanese runs last month, 
and at least 13 more have been 
copyright-cleared for Nipponese 
performance and will 



'1 Big Union' 

Continued from pvge 49 ; 



cated unofficially that in case a real 
. . consolidation i>rogram is adoiited 
• . . * . i by the other aifiliates it wUl take 

produced before the year is over. ^^^^ television jurisdiction 

"Yes, My Darling Daughter," | without further ado. As everyone 
now in i-ehearsal, will open July i concerned frankly admits, jurisdic- 



26 for two weeks. Already trans- 
lated and ready for production are 
"Skin Of Our Teeth,'" "Abe Lin- 
coln in Illinois," "On Borrowed 
Time," "Ethan Frome" and 
"Liliotti." "tfo Time for Comedy" 
and "Yellow Jack" *re now being 
translated. 

Other pla.vs on which Japanese 
performance rights have been ob- 
tained by the Army's Civil Affairs 



(ion over video is the crux of the 
situation. 

Financial Setup 

It's estimated that the first year's 
budget for the unified 4A'8 would 
1 be nearly $1,500,000. That would 
j include a top executive at $25,000, 
I an assistant at $12,500, rent of $7,- 
500, around $30,000 for clerical 
personnel, about $20,000 to install a 
filing system,-approximately $15,000 



Dept. and turned over to Civil In- attorney fees, and large sums for 
formation anil Education Section < phone and wire services, conven- 
here for negotiation with Jap pro- j tij,„ expenses, travel, etc. 

S""™tr%^k.^ld"-4he: At the slart AFRA could eon 
vSoflh!^^!^ '^"^ tribute $175,000. AGVA $50,000, 



Except for LIUian Hellman's 
"Watch on the Ehine," which was 
produced in Tol^O in 1946, "Our 
Town" and "Three Men" were the 
first American play^ staged com- 
mercially in Japan .since before the 
war. Two British works— "The 
Mikado" and John Drinkwater's 
"Abraham Lincoln" — have been 
performed here since the war. 



I Chorus Equity $17,500, SAG $132,- 
000, Screen Extras Guild $50,000, 
and AGMA $15,000. Chorus Equity 
now? has an annual income of be- 
tween $50,000 and $60,000, with 
operating expenses of $3S,000 and 
a surplus of $223,000. AFRA has 
about $350,000 annual Income, 
$325,000 operating expense, and 
$358,000 surplus. AGMA's income 
is $50,000. expenses $43,000, isur- 
plus $16,500. Equity's hicome is 
around $223,000, operating expense 
$123,000, surplus $803,000, and real 
estate $51,000. SAG has $275,000 
Income. $264,000 expenses, and 
rortuie'heif^.~i;ks teeni;jrcha^d \ $562,000 surplus. SEG has $122,000 
l«r the Shnberts for Broadway pro- income, $90^000 expenses $'^4 000 
duction next fall. Deal has an un- surplus. AGVA during "s uncer- 
Usual anele inasmu(<h a«! the film I ta"> y^a*' ending June, 1947, haa 
right/a^eadrwerrdisDosed of i"™""'- $439,000 expense, 

Pi^y was'^^d at** rTeddtg- ' -,^$«f.000 casl. balance^ ThereJ; 
ton studios by Associated British $23,000 m a *A's television fund, 
as "SUent Dust." Piece went into the 4A's treasur.v contains $13 OOa 



London, July 13. 
"The Paragon," currently at the 



production on the lot prior to 
stage bow i» the West End. 

Unit's New Musical 



its 



and the oi-ganizAtion has $40,000 
ailnual income from per capita 
dues. 

The estimated salaries of the top 
executives of the various affiliate 
„Menasha Skulnik in "What A j "ni™^ follows: 

SdyTlrlifs^ S?ly*Sed, 
pVi'an^a^ ^v^u"?na«e |got $6 000, plus $2,500 as head of 
William Holland's 1948-1949 season the 4A s.) 

«t the Second Avenue theatre, I Geo'-fie HeWer, AFRA, $20,000 
N, Y., on Oct. 13. The comedian 



•too will stage the show. 

SULCmOB GBOUNDED 

, U. s. Army's neeld for planes to 
supplies into Soviet-sur- 
founded Berlin brought Lauritz 
Melchior baick to New York last 
*eck sooner than Ife had expected, 
wnger was on an Army-sponsored 
concert tour in Germany when his 
^y was cut short by lack of planes 
**,tKinsi)ort him. 



(from the national and N. Y. lociil). 

Hvman Faine, AGMA, $8,000 
('also $5,000 as acting exec of 
AGVA). ■ 

Huth Richmond, Chorus Equity, 
$5,000. 

.Tack Dales, SAG, $18,000. 
Dick Gordon, SEG, $10,000. 



Carousel' 36G, Vancouve 

Vancouver, .July 13. , 
"Carousel" pulled a gross ^ ot 
$36,000 in eight performances last 



*,Jj,«chior will sing at LewiSohn j week at the International Cmema 
sadlum. N. y., tomorrow nJght Theatae si 



CThurs.).' 



x.H^ouio switched from its regu- 
lar Mm policy for the engagement. 



'Widow' $3m 
'Urn' 24^26, As 
Heat Hits LA. 



' Los Angeles, July 13. 

Start of real hot weather held 
down legit grosses somewhat last 
week, but extra holiday matinees 
helped overcome what might have 
developed into wholesale lethargy. 
Best biz percentagewise was done 
by "Lend An Ear," which is show- 
ing signs of developing into a 
Coast institution witli the advance 
sale growing steadily every day. 

No newscomers ar6 slated for 
this frame. - 

Estimates for Last Week 
"Blackouts of 1948," El Capilan 
(316th wk) (1,142; $2,40). Holiday 
shows pushed it up to a swell 
$18,000. 

"Lend An Ear," Las Palmas (4th 
wk) (388; $3.60). Extra shows made 
the take reach $6,600. 

"Private Lives," Biltmore (1st 
wk) (1.636; $4.20), Theatre Guild 
subscription combined with hot 
weather to keep dollar-volume 
down, but still okay $24,500. 

"Separate Rooms," New Beaujc 
Arts (8th wk) (560 $3), So-so 
$3,800. 

"Sweetliearts," Philharmonic Aud 
(3d wk) (2,670; $4.20). Dropped 
sharply to $34,000. 

"The Merry Widow," Greek the- 
atre (1st wk) (4,419; $3.60). Open- 
air theatre's opener an okay $32,- 
500, but below hopes. 

'HARVEY' 21G IN STflDX. 
WEEK; 185G FOR RUN 

Washington, July 13. 

The Nationifil theatre closed its 
run of "Harvey" with Frank Fay 
in a blaze of gloi-y having made 
$185,000 during the eight weeks of 
tenure. Last week's gross amount- 
ed to $21,000. 

"Oklahoma!" moved into the 
National Monday (12) as the fin.il 
legit showing for that theatre. Ed- 
die Plohn, manager, estimates that 
Washington's only legit will be 
converted to pictures about the 
middle of September. "Oklahoma!" 
plays until July 31. 

(t 

Current Road Slwws 

(JttlV 12-24) 

"Annie Get Your Gun" — Shu- 
bert, Chi. (12-24). 

"Blackouts of 1948'^— ^El Capitan, 
L. A. (12-24). „ _i 

"Carousel"— Mayfair, Port. (12- 
17)- Aud., Oakland (19-24). 

"for Love or Money" — Selwyn, 

^"IliKh Button Shoes"— Gt. North- 
ern Chi. (12-24). 
"John Loves Mary"— Harris, Chi. 

'^"Oklahoma!"— Nafl., Wash. (12- 
24) 

"Oklahoma!"— Aud., Sacramento 
(12-24) 

"Private Lives"— -Biltmore, L. A. 

(12-24) 

"Winslow Boy" — Geary, Frisco 

(12-24). ■ . ■ 

'Okla!* 44'/2G, San Diego 

San Diego, July 13. 
"Oklahoma; '. playing the Ru.ss 
auditorium here last week, grossed 
a huge $44,500 in eight perfoi-m- 

SI1C6S. 

Mu.sical moved to Sacramento 
for this week. 



B'way Still Gro^ From Heat Wave, 
With Biz Spotty; m' 366 in 6, 
'ke' Sets Record WMi 63G in H 



With the heat wave still blanket- 
ing Broadway and the expected in- 
flux of vacationing tourists just 
beginning to trickle in, theatre at- 
tendance was spotty last week. 
After the brutal business over the 
July 4 weekend, things began to 
improve late last week, but week- 
ends continue light. The two-for- 
one policy is keeping several shows' 
afloat. 

Four productions folded Satur- 
day (10) and several oUiers will 
have to shutter if trade doesn't 
better soon. Tho,se folding last 
week were "Allegro," at the 
Majestic; "Look, Ma, I'm Dancin'," 
at the Adelphi: "Ballet Ballads." 
at the Masic Box, and "Me and 
Molly." at the Belasco. 

Estimates for Last Week 

Keys: C (Comedy) i D lOraina), 
CD (Ccmedy-Dmma), R (JRevue), 
M (Musical). O (Operetta). 

"Alleero," Majestic (39th wk) 
(M-1,69S; $6). Alter doing great 
business since the opening last 
October, the Rodgers-llainmerstein 
mu.sical skidded sharply in recent 
weeks and had to call it quits 
Saturday (10), with a losing gross 
of $19,800 for the finale. WUl tour 
in the fall. 

"Ansel In the Winits," Coronet 
(31st wk) (R-998; $4.80). As with 
several otiier hits, attendance be- 
gan to clunb back in midweek, 
after hitting bottom the holiday 
weekend; $11,000 estimated; weekr 
end top cut from $6. 
- "Annie Get Your Gun," Imperial 
(113th wk) (M-1,472; $6.60). Down 
again to $26,000, hut continues in- 
definitely; Mary Jane Walsh sub- 
bing for Ethel Merman, who's 
vacationing until mid-August. 

"Ballet BaUads." Music Box (8th 
wk) (M-977; $4.80). Although the 
gross climbed again to $9,000, the 
management. E. Edward Hamble- 
ton and Alfred Stem, decided to 
close it Saturday (10), after addi- 
tional financing wasn't forth- 
coming. 

"Born Y«»terday." Lyceum (127th 
wk), (C-993; $4.80). Longrun 
com^y also hit the comeback trail 
.starting last midweek; nearly 
$11,000 estimated, and due to con- 
tinue indefinitely. 

"Brisadoon." Ziegfeld (70th wk) 
(M-1,628; $4.80). Another longrun 
musical that got a needed hypo 
starting last weekend; $19,200 
claimed. 

"Command Decision," Fulton 
(30th wk) (D-968; $4.80). War drama 
held about the same pace, but is 
limited by the prevailing light 
weekends, pending J^e seasonal in- 
flux 'of out-of-town vacationers; 
$13,000. 

"Finian's Rainbow," 46th Street 
(7eth wk) (M-1,319; $6). Musical 
comedy stayer reversed its recent 
skid, getting around $25,000 on the 
late-week rise. 

"Harvey." 48th St. (194th wk) 
(C-902; $4.20). After three and a 
half years, the Mary Chase comedy 
still draws; climbed a trifle over 
the previous week's low to $8,500. 

"High Button Shoes," Shubert 
(30th wk) (M-1,387; $6). Smasii 
musical felt the general slump 
early m the week, falling below ca- 
pacity the first time, at $34,000, 
but was improving' late in the 
week. 

"Howdy, Mr. Ice," Center (3d wk) 
(R-2,994; $2.83). New skating spec- 
tacle played two extra perform- 
ances, getting $63,000 in 11 times, 
for what the management believes 
is a new Broadway record; capac- 
ity would have been $64,000. 

"Inside. C. S. A.," Century (10th 
wk) (R-1,670; $6). With Beatrice 
Lillie's illness cancelling two per- 
formances, click revue got S36,000 
for six times. 

"Look, Ma. I'm Dancin'." Adel- 
phi (23d wk) (M-1,434; $4.80). Gen- 
eral slump forced the closing of 
this musical; about $15,000 for the. 
finale. Fall tour is doubtful, as 
Nancy Walker will probably do an- 
other shcmr. 

"Make Mine Manhattan," Broad- 
hnrst (26th wk) (R-1,160; $6). Revue 
also .sulfering from tlie prevailing 
slump; still far undei; recent attend- 
ance at an estimated $24,<)00. 

"Me and Molly." Belasco (20th 
wk) (C-1,077; $4.fi0), Gertrude 
Berg comedy couldn't weather the 
downward trend and closed Satur- 
day (10) with a final week's $6,500. 

"Mister Roberts," Alvin (21st 
wk) (CD-I, 357; $4.80). Comedy 
smash was one of the few shows 
not to be hit by the slump; only 
variation is the number of Standees; 
$34,.'H)0 again. 

"Strange Bedfellows,'^ Morosco 
i26th wk) (C-935; $4.80). Still down 
to $7,000, not enough to continue 
much longer as the show is now 
geared. 

"Strettcar Named Desire," Bar- 



ry more (32d wk) (D-1.0S4; S4.80). 
Pulitzer and Critics Prize drama 
al.so held to capacity, with only the 
number of standees affected; $27,- 
300. 

"Tlie Heiress," Biltmore (41st 
wk) (D-920; $4.20). Costume drama 
was badly hit over the holiday 
weekend, but recovered laeginning 
with tlie Wednesday matinee; aixnit 
$10,000 estimated: Is doing well 
with two-f or-ones. 

"The B«spertful Prostitute" and 
"The Happy Jonraey," , Cort {17tii 
wk) (C-1.064J $4.20). Somewhat 
improved; about $8,000. Also pull- 
ing extra business with "tvvofers." 
REVn'AJjS 

"The Pla.y's the Thinis," Booth 
(11th wk) (CD-712; $4.80)s Broad- 
way's only revival held about the 
same pace; $8,000. 




s 



$12,9WTdePI$e. 

What may emerge as the top tel- 
evision dramatic series yet sta^d 
\.'as set this week with the inl^og 
of Pliilco Corp. to sponsor a one- 
hour legiter over the NBC-TV web 
Sunday nights in cooperation wltti 
Actors Equity Assn. Sfaow to ten- 
tatively scheduled to tee off some 
time in the early falL 

Shows are to Ik budgeted at 
$12,000 each i.nder the plan origi- 
nated by the Music Corp. of Amer- 
ica, wliich would make the series 
the oiost costly to date on TV. 
Figure includes $1,300 per wete^ 
w^cfa is to be turned over to tilt 
Actors Fund. 

Under the plan, legit pUtgHts 
would ije used exclusively, ' with 
the original casts to be used wher- 
ever pos.siblc. Both Philco and 
MCA had hoped to be able to pre- 
sent current Broadway produc- 
tions. According to an NBC-TV 
spokiesman, however, that's pretty 
much out of the questi4Bn, lietii be- 
causc of legit producers' fears that 
te'«casts of their plays mi^t hurt 
their Imxoffice and because of the 
difficulty in clearing rights to the 
current shQw.s, many of which 
would foe up fax sate to film inter- 
ests. As a result, it's believed 
most of the series will feature gjffit 
Broadway shows, similar to those 
now staged on. NBC-TV by the The- 
atre Guild and the "Kraft Tele- 
vision Theatre." ' 

Actors are to receive a minimum 
of $250 weekly, including their re- 
hearsal time, pending the estab- 
lishment of minimum wa&s rates 
by the Associated Actors and 
Artistes of America tele commit- 
tee, which Is presently nej;otiaiing 
with the broadcasters. Bert Lytell, 
a former Equity prez, is to handle 
the shows for the aeto:f«' uidon 
and may appear in some himself. 

With the new series taking over 
the Sunday night dramatic spot on 
NBC-TV, the Theatre Guild shows, 
which are also expected to switch 
over to a weekly basis in the fall, 
will be moved to another night. 
Which night it will be hasn't be«i 
determined. . 



Ned Warren and Bill Steuer, 
who have sciieduled "Happiest 
Day " as their first Broadway pro- 
duction, in the fall, plan to give a 
part in each of their forthcoming 
productions to .a. performer who 
hag never appeared on Broadway 
before. 

Edwaid Reveaux, director for 
"The Happiest Day," opens re- 
hearsals in August. 



Schwartz Sets Halpern 

Maurice Schwartz has signed 
Dina llalpern, Yiddish language 
dramatic name, for his first play 
of the season, "The Voice of Is- 
rael," scheduled to open Oct. 25 at 
the Yiddish Art theatre. N. Y. Miss 
Halpern la-ft sea.<ion played Portia 
in Schwartz's "Shylock and His 
Daughter." 

"Voice" -js a play of contem- 
porary life jn Palestine, by the 
Zionist writer, Elias Gilner. 
Schwartz will star. 



52 



I.BGITIIIIATB 



Wwliiesday, July 14, 1948 



Strawhat Reviews 



Coining Tliro* ilio Ilye 

Stockbridge, Mass., July 7. 

: BerkshSi'B PloyIic>u«e pi mluci iott of ilffl ran 
• with aonjya In two act s (rt s^"'J>Hjit by Wm- 
-1-811 IV Slunsell. Jr. Siura Arihiii; ICwnt una 
JSjmii iWlM'fl. S(ase(l by William Miles; 
a«|[ilii!;ji, .TaiYies IluHFiell: m'ii^ic suiici'VlseO 
Uy Kobeit M. l.swla; niusif vlaycii by. 
KifiBlnin-iJulIocli: Knsonilik. At Berlishlre 
Pluyhousu, St<icl>brli]ga., Muss, 

Jcui Aimoui Kililb Pellowj 

Ab'im liuiiix Amy Doiislass 



Gavin Haoillloii 
le«bi!i't Bni'na. . . 
Ollbert Burn»... 

Bcity Pitton 

John liii-hinniKl . 
Joliii Bniiltine. . . 



, ThiirHLtjii ■ Holmts 
i', .Arlhttr I^oiU 

Kay Vty 

....... .3u Hart 

.Keiidatt Clark 
>.'csblt 
i..;ffilm atl'aub 



James Plndlay. Wallej- C'bllsen 

'I'lis 'i'u llor lo«. K. Alcirka 

Rev. WllUani '...Hiunn Wick 

jMine9 Annom' Muse Clarke 

I'rot, DUgfwia Ktawart., . .I'liilHii tie f!allon 
Dr. John JlacKensile. : . . .AVllIiam iXtuiiuhiivv 

Kaueif (Silwoii l*at l»apert 

Anns M'lehoDs (ClarlnUal. ,. .. HcK-ii Shields 
Kttrl of Gleniialrii ............. .John ytraub 

Jatie aiax^vell, I>uvh£yia ■ 

Qt Gordon ........i,...^iii.v Diin.elan.1 

T^ailv Alloia Wnllai'i" Oliv Uuiibur 

l>u'.e oil' GoiOoii Sl:<l>letmi Kent 

■William Creech ■ Bruno Wick 



Warren P. Munsell, Jr.'s second 
try at playmaking is an cnterlain- 
ing comedy with music, as judged 
by the response from the audiences 
at this tryout spot. However, it 
lacks sutficient sturdiiiess to with- 
stand Broadway. 

The author has taken a period in 
the turlMiIent life of the Scot poet, 
Bobert Burns, dealing with his de- 

garture from the meager-producing 
lossgiel Farms, to the soeial life 
of Edinburgh in search of <fame and 
fortune. With fame and some fi- 
nancial returns ready to drop, in 
his lap, the shallowness of his pa^ 
trons' followers and the knee-bend' 
ing of the Scots to the British 
crown irk the poet; he denounces 
his patrons', and with a charge of 
treason, due to his writings, hang- 
ing oyer his head, he returns to 
• Ayshire. Here he starts life anew 
on a farm and is restored to his 
beloved Jean Ai'niour. The final 
curtain promises a happy future 
tor the poet of the common man, 
but history, of course, proved other- 
:wise. 

The aura of the Burns* poems 
and ballads which ai-e woven 
through, the story may help to gloss 
over the lightness of the charac- 
terizations with the exception of 
that of the poet. The playwright 
draws a well-rounded picture of 
the humorous, tender and honest 
.bard whose .love of all fi'eedom ex- 
tended to that of . affairs -of the 
lueart. His heart was ample to 
cover the affections of Jean ' Ar- 
mour, who bore him two children 
out of wedlock, and the love of 
Arine M'lehose (Clarlnda) with a 
few excursions on the side with 
the girls of the shire. These situa- 
tions produce some liumorous but 
bawdy lines. Better characteriza- 
tions of Jean and Anne would 
make for stronger drama. 

Arthur Kent, experienced in 
opera, concert and musical comedy, 
brings a pleasing, easy manner to 
thS part of the poet. In addition 
to a fine baritone voice, he knows 
his way about the stage. The 
dainty Edith Fellows, co-starred 
with Kent, injects as much life to 
the role of Jean as the playwright 
permits her. As Clarinda,. Helen 
Shields can give only her looks to 
a colorless part. The principal 
comedy is in the capable hands of 
. Joe E. Marks ( late of "Bloomer 
Girl"), and he gives a good ac- 
count of himself. Jo Hart handles 
the feminine comedy part ia ex- 
cellent style. The regular mem- 
bers of the Playhouse company. 
Amy Douglass, Kendall Clark, 
Gage Clarke and Pat Papert, pro- 
vide the proi>cr background for un- 
folding of the story. 

William Miles'- direction com- 
mends consideration for the same 
consideration for the same stint if 
a Broadway showing is made. James 
Russell displays his be.st designs 
in setting.s, especially that of the 
Mossgiol Fanii. Russ. 



Medford, Mass., July 7. 

Tuftg. Si;irrtni«r .Arena. iiroOUc-iioii (jC.nut.^U 
cal vevtte- with lyrics, luiiHit- ami -hKOj* by 
i'liyJUa StohK aiiir'.la[!k UiiliT. KiatitMl by 
,>ohn 11. WooilriKr. . J;>atnn».» i'lijlli.-) .su.hii, 
Jack. Uold'. Jilvolyn: .Moon». lliiao Carl in. 
.lolkTiny Kinie, Jolmny Coyl^. .Iwrn l''arr.'n. 
ICrnest: Rotftnheri;. Itiiby Kunmon-*. Ki-inK 
MacJJontiueh, Kinunoits uvhis*. At TiirL^- 
CoUe^e, Medforil, :Ma(j.H. 



First summer production of 
Tufts College strawhatter stacks 
up as a long list of songs of so-so 
quality Strewn over a non-existent 
framevirork. Whole is accepf.able 
chiefly for the personal api>eal ofc 
Jack Gold, who puts over his own 
lyrics with a neat tongue-in-clieck 
fashion. 

Revue is given in arena styled 
acts put on and ofi during black- 
outs. Some attempt is made to 
costume and stage the 14 numbers, 
but arena idea doesn't lend itself 
to a musical show despite John 
Woodruff's ingenuity in changing 
the points of focus. ^ 

Main appeal of the show is the 
promise implicit in the song titles, 
most of them based on good ideas. 
Such times as "My Man of Distinc- 
tion," "Legally," "When Winter 
Comes" and "Never Let the Sun 
Set on a Quarrel" come pretty 
close to clicking, but the basic 
horsepower, is lacking. ' Nor are 
they helped any for the accompani- 
ment of a single piano, very out of 
tune, and the amateur vocal qual- 
ities of the cast. Arrangements 
and piano playing ai-e by Preston 
Sandiford, pro Hub arranger, and 
okay. 

Show had a good house when 
caught, audience being largely 
summer school students and favor- 
ably disposed to the cast. But it's 
clear there's nothing of commercial 
possibilities in this layout, £(ie. . 



Play out of Town 



Heavenly 4«estiire 

Los Angeles, July 13. 

Bfiii Bard pioaurlion of t'Ortietly-fanlaHy 
in tJu-ee hcih (4 Bcenps) and iwoloK "by Ray? 
jjiond' Groaa. Biroirlea l>y 51icl\Ble.l AHaanirf. 
Openea at Ben Btml Playhouse, A., July 
7. '48. ^ 

Angel Sandy M^cDohald-Boy dft Pf>m!)erion 

AtiK^I Siini TEitiiin, . . . ^ Bt)i> Tinman 

Angel Foreman. ., i . ..S. A. HHUiaon 

Marcella Norton. . . .* .Perdita 

(leorge Xorlon ^ i .......... . . Irv ULilvin 

Henry Klrtvvuvt ............... .Don Stevfne 

.Tennle Fratiie. ^ ......... ^ .. -Ooiris Kpini'ei' 

.fajift, lite M:ijU , Aliivif"] WaUurli 

Klsa Ti'ent Mttrs:** Peimbfrton 

Bou Groasmcyei' .Max MAllinper 



O'CASEY'S 'GATES' 2D 
PROVINCETOWN PROD. 

The Interplayevs, young profes- 
sional troupe stationed at the 
Provincetown Playhouse, N. Y., for 
the summer months, are maintain- 
ing their superior performance 
level with Sean O'Casey's "Wi.th 
the Gates," second of three produc- 
tions planned for this season. 
Their first was Jean Cocteau's "The 
Infernal Machine" and. their next 
yi'ill be a theatrical rarity, "Him," 
by E. E. Cummings. : 

Group is displaying a healthy 
faring in their selection of diil'icult 
but worthwhile plays.. But, more 
important, they are staging them 
with integrity and considerable tal^ 
lent. 'Ann Stromberg, as tlie pros- 
titute torn between flesh and salva- 
tion, tiu-ns in the top performance. 
Other players rating bows are 
Harold Vincent Guardino, Trescott 
Ripley, Gene Saks, Henry Colman 
and Anna Berger. 

Micheal Vincente Gazza's staging 
neatly Imrdles the drawback of thi:; 
playhouse's tiny stage with an 
able assist from the park set by 
Charlie -Hyman and Bill Sherman. 
The play, which opened July fi, is 
scheduled to run until th« end of 
the month. 



Inside Stnff-Legit 



PARADISE 

Two unusuol New Jersey sacri- 
fices. Exclusive Estate Section. 
Ideal for enterldining. Beautiful 
views. Only 1 hour frorto New 
York. Would also make ideal 
year round company rest or 
vacation homes. Can purchase 
^completely furnished including 
limousine. 

THE VILLAGE 

REALTY ASSOCIATES 

Stat* Highway No. 32 
liBtking Ridg*, N. J. 
ri.una lariKinbvilb B-Uia w 1313 



Heavenly legislators, according 
to this script, are no better than 
their earthly contemporaries. 
They'll legislate against anything. 
Consequently, it comes as no gi'eat 
surprise when the Heavenly Con- 
gress passes a^ bill outlawing love 
triangles. However, , a 24-hour 
"trying out" period is agreed to, 
and "Heavenly Gesture" proceeds 
to explain what happens in an 
American family when — ^for a 24- 
hour period — only true love is per- 
mitted. 

The pi'emise is a funny one and 
author Raymond Gross has embel- 
lished his situations with some 
fine laughlincs and clever pieces 
of business. Script needs some re- 
writing, however, particularly in 
the third act, where Gros.s, making 
his bow as a playwright, cut his 
story off too abruptly. Doctoring 
should make this a pleasant road 
farce and it could easily serve as 
the basic for film fare. 

With the exception of one raem-^ 
her, cast is composed of students, 
many of whom look promising. 
Femme leads, Perdita and Marge 
Pemberton, handle themselves 
witlv assurance, and Max Mellinger 
socks over his laughline.s as a legit 
producer. Ray de Pemberton and 
Bob Hyman draw yocks with their 
"angel" roles. Cast's sole outsider, 
Dorris Kemper, delivers a fine 
comedy performance. Direction 
by Michael Visaroff is nicely 
paced. Kap. 



D.C. Legit Fades 
In Belasco Nix 

Washington, July 13. 
The Capitol's sole prospect of 
having a legit theatre after July 
31, when the National reverts to 
films, collapsed today (Tues.) with 
the Government's rejection of the 
only two bids for lease of the shut- 
tered Belasco. The oifers were un- 
acceptable, according to FederaV 
Works Administrator Philip B. 
Fleming, because the bidders de- 
manded to be reimbursed for any 
renovation costs in case the leai^e 
were cancelled short of its 1 0-year 
term. 

The federal official explained 
that the alterations and decorations 
for theatrical purposes would be 
valueless to the Government, which 
had purchased the building with 
the idea of demolishing it, but has 
been using it for the storage of 
old Treasury Department files. Re- 
imbursement funds in case of can- 
cellation would have to be ear- 
marked, he said. Also, one of the 
bids, requiring the Government to 
sell steam heat for the theatre, 
would require an act of Congress. 

Bidders for the theatre wei-e the 
American - National Theatre & 
Academy, which offered to pay 
$120,000 over the 10-year period, 
and Joseph H. Curtis, New York 
advertising executive and son of 
Columbia Pictures president Jack 
Cohn. who Offered $250,000 to 
cover the same period. Both had 
sought to use the theatre for the 
.presentation of pre-Broadway try- 
outs and touring shows. 

The city's present legit theatre, 
the National, switches to pictures 
Aug. 1 rather than altandon its pol- 
icy of racial segregation. The sit- 
uation was brought to a head last 
year by the insistence of Actors 
Equity Assn. on a clause in its con- 
tract with the League of N. Y. 
tiieatres, which bars the union's 
members from playing the house 
after .luly 31, unless the restric- 
tive policy is rescinded. ' 



Hurt in K. C. Mishap 

Kansas City, ^uiy 13. 
Two young actors were injured 
seriously when they felt out the 
second story stage-loading door at 
the Resident theatre during re- 
hearsals of "Alice of Wonderland" 
last Friday (9). Elaine Goodman, 
18( and Richard Swank, 22, were 
reported leaning against the wire 
mesh gate door when it gave way, 
and both fell to the pavement be- 
low,' . ■ . 

Miss Goodman suffered a frac- 
tured shoulder and an injury to 
the pelvis, Swanak^suft'ered a com- 
pound fracture of the left arm. 
The two are members of the Cecil- 
ian Players, a little theatre group 
which was prepping flie show for 
presentation outdoors at Unity 
Farm this week. ' 



N. Y. play agents,, usual intermediary between playwright and pro- 
ducer w ere accused by Maxine Wood, author of "On Whitman Avenue," 
of being "the bottleneck" In preventing- new scripts from getting out 
inte the country to be tried out by semi-pro or non-commercial groups. 
Miss Wood, writing in Sunday's (11) N. Y. Times, said that legit's tribu- 
tary outlets— university, little theatre, community groups— "feel keenly 
that the hooe of the American theatre lies in its decentralization and in 
a better working alliance between the professional and tributary 
theatre." ■ . 

"The paradox in the American theatre today is that though the pro- 
fessional theatre is shrinking, we are witnessing a growth of the com- 
munity and university theatre," says Miss Wood. If a playwright can't 
get a Broadway hearing because of high production costs, the tributary' 
theatre is an excellent and willing showcase. But the agent, she claims/ 
is apathetic, doing little to utilize this field. 

"Allegro," which closed Saturday night (10) at the Majestic, N. Y., 
illustrates the various ways a show can be rated a hit or failure. Since" 
the Rodgers-Hammerstein musical had for many months played to large 
grosses and a sizable operating profit, and seemed certain- to repay its;' 
initial cost, Vahiety classed it a hit at season-end recently. John Chap- 
man, commenting on the show s announced closing in the N. Y.. Nevis 
last Friday (9), commented on that aspect of the sittiation. Lester' 
Bernstein, in the same day's N. ^. Times, mentioned that "Allegro" 
hadn't repaid quite all its $250,000-$300,000 investment, but put it 
"definitely in the hit column." Actually, though the musical has nOf 
paid oft' from the Broadway run. it probably .will during its road tour, 
scheduled to start in the fall and cover the season. 



Basil Rathbone. star of "The Heiress," at the Biltmore, N.Y., has 
agreed to a revision of his financial term's for the show as long as 
business continues in 'the current slump. New setup' gives him a 
guarantee of .i;i,200. instead of $1,500. He'll Still get a percentage if 
the gross tops $12,000. Beatrice Straight, who recently suceeeded Wendy 
fliller as femme lead, gets a flat $300. Hers and oUier 'salaries in the 
cast aren't changed. ' \:' : • 



Plays Abroad 



Vienna, June 25. 

Aoadeniy Theati'e„iiroUuv'[ioti of <Mn\ie<.ly in 
thi'pa acts by Thftj l.inBcn aiiG . Franji 
Orihil/.. Dirrclf'fl ivy liinseiv. SgIh, YH^-a 
JucUmami: coatmnes, W. F. A'^elimieller 
arid A3. *?<jggeii3leiheJ-. . At Afa*lemy theaU-e. 
Viertnf*( June 25..'*48. . ~ . 

Stefan,.,,........... 

f Vn'iiPlia . . ; , . . . 
Beliaiie. i.., 
Cra.'^flUS. r . . . . . ;-;. « .. , 

PoniptihiK . . . . 

.lull Us C;ieij!i:i:. . . ... *. . 

PHseuji ( . . ... . 



,..Theo J.<ins:6n 

SusL Nh'Oleitl 

, . ..liulitH .lltiliimpister 
. . , . . 1 termniin Thimis" 
...... . .{ 'uvd Juevj^eiiii 

,,Otto VVilhelrii Flsi,-h«r 

KiJist Ptocfkl 

. . . , . n^L'Iciiid J£iiuncl»ei) 



Legit FoHownp 



INIireetear I¥amed llesire 

(BARRYMORE, N. Y.) 

The morbidity of "Streetcar" is 
no less striking with Uta Hagen 
and Anthony Quinn as temporary 
replacements in the lead parts 
created by Jessica Tendy and Mar- 
lon Bi-ando. Miss Hagen gives a 
performance that mounts constant- 
ly in her portrayal of the school- 
teacher tart, though the same 
cannot be said of Quinn. The latter 
hasn't the intensity, the shading or 
the sensuDusness suggested by 
Brando, and consequently he isn't 
as effective. 

Miss Hagen is' in for six weeks 
ending Aug. 6, while Quinn is do- 
ing three ending this week. They, 
along with Russell Hardie, will do 
the parts in the Chicago company 
opening Sept. 21, Mary Welch is 
another vacation replacement here, 
filling in for Kim Htmter. 

, Kahn, 



If • 



' 1 ! 



George JeAkins signed to de- 
.sign the scenery for "April Fool," 
new comedy by Norman Krasna 
and Gioucho Marx. Mary Grant 
Will design' the costumes. ' 

If J;.r- . >.' . 



A dull legit sea.son has wound up 
with eclat. "Theophanes" is a 
bright, sparkling comedy, a credit 
to author., producer and cast. It 
has real impact, and was well 
planned, AVith the characters on the 
whole astutely drawn. Only hit of 
the season, it should interest audi- 
ences abroad. 

Plot deals with- Theophanes, a 
slave, freed by Pompeius, who ac- 
companies his master on military 
expeditions. Yarn deals with prep- 
arations for another war, sprinkled 
with philosophy of the famed 
politician and writer, Cicero. 

What adds to the Entertainment 
is the fatt that the old Romans use 
modern implements. They dial the 
phone, for instance. Cracks at con- 
ditions in the old Roman Empire 
as against present-day conditions, 
cause hilarious laughter. There 
isn't a' dull moment. 

Thea Lingen, co-author and 
stager, is in his best comic style as 
Stefan. Judith Holzmeister and 
Susi Nicoletti play effectively. 
Hermann Thimig gives an intelli- 
gent portrayal of Crassus. Curd 
Juergens is good as Pompeius, the 
warrior. Otto Wilhelm Fischer 
(Caesari, Ernest Proeckl (Priscus) 
and Erland Erlandsen (Francois), 
are also aptly cast. Mam 



goes off with a young girl who 
has always loved him. 

Leopold Lindtberg, director of 
the Swiss films "Marie Louise" 
and "Last Chance," has staged this 
with great vivacity. It's full of 
brilliant ideas. Teo Otto's sets are 
perfect. Music by young Swiss 
composer Rolf Liebermann matches ' 
the fairy-like character of the play, 
perfectly. Excellent performances 
are given by Therese Giehse, 
Lukas Ammann, Agnes Kink, Kae- 
the Gold. Andreas Wolf, Erwin 
Kaiser and others, with fine team- 
work by the entire cast. Mezo. 



Budapest, June 29. 

^Iiivf^sz the.-itri* oi-tidm-IUth .of dninia In 
three aots by J.illinn Jlpllmali, Iranslolfd 
b.v liui'e K uiii i ve.-i. .Suir-1 Jrtive .Apufliy. \'ej'a 
Hennyel, J.jKsiilo J'-olfirtaiyl, .Ktiniln-i. T>t- 
reotUm and set b.v ZoKau Fabry; At iVUn'efszi' 
i Budapest. 

Ben llul)l>ai:'l ............. .l,asi-/.to Foldenyl 

Hoi-aoe Giddeiis. ............ Ini.ve .^pailiy 

.Oliviii Vera Sennyei 

Helty :^kirgll T. Tui-Ko 

<'liarl«M Jluijlutid . ...... k. . . .... ,.lun'o.s 

.Birdie. ....... ... ... . lui-i Kmnloa . 

(5tu-ry, .... . . . .,l..-<Rislo Deliaiiy .. 

William Mar.H)iall ... . ..loxsef Kepp,'*s<j' 

Ailrtie, . ..Mai'ta Komiy 

L'al. .. .... ....... . ; , ...Uyula lierl . 



Dor KHia^on 

(THE SHADOW) 

Zurich, July 6. 

Si-littusiiie.lliaiis prodnolion of eotn'edy In 
lliree acts Ijy .lewseni) Seliwartz. Oerraaii 
tranaluiloji by Tua 'I'liiKina nn Ktuijed by 
Ijeopold^l.incitbers-. Sel.i, Ton, Olio; miml( 
Kolf .Ijieberniann; At 

Kurlcli 

The- Stljolar. ........ : .... 

Shadow. 

.Plet VO. . . 

A nnuii'/.la t». . ,', 
Julia Gjnll 

Frinces.*!. , . . . 

Prime Minister. .. . . ..sii^fiVcl 'seimei^-nVei-K 

( .han.-illor. . . . . . , . . ., . . . «•„]( Benec.ketidorff 

Physklau , , Bd win Kaiser 



Schatiavlelhilus' 

. .. . . . Andi-eaa. Wolf 

. . .I.nl{aa Animann 
... .Gunslav (vnutli 

i....;.'l<f|pthe Gold 

.... ...Th^re.^je Glohse 

vAgnea Finlt 



This IS another interesting and 
successful preem, the last during 
Zurich's June Festival and of the 
legit season at Schauspielhaus. 
"The Shadow" will be put on 
again, beginning of next season, 
With same cast. The translation 
from Russian into German by Ina 
Tinzmann is good. Play would ap- 
peal abroad; in the U. S., too 

Play is a delightful comedy with 
many gags and satiric highlights. 
It's a fairy tale about a young 
scholar who sends his shadow oH 
to a. beloved princess to bring her 
his love. But the shadow material- 
izes into a human being, wins the 
princess' love and then tries to de- 
stroy his master, the scholar. The 
latter is beheaded, but simultane- 
ously the shadow's head falls off 
Both are brought back to life by a 
magic lotion. But now the shadow's 
power is broken and the scholar 
• ,• • , ......It,.'.., 



The Mqvesz theatre has scored 
consideraBle success with recent 
preemings of American plays like 
"The 'Voice of the Turtle", and 
"Deep Ai-e the Roots." "The Little 
Foxes" is ■ another success, and 
probably will run all summer. . 

Besides the play's leftist tenden- 
cies, chief success is due to the re- 
markable performances. A young 
newcomer, Juci Komlos. in the role 
of Birdie, gives a surprisingly dra- 
matic, touching performance. 

Imre Apathy, in the role of Hor- 
ace Giddens, has breathtaking dra- 
matic moments and in his last, dy- 
ing scene, is terrific. Vera Sennyei 
is excellent in the role of the cold- 
blooded wife, Olivia, 

Laszlo Foldenyi, as Ben Hubbard, 
plays with natural grace. Margit 
T. Turzo, also a newcomer, is good 
too. Janos Zach, as Charles Hub- 
bard, is also fine. .To-/sef Kepes.sy 
as Marshall, Marta Fonay as Addie, 
and Gyula Keri as Cal, fit perfectly 
into the ensemble. Direction of Zol- > 
tan Fabry is brilliant. The set, also 
made by him, is first class. Goal. 



Klpness Partners With 
Mt. Bookers on Musical 

Joseph Kipness will be part- 
nered with John Pransky and Al 
Beckman, resort-circuit bookers, in 
the production of "That's the 
Ticket," musical comedy with book 
by Philip and Julius Kpstein and 
score and lyrics by Harold Rome. 
It will not be a co-producer setup,, 
but will be billed as Klpness "in 
association with" the new pair, 
who are understood bringing in a 
sizable share of the financing. 

Show, to be staged by Jerome 
Robbins, is slated to go into re- 
hearsal late in August. No one is 
set for the cast thus far, but sev- 
eral Hollywood names are being 
sought, as come-on for investors. 

Kipness, a New York garment 
manufactm-eri is co-producer with 
Monte Proser o£ "High Bfutton 
Shoes." 



Wcdneetlay, July 14, 1948 



Literati 



53 



The 'Cwtosai/ 'Erotica' Market 

Wivile John S. Sumner and his 
co-zealots are raiding bookstores 
and harrying publishers these days 
in quest of "obscene" llteraiure, a 
■small but thriving trade in "curi- 
osa" and "erotica!" exists openly 
and without interference. Presum- 
ably Sumner's Society to Maintain 
Public Decency (formerly the Soci- 
ety for the Prevention of Vice) is 
aware of the risque book business, 
but figures it's too expensive and 
limited to corrupt public morals. 

The "curiosa" and "erotica" trade 
■ is conducted at book auctions; held 
regularly (the usual schedule is 
onoc a week) at the dozen or so 
auction galleries in midtown New 
York. Since all volumes are dis- 
posed of at auction, there are no 
standard prices. However, a check 
Of recent sales at one gallery indA- 
catcs that the items are generally 
rare or limited editions, frequently 
•with special bindings, and tend to 
he beyond ordinary budgets. Most 
are little-known titles a,nd many of 
the works are in a foreign langOtage. 

As with art works and assorted 
bricabrat*,- there's a small but eager 
market tor risque books. They are 
generally sold as part of private 
libraries and collections, usually to 
settle estates, and are advertised 
by catalogs circulated among regu- 
lar customers. The actual pur- 
chasers are mostly dealers or 
agents for private clients, acting 
either on specific instructions or in 
anticipation of a col lector'.s known 
taste. Titles are cataloged under 
tiie "curiosa" and "erotica" head- 
ings. 

The books have an additional 
reading public, however, mastly 
among A.K.'s with gamey appetites 
in literature. There is also an oc- 
casional scattering of round-eyed 
but knowing youngsters gandering 
the "curiosa" and "erotica" titles 
on the gallery counters, where all 
items to be auctioned are displayed 
for a week or so preceding the 
actual sale. 

Among the titles recently sold at 
one gallery are the following, with 
the price 4)aid, where known, indi- 
cated parenthetically: 

"A Three-Fold Utterance, Yet a 
Single Outcrv of a Man's Life- 
Truth," by William Piatt, illus- 
trated with nudes, etc., and musical 
scores by the author; published in 
London, issued to subscribers only; 
$7. 

"Klegant Tales, Histories, and 
Epistles of a Moral Tendency, on 
Love, Friendship, Matrimony . . . 
and Other Important Subjects," by 
the author of "Woman, or Histori- 
cal Sketches of the Fair Sex;" pub- 
lished in London, 1791; $3. 

''Opus Sadicum, a Philosophical 
Romance;" published in Paris, 
1889; limited edition; $27.50. 

"How the World Weds: The Story 
of Marriage, Adultery & Divorce," 
by Claudia De Lys; uncut and un- 
opened; $.5.50. 

"Arabian Droll Stories," trans- 
lated by Carlo de Fornaro, illus- 
trated by A. Zaidenberg; also "The 
Sword and Womankind," from the 
French of E. de Beaumont, and 
"Modern Slaves," by Claire Wil- 
lows; limited editions, privately 
published; all $16. 
(, . "Avanteures Galantes de Mr. Le 
Noble (includes "L'Avare Gener- 
«UX," "L'lnceste Innocent," "La 
Fein me Esclave Volontaire"); 
scarce; published in, Amsterdam, 
1710. 

„ "Les Ephesiaques de Xenophon 

• £phesien, ou les Amours d'Anthie 
. et d'Abrocomas, traduits en Fran- 
cois." Early edition of the worlc, 
attributed, to a 4th century Greek 
writer. 

. 'Xes Amants Ennemis de la 
Vertu, et Dorval, Philosophe Am- 
oureux;" two voUuiies. 

'La Femme Vertueusp"; ou le 
Debauche Convert! par I Ainour." 
by M. I'A D. L. G.; Iwo volumes, 
With half-titles. "Lettres publiees 
pour I'instruction de qiielques 

^ Societes, dans le genre des Liai- 
sons dangereu.ses." 

, ,"Sex in Prison." "Sex Life of 

, "je Unmarried Adult. " "Scientific 
studies in Sexual Degeneration in 
Mankind," Mark Twain's "1601." 
,,winu(;hs, Odalisques and Love." 
, Padlocks and Girdles of Chastity," 
Jfrench and Oriental Love in a 
*1jpeni," all in iine condition. 

Les Femmes et'L'Adultere de 
iAntique a nos Jours," by Fernand 
'Mitton; published in Paris, 1910; 
nne binding, limited edition. 
. 'Scatulogic Rite.s of All Nations," 

. gy John G. Bourke; "Voodoo-Kios: 

• pex-Life of tlie African Abor- 
Wnes.'" by Bryk-Fclix: "Erotic 
*»'ry Tales," by Abbe de 'V^oisenon. 

Scientific and Esoteric Studios 
{n Sexual Degeneration in Man- 
«nd and Animals," by C. S. Fere; 
tieshpots of Antiquity: Tlie Lives 
and Loves of Ancient Courtesans," 



by Henry Frichet, and "Sextrava- 
ganza," by Crebillon le Fils. 

"The Erotikon, an Illustrated 
■Treasury of Scientific Marvels of 
iiurnan Sexuality," by Augustin 
Cabanes, translated by Robert 
Meadows, illustrated, on sheepskin 
parchment, one of 100 numbered 
eoi>ies, privately issued for sub- 
scribers only, sumptuous binding. 

Time-Life's Film Shifts 
Donald Marshman, Time mag 
film writer, who resigned last 
week, leaves New Yoiit in early 
August for Hollywood. He's on the 
verge ol .signing on as a writer 
with a top indie unit at Paramount. 

Marsttman shifted to Time only 
three weeks ago from Life, where 
he had been editor of the picture 
section for the past 2'A years. He 
was being groomed to .succeed 
James Agee as film section writer- 
critic, on Time. Agee turned in his 
resignation last month, but is stay- 
ing on until the end of August. He 
plans to write a book. 

Time's plan, with Marshman's 
departure, is, to try various staffers 
in the Agee spot. In the meantime, 
Robert Wernick has been named 
film editor on Lite. He's a new- 
comer, having had no previous ex- 
perience in films or in writing. He 
got the job following submission of 
a series of letters criticizing Life's 
film coverage as "dull and unimag- 
inative." His mfaidcn effort is in 
the current issue of Life. He se- 
verely beats up the handling of 
fantasy in 'Mr. Peabody and the 
Mermaid" (U», "Sumpier Holi- 
day" iM-G) and "Dream Gltl" 
(Par). 



Willson, Ruark, Smith Due 
Meredith WilLson's autobiog, 
"And There I Stood With My Pic- 
colo," due Sept. 16 via Doubleday; 
he's the ex-N. Y. Philharmonic 
piccolo player who has since be- 
come a radio name. Anotlier book 
of humor, "I Didn't Know It Was 
Loaded," by Robert C. Ruark (illus- 
trated by R. Taylor) due a week 
later from the same pub. H. Allen 
Smith's— Larks in the Popcorn" 
t illustrated by Leo Hershfield), 
another in the humorist'.s amiual 
production line, is due Nov. 4, also 
via Doubleday. 

Wingy Manone, the one-armed 
trumpet player, has written his 
jazz autobiog, "Trumpet on the 
Wing," in collaboration with Paul 
Vandervoort 2dv foreword by Bing 
Crosby, for . October publication 
from the same firm. 



Noel Coward's Sequel 

Noel Coward has some 35.000 
words completed of his "Future 
Indefinite," sequel to his "Present 
Indicative." 

Latter,- Incidentally, set a mark 
in publishing circles by breaking 
down the prejudice against theatri- 
cal memoirs which, traditionally, 
were figured as no sellers. "Indica- 
tive" went 250.000 copies, very big 
for a work of this type. Doubleday 
again will publish. Book primed 
for next year. 



Double-Feature Editor 
Herb Mayes is doing the unusual 
in magazine publishing annals — 
editing two topnolch monthlies 
coincidentally. With the indefinite 
leave of editor Alan Gordon of 
Cosmopolitan. Mayes has taken 
hold of that mag. and is readying 
the October issue. 

In addition he is editor-in-chief 
of Good Housekeepin?, another 
Hearst monthly. 

Morehouse's New, Booh 
Ward Morehouse, who liked "The 
Fabulous Invalid ' as a possible 
title for his iutormal of the New 
York stage for the pa.st 50 years 
(1898-1948). has been offered a sug- 
gested substitute title by George 
S. Kaufman Who. with Moss Hart, 
coauthored "The Fabulous Invalid" 
plav. The proposed tag is "As- 
bestos Curtain." The N. Y. Sun's 
drama critic and editor also liked 
Noel Coward's "Cavalcade" as a 
tag. • ■ 

Whatever the title, he mu.st have 
his final m.ss. in by Aug. 1. and 
Morehouse is rushing it to Whit- 
tlesey House, which plan.s it tor 
February publication. 

Theatre Arts Books 

Theatre Arts Book.s. a new pul>- 
lishing house, has been organized 
to bring out .serious books about 
the theatre. Company head is Rob- 
ert M. MacGregor. book review 
editor and manager ot the book 
publishing department of Ihealre. 
Arts Mag beloie its ownership 
change last .lanuaiy. Assi.sting him 
will be Ro.'iamond GiUicr. al.so f 
former TAM stafi'er. 

MacGregor, who acted m the 
name of several of hi--* aulhoi>, 
managed to segregate t'e' li"" o""",; 
from TAM's sale and later bougiii 
the inventory of books in siock 



along with publishing riRlits to 
some 26 out-of-print times plus 
contracts for others being written, 
these will form the catalog back- 
bone of his new venture. 

At one time MacGregor was 
prompted to dispose of his inven- 
tory to an existing publisher but 
decided to proceed on his own on 
tlie basis- of increased demand for 
ni.s huldings which still were in 
print. Under a recent agreement, 
Crown Publishers will hapdle pro- 
motion and distribution of Theatre 
Arts Books in the retail trade. 
Among TA books in print are 

\n Actor Prepares" by Constantin 
htanrslavski. with an introduction 
by John Gielgud; Brooks Atkin- 
"Broadway Scrapbook" and 

Ihe Koiiio in the American The- 
atre' by Edith ,1. R. Isaacs. Firm 
has also acquired from Little, 
Brown the rights to Stanislavski's 
autobiography, "My Life in Art," 
tor August unveiling. 

Martin's Govt. Post 
Harry Martin, president of tlie 
A merican N e w s p a p e v Gu i 1 d . 
amusement ed of the Memphis 
Commercial Appeal and Variety's 
Alemphis inugg, i.s on leave of 
absence from all three posts for a 
Government hurry-up .job. Job is 
that flf top labor adviser to the 
Marshall Plan Administration for 
the Iff cooperating nations of Eu- 
rope. 

Martin is flying to London ,Iuly 
24 for a week of conferences and 
from there to Paris, where he'll 
headquarter as labor adviser and 
information specialist to Averell 
Harriman, the administrator. Mar- 
tin says he's being asked to 'do an 
impo.ssible task, that of winning 
and holding the complete coopera- 
tion of labor in Europe for the 
Marshall Plan. But he'll try. 

Vahikty is keeping tabs on him, 
as a sort of at-large correspoitdent. 

CHA'rrEB 

Hoagy Carmichael draws- a pro- 
file treatment in Esquire for Au- 
gust. 

Corncliu.s (Neil) Vanderbilt, Jr. 
in Germany o.o.ing the current 
political crisis on behalf of his 
newspaper syndicate. 

Frances Morin appointed Holly- 
wood managing editor of Photoplay 
magi under supervision of Ann 
Daggett, western editor. 

Ed Hill, feature editor of the 
N. Y. World-Telegram, back at his 
desk after a five-day hospitalization 
caused by a strep infection." 

Revised edition of Bernard Sor 
bel's "The Theatre Handbook," 
with 1,000 new items and about 
LOOO plays listed, will be issued by 
Grown next month. 

"Ashton Stevens had to encore 
at Passavant hospital. Chi, last 
week because he overdid it as soon 
as he came out following the re- 
cent protracted siege. 

Mystery Writers of America 
board of directors has abolished the 
organization's initiation fee and set 
the dues at $10 a year for associate 
members and $6 for affiliates. 

Wade Nichols named editor of 
Dell PublLshing's Modern Screen 
replacing Albert Delacortev A 
one-time freelance scribe, he also 
edited fan mags before the war. 

David H. Jo.seph. city editor, has 
been appointed assistant managing 
editor of the N. Y. Times, effective 
Monday il9). Robert iE. Garst, 
night city editor, is named city 
editor. 

Larry Cleland, "Comic Book 
King of Australia,'' in town for 
huddles with Fawcett Publications' 
execs. ManaginR director of the 
Vee Publishing Co., he represents 
Fawcett in Aussie. 

"Bet A Million!" by Lloyd Wendt 
and Herman Kogan. the story of 
John W. Gates, is due in October 
from Bobb.s-MeiTill; and "The 
Southern Country Editor," by 
Thoma.s D. Clark, in September. 

The Bob .Considines are making 
their first European trip .together, 
althoiigh he was over solo during 
the war. Hearst correspondent will 
cover the Olympics, but Mildred 
Considine will do Paris and Swit- 
zerland in between times. 

Russell E. Smith, former radio 
and film .seripter now with the 
San Diego (Cal.) Union, readying 
four books for next spring publica- 
tion. Titles are ''Hinterland Col- 
umnists." "I Walk with Gho.sts." 
"Prison Publication" and "Fighting 
Pamphleteers." , , 

Wtro homeoffice trade press 
contact Bill Orniitein is continuing 
to hit the literary quart.erljes, with 
two short stories upcoming in .suc- 
ceissive issues of "Decade of Short 
Stories." His "Be My Girl" will be 
published next week and "Danny" 
is .scheduled for the next i.ssue. 
probably in September, 

William H. Rose. Jr., of Harpers, 
has resigned as chairman ot the 
book distribution comniiltoc of the 
American Book Publishers Council, 
but continues as "Chairman of the 
sub-committee in charge of trade 
publi.slrcr relations with college 
stores. J. Randall Williams of 
Macmillan. succeeds as chairman of 
the book distribution committee. 



SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK 

Wf*4^+*^-M-»-f*-f*^ By Frank ScaUy ♦ ♦ ♦♦«♦♦♦ ♦ ♦♦ ♦♦ ♦ 

, Chien, Wyo., July 10. 

Despite the best-selliag interest of the Kiasey Report, HoHywocd still 
believes that the facts of life are best learned through the animal king- 
dom. Namely, horses, dogs, tigers and species which 4re neilher fish 
nor foul, but raertnaids are rated higher than m all-wife orchestra 
when it coines to revealing what every' bride should know. 

Though willing to go to almost any lengths in charting the life-force 
among the lower animals, studios are not always so quick> however, to 
give credit where credit is due. In 'The Emperor WAltz," for instance* 
on which Par spent 3,000,000 magnificent multicolored dollars, the dogs 
which supply the love interest in the picture arc not among the 12 
players and 28 staft'ers receiving screen credit by Messrs. Brackett and 
Wilder. 

Without these dogs to point the way there would be no plot-to 
"Waltz." Joan Font^e, who is. a thorough aristocrat from the tip of 
her parasol to the tail of her black French poodle, calls her dog 
Scheherazade. Bing Crosby, as the American traveling salesman . 
planting the lirst phonograph in Franz Joseph's Austrian empire, has' 
a foxlike mongrel named Buttons. Richard Haydn as Fram Joseph 
has a black poodle named Louie. The do^s rather than the actors give 
' the picture its inevitable triangle. 

A Marriaee Is Arraneed 

It is the emperor's hope that a marriage can be arranged between 
Scheherazade and Louie so they may produce oodles of poodles and. 
thus carry on in the highest aristocratic canine traditions, vfhich seem- 
ingly have tumbled a lot since Pythagoras introduced that trAnsmigintr : 
tion routine whereby Cleopatra- showed up later in history as your eat 
and Antony as your Roman greyhound. 

It is the task of Crosby and his Buttons to demolish clasTs distinctions 
from castles to kennels, though by the time the picture runs its dell^C- 
'ful 103 minutes the dogs are far ahead of the people, being in fact into 
their first litter before the countess and the salesman can fairly be 
established as engaged. Indeed, at the picture's end the Tyrol was 
reigning cats and doi^, and Leon Gutterman contended that the pic- 
ture might better have been called"A Litter To An Unknown Woman.'* 

Being dog lovers on all levels and poodle lovers -first, the Scully 
Circus refused to let this thing end wherji Par said "cut." W« went on ~ 
from where Mes^s. Brachctt and Wilder left oil. By how we ar-e tht . 
greatest authorities on poodles' since JLouis XIV took those Spanish 
' retrievers, set them up as eourt dogs to the kings of France and estab- 
lished That AwfulTrim. 
I . Boodles For Poodles ' 

i Scheherazade isn't the real name of the poodle which supplies the 
j romance for "Waltz." Her real name is Odette. Louie's kennel name 
; is King Cole. .Both are owned by Mr.«l. Herbert liiestand of Brentwood^ 
Cal., who owns 32 others, including the rarest of poodles, a silver- 
colored number called Astron Silver Star. Odette ha(l five pointy 
toward a championship before she decided to turn pro. A guy named 
Rud Weatherwax trained her for pictures. She and the other two dogs 
worked nine months on the production and among them the pooches 
made $25,000. Odette additionally has 45 minutes credit Of playing 
time in television. . 

As poodles go, Odette is not rare. She was one of a litter of eight 
of which Sonny Tuft's Coco was best knovra. Tina (Tourmaline Pala-^ 
tine) of the Scully Circus belongs to this family and is rarer because 
Tina is all brown and has not lost her color in nine years. Most do. 

All poodle-breeders know Tina. She is the most ogled pgodle in 
town. But she has had 24 puppies in her tim0 and feels she is too old 
now for this sort of thing. Actually she can still outrun a greyhound, 
and can catch fonvard passes over her shoulder that no Notr^ Dame 
end could even reach. 

Tina never barks unless strangers walk by at night and stop to ad- 
mire the view of Hollywood from Bedsire- Manor. She will join any 
game under any ridiculous conditions, and when we play ball in the 
desert and lack outfielders she will cover everything from left field to 
right, and if the catcher mufi's one she will race from the outfield and 
recover that one before he can. 

But all efforts of the last three years to continue her beautiful quali- 
ties into succeeding generations have flopped. So a month ago Aj;e 
tound a three-month-old poodle of Tina's brown coloring and creditable 
ancestry, including Tina's, Tourmaline strain. We ^ent weeks kidding 
Tina into believing she had given birth to a three-month-old pupp^'. 
By now she has accepted this synthetic job as an act of nature, Holly- 
wood being a town where adoption is almost 'as common as natural 
parenthood. 

Currently Tina is busy training Candy (Tourmaline Candide) how to 
be quiet in the presence of guests, how to ask for the bathroom, how 
to retrieve tennisballs, how to keep oif the grass, how to heel and not 
nip at heels in a town that's loaded with them, how to look at -a. roast 
duck and not steal it; how, th short, to be a model child for badly 
reared children to imitate. 

Tina could still be a world's champ if we would only trim her ac- 
cording to the conventions of the American Kennel Club. But we 
belong to the Dutch trim set, which is also called a modified Bedlington 
trim. Tina has told me on many occasions that she felt like an ass 
(a lower form of animal. life, in her opinionl when she was on exhibi- 
tion at dog shows and had to go around with that pom-pom trim of the 
old French court. 

In her happy-doy way, however, Tina is irresistible.. The Claudette 
Colberts and Ilka Chases can have their yapping toy poodles and conse- 
quently have their, pleasure cut down to homeopathic proportions. ■ ■ ^ : 
Better rhan Fala? 
In fact, if any candidate for the Presidency were smart he'd make 
a pitch for Tina as a running mate. For Tina is the perfect Candidate 
for vice-president. When she walks along the boulevards or Country 
' roads no voter can keep hi.s hands off her. Even Southern Democrats 
' melt and try to lick her paw. Children cry for her. 
I In shops, told to , sit at the doorway, she will remain indefinitely, 
; accepting all passing tokens of admiration without more than a few 
' flicks of her bobbed tail. Ordered to stay in the car and watch the 
baby and the groceries, she will resLst all temptations to poke even 
among the meat packages. 

A literary dog, her previous owners were Lester Cole, who is now 
I under indictment for refusing to let congre.s.STnen write his scripts. 
I Major Stuart Palmer, who wrote detective stories between war.s, and 
[Gene Gach, author of '!In the Army Now'' and now doing public rela- 
I tions for Warner Bros.' KFWB station in Hollywood. She loves to 
I sleep to the sound ot clicking typewrite)^ and lies underfoot when all 
I other aides-de-cainp have deserted. " 

I would not have you believe that she could convince Hindus, Mo- 
I hammedans and readers of the Old Testament that here was the perfect 
, dog and one that could wipe out- their age-old prejudices again-st all 
the 37 breeds which find favor in Christendom. She has a few weak 
: points. She will not eat unless assured absolute privacy. She is a snob 
' when it comes to letting other .dogs .sniff her except, it shames me to 
. actniit, dachshunds. 

i And wor.st of all she steals goldfish and chickens. Fortunately, on 
i Whitley Heights, where llie Scull.v Circus has its quarters, there are 
, no chickens. But one day she came home with a whole roast turkey, 
i For years we never talked about it. but by now the .statute of linii- 
I tations has run out on her felony, and sOfctofijJias the like|ihc>pd^of,her 
pa.<>sing on this faiblcsse to future geneniiibns'<5"pioodles, 



S4 



CnATTBIt: 



Vedncgday, July 14, I94» 



Kay Buckley ingenueing with 
Deer Lake (Pa.) strawhat. 

Johnny Greenhut (MCA) back to 
Work after kidney operation. 

Bill Doll has moved his legit 
publicity office to the Algonquin 
hotel. , ^ 

Daphne du Mauner returned to 
Britain Friday (9) by air after sev- 
eral months' stay here. 

Dr. Leo Handel, head of Metro's 
research department, now huddling 
with studio execs, on the Coast. 

Sanford Melsner is directing the 
first summer session of the Neigh- 
borhood Playhouse School of the 
Theatre. • 

Mrs. Ben Ooetz, wife of Metro's 
British production chief, to Eng- 
land last Friday (9) aboard the 
Queen Elizabeth. 

Alexander Smallens, conductor 
of the Radio City Music Hall orr 
chestra, will spend the month of 
August in Mexico. 

Lem Jones, Spyros Skouras' aide, 
Is going through a series of tests 
for ulcers he's suspected of baving 
achieved on the job. ' - 

Frank Sinatra's mother has re- 
turned to her home in Hoboken 
after four weeks' hospitalization 
with a heart ailment, 

Ted Saucier, Waldorf-Astoria ex- 
ploiteer, on the Coast for huddles 
with Metro toppers regarding the 
sequel to "Weekend at the Wal- 
.dorf." • 

Dore Schary's artistic brochure 
booklet in tribute to his mother, 
Belle CMa') Schary, who died re- 
cently, being circulated to his 
friends. 

John Joseph, Universal's ad-pub 
head, in N. Y. for two-three week 
stint, filling in for Maurice Berg- 
man, eastern topper, who's current- 
ly in Europe. 

Daniel Gould, Mills Music staf- 
fer resigned, and heads for the 
Coast this week. to join his sister, 
Sandra, who's wed to radio pro- 
ducer Larry "Berns. 

Metro' producer Sidney Franklin 
slated to arrive from the Coast 
next week, en route to Paris for a 
short vacation. He sails, aboard the 
Nieuw Amsterdam July '23. 

Irving Berlin expected in N. Y. 
this weekend and thence back to 
Bermuda where he is vacationing 
with his family. May go oyer for a 
European quickie next month. 

Harry and Mrs. Brandt hosting 
the annual party for the ' Inde- 
pendent Theatre Owners Assn., 
which Brandt heads, at their sum- 
:;nier home in Portchester, N. Y., 
July 22. 

Ted Goldsmith leaves for Cen- 
tral City, Colo., - Saturday (17) 
ahead of the New York company 
of "The Play's the Thing," which 
opens a three-week stand there 
July 31. ' 

Tenny Wright, Warner Bros, 
studio manager, returned to U. S. 
over weekend after inspection trip 
of company's Teddington studios in 
England, He planed to Hollywood 
yesterday (Tues.) 

George Jessel is double-featur- 
ing in the current and next month's 
Esquire. Jimmy Cannon's "Love on 
Broadway" piece features the come- 
dian-producer, and in September 
Earl Wilson profiles him. 

Jack Hyl ton clippered in Mon- 
day (12) and sails back on the 
Queen Elizabeth tomorrow (Thurs.) 
midnight, following N. Y. huddles 
on the Shakespearean Memorial 
Festival for a u, S, tour. 

Mike Todd, back from the Coast 
with his wife (Joan Blondell) Mon- 
day (12), is producing a legit musi- 
cal for next season to star Bobby 
Clark. Jimmy McHugh and Harold 
Adamson are writing the score. 

Carter Barron, Loew's eastern 
division manager and Washington 
studio representative for Metro, is 
recovering in Doctor's Hospital, 
Washington, from a knee operation 
resulting from an old' football in- 
jury. 

Van Heflin, who co-starred with 
Susan Hay ward, in Walter Wan- 
ger's "Tap Roots," Universal re- 
lease, into Philly yesterday (Tues.) 
from .the Coast for the world 
preem of the film at the Goldman 
theatre. 

When Mildred and Bob Con- 
sidine arrive at the Hotel Savoy, 
London, next Wednesday (21) they 
will signalize their first joint Eu- 
ropean trip with a cocktailery in 
celebration of their 17th wedding 
anniversary.! 

Charles Korvin arrived in New 
York yesterday .from the Coast 
preparatory to his strawhat ap- 
pearances at Bar Harbor antt Guil- 
ford, Conn., later this month. Last 
pic was RKO's "Berlin Express.'- 

Arnold St. Subber and Lemuel 
Ayers will hold another audition 
tomorrow night (Thurs.) for pros- 
pective backers of "Kiss Me, 
Kate," the Cole Porter-Bella Spe- 
wack musical version of "Taming 
•of the Shrew." 

Oscar Morgan, Paramount's short 
subjects sales chief, in a reprise of 
the role of grandfather with the 
DirtB to Wrsok and Glenna Neel of 
A oftugltteri Miranda. Morgan's 



soH'-in-law is a Warner Bros, sales- 
man in the Charlotte, N. C, teiTl- 
tory. 

Robert Weitman, N. Y. Para- 
mount managing director, off on 
swing around summer camps with 
the missus. They go to Grossinger's 
first and then visit one of their chil- 
dren at a Pennsy camp and an- 
other at Beacon, N. Y. 

Louis Sobol, who motored to 
Hollywood, writes he's restless al- 
ready for "the hot sidewalks of 
N. Y. and the pneumonia precincts 
of the aircooled 21 and Stork," al- 
though admitting the BevhiUs ho- 
tel is "one heluva swell summer 
resort." 

The Hal Homes have become 
quite the adept anglers, com- 
muting regularly to the St. Law- 
rence for the Izaak Walton act. 
They now have an Alaskan deep 
sea 'fishing invitation from their 
friends, the Ray Ryans, for end- 
Atigust. 

Maxine Keith, John O'Malley 
who handles the Versailles, and 
Joe L. Brown, son of comic Joe E. 
Brown, named to Monogram-Allied 
Artists staif handling publicity on 
"Babe Ruth Story," which world 
preems at the Astor July 26. 

Quite a show biz contingent to 
Europe on the Queen Elizabeth tor 
morrow (Thurs.) midnight sailing; 
the Jack Kapps, Bob Considines, 
Gene Markeys (Myrna Loy), David 
R. Sadowskys, Emile Littlers (Brit- 
ish producer has been scouting new 
plays here); also Jack Hylton, the 
Andrews Sisters and Lou Levy. 
"Les Mains Sales" becomes "Red 
Gloves" when Jed Harris directs it 
for Jean Dalrymple-Gabriel Pascal 
on Broadway this fall. Harris flew 
over to Paris again tills ^Veek, hav- 
ing been there a fortnight ago, to 
huddle once more with playwright 
Jean-Paul Sartre. 

Unusual tribute was paid last 
Friday (9) by New York oft'ice of 
the Motion Picture Assn. of Amer- 
ica to office boy John Durso on his 
resignation to go to California be- 
cause of his health. Entire staff 
gathered in MPAA board room to 
say goodbye and present him with 
a radio, 

Century Artists Ltd., merged 
with the Levee-Stark agency on 
the Coast, Century personnel 
comprises Dick Dorso, Marty Mel- 
cher, Al Levy, David Susskind and 
Letty Stever. Levee-Stark's stafl' 
includes Mike Levee, Sr., Ray 
Stark, Levee, Jr., Ben Benjamin 
and Bunty Lawrence. 

The Tom McKnights east for a 
month. She's the former Marjorie 
Davies, Metro starlet, and he pro- 
duces the. "Beulah" radio show, 
also co-authored special sketches 
(with Mort Lewis) for Bert Lahr 
in the forthcoming Shuberts' '.'Zieg- 
feld Follies,"; wherein Marlene 
Dietrich may co-star. 



m 

By Florence S. Lowe ' 

George Werner, Warner booker, 
back from a two-week navy train- 
ing stint. 

Marshall Young, singer on 
Arthur Godfrey airer, currently at 
Club Kavakos. 

Four suburban Warner houses 
gave free July 4. shows in a drive 
for community goodwill. 

Edward Arnold in town to em- 
ceg- a WMAL-NBC local radio 
show celebrating 150th anni of Ma- 
rine Corps orch. , 

Local Variety Club sponsoring a 
charity heavyweight bout between 
Ezzard Charles and Jimmy Bivins 
at Griilith Stadium, Aug. 2. 
■ Ted Weems in for a one night 
stand at nearby Chesapeake Beach 
Park, whose name^band policy is 
being engineered by booker Kay 
Ford. 

Cast of "Hand in Hand," new 
musical doing a barnyard turn at 
nearby Olney theatre, took time 
out for a show at Walter Reed 
Army Hospital. 



Jimmy Husson into Five O'clock 
Club. 

Hotel and nitery biz 40% below 
last year. 

Beachcomber show held over for 
two weeks. 

Paddock club featuring grind 
acts, with new "face" weekly. . 

Bill Jordan shutters the Bar of 
Music July 17th for .a three month 
vacash. 

Luis Del Campo replaced Carlos 
Ramirez at Glover Club latter 
heading for Cuba. 

Richard Lowe replaced Dorothy 
Raymer as amusement ed of the 
Miami Daily News. 

Island Club, new casino north 
of Beach, undergoing "expose" 
treatment by local dailies. 

Ned Schuyler planning refur- 
bishing and enlargement of the 
Beachcomber, now that Copa will 
definitely be rebuilt. 



By Borrah Mlnevitch 

Stella Adler still s, a. 
The flea market— a must! 
Paul Muni working on a script in 
Cannes. 

Ilya Lopert claiming Rosselini 
and so does everybody else. 

The reproducing arms on' the 
local phonographs weigh a ton. 

Rita Johnson's, Stanley Kahn 
having telephonitis and buying 
horses. 

There are more cops in the Bois 
de Boulogne on Sundays than baby 
carriages. 

NBC veepee John Royal gave the 
crack Lido show the twice-over 
before flying to B,A. 

Barbara Blair has the newest 
hairshade and coifl,'ure — baby pink 
and around the left shoulder. 

Boris Morros, producing here, 
brought his Hollywood wardrobe 
intact, i.e., all those colored shirts. 

Place Vendome. is like a swank 
car salon---the brightest and latest 
from all over are parked in front 
of the Ritz; 

If^ you believe the taxi drivers — 
De Gaiille. will come in power 
within three months . . . and then 
the Russians! 

You get a feeling Meyer Davis' 
citizen - of - the * world son, Garry 
Davis, would do an about-face for 
a good part in a B'way musical. 

More deals are made on the Nazi- 
worn carpet than at the ole Hotel 
Astor Hunting Room in N.Y. — and 
in millions too— francs, that is. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jules C. Stein driv- 
ing around in the car sensation of 
the year^the newest Buick station 
wagon with household trimmings. 

Bob Goldstein blew in with Bill 
Goetz and right away wanted to 
know where he could buy an old 
Picasso . . . what? . . . no new. faces? 

Page Balaban & Katz: The ushers 
in the cinemas here give you a 
dirty look if you don't tip hand- 
somely after they steer you to a 
seat you paid for. 

Local artistic talent looking west- 
ward. Notably Jack Tatti, the 
French Harold Lloyd; Toscano, the 
Valentino violinist; and Richard 
Joseph Inger, the Palestinian 
Chaliapin, 

Gregory Ratoff standing in the 
rain at Longchamps for no reason. 

Longchamps, scene of the French 
Derby, alive with all pre-war trim- 
mings — grey toppers, ascots and 
milady's finery ... until a heavy 
cloud sprang a leak and turned all 
fhe chic "chicks" into wet hens. 

Rita Hayworth iried Paris a 
couple of nights and then checked 
into the American Hospital for 
refuge and a transfusion. 

Hey you Park Avenue duplexcrs: 
the same thing here on the swank 
AVenue Foch costs you 120 smack- 
ers a year, if you can get one. 
That's due to the old French franc 
rate. But you pay a million francs 
for "the key" rights, i. e. the lease. 

Comparing ' prices: Bottle of 
brandy XXX— two bucks . . . filet 
mignon (best places) — one buck . . . 
luxurious suites first class hotel- 
seven bucks . . . movies (tops) ■ — 
50c . . . ballets, theatres (best seats) 
— about $1.75 . . . But where does 
one's money go! 

Our U. S. taxicab cowboys wear 
Buster Brown collars compai-ed to 
the vino side-swipers here; they 
drive by mental telepathy or some- 
thing, but outguess you at every 
turn and pass you head on; figure-8 
turns are OK right in the middle of 
the block, no traffic rules, no right 
of way, no cops, and what do you 
think?— no accidents. 

People you bump into: Gregor 
Rabinovitch, Eddie Robinson, John 
B. Nathan (Par exec). Miss America 
'46, Jack Hylton, Hedy Lamarr, 
Alex d'Arcy, Kurt Krueger, Harry 
Novak, Jack Warner, Al .Daft, In- 
grid Bergman, Lily Pons and her 
Kostelanetz, Jack Segal (Col), Sol 
Hurok, Charlie Feldman, Lew 
Parker, Belita, Roily Rolls, Joe 
Hummel, and the three Peters 
sisters! ; 

Hollywood guys who burn mid- 
night dough digging for titles for 
super-supers, look what they do to 
your brain orphans here. Try these 
on your marquee: "Embrassons la 
mariee" (They All Kissed the 
Bride). "The Mystere du Chateau 
Maudit" is nee "The Ghost Break- 
ers"; "Le Joyeiix Phenoraene' 
yclept "Wonder Man;" "Helzapop- 
pin" (Hellzapoppin). If you guess 
this one, we'll tell you Where 32 rue 
Blondel moved to: "Les Merchands 
d'illusions" (?). That's the French 
mouthful for "The Hucksters." 

Max Blouet, the managing direc- 
tor of the George V, is the make, 
and break social secretai-y of Who'& 
Who. in Paris. If you're not "in" 
the V you sheepf ully admit you're 
"out." The V Peacock Alley, ad- 
joining the bar, at 7 p.m. is the 
magnum magnet of the town, the ex- 
citement and hubbub reduces your 
6,000 miles of travel travail (if you're 
from Hollywood) to a mere casual 
"Hello"'— the little sausages served 
at the bar vie witli Lindy's. Good 



martinis 35c; coupe de champagne 
35c— and a parade of vedettes and 
coquettes too— yet, if you remain 
after 9 p.m. you're a "lost sheep 
or a rat with a double date, 



London 

Harry Foster disclosed secret 
marriage to American actress 
Frances Marsden. 

After shedding her appendix in 
Sweden, Christine Norden back in 
town and starting work in her lat- 
est film, "Saints and Sinners.' 

Kirsten Flagstad was clieered at 
a special concert at Westminster 
Central Hall July 7 given in aid 
of orphaned European children- 
Bernard Delfont, who recently 
bought the lease of the old Thea- 
tre Royal, Chatham, reopened the 
house as the Royal Hippodrome, 
July 5, with Allan Jones heading 
the bill. 

Douglass Montgomery signed to 
star in George King's production 
of "A Lady was to Die," in which 
he will play a. Canadian student. 
Exteriors will be shot in Wales and 
Blackpool. 

J. B. Priestley's latest play, 
"Home Is Tommorrow," is set for 
production in the Fall by the Lon- 
don Mask Theatre Co., and will be 
directed, by . Michael; MacOwan. 
Cast is headed by Leslie Banks. 

Three Rank films have been 
ciiosen to represent Britain, at 
Venice Festival — Two Cities pro- 
duction of "Hamlet," Cineguild's 
"Oliver Twist" and Archer's new 
picture, "The Red Shoes," not yet 
seen in London. 

Constance Cummings will costar 
with Francis Lister in a new play, 
"Don't Listen, Ladies," adapted 
from the French of Sacha Guitry. 
Alec Rea and E. P. Clift will pre- 
sent the show, which ran for two 
years during the war in Paris, and 
William Armstrong will direct. 



AUc City 



By Joe W. Walker 

Buck Clayton band into Paradise 
nitery. 

"Ice-Capades" doing nice biz in 
main arena of Convention hall. 

August Ehrles vacationing here 
and celebrating 28th wedding anni. 

Motorized rolling chairs soon to 
replace the hand pushed on the 
boardwalk. 

"John Loves Mary" opened last 
night (12,1 at Auditorium theatre as 
initialer for season. With David 
Lowe and Sue Davidson operating 
attraction of George Hamid's 
Million Dollar pier is television on 
100 sq. foot screen in theatre. Spot 
is combining amusements .With In- 
ternational Exposition. 



Shanghai 

^ ■ By Hal P. Mills 

^ Alec Kaplan, fflm distrib, in from 
bmgapore for a brief visit. 

Dick Butler, general manager of 
Grand Theatre here, planing to 
London. 

Mike Goldstein's orch into St. 
George s garden. It's an eight-man 
unit With tango, jazz and Hawaiian 
combos. 

Kuo Mei Ballroom added 
200 more hostesses to its staff. Ball- 
room, largest in the world, now has 
500 taxi dancers. 
_ Wounded Chinese soldiers forc- 
ing entrance to pix houses bV the 
hundreds, with police apparentlv 
powerless to halt them. 
... Newspapers are carrying pro- 
tests against Jose Conteras band 
playing at U. S. Navy officers club, 
alleging Conteras was a collabora- 
tor during late war. 

Members of the Slianghai Fed- 
eration of Musicians, which in- 
cludes American, Filipino, Central 
European and Russian musicians, 
f""^ an increase of 

100%. 

Jack Howard, local newspaper- 
man, bought half Interest in the 
newly-revived Shanghai Theatrical 
Enterprises. Agency books Shang- 
hai, Hongkong Manila, Calcutta, 
Rangoon, Bombay and other Par 
Eastern spots. 



Hoilywood 



Cecil B. DeMille awarded a Bel- 
gian Oscar. 

Frank Whitbeck recovering from 
minor surgery. 

Jane Wyatt recuperating after 
knee operation. 

Eddie Mannix returned from 
Honolulu siesta. 

Franchot Tone and Jean Wallace 
back from N. Y. 

MHce Todd in town rounding up 
naines for a stage show. 

Gradwell Sears in from NY for 
United Artists huddles. 

James R. Grainger in from N. Y. 
for huddles with Charles P. Skou- 
ras.-; 

Bob Hope back to work at Para- 
mount after working all through 
his vacation. 

Kathleen Hughes is new film 
name for Betty Von Gerkon, 20th- 
Pox contractee. 

Jane Darwell took her fir^t plane 
trip to Kanab, Utah, for "Black' 
Velvet" locationing. 

Walter Reed broke his right leg 
in a sequence on the -'Fighter 
Squadron" set at Warners. 

Tracy Barham, chief of Inter- 
mountain Theatres, in from Salt 
Lake City on his honeymoon. 

Milton S. Kusell in town for con- 
fabs with David O. Selznick on 
SRO domestic sales problems.' 

Charles Heidt in from Manhat- 
tan to' huddle with Rouben 
Mamoulian about a new legiter. 

Carole Landis' last profession!*! 
activity was a two-minute platter 
interview for Holly wood S t a r 
Records. ' ■ 

Ezra Mir, Bombay producer, cur- 
rently making a tour of studio con- 
ditions. He'll show the trade a 
number of his films while here. 

Mrs; Helene Samuel, widow of 
O. M. Samuel, New Orleans, first 
out-of-town Variety mugg back in 
1905, lost all her belongings when 
fire swept the Del Mar Beach Club, 
Santa Monica, Sunday (11). She 
was unhurt. 

Jane Cowl recuperating at a La 
Jolla hospital from severe knee 
lacerations encountered when she 
fell from a moving station wagon. 
It's her second auto mishap. Last 
Winter she suffered a broken leg 
when hit by a taxi cab in New 
York. - ■ 



Bucks County, Pa. 

Sam Lever e visiting Moss Hart 
at Aquetong home. 

Henry K. Moritz in from Coast 
to his Riegelsville farm. 

Actor Dean Jagger in for looksee 
Friday (5) from Clinton, N. J. 
* Signe Hasso, at Princeton for 
"Laura" rehearsals. Opens July 19 
at McCarter. . 

Kitty Carlisle to star in "O, Mis- 
tress Mine" with Harvey Stephen- 
son CO - starred at Playhouse, 
Aug. 2. ^ • 

Ruth and Gus Goetz back on 
Perkasie farm after finishing stint 
of making film version of their 
stage hit, "The Heiress." 

Theron Bamberger to Stock- 
bridge, Mass. to catch Robt. Burns 
musical, "Comin' Thru the Rye" 
as a possibility for his shooting 
gallery. 

Maggie Mullen (Mrs. John Root) 
commuting from WyCombe farm 
for "Skin of Our Teeth" rehearsals 
at New Hope. Playing Florence 
Reed part. 

Vivian Vance and Ottile Kruger 
commuting from Lambertville 
House while appearing last week 
in Trenton with E. E. Horton in 
"Springtime." 

Trenton strawhatter in Contem- 
porary Club Auditorium to preem 
W. C. Robert's revolutionary war 
comedy, "Damn Deborah," with 
Paula Houston, Aug. 9. 

Thornton Wilder in at River 
House while Carol Stone and hus- 
band Bob MacCahon are at Logan 
Inn for "Skin of Teeth'/ reliearsals. 
Opens at New Hope, July 19. 



Private Lives," second offering 
of the recently organized American 
Theatre, Far East, was sock success 
at Tokyo's Stilwell Theatre in a 
six-performance run June 23-28 
Pro-amateur group, drawn from 
Occupation personnel, made its 

tte Turtle '^^ ^"^'^^ 
. Government ' Railway Workers 
Union, Japan's largest Independent 
union, announced it would assess 
each of its 550,000 members 20 ven 
(40c) to finance a feature motion 
picture based on the life of a rail- 
road worker. Proposed pic, "Men 
of Flame," was put into production 
at Toho studios last March, and 
abandoned due to labor disputes. 



Westport, Conn. 

By Humphrey Doulens 
Bill Spier here from the coast 
to see June Havoc. ; 

The Bill Nesbitte (Ann Green- 
way) vacationing at South Nor- 
walk. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lauritz Melchior 
visiting Helen Traubel at Silver- 
mine. 

Joe Magee of William Morris 
office inspecting the rural theatre 
circuit. 

Brian Aherne flew east in own 
plane for current appearances in 
"The Beaux Stratagem." 

Philip S. Barry, son of the play- 
wright, has been upped to role 
of general stage manager at Coun- 
try Playhou.se. 

Theatre Guild breaking in new 
untitled revue, starring London's 
Hermoine G i n g o 1 d , week of 
August 30 at Country Playhouse. 

James Melton opening his auto- 
mobile museum here July 17. The 
singer's collection of 90 vintage 
automobiles will be on permanent 
exhibition. 



W<^iie«1ay, July 14, 1948 



USassmir 



55 



OBITUARIES 



J 



KING BAGOOT 

King Baggot. 68, star of silent 
films and later a director, died in 
a Hollywood sanitorium, Jifiy II. 
Baggot was active:^ engaged 'In 
film production in one capacity or 
anoUier from 1909 ont'il 1947 when 
illness forced liis retirement. 

Baggot's peak as a film star 
lasted foi" 10 years mding. in 1919 
during which period he played 
dashing hero roles. He grew up in 
the infant industry with Mary 
Pickford, Thomas Ince, Frances 
Ford, Francis X. Bushman and 
other early film greats. Before 
entering pix, he was a member of 
a stock; company and toured in pro^ 
ductions of Charles Frohman, 
Liebler & Co. and the Sfauberts. 

Plays in which he appeared in- 
clude "Queen of the Highway," 
"Mrs. WiggB-of the Cabbage Patch," 
'Salomy Jane" and "In Oie Bishop's 
Carriage." 

Amom; his better known films 
were "The Scarlet Letter," pro- 
duced in 1911; "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. 
HydCj" 1913; and "Ivanhoe," made 
in England in 1913. He was under 
contract to the Independent Motion 
Picture Co. In recent years, Bag- 
got played only bit roles. Stand- 
■out picture that he directed was 
"Tumbleweeds," starring the late 
William S. Hart. 

Survived by son, Robert King 
Baggot. 



hmir'e: bitrns 

Harry Bums. 63, yet vaude, 
iTiusicomedy and film actor, died 
July 9 in Santa Monica, following 
a heart attack. Prior to going to 
Hollywood, Bums, a specialist in 
Italian dialect comedy, bad been a 
topflight performer in this division 
for years and with various partners 
had bec^ a featured act on major 
vaude circuits in ir. S. and abroad. 

Starting out in the lusb era of 
vaude, as member of the team of 
Burns & Frabito, the act was in 
such demand that it was generally 
given three-year routes by the 
former United Booking. Office. I^le 
'later appeare«l in another act as 
Burns & Anthony, and upmi dis- 
solution, he went into several ol 
tlie early editions of the late Earl 
Carroll's "'Vanities." His street 
vendor of balloons and catchlinc "I 
Think- You Touch" was the nucleus 
of all his skits. He later' revived 
the act with his wife, billed as 
HaiTy Bums & .Co. 
: When it looked like vaude was 
washed up and dates were few he 
went to Hollywood and appeared in 
several films. His last stage appear- 
ances were witb^ Olsen & Johnson 
in "HellzaBoppin" couple of years 
ago. 

Surviving are ; his wife and a 
son, Harry, Jr. 



sisters in Chicago. The bo<|y will 
be planed there for burial. 



FREB PELTON 

Fred Pelton,- 55, former studio 
executive and onetime tabor ad- 
mJni.strator for the A.ssn. of Mo^ 
tion Picture Producers, died .luly 
7 at Truckeej Cal., after a heart at- 
tack. He was stricken while on a 
business trip in connection with 
his lumber interests, 

A graduate of Annapolis, Pelton 
resigned from, the Navy in 1924 
and entered the film business. At 
one time he was .studio manager 
for Metro and later luhctioned as 
chief of that company's plant in 
England. He handled labor prob- 
lems for AMPP for nine years, re- 
signing in 1947 to devote his time 
to his business holdings. One of 
his pro,iects was Mobile Sets, fnc, 
a system of streamlining film pro- 
ductions. 

Surviving are his wife, Felice, a 
son and two daughters. 



JAMES BASKETT 

James Baskett, 44, Negro stage, 
radio and screen actor, died in 
Hollywood, July 9, of a heart ail- 
ment. 

He was best known, for his por- 
trayal of Uncle Itemus in Walt 
Disney's film, "Song of the South," 
and for the role of Gabby Gibson, 
the fast^alking lawyer - on the 
"Amos 'n' Andy'" radio program, 

Baskett was bom in Indianapolis, 
lie studied to be a pharmacist but 
was lured to the stage while on a 
visit to Chicapo, He played in stock 
shows in Chicago for many years 
before going east. 

On the New York stage Baskett 
became known as one of the lead- 
ing Negro performers, and for 
many years he was featured with 
the Lafayette Players in Harlem. 

He went to California several 
years ago on a visit and was in- 
vited by Freeman Gosden of the 
Amos 'n' Andy team to join them 
on the air. Disney tested him for 
a minor role in a film but gave him 
the leading part of Uncle Bemus. 
His performance won him a special 
"Oscai-^' from the Motion Picture 
Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Survived by his wife, Mrs. Mar- 
garet Baskett. 



NICHOLAS G. PALUGYAY 

Nicholas G. Palugyay, Paramount 
manager for Spain, died in a Bar- 
celona hospital, June 30, when 
stricken ill enroute trom Madrid on 
a business trip. 

Palugyay, who had been with the 
Paramount organization since 1925, 
looked after Par interests during 
the war while enemy occupation 
was in force in Hungary, where he 
served as manager. After the war 
he joined the Motion Picture Ex- 
port Assn. in a simitar capacity. He 
was named as Paramount's mana- 
ger for Spain in 1946, : , 

Survived by wife and two daugh- 
ters. ■ ..^ 



PAUL PABNELL 

Paul Pratt, composer and musi- 
cal director, known professionally 
as Paul Parnell, died at his some in 
Indianapolis, July 7. 

He had composed scores for sev- 
eral Broadway musicals and con- 
ducted for others. His l.ast assign- 
ment was with "A Connecticut 
Yankee" on Broadway and road 
tour. 

Survived by wife, daughter, a 
sister and brother. 



JULES UAIBER 

Jules Daiber, 63. former concert 
manager, died in New York, July 
6. He is credited with having 
brought the Vatican Choir to the 
U. S. in 1928 and had repped many 
opera and concert .stars over a 
period of years. At time of deatl* 
he was operating a travel bureau. 

Surviving are wife, mother and 
sister. 



HARRY ELLIOTT 

Harry Elliott, 58, publicist and 
radio commentator, died July 7 in 
San Francisco. 

Elliott formerly published two 
S. F. area newspapers. The Sausa- 
lilo News and the Willits News. 
Following newspaper work in Los 
Angeles and Imperial Valley he 
came to San Francisco. He leaves 
a wife. 



MARIE GREEN 

Marie Green, former ZiegfeUl 
girl and vaude pei-former, died in 
San Franci.sco, July 6. She was 
former wife of Harry Green, 
comedian, and had appeared with 
him in his vaude skits. Prior to 
that she had appeared in several 
editions of "Ziegfeld Follies." 

Surviving are four sisters, 



vaude circuits for years, prior to 
his retirement. 



AMILCASS FOZZOU 
AmUcare Pozzoli^ SO, operatic 
tenor, dropped dead during per- 
formance of the opera, "^edoira" in 
WAxR, Italy, July 7. 

He had been a weU-known dngcr 
in that country. 



CLARENCE L. RI¥EES 
Clarence L, Bivers, of the vaude 
team of Rivers & Palmer, died 

at Elizabeth, N. J., July 3. 

We is .survived by wife and part-, 
ner Blanche M. Palmer. 



BENJAMIN JOE 
Benjamin Joe, 48, owner of the 
Limejiouse nitery, Chicago, died 
there July 4. Survived by wife and 
three son.s. 



ROBERT LOVE 

Robert Love, 34, bit player in 
films, died July 8 in Hollywood in 
a five-story leap from a doctor's 
Office.' ,„.. ■ 



EARL BOARDWELL 

Earl iCurley) Boardwell, 62, vet- 
eran nitery entertainer, died in 
Hollywood, July 8. 



Brother, 65, of the late Samuel 
L. Rothafel iRoxy), died after a 
heart attack in New York, July 6. 
Surviving are wife, daughter and 
son, Robert C. Rothafel, district 
manager for Fox West Coast in 
Beverly Hills, Cal. 



Wife of Paul Benjamin, Watiohal 
Screen executive, died in Miami, 
July 7. In addition to husband, she 
is survived by a son. 



Harry Gemson, 67, father-in-law 
of Robert Shapiro, N. Y. Para- 
mount theatre house manager, 
died July 8 in New York. 



Father of theatrical agent^pro- 
ducer Jadi Lewis, died ia Chicago 
July 2. 



6BS Swings Axe 



JOHN B. Mcpherson 

John ,R. MePherson, 45, manag- 
ing director of National Screen 
Service, Ltd., died in London, July 
7. MePherson, who joined N.S.S. 
in .1921, was a native of Chicago, 
where he started with the company 
and held the positions of asst. 
branch iMaiugei', branch manager, 
and later midwest district mana- 
ger. , 

In 1943 he was called to the 
N. Y. Jiome office as assistant to 
William B. Brenner, veepee in 
charge of operations, and early in 
'194& he< was -appointed assistant to 
presy Hennan Bobbins. 

He was a member of the Variety 
Clubs of America and was Chief 
Barker of the Detroit Tent while 
repping N.S.S, these. He was ap- 
pointed to London post in Uk45. 

SUEVived by mother and two 



WOBTIIINGTON SMITH 

Worthington Smith, 34, until a 
short time ago manager of the Al- 
hambra theatre, CoUimbus. died 
July 6 in City Prison there by 
hanging himself in his cell. He 
had been arrested a few hours 
earlier on a charge of intoxication. 

Survived by wife and daughter. 



^ CwntiBMA Iran nse 23 £s: 

programs a year, to slash another 
$100,000. A couple weeks back, 
CBS abruptly reversed its seven- 
year policy on shortwave and wiU. 
save an estimated $200,000. 

Understanding on N. Y.'s Radio 
Row is that Willisan S. Paley has 
ordered prexy Stanton and Joseph 
Ream, exec veepee, to cut CBS 
costs drastically in the face of tele- 
vision, expansion. Of pertinence 
in this connection was the recent 
testimony of another CBS vice 
president, Adrian Muti^isr, who 
told FCC examiners that CBS was 
$9^000,000 in the TV red already. 
Lon£-PIay Record to Help 

Columbia is hopeful that its 
new invention, the IOBg-]rilaying 
phonograph record, will help the 
sagging sales curve at Columbia 
Records, Inc. That's a positive de- 
velopment of the past month 
against the various curtailment!! 
of service. CBI has been. With 
the CBS owned-and-operated sta- 
tions in Boston, Washington, Chi-, 
cago, Minneapolis, St- Louis and 
New York, the chief profit-pro- 
ducer on the CBS consolidated 
statement. 

The LP records ceciuire a new- 
type turntable which Philco is 
manufacturing in tieup with CRT. 
Meantime the CBS board of di- 
rectors lias recently closed down 
attogethei the record pressing in 
I Ohio and is limiting manufactur- 
I ing to Bridgeport alone. 
I CBS now operates studios and 
I three .sets of offices for its New 
j York television. About 85 persons 
I are on payroll at the moment but 
I a big increase in personnel is be- 
! lieved inevitable come autumn. 



CLEON WHITTAKEB 
Cleon Whittaker, 61, member of 
the blackface vaude team of Murry 
& Mack, died in St. Loui.s July 6. 

Whittaker made his stage debut 
at the age of 9 while touring with 
his parents. Later he teaihed with 
Walter Mack. 
His wife and son survive. 



NBO's 'Or Else' 

: CoDtinucd from paee i!S s 



ROBERT MAAS 

Bobert Maas^ 47, Belgian cellist 
of tlie Paganini String Quartet, 
died in Oakland, CaL, July 7. dur- 
ing an intermtssira of • concert 
at Mills College there. 

Survived by wife and two 
daughters. 



To Be or Not to Be 



C*BtioM< ttmm. face 1 



given that "Hamlet'" wtD at least 
get an A-2 rating (alright for 
adults). 

The Boston vigilantes took ex- 
ception at such expressions as "the 
rank sweat of an adulterous bed." 
Other recriminations heaped upon 

Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, by the 
sweet prince as "to post with such 
dexterity to incestuous sheets" ha.s 
also found di.sfavor in Bostonian 
eyes. Hamlet's cozening of Ophelia 
while he lies with his head upon 
her lap also earns the codfish 
brusheroo, . 

Several of the passages objected 
to were in the script of the picture 
but later excised in editing. Film 
has not yet been submitted to .the 
Boston board, and its rulings were 
based solely on the script. ' 



Scully-Rank Huddle on 'Hamlet' 

London, July 13, 
William A. Scully, ' Uriiversal's 
distribution veepee, who is here 
for huddles with execs of the J. 
Arthur Rank organization, is tak- 
ing up the question of the New 
York booking for "Hamlet" with 
Rank personally. Latter, of course, 
i& greatly - concerned with the 
dramatization of the Shakespeare 
tragedy since it is his showcase 
film for the current year. 

ScuUy and Rank must decide 
whether "Hamlet" will go into a 
big house for a play for fast money, 
or into a smaller one aimed for the 
long pull. U's sales topper is in- 
clined to book the pic into the 
Park Ave., theatre, N. Y., which his 
company operates. However, that's 
only a 500-seater. Both the Cri- 
terion and Rivoli on Broadway also 
have put in a bid for the film. 
Scully wants to leave the last word 
to Rank. 



Eisenhower 

CaaUnued from page 1 . 



ANNE NELSON 
Anne Nelstn. 37, screen a^ess. 
died July $ in Tomnee, Calif. 

JOHN A. vmraiAR 

John A. Dittmar, 63, magician, 
died July 9 at his home in San An- 
tonio. He was known as Dittmar 
tbe Magician and has .toured, top 



the show shifted, for next fall, to 
CBS. This week it was learned 
that Ford has given Banghart until 
Aug. I to decide whether he will 
or won't .stay with the show— 
whicl| me£.ns leaving NBC, 

Banghart, who was brought up 
from Washington three years ago 
by WNBC, N. Y., flagship of the 
web, today is doing 11 news shows 
weekly for the station, pins an^ 
nouncer stints on the net's SCA- 
Victor Show, the Robert Shaw 
! Chorale, and a cutin on "When a 
' Girl Marries." He has had addi- 
t i o n a I assignments, including 
"Katie's Daughter," but has 
dropped <iome because of the too 
strenuous schedule h« was keep- 
ing. 

Up to yesterday fTnes;) neither 
Grauer nor Ban^bart had n»de 

their decisions. 

» (I'l' 'in*' ' ' "^''^ ■ ' 



with wbmn he has worked on the 
RM. attest to "the savage editing 
job done by Ike.^' In addition he 
has insisted that Allen Nevins, the 
historian, go over it page by page 
for historical accuracy. 

The book will also contain, in its 
jacket, a five-inch plastic record of' 
Ike's D-Day Order of the Day, 

It is said that he figures to cash 
in $tiOO,000 gross on the' book, 
which the N. Y. Herald Tribune 
will serialize and syndicate, co- 
incidentally with Doubleday publi- 
cation. The Internal Revenue 
Dept. is said to have okayed a capi- 
tal gains deal for Eisenhower. 

Ike's work differs from the Win- 
ston Churchill memoirs, which 
compri.se five book.si Besides the 
recently serialized N. Y. Times' and 
Life mag versions of the Houghton- 
Mifflin book publication. Churchill 
has two more books already done, 
.these taking htm right up to Dun- 
kirk. The British statesman's take 
is said to be around $750,000^ 

McCormick, Doubleday's veepee, 
gets back from an extensive Euro- 
pean trip this weekend by plane, 
h a V i n g' taken the ms. across to 
several major European publishers. 
Doubleday plan.s a November pub- 
lication, providing Eisenhower 
gives his OK in September. 



H'woodGo-By 

Continued from page 1 ;; 



MARRIAGES 

Ruth Benjamin to Martin Feln- 
stein, N. Y., July 23. He^» 
assistant head of Hurok Attractions 
puUicify dept. ' 

Susan Seeley to Warren B. Kuhn. 
New York, June IStfi. Bride is « 
secretaiy at BKO; he's a radio 
writer. ■■ 

Claire. Bambach to Charles J< 
{"Jack") McWecney, New York. 
June 19. He's with Mont^raim In^. 
ternational Corp. . 

Kay Thome Haidttie' to AK^d. 
R. HatiVia, New T<»*, 6. Bride 
was Hollywood xadfo xcp; kef's man- 
ager of WHCO, lOiaes, N.Y. 

Eleanor, Fetd^ t» l^d 

Zinns, Wariiington, 0. C. JolSr Zlk 
He's chief flack fxec dtlirailiia Pie* 
turea in the D, C. attsa. 

Esthet FEcBwt to E^ard Lee, 
San Antonio, Jotsr- 3. Bride' is 
member of the KCpB staJE there; 
he was foramrly- KCORr announcer, 

Barbara Ford to Robert Walker, 
Beverly Hilis, July 8. She's daii0f 
tcr of John Ford,' lOm director;, 
he's a screi^n actor, ■ 

Ruth Copp to Bob Freuyeanpi 
Wilmington, O., Juljr 11>. Bride is 
with contract dept. «*£ Hygienic 
Productionrs. 

Kathleen Quinn to Gcfflrge P. 
O'Neill, Washington, B. C,,-JI^ Vk, 
Bride is a band voealist. ^ 

Dorothea J. Lutjens to Robert 
W. Little at Cnieef'ft-on^tbe-Had* 
son, N. Y., July 10, Bride- is pei> 
sonnel director in Kew ToilL ofiice 
of Motion PictHfie Assn. oi, 
America. 

Florence McCannless Rritcbett to 
Earl E. t: Smith, Santa. Barbara, 
:al., July 12. BrUe is fashion editor 
of N.Y. Joumal-Amcciean and atso 
conducted "Barbara WellesT' her 
own program on WOH, N.Y.; he's 
a . N.Y. stock broker. 

Ellen N. Tarpley to Bill Pepper. 
Columbus, June 29. He's pn^xam 
director and news conunentatoT on 
WELD, FM station in that city. 

Susan Steuber to Jac Lucas 
Fisher, Yuma, Ariz., July 7. Both 
are thesps. - 

Shirley Shelton to Jack Scbnlerr 
Cincinnati, Jmie 30. Bride i» fa 
WCKY tra£Ei! department.' 

Judy Briggs to Heawy 'JMies, at 
Nyack, N Y., jnbF:it"W* »':|e|^''^ 
actor-director, , 



were delegated to "cover the. New 
England circuit" and had to canvass 
about 7.9 stock companies. "Only 
about 2.5 to 30 summer theatres are 
worth investigating at all the.se 
days." said Boris Kaplan, Para- 
inount's eastern talent chief. 

Kaplan said that summer stock 
has become increasingly a place 
for familiar Broadway actors to re- 
lax in or to pacakage new shows 
for Broadway, "You rarely see a 
new face in the established 
groups," he asserte'd. And in the 
places where new faces are to be 
seen, they are usually cramntcd 
with deadly amateurs, he said. 

Talent scouts have discovered, 
moreover, that some of the bright- 
est youngsters are doing their 
stuff in New Ycvk this summer. 
Groupaf such as New Stages, On 
Stage and The Interplayers, oper- 
ating in Greenwich Village little 
theatres, have been rated very 
highly on tbetr recent produc- 
tions. , , ' ■ 

1 ■ i;i:itl"''. . . , .:::.-T'jM 



BIRTHS 

Mr. and Mrs. Herman Sillier, 
son. New York, July 8, FatUier is 
with' Columbia Pictures' special 
events and exploitation dept. 

Mr. and Mrs. PaOI Somnuskamp, 
daughter, Cincinnati, July 6. Fsttber 
is WCKY sports eiUtor. 

Mr. and Mrs. Compton Bennett, 
daughter, Hollywood, July 4. Fath» 
is a screen director. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Marlowe, 
son, Santa Mmiica, July 9. Mother 
is K. T.' Stevens, actress and 
daughter of Sam Wood; father is a 
legit actor, 

Mr. and "Hiss, John Finlcy. 
daughter, New York; -June 27. 
Father is press agent with "Holi*^ 
day on Ice." . . ' 

Mr. and Mrs, Robert L Kimel, 
son, Boston, July S. Mother ijs for- 
mer Beatrice Cates, ex-traffic su« 
pervisor of WLAW; father is ssdesn 
man for WHAV. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Lcckie, son, 
Hollywood, July 5. Father is a 
technician at Paramount. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ira Cook, son, Hol- 
lywood, July 5. Father is a disk 
jockey. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ade Kahn, daugh- 
ter, New York, July 4, Father is • 
N. Y. publicist. 

Mr. and Mrs. Morion Lane, son, ' 
New York, SvUss 1ft Father is a . 
member of FavaUHMmt's iJomeoffice 
legal staff. 



KaufnoR 



Contlmed Inm 



, RfskiiHi I 

'nm page I " 



about the menace of Communism 
in Hollywood. 

Under the drcfunstances, Kauf- 
man and Byskind could hardly be 
expected to see eye to eye on 
moderni-zing such topical material 
as "Sing." Presumably, Kantoan 
could work without difficulty with 
Ira Gershwin, who wrote the lyrics 
for the show and who has been iden- 
tified as a political liberal various 
times. The ouly otlier person in- 
volved in the wriffai^ of the show 
was GefHTge Gershwin, who died a 
decade ago. 

Kaufman reveals he would have 
likxd to revive "Sng" this season, 
timing it with the national elec- 
tions. . • . . , 



Wednesday, July 14, 1948 



1 
i 



I 

! 



I 
I 



I 



I 

I 
f 



I 

i 



MM 



V' 



ii 



"Jo Stafford sings Ameri- 
can folk-songs with an orches- 
tra conducted by Paul Weston. 

"It may be faintly ungallant 
to say that this latest album of 
Miss Stafford's comes as a stun- 
ning surprise^ — but it does. In 
these folk-songs, which include 
'The Nightingale,' 'Black Is the 
Color,' and 'Barbara Allen/ 
Miss Stafford emerges as a 
really gifted young artist. Her 
enunciation is crystal-clear, and 
the touching simplicity of her 
style is exactly right. Paul Wes- 
ton's orchestral accompani- 
ments are admir^e* A 'must,' 
I think." V^' „ , 

lleems I ay lor 



k»pr1nM from July RED BOOK 



FILMS 



RADIO 



VIDEO 



Mrsic 





f^blfehed WeeklF IM Weat 4Sth Street, New Tork It, N. T., bf Variety, Ino. Annual eubscriiitlon, ttO, piDSIa ct^pieK IS CanlA 
ISaterea «■ wcond slaw matter December Si, 190fi. at the ')t>oat Onrice at Nev fork, N. M., under tin ut HTBralt |, UW 
GOmnOHT. 1948, BT VAME'IV. INO. AJLI. RIGBTS RKSEBVKD ' 



VOL. 171 No. 7 



NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 1948 



mCE 25 CENTS 



DISKERS WOULD BOLT 




British Board of Trade President 
Cues Nationalization of Film Biz 



London, July 20. v -f i 

^British government, which has 
long been expected to nationalize 
the film industry in order to gain 
a fuller measure of protection for 
it both at home and abroad, may 
now be finalizing those plans. This 
was brought to light here last week 
in a statement before the House of 
Commons by Board of Trade prez 
Harold Wilson. 

Discussing the recent shuttering 
'of the Warners' Teddington studios 
here, Wilson declared that he's 
persevering in his intentions to re- 
move financial obstacles to permit 
the fullest use of aU British stu- 
dio,s. He's expected to make a 
detailed report to Commons about 
his plans tomorrow (Thurs.) In light 
of the recent huddles between Wil- 
son and chancellor of the ex- 
chequer Sir StafEord Cripps, this 
is believed to indicate that the 
government is finalizing plans for 
the state to finance indie produ- 
cers. That factor, in turn, might 
- be the first step to full nationaliza* 
tion of the industry. 

Independent committee recently 
set up by the government to in- 
quire into protective measures re- 
quired to insure studio space for 
indie producers held its first ses- 
sion last week. It decided not to 
formally subpoena witnesses to 
give evidence, but will listen to 
volunteers on both sides. 

Committee also set three more 
meetings for August and will do 
some on-the-spot investigating in 
the interim. It will visit Sir Alex- 
ander Korda's Shepperton studios 
July 30 and Metro's plant at Els- 
tree Aug.6. ' 

Group was set up as result of 
fears last winter that there would 
be a shortage of studio space and 
indies would be squeezed out. Com- 
mittee is to determine into desiih 
ability of government demanding 
that space on major lots be re- 
served or of the government actu- 
(Continued on page 55) 



PRO GRID OWNERS 
STILL WARY ON TV 

Chicago, July 20. 

Owners of pro football teams 
bere are warily scouting all angles 
of t^levisloti before making any 
commitments for the coming sea- 
son. George 'Halas, prez of the Chi- 
cago Bears, and Ray Bennigsen, the 
Cardinal chief, will huddle Wed- 
nesday (21) to decide whether or 
not to grant tele rights, and the 
terms for such rights. 

Owners of the Chi Rockets mean- 
while have worked out a series of 
t>ropOBaIS: as a basis tor bargaining 
on tele rights. Among the separate 
proposals are: (1) the station to pay 
a flat guarantee per game, whether 
sustaining or sponsored; (2> the 
club to pocket all sponsor revenue 
over and above the actual produc- 
tion costs; (3) a fee for each set 
'tt use as of Aug. 15. 

Under terms of a further ptO' 
(Continued on page 53) , 



Sir Charles Cochran 

London, July 20. 
Charles B.,, Cochran, dean of 
Briti.sh legit producers, went 
through knighthood formalities, 
today (20) at Buckingham Palace. 

During the ceremony the Cold- 
stream Guards band played the 
score from Cochran's current hit 
musical show, "Bless The Bride," 
now in its second season here. 



WincheH Looks 
Set at 

F'or Auto Sponsor 

Hollywood, July 20. 
Deal for sponsorship of Walter 
WincheU in the Sunday night at 9 
segment on ABC by an auto com- 
pany was reported till set tonight, 
with likelihood of a conti'act sig- 
naturing within 24 hours. 

Identity of auto maker is being 
kept under wraps pending finaliz- 
ing of pact Old Gold was in there 
pitching iiard, but understood ABC 
execs favor the Detroit outfit. 

Terms provide for a one-year 
firm contract at $650,000 a year, 
effective Jan. 1, '48, when WW's 
longtime association with Jergens 
ends. Stipulation is that if client 
picks up the tab for a second 52- 
week semester, WincheU will be 
given a $1,000 a week increase. 
He'll have an eight-week layoff, 
with tha sponsor paying for the 
summer replacement, and contract 
also provides for his usual- winter- 
time Florida origination. 



Gravy Train Derailed 
For Mountain Resorts 

Wartime over - expansion has 
caught up with the eastern moun- 
tain resorts. Many spots that built 
extra wings to accommodate the 
nouveau-riche of the palmy days 
are finding that such space isn't 
paying o£f now and they're saddled 
with an increased overhead that's 
becoming more difficult to meet. 

The moimtain resorts are now 
finding that they're assuming 
status of weekend spots only. The 
various inns, are about half-full 
during weekdays, and patronage' 
on those days isn't spending much. 

Some feel tariffs are too steep 
for current incomes. Rates are 
double those, of the ante-bellum 
days and not too many can shell 
(Continued on page 48) 



RILED AT SLl 




Looks Like Bing s Year-Agsm-rWidi 
'^nperor and 'Rio' t of 3 Best Grossers 



Major recording companies are 
not too far from by-passing 
James C. Petrillo's American Fed- 
eration of Musicians to the ex- 
tent where they would begin mak- 
ings recordings with topflight mu- 
sicians. Since Petrillo and his ex- 
ecutive board last week rejected 
the plan advanced by members of 
the recording industry, top execu- 
tives of the major companies are 
riled to the point where, if a settle- 
ment isn't forthcoming soon, they 
would proceed as though the AFM 
didn't exist. 

As a matter of fact, soon after 
PetriUo -rejected the proffen-ed 
plan, an exeeative of at least one 
of the major companies urged that 
all of the manufacturers go ahead 
with recording, using musicians, at 
once. It was his idea that if all 
topflight diskers agreed to act in 
concert, then Petrillo and the AFM 
could not possibly single out any 
for retaliation in the event a truce 
is eventually declared. This idea 
was rejected when the companies 
which have affiliations in other 
fields, such as Columbia, RCA- 
Victor and M-G-M, pointed out 
they'd have too much to lose. How- 
ever, even the latter companies, 
aecording to the past week's con- 
versation, are gradually coming 
around to at least seriously con^ 
sidering the pwposition. 

That the companies will have no 
trouble at all «ecuring musicians is 
a foregone conclusion, l^ajor foot- 
ers in New York have within the 
past week or more been inter- 
viewed by disk executives on their 
attitude toward the AFM. These 
(Continued on page 53) 



New Gangster ?h 
Cycle Cues Crime 
Pays-at the B.O. 

Violence, always a profitable 
screen commodity, is paying off 
again at the nation's b.o. Theatres 
are in the midst of one of those 
ever-recurrent cycles of gangster 
and prison pix and, as has hap- 
pened so frequently before, the 
ra-ta-ta'-ta of the tommy-'gun ioiA 
the dull thud of a billy on a con's 
skull are the accompaniment to a 
merry, jingle in the boxoflfice till. 

Prevalence of the tough-guy 
mellers is a bit unusual at this 
time, however, since it was only 
last December that the board of 
directors of the Motion Picture 
Assn. of America assembled in 
New Ygrk and decided that the 
studios ought to lay low on the 
rough stuff. They promulgated a 
set of rules limiting picture titles 
specifically and pictures generally 
that might be construed as glorify- 
ing gangsters, 

Seven montlis later finds Broad- 
way currently with three of the 
mugg pi* simultaneou&ly-.^d all 
doing compai-ativcly good business.' 

, (Contmucd on, p^s^5,S!5j|, ,,,,, ,, 



WGN Giveaway Gets 

Into Chi Cops' Hair 

Chicago, July 20. 
Current phone quiz on WGN's 
"Let's Have Fun" is a matter of 
some co/icern to Chicago park 
police. Listener who guesses 
the location of a buried ti-<;asure 
chest will receive $5,000 of mei'- 
chandise certificates iu.side the 
chest. Recent clues to its location 
were "the green grass grows all 
around" and ."horses, horses, 
horses." 

So far Grant Park p^ice have 
caught three ti^easure hunters busi- 
ly digging pot-holes and warned 
off a dozen other suspicious char- 
acters lugging spades and shovels. 



Webs' Radio-TV 
$1800,000 Tab 
On Dems, Repubs 

The major radio and television 
networks report they spent a little 
more covering the Democratic con- 
vention than they did to repor* the 
GOP powwow, even though con- 
siderably less air time was given 
the shorter Demo confab. 

Overall costs, including commer- 
cial cancellations, for both AM and 
TV, came to $919,929 on the Re- 
publican session, $921,000 on the 
Democrats, making an overall out- 
lay of $1,840,929. NBC's tab alone 
accounted for half of the total 
sum, while CBS' amounted to 
$463,150; ABC $222,000; Mutual'S 
about $200,000 and DuMont's 
$5",000. 

The webs, gave the GOP a total 
of 120 hours 34 minutes of AM 
coverage and 166 hours 38 minutes 
of TV time' The Demos got 96 
hours 54 minutes of radio time 
and 105 hours 11 minutes on TV. 

The cost to the networks, how- 
ever, is only a portion of the total 
radio-teie cost of airing the two 
conclaves, for the loss in revenue 
(Continued on page 48) 



Goelets Into Ittdie 

Film Production 

Hollywood, July 20. 

New indie producing outfit, 
named Voyages, Inc., and bank- 
rolled by Robert Goelet, Sr., mem- 
ber of one ol the 10 wealthiest 
families in the country, was set 
up here this week. 

Robert Goelet, Jr., is listed as 
treasurer. Other officers include 
David Pelham, prexy; Robert C3o- 
wan, production veepe«; George 
Bodle, secretary and general coun- 
sel. Outfit is to be an Amerkan 
affiliate^ of ,y;q^agers,- Inte.m!iiti9]f)^j, 



With the' 104S halfway mark just 
passed, . Paramount's "Emperor 
Waltz" looks fairly cei'tain to be 
the high-grosser of the year. Based 
on the approximately 400 dates so 
far played, which provide a fairly 
accurate national cross-section, the 
Bing Crosby Technicolor epic will 
garner total rentes - of, about. 
$5,800,000 in the JJ. S, and Canada^ 

Fairly certain foj; runiierup 
position will be .Metro's "Easter 
Parade." It hasn't actually played 
sufficient dates yet to make a hard- 
and-fast estimate of its eventual 
gross, but from what's in, it looks 
possible for $5,500,000. In any 
case, it appeafs certain to top the 
$5,000,000 marker. 

There are few films looming as 
potentials to knock "Empoyor" and 
"Parade" down a peg. One with 
the cast and general higness to do 
it is RKO's "Joan of Arc," starring 
Ingrid Bergman. However, it won't 
go into release until about Novem- 
ber and probably .will be played 
ofl' so slowly on it roadshow basis, 
that, if it clicks, it will b^ a 1949 
contender, rather than this year's. 

Other Over $4,0^0,000 Grossers 

.Tust below the* top three are 
"Road to Rio" (Par), which iQoks 
good for about $4,800,000, "Home- 
coming" (M-G), $4,500,000, and 
"Cass limberlane" (Par), $4,300.- 
000. Warner Bros.' "Key LargQ," 
which hasn't played sufficient 
dates to give a good gross indica- 
tion, is expected by competing dis- 
tribs — on the basis of cast and 
size— to reach $4,000,000. United 
Artists' "Red River," which -has 
some 256 preem engagements set 
in Tews but, has actually played 
no dates yet, fis^ algo..;^gured by dfe- 
tribs as a possibility for the rarifled 
atmosphere of $4,000,000 or better. 

Indisputably, as far as stars go, 
1948 vvill again be a Crosby year. 
The Groaner carried oil top honors 
in 1946 with only Miss Bergman 
giving him a struggle. Last year 
(Continued «n pnge 53) . 

SARATOGA GREEN UGHT 
LOOKS DUBIOUS THIS YR. 

Saratoga nitery operators aren't 
too sure that they'll get the green 
light this year in time for the 
August racing season. They feel 
that New York's Governor Thomas 
E. Dewey will not risk giving the 
Democrats a talking point by per^ 
milting gambling Tvithin 20 miles 
of the State capitol. 

As a result. Arrowhead Inn is 
slated to remain closed for the first 
time in many years. The, syndicate 
operating. Arrowhead is the same 
as at Colonial Inn. Hallendale, JEla. 
The back room ai the lattei? spot 
took" a terrific lacing last season 
and closed When vacationers in 
Miami Beach were at their peak. 

Delmonico's will be operating on 
a ;tninimum budget vi^ith the Payson 
He band and the "We Found U». 
An Angel" unit, made up of mem- 
bers of the cast of the floiu)d«sting 
, , .(Po»tinue4 m,f>-44^ 53) , 



WectneMlay, July 21, 1948^ 



Ik to Please Critics' and Lack 
Of Youth in Prod Sewed by Sm<dl 



By HERB GOLDEN 

Hollywood is now suffering the 
fftects of making too many films 
with its eye on the New York critics 
rather than the bbxofflce, producer 
Edward SmaU declared in New 
York this week. 

.. "Making pictures tor critics is 
certain death for any producer," he 
asserted. "It's that worrying what 
the reviewers will say that has led 
to the present crop of 'unconven- 
tional' jiictures^'unconventional' 
.and, as a result^ not doing any 

„ .busiQesSi 
' "^'Next to trying to please New 
York reviewers," Small added, 
"the mistake that has cost Holly- 

4 iWQOd most money is producers 
nmfcing pictures to please studio 

• executives' wives. These ladies 
^enecally have lots of influence 
«ud little knowledge. What they 
1ik« best is a picture writteiD by a 
litdrateur who's a good name to 
. Invite to their dinner parties-^and 
*he devil with the boxoffice. 
- "The boxofiice ideal, in my opin- 
Idn^ is a convenUonal story^a good 
one-r-treated in an unconvention- 
al way. The laitics might not like 
these 'same old stories,' but the 
public does when there's a fresh 
treatment. 

"In the same way, the reviewers 
Will murder any film in which the 

. writers and directors' haven't used 
(Complete .restraint every foot of 

' the way. ■' Yet the great mass of 
filmgbers obviously like to see 
points hammered across lustily." 

Small, whose "Fuller Brush 
Man," distributed by Columbia, 
and "T-Men," released by Kagle 
Iiion, are currently doing smash 
biz, has made some 10 pix in the 
ipast 18 months, on which he stan«)« 
to personally profit to the tune c 
more than $2,000,000. So he un- 
doubtedly speaks with authority.- 
Small carries no vendetta for 

'critics, nor does he ignore them. 
He just . doesn't let their words 
worry him. Their effectiveness at 
the b.o., he said, is going up with 
(Continued on page 8) 



Par-Metro's Staod&n On 
Two $5Q,000 Story.Buys 

Metre story department marked 
as evened up last week its friendly 
feud with. Paramount as result of 
the latter's purchase of the Martha 
Albrand novel, "After Midnight," 
last fall. Par scored a scoop on 
that, buytng.it before other com^' 
panies had a chance to see it, and 
Metro retaliated last week by do- 
ing the same thing with "Intruder 
in the Dust,"- new William Faulk- 
ner novel; 

Curiously, both books are pub^ 
lished by Random House, whose 
topRer, Bennett Cerf, handled the 
sales. Both went for the same 
price, $50j000. "Intruder" is to be 
published in September. It is the 
story of passions of the people of 
a small Southern town inyolved in 
a crime of violence. 

With the Hollywood economy 
wave and pressures taaving kept 
the studios from buying books, 
"Intruder" is the first important 
purchase in some months. 



Jaek Benny^ PHI Harris 
Bpffo in London Vaude 

London, July 20. 
' Jack BeAny, making his first 
London theatre appearance since 
1931. opened at the Palladium, last 
night (Mon.) to one of the heaviest 
ovations ever given an American 
act here. Benny was cheered for j 
10 minutes by the capacity crowd i 
of 3,000. Heavy advance sale for 
Benny's engagement indicates that 
the comedian and his troupe will 
play sellout., on his entire three- 
week engagement. 

Phil Harris, whose records are on 
Britain's top-selling list, got one of 
the top hands of the day for his 
fast line of gab and song. Mary 
Uvingstone (Mrs. Benny) and Ma- 
rilyn Maxwell were similarly well 
received by the audience. Show 
ran along the lines of Benny's 
radio format. 



Kiviera Loaded With 
Pie and Show Biz Names 

Cannes, July IS. 
With the recent arrivals of the 
Jack Warners and Clark Gable, 
coupled to Blta Hayworth, Lily 
Pons, Andre Kostelanetz and Elsa 
Maxwell who already were here, 
this Riviera resort has become a 
Hollywood road company. Town is 
virtual capacity, for in addition to 
the usual French "smart set," 
Americans are very much in evi- 
dence. 

• Visiting names have been mak- 
ing the rounds of the better cafes 
and nite spots, notably last week's 
opening of Michel Emer's new 
band at the Palm Beach Casino. 
Crew, incidentally, is a 10-pieee 
group plus gal vocalist which plays 
on an open terrace alternating with 
a local rhumba band. 



Congress Ma(M)ii 
Can Upset Cart 
On Amusements 

Washington, July 20. 

If Congress is as mad as it seems 
over the coming special session, it 
can kick over the applecart on 
several things affecting show biz. 
For example. Congress may try to 
hit back at President Truman by 
passing more tax cuts,- thereby 
putting the President on the spot 
where he would have to okay the 
legislation or . veto the bills and 
suffer a political setback thereby. 

One veteran Capitol HUl ob- 
server figures that another direct 
sla.sh in income taxes ufiight go 
through a short special session of 
Congress, This would particularly 
affect the large earners of Holly- 
wood and Broadway. Also under 
consideration has been a reduction 
of the wartime excises, including 
the 20% admissions tax' and the 
'20"o on nightclub checlcs. A nitery 
tax slash would be particularly 
helpful at this time, since the late 
(Continued on page 22) 




317th Week! 

KEN MURRAY'S 

"BLACKOUTS OF 1948" 
El Capftan Theatre, H«llywaod, Cal. 

Now Playing Nationally 

"BILL AND COO" 
Special Academy Award Winner 



From Now on Hoghes Is 
On Velvet With Maw' 



HABIA FALHER'S WB FIC 

. Maria Palmer, who came east 
last May for a featured part in the 
short-lived Broadway play, "The 
Vigil," planed out Friday (16) to 
the Coast on a one-picture contract 
with Warners. She's due back in 
October for a prospective legit 
iplay. 

Actress came to the U. S. about 
10 years ago from Vienna and was 
In several Broadway shiaws before 
jS^ing to Bpliywood. 



NO BRITISH ACTION 
OVER IRON CURTAIN' 

London, July 20. 
There's to be no official British 
censorship of 20th-Fox's "Iron 
Curtain," story of the atom bomb 
spy scare in Canada last year 
which stirred considerable agita- 
tion among radical leftwingers 
during its run in the U. S. 

Film came up for questioning in 
the House of Commons today 
(Tuesday), with the government 
turning down the suggestion that 
the state distribute "Curtain" to 
obtain the widest possible showing 
for it. Heavy laughter greeted a 
suggestion - that the Government 
issue free passes to ministers and 
rank-and-file Parliament members 
wlio -are Communists or "fellow- 
travelers." 

Replying to one comment that 
the film contains only '-synthetic 
hooey," home secretary Chuter Ede 
declared that he hadn't seen "Cur- 
tain" and didn't intend to see it. 

Undersecretary of Foreign .Af- 
fairs C P. Mayhew stated in the 
-House of Commons^last Wednes- 
day (14) that the foreign office had 
been invited by the board of cen- 
sors to preview "Curtain" to .be 
on the lookout for any diplomatic 
angles. Foreign office understood, 
however, that the film followed 
closely the report of the Koyal 
Commission which investigated the 
spy case and so turned down the 
invitation as unnecessary. 

Mayhew pointed out that tbe 
Soviet Ambassador to Loudon, who 
was ambassador to Canada at the 
time of the trials, had not raised 
any official objection. He refused 
to comment on a suggestion by one 
member of Parliament that "Cur- 
tain" erred on the side of under- 
statement 



Howard Hughes' lusty boss opry, 
"The Outlaw," is proving a$ much 
a b.o; phenomenon abroad as it is 
in the U.S. It opened in two houses 
in Paris and one in Brussels last 
week and outdrew such b.o. stal- 
warts as Goldwyn's "Best Years of 
Our Lives." 

Strong biz abroad, in addition to 
the heavy coin the film grossed in 
the limited number of U.S. play- 
dates it has been able to gamer, 
assur'e Hughes a hefty profit. He's 
believed to be just about even at 
this point. Fairish domestic re- 
ceipts are' coming in now — after 
2Vi years of release — ^but they 
could be expected really to spurt 
if the producer could square off his 
condemnation by the Catholic 
Legion of Decency and get the pic- 
ture into the thousands of houses 
that now refuse to' play it. 

Pic has in the domestic till now 
$2,973,000, garnered from 6,050 
play dates; There are another 700 
un played contracts on the books, 
which would provide an additionaL 
S225,000'. 

It is impossible to make an esti- 
mate of what the film will eventu- 
ally gross domestically, since it 
hinges on the settlement of the' 
L. of D. ieud. It has been rumored 
that Hughes has made overtures for 
peace, but neither side would con- 
firm such a move last week. 

Film, under ordinary circum- 
stances, could be expected to play 
around ISjOOO contracts, which 
might give it $5,500,000 or more. 
As it is, it has been repeating two, 
three and four times at the same 
houses, with the result that 20% 
of the present income is repre- 
sented by repeats. If that con- 
tinued true in 13,000 theat;£es, the 
gross could be expected to go well 
above the $5,500,000. 

"Outlaw" did tremendous biz in 
Sngland, totalling about $900,000. 
That gave Hughes a net, after dis- 
tribution and advertising fees, of 
about $630,000. He got all the coin 
out in dollars, since release pre- 
ceded the 75% tax and the current 
freeze. * 



Jadi PidasH Dean of 'Variety' 
Staffers, Dies in N. Y. at Age of 65 



KRS' Ski! on BewMut 
Fran LnichMn to i^Buck 

• London, July 20. 

British distributors' organization, 
the Kinematograph Renters So- 
ciety, has refused to. join with the 
other two branches of the industry, 
the " Cinematograph Exhibitors 
Assn. and the British Film Pro- 
ducers Assn., in a luncheon to 
honor 20th-Fox production veepee 
Darryi P. Zanuck here Aug. 12. 
Latter is now on an extended vaca- 
tion-talent search in Europe. 

KRS takes the view that while 
its stand is not meant to be any 
reflection on Zanuck, it's unfair to 
.•single, out one individual for honors 
when other U. S. film executives, 
such as 20th puez Spyros P. 
Skouras and Universal prexy Nate 
Biumberg, were not feted by the 
trade during their visits here. In- 
dividual KRS jnembers will be en- 
titled to support the luncheon, but 
the society as a body is taking no 
part in it. ■ ^ 



Hub Press &iores 
Mass. Censors For 
Cuts on 'Hsmilet' 



Boston, July 20. 

Move of the Massachusetts state 
board of censors in ordering cuts 
made in J. Arthur Rank's forth- 
coming production of "Hamlef 
was greeted here over the week- 
end with scorching editorials and 
straight news stories, blasting the 
step as something that wbuld heap 
ridicule on their state and city in 
both the U. S. and England. 

Most irate was the Boston Her- 
ald, which declared -in an editorial 
Friday (16) that "if it is possible 
for an entire community to blush 
with embarrassment, there should 
be some fiery red faces around Bos-, 
ton during the next few weeks." 
Pointing out that the censors' ac- 
tion \vould make for "hoots of 
ridicule and entirely just accusa- 
tions of provincialism" in other 
cities, the editorial declared: "Are 
we so supine and lazy that we can 
lightly accept such a misuse, of 
authority that makes us the laugh- 
ing stock of civilized communities? 
If this goes on, we'll be seeing 
plaster petticoats on the Venus de 
Milo." 

It had orii^nally been reported 
(Continued on page 20) 



Tito's Stalin D<^tion 
May Be Break for Pix 

Marshall Tito's^recent split - with 
Moscow may be a break for Amer- 
ican films. Yugoslavia and Russia 
are the only two Iron Curtain coun- 
tries not now playing Hollywood 
product. It is hoped that the new 
coolness between the two nations 
may be accompanied by a more 
friendly attitude in Belgrade to 
U. S. pix. 

With that possibility apparently 
in mind, Irving Maas, v.p., and 
general manager of the Motion Pic- 
ture Export Assn., is reportedly 
making efforts to gain admission 
to Yugoslavia. Maas has been at- 
tempting to obtain a Yugo visa 
ever since he left the \T. S. about 
six weeks ago on his current 
European visit. 

MPBA topper is currently in 
Prague on negotiations with the 
Czech film monopoly. MPBA pact 
with the Czechs expired last No- 
vember and Maas has been work- 
ing on a renewal. It is expected 
that he will go from Prague to 
War.saw at the end of this week. 



PRR's Stuart Press Job 
Hit of Two Conventions 

Philadelphia, July 20. 

Enterprise Pictures hitch-ltiked a 
nice bit of flackery; on to the Re- 
publican Convention and Universal 
rode the coattails of the Demo- 
cratic sessions for some picture 
plugging, biit when it comes to the 
smartest public relaticns and pro- 
motional stunt of the convention 
season^the palm goes, to the 
sedate Pennsylvania Railroad. ^ 

Old Pennsy operated a "lounge" 
for newsmen at G. O. P. and Dem 
sessions featuring cooled air, tele- 
vision sets, free beer, soft drinks, 
cheese, crackers, peanuts, potato 
chips, etc. It was the hit of the two 
conclaves. And the railroad plans 
to do it again for the Henry Wal- 
lace 3d Party Convention. 

Best estimate 'here is that for 
the three conventions, the Pennsy 
tab will come to better than 
$40,000. However, it Is regarded as 
smart spending by the newsmen 
who took advantage of the setup in 
the ballroom on the second floor 
of Philly's Convention HaU. The 
public relations stunt made friends 
for the railroad among a couple of 
thousand nowspaper,.„radio, news- 
reel, television and magazine peo- 
ple who used its facilities. It has 
been the coolest and friendliest 
spot of the conventions. It earned 
plugs for the Pennsy over the net- 
worlm and in the press. And the 
price has been no more, for in- 
stance, than a couple of pages of 
advertising in the *Saturday Even- 
ing Post 



+ This is the 43d publication year 
I of Variety, and Jor 38 of those 43 
i years Jack Pulaski (Ibcc) had 
been a Vabiety staffer.. On Friday, 
at 12:30 a.m., in Jewish Memorial 
hospital, N. Y., where he had been 
rushed two days earlier, "30" was 
written to the. career of tlie -dean 
of Vabietv muggs. He was 65. In 
years of service and , experience 
in covering the Broadway beat, ; 
Ihee had been one of the most 
.seasoned and expert theatrical re- 
porters. • 

Apparently walking around with 
a slight stroke for a couple of 
weeks, ; recent dizzy spells which 
had bothered Ibee were climaxed 
two weeks ago Wednesday (0) at 
the Monmouth Race track, in 
Jersey, when he was saved from a 
fall by a friend. The following 
evening, at his Manbattjiin home, 
200 West 58th street, he fell in the 
bathroo.n and was- bedded^ The 
emergency operation ' for -cerebral 
hemmorhage, performed last ' Tues- 
day night (14), saw him temporar-' 
ily weathering the surgery. He 
lapsed into a coma Wednesday and 
remained in that condition till his 
death. 

A turnaway crowd of over 750 
attended Monday afternoon (19) at 
the Riverside Memorial - Chapeli 
N.Y. Cremation in Ferncliff, 
Hartsdale, N.Y. followed. The 
Variety staff served as pallbearers. 
There was a brief religious service 
and Jack's show biz pals spoke a 
few words just as he would have 
liked it. 

- Brock Pemberton, one of the 
four speakers at the services, 
touched on Jack's trade knowledge, 
to accent his reportorial know-how. 
■So did Paul Dullzell, treasurer of 
Actors Equity Assn., and Bert Ly- 
tell, former Equity prez and now 
Shepherd of The Lambs. The only 
other speaker was William Degen 
Weinberger, chairman of the board 
of the Jewish Theatrical Guild. 
Names from all walks of show busi- 
ness were in attendance. 

His widow, Lillion, three broth- 
ers, Albert, Elias and Harold, and 
two sisters, Mimi Pulaski and Mrs, 
Alice Glazer, former wife of Bar- 
ney Glazer, film producer-writer, 
survive. ' 

Born Isma Berringer Pulaski in 
Cuthbert, Ga., Ibee— the nom-de- 
critique coined from his first two 
given names— looked anything like ' 
a Cuthbert or a Dixieite. He was 
the epitome of what the term 
Variety mugg suggested, particu- 
larly to outsiders. The nomencla- 
ture mugg, of course, was the af-. 
fectionate billing given his staffers 
by the late Sime Silverman, 
founder of Variety. 

To his colleagues on the paper. 
Jack bespoke more the Philadel- 
phia and Atlantic City backgi-ound . 
in which he was schooled. It , was 
as Variety's A. C. correspondent, 
covering the legit break-ins at the 
shore resort, that Ibee came to 
Sime's attention and eventually to ■ 
the homeoffice editorial staff 
where he so long figured as first- 
string l^git critic, dx-ama editor 
and general theatrical reporter. 
An Expert on Legit 
Few knew more about legit and 
its behind-the-scenes operations 
than Jack. His expertness was not 
merely in the so-called backstage 
knowledge; his was a hep insight 
on front-office management, opera- 
tion and. merchandising which 
(Continued on page 50) 



Hedy Heads for Coast, 
Snubs Airport's Hoopla 

Hedy Lamarr was aboard the 
first commercial plane to land at 
New York's new International Air- 
port last week— -but she was unwill- 
ing to wait around four hours to 
celebrate the facti Actress came in 
from Paris on an Air France plane 
which arrived four hours ahead of 
schedule. 

Flacks had reporters and news- 
reelers all set to be on hand at the 
time scheduled for Miss Lamarr's 
arrival. But they didn't count on 
the pilot's burst Of speed. P.a.'s 
prevailed upon the actcess to hang 
around and .repeat her departure 
from the plane and to stay for the 
ceremonies planned, b u t S b e 
begged off. 

She had been in Paris for five 
weeks for the United Nations Ap- 
peal for Children. She planed out 
yesterday (Tuesday) for the Coast 
to start work in Cecil B. DeMille's 
"Samson and Delilah." 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



f^nMEfr 



ncriJHEs 



EX1KEMES IN HOLLYWOOD PROD. 



Here s Where We Came h 

Film exhibitors can loolc for distribs to place new demands on 
them for higher rentals^and longer playing time on all features 
while both the domestic and foreign markets are at th'%ir present 
Jow level. That's the opinion culled from a survey of major com- 
pany sales chiefs In the light of the new studio economy measures 
revealed last week on the Coast. 

According to one sales manager, "we're' going to try for more of 
the theatre8'>money from now on than we ever received in the 
past." He conceded it would be a tough job, admitting readily 
that exhibitors' operating costs have gone up along with those of 
production and distribution. With the domestic market in a slump, 
the. British situation more snafued than ever and continued re- 
strictions on the remittance of earnings from other foreign coun- 
tries, however, exhibitors will have to be made to realize that their 
cooperation is needed more now than ever to keep the industry on 
an even keel. 

Another sales manager noted thp terrific drop in net: profits 
earned by most of the majors during the last quarter. Granted, he 
declared, that exhibitors have also been making less money, it's 
still probable that their drop in earnings haven't been compara- 
tively so great. Hence, he said, it's up to exhibitors now to share 
more of the industry slump. He pointed to the studio economy 
waves and suggested that exhibitors should attempt to cut their 
operating costs proportionately. 



TraditioiialSiiininerSlimipReiniiids 
Of Prewar But Biz Stin Much Higher 



Traditional summer b.o. slump4 
was not a casualty of the war; It^s 
here again in full swing. 

With habits of living definitely 
changed during the war years, the 
annual warm weather recession in 
film business had become so slight 
it was hardly noticeable. Many ex- 
hibs, as a result, got wistfully to 
thinking that the summer drop 
was permanently a thing of the 
past. Current season has proved 
them wrongi 

On the other hand, the dog days 
business in no wise represents the 
slump it once did. In large meas- 
ure responsible for that, of course, 
is air conditioning, which has 
made the theatre— instead of a first 
cousin to a steam bath-— a desir- 
able respite from high tempera- 
tures and soaring humidity. Cool- 
ing systems have definitely ended 
the days when a large number of 
houses closed down : completely 
come hot weather. 

Traditional drop in summer biz, 
which was scarcely noticeable from 
1941 to 1946, started to be f0lt last 
year. Grosses fell off about 10% 
from the preceding year, which 
wasrtt at all bad, in light of the 
fact that 1946 was the best 12 
months in all theatre history. This 
season, receipts have taken another 
tumble of 10% to 12%, Which 
means that the total drop is noth- 
ingnhat can be laughed off. 

It still must be remembered, 
however, that the level of grosses 
(Continued on page 22) 



Henigson Joins Selznick 

' Hollywood, July 20. 

David O. Selznick and Vanguard 
Films prexy Daniel T. O'Shea have 
announced the appointment of 
Henry Henigson to an executive 
capacity in Vanguard. Actual title 
has not yet been determined. 

Appointment is believed to indi* 
cate an expansion of Vanguard 
operations. Henigson has just 
completed an association repre- 
senting RKO in the production of 
"Joan." Before that, he was en- 
gaged in indie production with 
Howard Hughes and Preston 
Sturges. 



Schary May Hop From 
U. of Colo. Address To 
Meet Rodgers in Chi 

Dore Schary, inked last week as 
No. 2 man to production chief 
Louis B. Mayer on the Metro lot, 
may get together with Metro sales 
veepee William F. Rodgers in Chi- 
cago over the weekend for huddles 
on production-distribution policies 
of the company. 

Rodgers originally had planned 
a trip to the ^Coast after Aug. 9, 
when Schary 'is scheduled to as- 
sume his new .duties at the Metro 
studios after a two-weeks' vacation. 
Latter is scheduled to speak at the 
Colorado Writers Congress at the 
Univ. of Colorado July "30, during 
his vacation, and so may come as 
far east as Chi for a get-together 
with Rodgers. 

Sales exec usually likes to see as 
many now pictures as possible on 
his visits to the studio and, since 
only a few have been completed 
since his last trip several months 
(Continued on page 22) 



GEO. BROWN'S N.Y. HOP 

Hollywood, July 20. 

George Brown, Paramount's stu- 
dio ad-publicity chief, leaves here 
July 30 for New York, where he'll 
huddle for a week with the home- 
office staff on campaigns for 
forthcoming releases. 

Trip will be Brown's first to 
N. Y. in a year. 



TublicMiistlJke 
Briti^ lectures,' 
WilsonTellsCEA 



London. July 20. 
British Board of Trade prexy 
Harold Wilson yesterday (Monday) 
cracked the whip on the new 45% 
quota act, emphasizing to a special 
deputation of the Cinematograph 
Exhibitors Assn. that they had no 
alternative except to comply with 
the regulation when it takes effect 
Oct. 1. 

CEA group received little 'Sym- 
pathy during the hour-and-a-half 
discussion. Wilson promised them 
he would consider all difficulties of 
exhibitors in meeting the quota 
requirements, but stressed it would 
be impossible to permit a high 
percentage of American product 
even in those areas where British 
films are unpopular. He told the 
exhibitors that the pubUo must like 
British pictures. 

Dennis Walls, CEA prexy and 
spokesman for the group, told Wil- 
son the quota is too high. He sug- 
gested that a 15% figure would be 
more economic. Walls declared 
that American product displaced 
from circuits operated by J. Arthur 
Rank* is giving Hank serious com- 
(Continued on page 6) 



Memphis Bans 'Em, 
West Memphis OK's 'Em 

Memphis, July 20. 

Binford bans 'em and West 
Memphis, Ark., usually plays 'em! 

Natives are now crossing the 
Mississippi to see David O. Selz- 
nick's "Duel in the Sun," on which 
Lloyd T. Binford, Memphis censor 
hoard chairman, put his "Binford- 
ized Heavo" here last year. The 
pic, starring Jennifer Jones, Greg- 
ory Peck and Joseph Cotten, at the 
Crittenden theatre, West Memphis, 
located some 10 miles from down- 
town Memphis. It is showing to 
regular prices and the local mana^ 
ger across the river reports heavy 
biz. 




HT PEIIK Oil IIT 
II 

Hollywood, July 20. 
Number of pictures in produc- 
tion at each of the ma j or film stu- 
dios this week is probably more 
varied than it's ever been before 
in the industry's history, with pro- 
duction practically at a standstill 
in some and at record peaks in 
others. 

Situation is not believed to rep- 
resent any special trends in the in- 
dustry or td be indicative of much 
more than a series of incidents, 
that have bit various studios in tl>e 
last several weeks. Such factors 
as the personnel shakeup at RKO 
and the joining of Metro by Dore 
Schary have affected production at 
those studios, while the number of 
backlog films in others have caused 
either a stepup or shuttering of 
production. And, of course, there's 
the new economy wave, which is 
reportedly behind the decision of 
Universal - International to close 
down for six to eight weeks after 
Aug. 1. 

At opposite extremes, for ex- 
ample, are Paramount and War- 
ners. Par has probably the . big- 
gest backlog of completed films of 
any of the majors. Ten films sched- 
uled for release between Aug. 1 
and Dec. 31 are already completed 
and in the can. As a result, the 
company currently has only onii: 
(Continued on page 16) 



John McCarthys Page^Oned 
In London for Dramatic 
Aid to Ailing British Lad 

- London, July 20. 

John G. McCarthy, associate 
chief of the international division 
of the Motion Picture Assn. of 
America, and his wife, Lily, were 
disclosed last week, following their 
return to New York, as possibly 
having saved the life of a nine-year 
old British boy. Evfen Lord Beaver- 
brook's Daily Express, which has 
been almost savage in its attacks 
on American film producers, car- 
ried a story reflecting credit on the 
industry. 

McCarthy was here to negotiate 
interpretations of the new Anglo- 
U. S. films agreement. His wife 
was in the U. S., but planning to 
join him here. She works for the 
English-Speaking Union, handling 
requests for aid from Britons. She 
(Continued on page 20) 



Test Case on Theatre Seat Tax 

Results in Historic Decision; 
^ ASCAP s Collections 'Monopolistic 



Cause and Effect 

Hollywood, June 20. 

Wholesale firing at RKO re- 
sulted in swift action at a top 
Sunset Strip bristro where 
film names had been eating 
and drinking on the cuff. 

Numerous thesps were 
showered Vith biUs .from . a 
collection agency with' orders 
to kick in, or else. In some 
cases bank accounts were tied 
up, and a studio exec discov- 
ered on attachment on his car. 



GoldwynSetTo 
Manage Sales Of 
Wanger s *Joan 

Deal is currently in the making 
by which Samuel Goldwyn Produc- 
tions will supervise sales of Sierra 
Pictures' "Joan of Arc." This un- 
usual setup will permit roadshow- 
ing of the Ingrid Bergman-starrer 
by RKO, the distribs, in exactly 
the same format that is providing 
sum $11,000,000 in domestic gross 
for Goldwyn's own "Best Years of 
Our Lives." 

Jame§ A, Mulvey, Goldwyn Pro- 
ductions pr<!xy, is currently on the 
Coast huddling on the deal with 
Walter Wanger^ who is partnered 
with Miss Bergman and director 
Victor Fleming in the indie unit 
which made the film. Deal is un- 
derstood to be all but in tfie bag* 
with the Goldwyn organization re- 
portedly getting 3% of the gross, 
up to a celing figure, for its su- 
pei-visory activity. 

Under the Supreme Court deci- 
sion on the industry anti-trust case, 
fixing by a distrib of the admis- 
sion to be charged by a theatre is 
outlawed. Thus, RKO cannot on its 
own roadshow "Joan," since this 
form of exhibition entails price- 
fixing. 

Goldwyn, however, as an indie 
is not a defendant in the antitrust 
(Continued on page 8) 



National Boxoffice Survey 

Big Fix Overcome Heat— 'Waltz,' 'Patade,' 'Street,' 
«ea8,' 'Bad Men,' 'Apache' Lead Field 



Despite continuance of swelter- 
ing weather in many parts of the 
country, the two big boxoffice 
leaders this stanza are accounting 
for nearly $700,000 total gross. 
"Emperor Waltz" (PaiO continues 
to pace the field although on hold- 
over in most spots currently. It 
is being closely pressed by "Easter 
Parade" (M-G) for second coin, the 
latter being helped by a flock of 
addition.'il playdates this week. , 

In third place is "Street With No 
Name" (20th) although back a bit 
from the two champs. Also 
"Street" is not making such smash 
showing uniformly as "Waltz" and 
"Parade." "Romance on High 
Seas" (WB) is landing fourth-place 
money, on improved showing over 
recent weeks. 

"Return of Bad Man" (RKO), 
just getting started this round, is 
strong enough to capture fifth 
position m biO. derby, "Fort 
Apache" (RKO), which continues 
to make good showings, is in sixth 
slot, having played out most of its 
dates. 

Best runner-up pictures this 
.session are "Paradine Case" (SRO), 
"On An Island With You" (M-G) 
and "On Our Merry Way" (UA), 
finishing in that order. "Paradine" 
is just getting started out on its 
regular dates. 

Top newcomer, but only in two 
cities, is "Key Largo" (WB). It 



shapes smash both in L. A. and 
N. Y., with new house high almost 
certain .m latter city where strong 
stagcshow is helping. "Tap Roots" 
(U), which is being precmed in 
several eastern cities thiis week, 
bespeaks great promise, based on 
terrific take at Philly smallseater. 

"Canon City" (EL) continues to 
live up to its initial promise on 
holdover this week. "Deep Waters" 
(20th), on the other hand, is mild- 
ish this round. "Man-Eater of 
Kumaon" (U) looks only fair on 
debut in L. A. but is holding fairly 
well in third N. Y. frame. "FuUer 
Brush Man" (Col) stiU is doing 
okay, with nice Showing in St. 
Louis and sock trade in Minne- 
apolis. 

"1, • Jane Doe" (Rep), while 
modest in Indianapolis, is racking 
up solid total in Chicago backed 
by stage show. "Mr. Blandings" 
(SRO) shapes very strong both in 
Boston and Minneapolis. 

"Mickey" (EL), which is doing 
nicely in Chicago, also is coming 
through with a solid week in N. Y, 
"Four Faces West" (UA) looms big 
in Portland, Ore. "Berlin Express" 
(RKO) will come through better 
than in recent weeks with okay 
takings m Portland and fancy tak- 
ings in Philly. 

(Complete Boa;of /ice Reports 
on Pages 12-13) 



In one of the most ^r-reacbing 
court decisions ever to affect th6 
film and music industries, inde* 
pendent exhibitors won the first 
round in their fight agaiiist the 
American Society of Composers, 
Authors and Publishers yesterday 
dues.) in N. Y. .federal court 
Jud$[« Vliicent U, Leibell ruled 
that ASCAP theatre performance 
fees represent a monopoly in re- 
straint of trade. 

In the .long-awaited decision on 
the suit brought against ASCAP ih 
1942 by 164 indie theatre operatona 
in the metropolitan K^Y< area, 
Judge Leibell ordered ASCAP to 
give up immediately all public per- 
formance rights on songs licensed 
for motion picture exhibition. He 
granted the plaintiffs a five-point 
injunctive relief order, whicji 
forces ASCAP to turn over these 
performance rights to its members, 
who must in turn liconse them for 
films only to film producers. 

As far as exhibitors are con* 
cerned, the decision means basic* 
ally that exhibs eventually may be 
freed of paying any seat taxes to 
ASCAP. Fact that the court or- 
dered the rights assigned to prOr. 
ducers. however, is believed to 
(Continued on page 22) . 



See Noah Dietrich As 
OneofSeveralNewftKO 
Directors Set by Hughes 

Changes in .the membership of 
RKO's board are looked for at the 
special meeting, likely to be held 
Aug. 31. Corporation is now be- 
ing reported preparing proxy state* 
ments with nominees suggested by 
Howard Hughes. Latter is under- 
stood to be Considering what nomi- 
nees he wants for board member- 
ship to be presented at this spe- 
cial confab which will be in lieu 
of the annual RKO meeting us- 
ually held the first Wednesday in 
(Continued on page 47) ■ 




Tradfl Marh noglHtorcd 
FOUNDKD BY SIME SJI..VIflRMAN 
PubUshed Weekly by VABIF/rV, Inc. 

Sid Silverman, Prosiflont 
1S4 We«t 46th St., Now York It), K. y. 
IloUywooa S8 
6811 Yucca Street 
Wnshlnrtoii 4 
1202 Nationa.!. Press BUUdlng 
Clilcago I, 
SCO Ne. HIchtRan An: ^ 
JLondon wcs 

8 St, IMrtlH's Pl.i Tratftlsar ao. 



SOBSCRtPTlON 
Annual...... 110 lroTelgn......t!I' 

Siiigte CopIM. .......... ^ ... .2S Cents 



Vol. 171 



No. 7 



INDEX 

Bills 47 

Chatter 54 

film Reviews. . . . , 10 

House Reviews..., 48 

Inside Legit. ... , . . ... . . . 50 

Inside Pictures; ... « 20 
Inside Radio. . . , . . , , . 36 

International 16 

Legitimate 49 

Literati S3 

Music ■ 38 

New Acts 48 

Night Club Reviews . 46 

Obituaries 55 

Orchestras . ... ..... . . ... 38 

Pictures . . . . . . . . . v . . 2 

Radio 25 

Radio Reviews 30 

Records 38 

Frank Scully 53 

Television * 32 

Vaudeville * > . . 44 



(PubllBliea in Holly weed by 
Daily Variety. UH.) 
115 » Tear— fiO Foreiea 



PICTVIIES 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



Towne, Milwaukee, Sues Majors For 
$1,050,000 Via Jackson Park Attorney 



) Chicago, July 20. 4 

An anti-trust suit asking $1 ,050,- 
000 triple damages from major film 
distributors was filed today (Tues.) 
m Chicago federal district court 
by attornt-y Tom McConnell on he- 
half of tlie Towne theatre, Mil- 
vaukee. McConnell is the attor^ 
ney who handled the Jackson Park 
case for the plaintiffs and also rep- 
resentei other exhibs In^^ti-trust 
suits filed agains^; the m?j6rs 
throughout the cduntry. 

FollDwtng closely the pattern 
established by the JP decision and 
ether industry anti-trust cases in 
tlie past, the Chi suit asks that 
ownership by defendants of the 
first run theatres in jMilwaukee be 
de<Uared monopolistic and that dis- 
tributors be divested of all stock- 
holdings in Milwaukee theatres. 

Named as defendants were 
Loew's, paramount, BKO, 20th, 
Warners, James £. Co>sten and 
Columbia. 

Towne Theatre Corji;' has opcr- 
uted the Milwaukee house since 
May, 1946. It contends that it lost 
$350,000 because of alleged mono- 
polistic bookings and clearances 
maintained by the defendants. 
Theatre, a 1,776-seater, has re- 
. cently been playing only United 
Artists and foreign-made product. 

Complaint charges that the 
majors conspired tp grant exclu- 
sive rights to all 20th, Hetro, Par 
and Col films to the Palace, Strand 
jtn^t Wisconsin theatres; with the 
.IVB-owned Alhambra and the 
Bfawrsidfi theatres having exclusive 
rights to WB, BKO and Universal 
product prior -to any other first 
run. Theatres involved then set 
up a 28-day clearance ^ waiting 
timei th3 suit claims. 



'Waltz' Gets 4 Weeks 
: In Chi as Exception 
To Jax Park Verdict 

* ■ Chicago, July 20. 

Chi federal district court Judge 
Michael Igoe has made the first 
exception to the Jackson Park de- 
cree and granted Paramount' the 
Tight to play "Emperor Waltz" for 
four weeks in the Chicago theatre. 
Bdth Chicago and Paramount are 
defendants in the decree and sub- 
ject to two- week limit on Loop 
showing. 

Paramount had pleaded huge 
co.st, estimated at $3,000,000 of 
*'Waltz," contending that print 
cost '«ould not be returned unless 
■"Waltz" could have extended run. 
At the time contempt decree was 
entered Igoe noted that he would 
«lla\\', if defendants could prove 
their case, variations to two-week 
limit on showings. 

Tom McConnell, attorney for the 
Jackson Park, said if cider led to 
«lher distribs asking for stretch- 
tog two-week clause, it would 
hinder the decree and he would 
make legal protest. 

Picture opened July 16. 

McConnell is appealing the 
grant of extending running time 
given to Paramount. McConnell 
said he would file an appeal in 
the Federal circuit court asking 
that two-week showing limit of 
film, under the Jackson Park dcs 
cree, be upheld. Pic, currently 
showing at the Chicago, is doing 
' boll: business with $70,000 in view 
for first week. 



Bonded Guns Two 

Tclepic Series on 35m 

Hollywood, July 20. 

Bonded Television will start 
shooting on two telepix series this 
week. One film will run 30, min- 
utes and the other 15. Both will 
be filmed on 35m. 

Half-hour show, "Kye Witness," 
is a psychological observation pro- 
gram with a participating au<fi- 
ence. Film is skedded to run in- 
termittently during the teleshow. 
Audience will be rewarded for 
their - astuteness in observing. 
Bonded will also film "The Trick 
ol the Week," vidprogram featur- 
ing a magician. 



LA. Indies Suit 



Los Angeles, July 20. 

Anti-trust action seeking appli- 
cation of the Jackson Park decisimi 
to exhibition in Lqbb Beach, plus 
treble damages amounting to 
$561,000 and an injunctive relief 
against alleged restraints of trade 
and monopoly practices, have been 
filed.«gainst nine distributors, four 
theatre circuits, and two individ- 
uate by Mr. and Mes. Ivan C. Hanr: 
son,, owners <rf the Atlantic theatee 
in Long Beach. Suit was filed in 
local federal court. 

Prepared by 'Fred A. Weller, for- 
merly in charge of motion {Hcture 
cases in L. A. for the Dept. of Jus- 
tice, the suit levels «n attack on 
asserted unlimited first run move- 
overs of the Cabart Corp. and Fox- 
West Coast and charges that the 
defendants conspired to maintain 
an arbitrary and unreasonable 
clearance sch edule in Long Beach. 
Conspiracy, it's charged, forced the 
plaintiff's theatre to play films on 
a long-delayed, subsequent-run 
break, while houses operated by 
F-WC and Cabart enjoy the mo- 
nopoly of all first run exhibitions. 

Another charge is that distribs 
granted circuit houses' lower film 
rentals than the Atlantic received. 
In this connection, Hanson de- 
cUired that "we do not object to 
paying high rentals for good pic- 
tures, but we do object to paying 
higher rentals for pictures on late 
subsequent run than are paid by 
F-WC and Cabart for the same pic- 
tures on earlier runs." 

Suit alleges that the buying 
power of the St. Louis Amus. Co. 
has been : injected into the Long 
Beach situation to obtain preferen- 
tial treatment for Cabart. Large 
St. Louis chain and the Cabart cir- 
cuit are controlled by Milton and 
Harry Arthur, both named as de- 
fendants. Action is based on legal 
principles laid down by the S. 
Supreme Court in the anti-trust 
case against the majors and in the 
Jackson Park decision. 

Among the defendants are RKO, 
Warners, Columbia, Universal, 
Paramount, United Artists, Repub- 
lic, Loew's, 20th-Fox, National 
Theatres, F-WC, Cabart and the 
St. Louis Amus. Co. 



Pivar's New Indie 

Hollywood, July 20. 

Ben Pivar, associated with Ed- 
ward Small for the last year, 
formed his own Independent pro- 
duction company. 

While with Small, Pivar pro- 
duced "The Challenge," "13 Lead 
Soldiers" and "The Creeper" for 
20th-Fox release, and "Indian 
Scout" for United Artists, 



IstCl^ffaBce 
(kigeiii Years 
ByMinMpk 

Minneapolis. July 20. 
The first clearance change here 
in years has been made by 20th- 
Fox. Its new schedule offers a 
28-day availability to three inde- 
pendent houses in as many dif- 
ferent zones in question. Varsity, 
Nile and Homewood now have a 
56-day availability. Terms of the 
new availability are to be negoti- 
ated. 

Up to now only uptown and sub- 
urban houses to have the 28-day 
availability were the Paramount 
circuits Upton and the indepen- 
dent Riehfield in "areas different 
from the aforementioned zones, 
and they will retain same. 

Some other neigliborhood avail- 
abilities will be moved up from 
56 to 49 and - 42 days. Earlier 
availabilities will call for higher 
film costs, A. W. Smith, Jr., 20th- 
Fox sales manager indicated when 
here recently. 



204 s 24 for '49,6 More TTian '48; 
2-a-M(Hitli Releases Accent on As 




INDIES, SAG NEAR 
AGREEMENT ON PACT 

Holl3?wood,.Juty 20. 
Indie producers agreed in prin- 
cijple ■ to - the terms of a new con- 
tract, .subtnitted by tlie Screen 
Actors Guild. •Agreement comes up 
Thursday (22) for ratification by 
member companies of the Inde- 
J>endent Motion Picture Producers 
Assn. 

Provi.sions dealing with televi- 
sion, rei.ssues, guild shop, freelance 
players and working conditions are 
]practically the same as those con- 
tained in the contract between the 
Actors and the majors, settled last 
iveek. Special terms were conceded 
by S.'VG on feature films budgeted 
«t not more than $100,000 and on 

- fndie westerns costing $50,000 or 

.less. 



Mulvey, Kramer to Coast 
Called Just Coincidental 

,lames A. Mulvey, president of 
Samuel Goldwyn Productions, and 
Milton. Kramer, board chairman 
of Selznick Releasing Organiza- 
tion and counsel to Selznick, 
planed to the Coast, Friday (16). 
Although the pair are prime mov- 
ers in the ea.st of the Society , of 
Independent Motion Picture Pro- 
ducers, both declared the timing of 
their Coast trips was just coin- 
cidental and had no bearing on 
SlMPP. 

Mulvey and Kramer have been 
hunting for a topper for SIMPP, 
to succeed Donald Nelson, who re- 
signed last winter. It hasn't been 
determined yet whether a high- 
salaried former Government or in- 
dustrial figure will be chosen or 
an exec secretary to run the af- 
fairs of the organization. With 
Mulvey and Kramer huddling with 
their principals this week, a de- 
cision may be arrived at. 

Both Mulvey and Kramer are 
due back in New York this week. 



Johnston en Coast 
To Further Fikns' 
Pnblic Relations 

' Hollywood, July 20. 

Motion Picture Assn. of America 
prez Eric Johnston has arrived for 
a week of huddlts, beginning with 
the Motion Picture Industry Coun- 
cil meet last (Monday) night. 

Representatives of the guilds, 
unions and producers will tee off 
the discussions designed to im- 
prove conditions between the 
guilds and producers, as well as 
establish a united front for Holly- 
wood. Meeting is expected to be 
of an exploratory nature, with Ed- 
ward Cheyfitz, Johnston's aide, also 
sitting in. 

One: of the questions will be the 
problem of a financing council. 
Producers have already agreed to 
pay half if the guilds and unions 
ante the remainder. Latter coun- 
tered with a proposal that the major 
and indie producers pay two- 
thirds. Question of the organiza- 
tion itself and its f uture operation 
is also on the agenda. MPAA has 
suggested that Cheyfitz lend his 
services for six months, until the 
council is functioning smoothly. 
Suggestion is understood to be 
agreeable to all the guilds, exceot 
the Screen Writers Guild, which 
wants some neutral person to take 
over. 



Garfield & Co. East For 
N.Y. Lensing on ^Numbers' 

John Garfield," star of Enter- 
prise's "The Numbers Racket," and 
Bob Roberts, film's producer, ar-, 
rive in New" York from the Coast 
over the weekend to start location 
shooting next week. Also due east 
are Beatrice Pierson, who is fea- 
tured, and Abe' Polonsky, Who 
scripted. 

George Yohalem, production 
manager, arrived in New York 
yesterday (Tuesday) to choose the 
locations. All studio work has 
been completed and the exteriors 
to be done in New York are ex- 
pected to take about 10 days. 



OA. I 

tm 



Sliifaig Scale 

Despite the several new sales 
policies instituted by 20th-Fox 
sales manager Andy W. Smith, 
Jr., during the last- year, "the com- 
pany will definitely not revive the 
sliding scale method of selling pic'^ 
tures. Current market is in no 
position to sustain a scale system 
profitably for distributors, Smith 
said. 

; That method of selling, accord- 
ing to the 20th exee, was originally 
set up to give exhibitors full pro- 
tection in case of low grosses on a 
picture and, at the same time, to 
afford the distributor with a pre- 
mium rental in case the film did 
exceptionally good biz.> Today, 
however, with the market falling, 
the advantage lies entirely with 
exhibs, since they still get pro- 
tection. Distributor, though, has 
no chance at his premium on high 
grosses. 

Most of tlie other majors, mean- 
while, have continued the sliding 
scale wherever it worked out 
equitably for both parties, with 
Metro alone giving the system 
priority in all booking deals. Ac- 
cording to Metro sales chief Wil- 
liam F. Rodgers, the scale is the 
only system of selling that allows a 
pictui>e to stand or fall on its own 
merits. 



SDCWiNSGUILD'SHOP 
IN NEW 8-YEAR PACT 

Hollywood, ,TuIy 20. 

New eight-year contract was 
agreed upon by the Screen Direc- 
tors Guild and the major studios, 
calling for 100% guild shop and 
running until August, 1956. 

Among the clauses in the agree- 
ment is one providing for A co- 
operative committee to handle all 
problems arising between the two 
groups. Other points of accord are 
a no-.strike clau.se, an improvement 
in layoff provisions, more control 
of film editing, more credits in ad- 
vertising and fuller recognition of 
the director's importance in the 
industry. 



WB MAY HALT SALE OF 
'KINGS ROW SEQUEL 

Warner Bros, has thrown up a 
roadblock preventing sale at film 
rights to Henry and Katharine 
Bellaman's current best - seller 
"Parris Mitchell of Kings Row." 
WB in 1941 picturized the Bella- 
man's "Kings Row," predecessor 
to the current volume, and claims 
it owns much of the material in 
"Parris Mitchell." 

Mrs. Bellaman iher husband has 
since died) and her agent, Ann 
Watkins, dispute Warners' claim. 
They say they have the right to 
sell the new book to films. How- 
ever, with WB taking a firm atti- 
tude, it is doubtful that any other 
studio would risk legal action by 
buying screen rights. 

Spokesman for Warners declared 
that about half the material in the 
new book is associated with that 
in the previous volume and 'that 
Mrs. Bellaman "is welcome to sell 
anything that's new." Since the 
characters themselves afe the 
.same, however, the WB legal de- 
partment is ready to pounce if 
screenrights are sold. 



N. Y. to Europe 

John Boles 
Jo.seph Buloff 
Dale Carnegie ■ 
Mrs. Dita Dantine 
Benny Davis 
Philip Dorn 
Michael Duhart 
Clifford C. Fischer 
Jack Forrester 
Mrs. Victor Francen 
Bobby Gillette 
Sonja Henie 
Abner Silver 
Albert Spalding 
Bill Stem 
James B. Williams 



L. A. to N. Y. 

Dana Andrews 
Jack Cummiugs 
Julius G. Epstein 
Philip G. Epstein 
John Garfield ' 
Betty Garrett ■ ' 
Edmund Goulding 
Robert Montgomery 
.Tohn Mulvihill . . . 
Edward Nassour 
WilUam S. Paley 
Tom Pedi 
Beatrice Pierson 

H. C. Potter 
Bob Roberts 

J. Robert Rubin. 

I. A. Ruman 
Marta Toren 
Bariy Trivers 
George Yoluilem 



Twentieth-Fox will boo.st its 
production schedule next year to' 
release two A pictures a month 
but will renew its distribution 
pacts with only two or three of the 
six indie producers, whose films it 
now handles. That will be an- 
nounced by 20th sales chief Andy 
W. Smith,' Jr., at a one-day meet\ 
of the Canadian sales staff tomor- 
row (Thursday), at the Hotel Royal 
York, Toronto. 

Twenty four pictures to be .turn- 
ed out on the home lot next season 
represent a boost of six over those 
produced during 1948. This year, 
however, in addition to the 18 
home^produced features released, 
20th distributed 30 films from oijt- 
side producers. Only contracts to 
be renewed with indies next year 
are for an unspecified number of 
pix from Eddie Alperson and Nat 
Holt. Renewal of a distribution 
pact with Sol Wurtzel is in the 
wortcs^but hasn't been settled yet. 

Reason for the cutback in num- 
ber of B releases and the compen* 
sating boost in high-budgeters, ac^ 
cording to 20th sales toppers, is 
that the market on B films now, 
when boxoffice gros.ses are slip- 
ping, is too soft. As a result, it's 
no longer possible to handle B 
films from outside producers at a 
profit for either 20th or the pro- 
ducers. Most exhibitors, it's claim- 
ed, would rather play repeat dates 
on top-budgeters at this time than 
book the •quickies, since those re- 
peats will earn them more money. 
And, with even the top A films 
getting less playing time all down 
the line, it's believed that the mar- 
ket is in need of more top-quality 
product. 

Exit Korda? 

Current deal between 20th and 
Sir Alexander Korda's X.,ondoH 
Film Productions, through which 
20th was to release at least four 
Korda features yearly, may also be 
called off. To date, the company 
has let go only ''Ideal Husband"and 
"Anna Karenina" in the U.S. and 
no others loom for release in the 
near future. Reason, according to 
20th spokesmen, is ttiat Koi-da has 
too many othej;; commitments to 
fill adequately his pact with 20th. 
Since neither of the two now in re- 
lease are big grossers. It's believed 
that if the contract is cancelled, it 
will be via mutual consent. 

Twentieth is prepared to ooost 
its home-made A production, ac- 
cording to company officials, be- 
cause, it foresaw the current box- 
office dip at least 18 months ago. 
As a result,, the entire studio pro- 
duction activities were reshaped 
through various economies and to- 
day, 20th is set to step np produc- 
tion of top-quality pix at lower 
budgets per picture. 

New season's release .sl.ite is 
being broached first in Canada, 
since that's the only • territoiy 
handled by the domestic siiles or- 
ganization in which an entire sea- 
son's product is booked at one 
time. Twentieth prez Spyros P. 
Skouras will also attend the one- 
day meet, along with assistant gen- 
eral sales manager William C. Geh- 
ring; ad-publicity chief Charles 
Schlaifer, Martin Moskowitz, 
Smith's exec assistant; shorts sales 
manager Peter G. Levathes; branch 
operations chief Clarence A. Hill, 
and homeoffice sales staffers Frank 
Carroll, Roger Ferri and Jack 
Bloom. 

Canada, under the supervision 
•of division .sales manager Artlrur 
Silverstone, recently tpok top hon- 
ors in the Andy Smith Anniverr 
sury sales drive. 



N, Y. to L. A. 

Jeanne Cagney 
Valentina Cortese 
Thea Dispecl^er 
George Feinberg 
•Fred Finklchoffe 
Jed Harris 
James Merill Herd 
Harry Herrmann . 
Eric Johnston 
Hedy Lamarr 
Raymond Massey - 
Leo McCarey 
Maria Palmer 
Irving Shiffrin 
Mary Shipp 
Nancy Walker 

Europe to R Y. 

Maurice Bagman 
Cy Howard 
William A. Scully 



WVJiwaJay, July 21, 1948 



■%■ ■■■■ 




WALTER WANGER presents 

TAP ROOTS 

Color by TECHNICOLOR 

starring 

VAN SUSAN 

HEFLIN • HAYWARD 

with ■ 

BORIS KARLOFF • JULIE LONDON 

WARD BOND • RICHARD LONG 
«rtc( /nfroc/ucing WHITFIELD CONNOR 

Directed by GEORGE MARSHALL 

Screenplay by Alan LeMay • Additional Dialogue 
by Lionel .Wiggani - Produced by WALTER WANGER 
PICTURES, Inc. • A GEORGE iVlARSHALC Pfodudioti 

A UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL RELEASE 



Out-grassing ^Xanyon Passage/ 
^The Egg And I/' and all previous 
U-l top money-makers at Goldman 
Theatre, Philadelphia, and terri- 
torial day-and-date premiere. 
Holding over in every situation— 
Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Eastoii, 
Wilmington,Lancaster,Allentown, 
Reading, Harrisburg! Nothing 
like it ever hit the territory before ! 



M»ICTrtJ«ES 



Wcdntisday, July 21, 19^ 



Calmer Note Among Yank Dbtribs 
On British Problem; Greater Unity 
Mamfest; Favor Centra! Control 



Centralized control by the Amer-f 
can industry of the distribution of 
all of its product in^England con^ 
tinues to emerge as the most likely 
answer by Yank filmites to the 
British squeeze. That was evi- 
denced at meetings of company 
toppers at the Motion Picture Assn. 
of America Monday (19>, 

Whatever minor cbances there 
had been of restoring the embargo 
Imposed last summer on shipments 
Of films to the United Kingdom 
vanished with Monday's session. 
An embargo on sales to J. Arthur 
Bank appeared a more likely pos> 
sibility if the> centralized control 
setup is approved. 

KTlioIe attitude of execs at the 
IwG vGuclaveB ^cnday seemed to 
be one of more or less resigned ac- 
ceptance, of the situation in Brit- 
ain.. That doesn't menu that they 
intend taking lying dbwa'the new 
45% quota or Rank's restrictions 
on playing time on his circuits. 

However, the hysterical bitter- 
ness against Rank and Britain - that 
marked earlier meetings of the 
MPAA directorate had pretty mucli 
vanished. The fight for what they 
consider a fair shake in the British 
Isles was viewed by the assembled 
execs more as a trade problem that 
must, be solved than irpisrsooal in- 
tenuifional vendetta. ' ' 

In this new, calmer atmosphere, 
the difference between American 
companies themselves in dealing 
with the problem also took a more 
peaceful turn. Barney Balaban and 
Spyros Skouras who, a few weeks 
ago, were at opposite extremes on 
tile issue of dealing with England, 
showed perfect willingness Monday 
to sit quietly by and listen to the 
other's point of view. • 

No Schisms 
Result of this and the temper of 
the discussions made it clear that 
the U. S, distribs now mean to 
stick together in meeting the prob- 
lem imposed by the British. There 
will be none of the threatened 
breakup into factions, thus allow- 
ing Rank to take advantage of tiie 
division between Yank companies. 
(Continued oil page 16) 

FIRST DIVIDEND OF 
BRITISH niM COIN 

First divvy of British coin among 
U. S. distribs under the films agree- 
ment which became effective June 
14 will, be for the seven-'weeks 
period ending July 30. Payments 
were supposed to be made on a 
monthly basis, but it has been de- 
cided to run the initial period to 
the end of July for convenience in 
making divvies on a calendar 
month basis hereafter. 

Monthly payments are one- 
twelfth of the $17,000,000 yearly 
agreed on, amounting to $1,416,666. 
This is divided among all distribs 
in ratio to the amount of rentals 
their pix took in during the month. 

Public accounting firm of J. H. 
Champness, Corderoy, Beesly & 
Co., of London, has been named by 
the American industry to receive 
the payments from the British gov- 
ernment and compute the sums due 
each company from data which 
they will provide at the end of each 
month. Accountants will audit the 
claims and then make the pay- 
ments. John Warren, a partner in 
the firm, will be in charge of the 
work for the U. S. industry. 

Film Classics' B'way 
Showcase, the Rialto 

Film Classics now has a Broad- 
way-showcase as result of a deal 
with James Mage, operator of the 
Bialto. N. Y. Agreement stipulates 
jthat $he theatre will show FC films 
exclusively for an undisclosed 
period. Despite the new tie be- 
tween Mage and FC, the latter's 
veepee and g^eral sales manager 
B. G. Kranze emphasized Monday 
(19) that his firm has no financial 
Merest in the house. 

Under the pact the Rialto is 
Bcheduled to play four FC Cine* 
color plx including "Sofia," ''Mirac- 
ulous Journey," "Unknown Island" 
and "Daughter of Ramona." House 
now lias an FC Korda reissue. 



Bacher to Do 'Harvest' - 
Despite Selznick Feud 

• Hollywood, July 20. 
William Bacher is going ahead 
with his production of "If "This Be 
My Harvest" as an indie under 
the Trinity Films banner on the 
General Service lot^ regardless of 
Uie outcome of his feud With David 
O. Selznick. Producer announced 
that he will start filming next 
month with or without the services 
of Valli, Xiouis Jourdan and Robert 
Mitchum. These thesps were orig- 
inally slated for top roles through 
a loanoat deal with Selznick wliich 
did not materialize, 

Eicture bad been scheduled fi9r 
release thiou^ SRO, but unless 
the squabble over the three stars 
Is settled amicably another iasr 
tribution outlet will be sougbf. 
Meanwhile, attorneys for both 
sides are studying the various 
angles. 



Wllson-CEA 

Continued from page J 



U-IA]di«#Ofr 
PayroD of 1.00(1 

Hollywood, July 20. 

Layoff of 400 workers beginning 
Aug. t is being mapped at Univer- 
sal-International in a new econom;^ 
drive. Normal U-I staff is about 
1,000. Axing will leave 600 on 
the payroll as of Aug. 1 to begin 
a two-months' shutdown of pro- 
duction activity. 

Of the 40% being axed, only 
those pertinent to the studio and 
production operation will be re- 
lumed following the two-month 
shutdown. They will come back 
only as needed and not all at once. 
With eight or nine pix still to be 
edited, scored and dubbed, the lot 
will remain active during the 
sbttttering, > with the musicians 
especially' expected to be busy. Of 
the 600 remaining, however, some 
will be dropped as their individual 
chores end on various pictures. 

Producers, writers and. directors 
under contract will remain to pre- 
pare stories for the resumption of 
production Oct. 1 . No figures have 
been set but it's understood the 
publicity department will be sliced 
heavily. Studio execs point to 
U-I's. backlog as assurance that 
there will be a stea^ flow of prod- 
uct- for release. They anticipate 
the economy move will not affect 
the company's ^iture,- except to 
put it on a more secure operational 
footing. 



petition from the indie exhibs who 
are playing it. Commentmg on 
Rank's claim that British pictures 
are now drawing big money at the 
boxoffice. Walls declared the re- 
verse is true for the indies. 

Without independent product, he 
said, the Associated British Picture 
Corp:, which is partially controlled 
by Warners, and indie exhibitors 
will be unable to fulfill the quota, 
Reissues, moreover, would result 
in .absoHute bankruptcy. Walls de- 
manded 'assiu;ance that 90 quality 
British' pictures would be available 
yearly, as promised by Rank. He 
threatened that unless Rank toes 
the line on rentals, exhibitors will 
invoke clause 13 of the Films Act, 
thereby making the act inoperative. 

CEA Insurgents 
Hay Form vm 
yieEddiOi^ 

London, J^uly 20. 
Despite the ijew spirit of con- 
ciliation evidenced between J. Ar- 
thur Rank and the Cinematograph 
Exhibitors Assn. on the 45% quota 
problem last week, a "rump" group 
of indie exhibitors is renewing its 
efforts to break away from the 
CEIA and set up a separate group 
to fight the new regidation. Indie 
exhibs are smarting under the fear 
that compliance with the quota 
law may force them out of busi- 
ness. 

^ CEA, of which J. Arthur Rank is 
one of the leading members, indi- 
cated during its huddles with Rank 
last week that it would follow his 
advice in accepting the quota as 
the only sure method of protecting 
the British industry (see story 
herewith). Fight between the in- 
dies and the CEA may result in a 
split similar to that now in effect 
in the U. S. between the indie Na- 
tional Allied and the Theatre Own- 
ers of America, to which most of 
the aflOliated circuits belong. 

Indies have alienated a large 
share of exhibitor opinion in their 
efforts to organize their special 
group, particularly through their 
attempt to exclude CEA general 
secretary Walter FuUer from their 
huddles. Their initial meeting last 
week, the day before Rank met 
with the CEA, ended in utter con- 
fusion. As a result, very few of the 
160 exhibs present knew exactly 
what had been the outcome of the 
session. 

While they've consequently given 
up the idea for the time being of 
setting,up an indie group, they have 
have scheduled another meeting 
for Sept. 7, day before the next 
CEA general council meet It's be- 
lieved they may take practical steps 
then for setting up their own sec- 
tion Witliia the CEA. 



Rank Vs. CEA 'Showdown Turns Out 
A British Road Company of the Same 
Old Distrib Vs. Exhib Arguments 



Garland's Collapse Cues 
R<^ers-Astaire Reteaming 

Hollywood, July 20. 
Ginger Rogers will replace' Judy 
Garland as costar with Fred 
Astaire in "The Barkleys of Broad- 
way" at Metrp. Miss Garland 
bowed out of the picture after a 
collapse during rehearsals and was 
ordered by her doctor to take a 
complete rest for three months. 

Astaire and Miss Rogers will 
team again for the first time in 
10 years and will do 10 musical 
numbers together. In the past 
they have teamed 10 times, start- 
ing with "Flying Down to Rio" in 
1933. Their most recent coopera- 
tion was in "The Story of Vernon 
and Irene Castle" in 1938. When 
Miss Garland recovers her health 
she will star in "Annie Get Tour 
Gun." 



U. S. Distifts Avar a Fom'A Misl 
Chain Prove a Fnukrastdn 



London, July 20. 
Idea being discussed by distribs 
in the U. S. of establishing a fourth 
circuit in England is not popular 
with the reps of American com- 
panies here. They see the setting 
up of an organized chxdn of inde- 
pendent theatres as building of a 
potential Frankenstein. 

Local distrib toppers are gener* 
ally of the opinion that the Yank 
firms will do bettor 1^ letting the 
indie houses remain nnorganized. 
They admit that it would be physi- 
cally easier to do business with 
them if they were centrally man- 
aged, but they feel that it is ad- 
vantageous to allow control to re- 
main in seperate hands. 

Idea of the New York execs is to 
band the indie houses together in 
a confederation as opposition to J. 
Arthur Rank's Odeon and Gau- 
mont-British. chains and the Asso- 
ciated British Circuit. Plan is to 
get the indie subsequents to switch 
to first-run permanently by assur- 
ing them of product. 

London execs point to the fact 
that Odeon, G-B and ABC were ac- 
tually established through efforts 
of .American companies. Look at 
them now, the/ say. Bank has 



gained control and is holding U. S. 
product to a minimum. Should the 
indies be similarly organized 
through the planning of Americans, 
it is just as likely that they'd even- 
tually turn on the hand that start- 
ed them, it is said. 



'Broderi^'No.6 
RKO Pic Cancelled 



Hollywood, July 20. 

RKO has canceUed the "Life of 
Johnny Broderick," based on the 
career of the Broadway cop, and 
Herman J. Mankiewicz, who was 
Screenplaying and was to have pro- 
duced, checked off the lot. His 
contract expired with the pic. 

"Broderick" is the sixth picture 
to be cancelled since Howard 
Hughes took over the studio. Oth- 
ers are "Battleground," "Bed of 
Roses," "The Setup," "Follow Me 
Quietly" and "The Robe," Latter 
was killed after the company spent 
a reported $750,000 on it. 

N. Peter Rathvon, RKO presi- 
dent, asked Mankiewicz last week to 
prepare the property for quick 
scanning with the view of deter- 
mining whether to leave it on the 
schedule. Decision to eliminate 
came over the weekend. 

Mankiewicz follows by a day Ar* 
raand Deutch's checking out of his 
producer ticket 



News of Fourth Circuit 
Detailed to UA Board 

United Artists board, meeting in 
New York last weekj was told that 
a fourth circuit in England was 
beginning to blossom of its own 
accord, despite difficulties in get- 
ting assurances from U. S. distribs 
of product for the new indie chain. 
UA directorate continued previous 
lengthy discussions of the British 
situation, since its product haS' 
been been all but denied play- 
dates on the Odeon circuit; which 
is partially owned by UA but con- 
trolled by J. Arthur Rank. 

Board has been considering ad- 
visability of bringing legal action 
against the British film tycoon to 
force him to give UA product a 
break on the circuit. It was again 
decided, however, to hold off pend- 
ing developments and to continue 
(Continued on page 20) 



UTTLE CARNEGIE, N.Y, 
WINS VS. LANDLORD 

Goldberg & Lesser Co. won its 
action to remain as operators of 
the Little Carnegie on West 57th 
Street, N, Y,, as a result of Court 
of Appeals decision in Albany this 
week. Dispute developed when the 
present landlord, a corporation 
operated by J. Goldwurm, bought 
the buildings in which the Little 
Carnegie is located. Under a can- 
cellation clause in the lease, given 
by the owners of Carnegie Hall, 
it claimed the right to dispossess 
Goldberg & Lesser. 

Louis Nizer, counsel for the 
tenant, showed that the several 
buildings sold were not contigu- 
ous, because each building housed 
part of the theatre and the prop^ 
erty could not be contiguous to 
itself. As a result of the decision, 
Goldberg & Lesser remain as oper- 
ators of Little Carnegie for the 
next three years. 

The landlord had won in the 
lower court as well as on appeal to 
the Appellate Term, but the Appel- 
late Division reversed this, with 
lengthy majority and minority 
opinions resulting. Finally the 
Court of Appeals upheld the Ap- 
pellate Division. 



By HAROLD MYERS 

London, July 20. • 
British film industry, which oii* - 
erates practically the same as the 
American industry insofar as rela- 
tionship between distributors aiia 
exhibitors is concerned, is beset 
currently with many of the same 
exhib-distrib problems that con- 
front U. S. fiUnites. That was re* 
vealcd here last week in a meet* 
between film magnate J, Arthur 
Rank and the Cinematograph Ex- 
hibitors Assn. 

Session had expected to result in 
a heated showdown between Rank ' 
and the CEA over the new 45% 
quota. With Rank backing the gov- 
ernment's recently-imposed regu^'- 
lation as "one sure way of having 
the industry," and the exhibitors 
violently opposed on the grounds 
that the British studios could not : 
turn out enough pictures to allow 
them to fill the quota. Predicted 
fireworks, however, sputtered and i 
fizzlied out, with Rank taking a coii-' : 
ciliatory line on the quota and tiie 
distributors and exhibitors re-- ; 
sponding in the same spirit. 

Revelation of the industry's ex- 
hibitor-distributor p r o b 1 e m s by 
Rank, consequently, drew most of 
the trade interest. Speaking as 
chief of the General Film Distrib- 
utors, Rank chided exhibs present^ 
for their failure to cooperate in the 
way of increased rentals and longer 
playing time for his features, there- 
by echoing the arguments of dis- 
tribution chiefs in the U. S. He 
also voiced trouble with trying to 
work out an equitable sliding scale 
formula, guaranteed exhibs they 
would receive a'djustments anytune : 
his pictures failed to gross the es- 
tablished rental and suggested a 
system of arbitration for disputes ♦ 
—all problems Identical to those : 
now confronting the American in? 
dustry. 

Rank's conciliatory gestures un- 
doubtedly took the wind out of the 
•sails of many of the independent ' 
exhibitors who had been spoiling 
(Continued on page 47) 

LONE GUNMAN NICKS 2 
DRIVE-INS FOR $1300 

Tucson, July 20. 

Arizona police are seeking a lone 
gunman who held up two drive-ins 
in .as many nights, escaping with 
over $1,300. Bandit netted $324 
Friday (16) by holding up the 
Phoenix drive-in and forced the 
cashier to surrender the receipts. 

Following night, the Midway 
theatre, Tucson, was the victim of 
a $1,000 haul by the gunman who 
was believed to have .pulled the 
Phoenix job. 

SPG Expects Decision 
At M-G and U Hiis Week 

With some 34 homeoffice Para- 
mount publicists benefitting by a 
pay rise granted last week by an 
arbitration board in New York, the 
Screen Publicists Guild expects the 
panel to hand down decisions af- 
fecting flack staffers at Metro and 
Universal late this week. In ad- 
dition arbitration moves are pend- 
ing with Columbia, united Artists 
and Republic. 

In siding with SPG, the arbitw 
tors approved wage hikes for the 
Par pttffers finun $5.50 up to $20 
weekly, retrocative to last Septem- 
ber. Arbitrating panel was made 
up of various reps of the major* 
as well as individuals niuned by the 
SPG. 



Studio Employment 

Up Slightly in May 

Sacramento, July 20. 

Studio employment in May 
showed a slight increase over the 
preceding month although it was 
18% below that of May, 1947, ac- 
cording to the California Labor 
Statistics Bulletin. 

Average weekly earnings were 
$97.94, as compared with $96,69 the 
previous month. Studio workers 
still draw the highest average 
wage in California industry, News- 
paper and 'periodical employees, 
are second with $84.02. - 



Shiffrin't Additions 

Irving Shiffrin, formerly 9* 
RKO's New York press staff, 
joined the William Shiffrin Agency, 
operated by his brother, on 
the Coast. In another expansion 
move by the agency, Charles Be- 
han has been added to the staff to 
handle stories, plays and books. 
Behan was formerly with Leland 
Hayward and the American PW 
Co, 

Outfit is Planning to open a NeW 
York office within the next two «r 
three months. Irving Shiffrin, 
who had been east on a lO-day 
visit, left New York to return «> 
the Coast Monday ( 19 ) . 



WcJncwlay, July 21, 1948 



7 




UNI VERSAL- 1 NTERN ATI ON AL 
present^ 

BUD LOU 

ABBOTT &GOSTELLO 

MEET 

FRANKENSTEIN 

WITH 

THE ILFMAN'DBACULMHE MONSTER 

PLAYED BY PLAYED BY PlAYEb BY 

lONWEY BEUWI GlENN SIKANGE 

Lenore Aubert * Jane Randolph 
Original Screenplay by ROBERT LECS 
FREDERIC RINALDO • JOHN GRANT 
Directed by CHARLES T. BARTON 
Produced by ROBERT ARTHUR 



Smashing U-l house records in first five en- 



gagements! Topping all previous A&Cs-^and 
even v/ay ahead of top-grossing '^Naked City/ 
''Canyon Passage" and ''The Killers" at the 
Strand, Albany; Paramount, Syracuse; Palace, 
Huntington, W. Va.; Keith's, Cincinnati, and 
Warner Tl^eatre, Oklcihoma City! 




PICTURES 



Wednesflay, July 21, 194S 



More Ikatres, More Seats, More B.O. 
Prices Among Factors Meeting B way 



Eddie Small 



Broadway is badly oversei)ted,4 
the condition probably being worse 
than at any time since 1934, despite 
the shuttering of Warner (old Hol- 
lywood), the Broadway, Bijou and 
Golden theatres since early spring. 
Overseated situation . steins from 
three factors: excessive admission 
prices, not enough strone pcofluct 
and too many houses for the supply 
of big films now available. As in 
the past, the overseating is not 
strictly a matter of too many seats, 
but inability of theatre manage- 
ments to keep the seats filled. 

Just how serious the setup has 
become is plainly shown by grosses 
for straight-film houses. This can- 
not fee traced entirely to the hot 
■weather factor, managers aver, but 
rather is traceable to increasii^g 
Gales resistance to presoit admis- 
sion prices for a. strictly film pro- 
granu In other wor^ with the 
public shopping for it$ stxeta en- 
tertainment, it is buying in dimin- 
ishing numbers the avi^ble pic- 
tures. , ^ 

Situation is aggravated by the 
fact that Broadway today has four 
more firstrun theatres open that it 
had prewar. .This means 4,668 ad- 
ditional seat& . 

New firstnihs are the Victoria, 
Winter Garden, Mayfair and 
Gotham. ^Fhls does not take into 
account the Ambassador and little 
Carnegie, which often are firstrun 
with foreign fare, or the Park 
Avenue, which form«rIy ymi using 
firstrun product. , 

ComparatiTe Sealcs 

Contributing to the overseated 
Gondition'-is the higher scale which 
is, on the average,, about double 
that of 1989. Criterion, for in- 
stance, was charging 25-5SC, in 
1939, while currently getting 70c 
to $1.85. Roxy, which had 25c- 
$1.25 scale nine years ago, today 
Is getting 80c to $1.50, with $1.80 
charged for some bills. Even the 
bandbox Rialto is way ahead of 
1939, current scale being 44c ixt 
S8c, as against 25c-55c, nine years 
Ago. 

State was getting only 35c to 
75c with films and vaudeville in 
1939 but is charging 80c to $1.50 
for single feature policy currently. 
House scale was $.1.80 top the first 
weekend for its current "Easter 
Parade." Same applies ta nearly 
every house, even uie Palace get> 
ting more for its secondrun dual 
picture policy now tfatin fit 1939. 

Situation is further complicated 
by tendency of different houses to 
switch their admission scale, rais- 
ing it for weekends when the pic- 
ture seems sure of drawing heavily. 
This tends to -sour the regular 
; Broadway patrons, who sometimes 
decide to attend neighborhood 
houses rather than take a chance 
-on having to pay $1.80 or more for 
a straight-film bill. Thus, the the- 
atre with established scale for 
every period in the day and each 
day in the week sufEers. 

Fact that there are now five 
theatres offering stage-film shows 
(usually for almost the same price 
charged by straight-filmers), also 
is contributing to the impopularity 
of films playing without added sup- 
port. 

Philly Theatremen Win 
Delay on 'Fire Guards' 

Philadelphia, July 20. 
Militant theatre owners tern- 
porarily stalled a plan to foist a 
"fire guard" on every house in city 
by descending upon a meeting of 
City Council last Thursday (15). 
The "fire guard" idea was thought 
up by the Comnuttee of 15, a probe, 
unit sponsored by business and 
political interests. 

Idea was to find a place for a 
number of police and firemen 
about ceady for pension but un- 
able, under the current Inflation, 
to live on pension wages. Program 
called for installation of a guard 
in every theatre in town at $30 a 
week. 

Every amusement place with a 
capacity of 100 or more vrould be 
required to .employ such a "fire 
guard" und6r the bill. In addition, 
the bill provides for a license fee 
of $5 for the first year and $1 for 
each additional year — guards to be 
licensed through the Dept. of Pub- 
lic Safety. Action was delayed un- 
til July 22 as a result of protests 
hjf exbiba. 



Biblical Indie 

Hollywood, July 20. 
David Hempstead formed an in- 
die producing tmit to film a series 
of features based on Biblical stories. 

Hempsteap's most recent film 
chore was "Portrait of Jennie" as 
an associate of David O: Silznick. 



Hwoo^sWave 
QfSeaFfe 



Hollywood, July 20. 
Hollywood is launching a fleet 

.A-f ««ia<tA>Tsc« ni<»h.tr«»«t in tbc* ne''^ 

WW, t»MaBv««o ,r—*-**"— -r- • ■ r " ■ 

five months with more than $8,000,- 
(VOO tied up in story properties and. 
production. First to slide down the 
ways is "Wake of the Sea Witch," 
at Republic, with Catalina Island 
subbing for a South Seas location. 

Other inairitime films in prepara- 
tion are "Down to the Sea in Ships" 
at 20th-Fox; "Salem Frigate," at 
Universal-Inttmational; "China 
Hun," at BKO; "Captain China." at 
Parammintt and two untitled sea 
yams, one to be made by Colimif- 
bia and one by Tay Gamet as an 
independtet: 



U Ties Its Sales Drire 
On 5 Fix to Bin ScoDy 

Universal - International, appar- 
ently anxious to wrap up as big 
grosses as possible on the five-pic- 
ture backlog it will release during 
the six-eight weeks its studios are 
shuttered, will attempt to boost 
sales with a special drive honoring 
William J. ScuUy, its sales veepee. 
Drive, which will run through the 
month of September, was set yl^ 
terday (Tuesday)' by U-I prraiy 
Nate J. Blumberg. 

Four of the features set for the' 
drive have already preemed in a 
special exploitation sendoff given 
them by U-I this month. They in- 
clude "Man-Eater of Kumaon," 
which was first revealed to the 
public at the Broadway Winter 
Garden; "'Feudin*, Fussin' and A- 
FightinV which preemed in Oie 
Tri-States theatres in Omaha and 
Des Moines; "Tap Roots," which 
opened in Philadelphia and the sur- 
ro'iinding territory last week, and 
"Abbott and Costello Meet Frank- 
enstein," which preemed day^and- 
date recently in Albany, Syracuse, 
Cincinnati and Oklahoma City. 

Fifth picture, "Mr. Peabody and 
the Mermaid," is slated«to open 
at the Hollywood theatre, Atlan- 
tic City, neixt Wednesday (28). Two 
other pix, for which opening dates 
have not yet been set, will also 
figure in the September drive. 
These are ^Xarceny" and "One 
Touch of Venus." 

. Slogan adopted for the drive is 
"Sellebrate September with Bill 
Scully." To make certain the U-I 
field sales staff follows through 
on the plan, they'll be briefed per- 
sonally during the coming month 
by a group of homeoffice sales 
staffers who'll take to the field 
for huddles. Homeoffice contin- 
gent includes assistant sales mana- 
ger A. J. O'Keefe; E. T. Gomer- 
sall, Scully's assistant; eastern di- 
vision manager Fred Meyers; 
southern and Canadian division 
chief F. J. A. McCarthy and west- 
ern division manager C. J. Feld- 
man. 



— Continued from page Z 
the increases in admission prices. 
Higher the door tap, the more se- 
lective the audience gets aaa the 
more effort it makes to read re- 
views to find out whether a film is 
worth attending, he declared. 

Admission prices, m faraaii s 
opinioh. are too high. With so 
many competing forms of amuse- 
ment' and— especially— with tele- 
vision bulking in importance, he 
feels that the pubUc may weU be 
driven away.,by high prices. 

"This is as 'Waoiworth business, 
built Ml liicfeels and dimes," he 
said. "Current conditions may cause 
prices to be higher than they once 
wefre, but we must never lose sight 
of the fact— as is the danger now- 
that films are basically the cheap- 
est form of amusement." 

Small, who; has been making pic- 
tures for some 20 years, thinks that 
Hollywood's worst error— another 
one for which it is paying in cur- 
rently sagging grosses— is its f au- 
ufe tb give yonSi s chaiicc sn pro- 
duction. Maturity is essential to 
administration, he feels, but film- 
making needs the vitality and en- 
thusiasm of young men. It was for 
this jreaSon he applauded Metro's 
action liast. week in naming 42-year- 
old Dore Schary as production 
chief. 

The handful of oldsters who con- 
trol. Hollywood's fihnmaking, be de- 
clared, have grown fat and tired. 
They don't care any more. With 
hi^ taxes, the incentive of money 
is gonCi ancl without the goal of 
getting ahead because tbeyYe 
young and ambitious, Hollywood's 
top inroduGtion names are not cre- 
ating anything. Small asserted. 

"The fellows who should be 
making pictures are tiie ones who 
still have their swimming pool to 
get," he declared. 

"Oldsters always ask," he said, 
"where they can get these young 
men. They don't seem to realize 
they are all around them. You just 
have to give them a chance. I've 
always 'had a young organization, 
and I've never had any trouble 
locating my people*" 



Landis Win Filed 

Los Angeles, July 20, 
Estate of the late Carole Landis, 
valued at less than $50,000, was 
left to her mother, Mrs. Clara 
Landis. 

Will, written in 1944, names 
B. C. Roos and Charles Trezona, 
her former business managers, as 
executor and trustee. 



Sniall Plans 16 
More in IZ Mos. 



Scully, Bergman Due 
Back, Joseph West 31st 

Universal sales veepee William 
J. Scully and ad-publicity chief 
Maurice Bergman, who have been 
huddling with J. Arthur Rank and 
the British magnate's exec staif in 
London for the last several weeks, 
are due back at the homeoffice next 
week. They sail , from England 
aboard the America Friday (23), 
arriving next Wednesday (28). 

Studio publicity chief John 
Joseph, who's been handling all 
ad-pub matters at the homeoffice 
during Bergman's absence, is 
scheduled to a?eturn to the Coast 
July 31. U prez Nate J; Blumberg, 
meanwhile, may come east for 
huddles with Scully on the com- 
pany's distribution policies. 



Edward Small, who has earned 
the label of "Hollywood's one-man 
film industry" through production 
of some 10 pix in the past IS 
months, plans 16 more in the next 
12 to 14 months, he disclosed in 
New York this week. It is only 
through such quantity production 
that he sees himself — as an inde- 
pendent — able to stay alive. 

"You've got to be an acrobat to 
be an indie," he declared. "These 
days you must, make pictures at a 
price, you miist get every possible 
boxoffice value in them, and you 
must keep your eye on the foreign 
market. You can't let any angle of 
production or sales get away from 
you and stay in business." 

Small said he'd continue to dis- 
tribute his films through the four 
companies with which he's now as- 
sociated, plus probably one other 
with whom he's negotiating a deal. 
Now handling his product are Eagle 
Lion, Columbiar 20th-Fox and 
United Artists. 

Varied releasing organizations 
are necessary, he explained, since 
liquidation must be fast to be 
profitable in the present market. 
It would be impossible to release 
all his product through one organ- 
ization, he said, since it would have 
to sit on the shelf too long awaiting 
its turn for distribution. 

Small declared he had come to 
the conclusion it is entirely un- 
feasible to make pictures on the 
basis of showing a profit through 
the domestic market alone. Most 
that can be hoped for, he said, is 
to break even domestically and, as 
before, count on getting your profit 
from abroad, even if that profit is 
perforce small because of currency 
restrictions. 

It is for that reason, he stated, 
that he takes such care in choosing 
scripts that will have values over- 
seas. He said he was operating on 
the prospect of making vei'y small 
profits on each film and taking a 
chance on losing on some of them. 
He pointed out that he knows he's 
going to lose on several films al- 
ready made and not yet in release 
because they were produced 
"against the market"— at rising 
costs and dropping b.o. 
He painted a bleak future for 



TedniiSetTo 
DwUel^ 

Technicolor, Inc., looks to finish 
its expaiiaon program, designed to 
increase its^ color print manufac- 
turing volume, by the end of 1948. 
This program was started two years 
ago', being budgeted to cost about 
$3,500,000. When completed it will 
give Technicolor ability to turn out 
320,000,000 feet of color prints an- 
nually as compared with old ca- 
pacity of 160,000,000. 

Approximately 50% of the hiked 
capacity now is being used, with 
the corporation using additional fa- 
cilities now available to speed de- 
livery time of prints rather than 
to take care of a larger number of 
pictures. Within the next month. 
Technicolor looks to have the 
lapsed time between the conclusion 
of a film's shooting and start on 
delivery of release prints-slashed to 
six months. A year or so ago this 
required nearly 10 months' lapsed 
time, with certain pictures running 
a year or a bit longer. 

The tying up of capital for such a 
long time before a picture could 
be released formed a major prob- 
lem for companies employing Tech- 
nicolor in their productions. 

Before the end of the year it is 
hoped that color print deliveries of 
the company vrill be back near 
normal with an average of around 
five months between the end of 
shooting and start of print deliv- 
ery. The improved facilities and 
yen of majors to turn out films in 
color is expected to give Techni- 
color around 38 feature films to be 
photographed Via Technicolor in 
the 12 months ending next Dec. 
31 as against 31 in 1947. 

After the full expansion program 
has been finished and additional 
color cameras acquired, the corpo- 
ration expects to make 45 pictures 
in color on the Coast, while its Brit- 
ish unit should be geared to handle 
18 feature. Technicolor's British 
affiliate expects to make eight fea- 
tures this year as compared with 
six in 194'7. 

Technicolor showed an increase 
of profits of approximately 20% 
over the same period last year for 
the six months ending June 30, ac- 
cording to a repor£ issued by prexy 
Herbert T. Kalmus this week. Net 
for the half-year just passed was. 
$880,800, as compared with $734,- 
200 for the corresponding months 
of 1947. 

The 1948 earnings were equiv- 
alent to 96c a share, as compared 
to last year's 80c. Net consolidated 
income for the quarter ended 
June 30 was $478,100, equivalent 
to 52c a share. 



GoMwyn Would 
Renew AstonNis 
DOS on Victorisi 

city Investing Co., owner of the 
Astor and Victoria theatres on 
Broad>fcay» has begun negotiations 
to renew Samuel Goldwyn's lease 
on the Astbr, but has nixed David - ' 
O. Selznick's bid for the Victoria^ 
Goldwyn deal isn't up until next 
February, but Maurice Maurer, 
who runs the property for CI, and 
James Mulvey, Goldwyn distrib 
chief, have been huddling with 
lawyers on renewal, of the agrees ' 
ment Deal again ' will give CI a 
guarantee vs. a percentage, with 
the latter a sliding scale arrange" 
ment. 

Selznick negotiations for the 
Victoria have been cooking since . 
last winter. Producer's- lack of new 
production activity apparently has 
cooled both sides somewhat. With' > 
out assurance of a continuing sup- 
ply of his own product, DOS has 
no acute need for the theatre. Like- 
wise, Maurer is wary of turning the 
property over to Selznick without . 
guarantee that the producer's own 
pix wiU fill it most of the time. 

Goldwyn has recently had to turn 
to much outside product to keep 
the Astor alight., Following his 
"Bishop's Wife" last spring, he 
brought in Selznick's "Mr. Bland- 
ings" now has Disney's "Melody' 
Time" and preems Monogram's 
"Babe Ruth Story" next Monday 
(26). "Ruth" is expected to run 
through the World Series early in 
October, when Goldwyn will again 
have his own film in the house, "A 
Song Is Borri," Danny Kaye 
starrer. 

Victoria will shutter Aug. 1 for 
remodeling and renovation. It will 
reopen Nov. 1. City Investing had 
originally expected to close down 
this week, but two-week delay has 
been caused by difficulty in getting' 
building supplies. 

Another reason for the delay is 
fact that the c^ty building depart- 
ment has granted permission to 
tear out the back wall and extend 
the theatre into an alleyway there.- 
This has caused a revision of builds 
ing plans. In aiming to increase 
the present 700 seats to 1,100, it 
was originally intended to extend 
the mezzanine and balcony for the ; 
extra 400 seats. Now they will be 
added on the first floor, to bring 
it to 785i seats,' with mezz and bal-. 
cony remaining at 315. 



Goldwyn -'Joan' 



Contiaaed from paee 3 



indies in general. His own financ- 
ing firm. Motion Picture Investors, 
he admitted, would not make any 
loans to producers unless "I'm sure 
they're solid and I can't think of 
any indies who are in need of pro- 
duction loans to whom I'd make 
one." 

Queried concerning his idea on 
the future of UA without indies to 
make films for it, Small declared 
he thought the company should at 
all costs be kept alive. The only 
solution, however, he stated, was 
that it provide financing or go into 
making films itself. 

''Cagliostro," which Small pro- 
duced in Italy with Gregory ttatofif 
directing and Orson Welles starred, 
has not been offered any distrib 
for release yet. He said he wanted 
to have it completely scored and 
finished before showing it to dis- 
tribs. 

"Lorna Doone," which he'U 
make in England this summer with 
blocked pounds, in partnership 
with J. Arthur Rank, is the only 
film he has set for prodaction 
abroad at the moment. However, 
he said, he will probably make 
more in Italy and is prepared to 
produce in any country in the 
world where blocked com, and fa- 
cilities make it-feasible. 

He has called oft his scheduled 
trip to England to supervise plans 
for "Lorna Doone" and will re- 
main in New York the rest of the 
summer. 



suit and not bound by the court 
decision!. So it will technically be- 
come distributor of the film. Same 
thing was done with "Best Years,' 
a special corporation being set up 
by Goldwyn for the purpose and, 
as a matter of fact, actually han- 
dling much of the details of dis- 
tributors. 

In any case. Sierra's releasing 
deal with RKO gives it approval 
of all exhibition contracts nego- 
tiated by the distrib. The Goldwyn 
organization will act in this ca- 
pacity. This will have no bearing 
on Wanger's own product, released 
through Universal and Eagle Lion, 
on which sales will continue to -be 
supervised by Producers Represen- 
tatives, Inc., the Irving Lesser- 
Seymour Poe outfit with which 
Wanger recently inked a pact. 

Mulvey, it is understood, is also 
willing to handle sales supervision 
on a few other selected films. Obj 
jective, as in the ea.se oT "Joan, 
is to bring down overheard on the 
esttensive supervisory organization 
which Goldwyn maintains. It is by 
far the largest and most expensive 
of such setups and is capable of 
carrying more pix tiian Goldwyn 
himself turns out. 

Only outside pix supervised by 
Mulvey previously were those of 
William Cagney, distributed by 
United Artists; He is not handling 
the current "Time of Your Lite, 
since UA has coin invested in it 
and under that deal Cagney does 
not retain conti-act supervision. 

"Joan" is expected to be re- 
leased about November. Techni- 
color prints are now being awaited. 

COL'S DimEHiiD 
Columbia Pictures declared 
quarterly dividend of $1.06V4 <"» 
$4.25 preferred stock at directors 
meeting in N. Y. yesterday (Tues.). 

It is payable Aug. 16 to stock- 
> holders of record, Aug. 2. 



9 




UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL 
presents 

DONALDOXONNOR 

MA 'n PA KCmE OF "THE EG6 AND I" 

MARJORIE MAIN 
PERCY KILBRIDE . 



feudin; fussin' 

and a-FIGHTIH' 

PENNY EDWARDS * JOE BESSER 

Scresnplay by D. D. BEAUCHAMP from bi$ CoHitr's 
Majatina Story • Directed by GEORGE SHERMAN 
Produced by LEONARD GOLDSTEIN 



-mm 




U-l predicted a great audience picture, and first 
engagements over the RKO and Tri-State circuits 
proved it! New UrI records everywhere.. .stand* 
up business all day long! Held over in Des Moines 
and Omaha! Smash business in Minneapolis and 
St. Paul! Almost double the record ^'Canyon Pas* 
sage" gross in Sioux City! First 2 days in Cedar 
Rapids tops 3-day ""The Killers'' gross! Wonderful 
in Waterloo, Tri-Cities . • • everywhere! 




10 



vnM RBViews 



WctTnceJay, July 21, I944J 



The Velvet Toneh 

(SONG) 

Hollywood, July 16. 

TIKO release oL' I'>e<lerI<.'Ic Hii.'^snn (I'M- 
VHvil l^oimUot') prodMf'Uon. HtavH Uos;iUiiU 
Runsell, I,co Oenn, Claim Trevor, .Sydney 
iJfcf iLstrcbt ; (eiituvo.^ Leon Aiiws, Pi'anK 
McUuBhi Walter Jtlnsjsterd. Dnn Tohm, 
,I.iPx DurHeiv Nydia AV'eiitninn, Tlin-esa llnr- 
■ils. Utreftea . hi- -Juhn :(5uS!o. KcreeiiDlay, 
liBo Uosteni artaptlUloiiv' VViiHcr Iteilly; 
etors', WUllftm .Merwr. vViinfihel.KuRs; camr 
«'u, ; Josei>ll Wiilker; eait.i>r, I'lianiller 
. iit^WPS: .^cH'e. Le'^li \\»yyn\v, unnfr, Uarlliie 
Mild kiift ijriene. Trailcabowi) July IS,' '48,. 
lUinillns time, DO .MINS, 
Valerie Stanton 



Alh'tiael Morrell. , 
. ATarloti Webster; . . 
t'aptaln Waiiliun'. 
<*or<lon Dimnlnif ; , 
I'Jrnle .33nyle. . , . ,> < 
Peter (ruiuhcr. , , . 
Jeir Treni.. . , . .,, , 
Paul llantoii , . , . • . 
Susii.n ('rane. . , . 

Is'iincy . . , 

AlUert....... 

JPiuisy l)ui)oiiti..t 
iMr, CiToueh. . . , . . . 
Ilowaril ■ Ko^uM . , 

Helen Adams 

Jlnuny. .. . . . ... , 

. Terry. 

SBt OUptiant 

■.;3Wiiv fe'oper. ....... 

Efldlo Itr.iwn 



...Kosallnrt Bu.s3qll 
. ... . .'. ., .Led Henii 

. . . .t^iairo IM-evoi' 

...Sydney (Jveen.ilM'et 
, . . . i . ,-. . , .Leon Ames 
Fi'iijil! McIliiBh 
,»>.W4Her Kln.ss.stord 
■ , .P.in Tehni 

I,ox Barker 

.S'vdla Wostman 

.'fUercTO Harris. 
. . , . .... .Irving Bacon 

.. . i , , .KBther Jlowfird 

Ifowara llayden 

William Krwln 

Jfartlin Ilyer 

Stcvon riiiKB 

r.nuis Masim 

.James Plavln 

. ., .i.CJharlea MeAvoy 
,I>an Foster 



t'aut of "HeddB OaWej;' . 

llcdda (lalder Ito«allnd .Bmjacll 

Jmlge BraeK- ..Russell II eta 

«c6rg<» 'I'osman .i.-.,. Tames fodd 

Mr.s-, KKested. . . . ..... , .. . Jo.vce ATling 

Jnlinna Te.sman i.Ida Solromalter 

5:ilert I.,T.-t)ors .'PhUliy r-irnw 

Bertha , iBesKe Waue 



"The Velvet Tojifeh" marks the 
initial independent prodflction ven- 
ture of star Rosalind. Russell and 

■ hubby Frederick Brisson. Film 
has been given a glossy backing 

■ for selling by BKO as a top fea- 
ture but indications are tiiat re- 
turns wilt not be big. Excellent 
exploitation elements will aid in 
boositing grosses. 

Chief di.straetion is the highly 
polished play-acting used on char- 
acters that caiTy no warmth or 
sympathy. Performances are 
showy professional wk»rk that dem- 
onstrate tecliniqucs but the people 
portrayed never get under the 
skin. Top role is a meaty one for 
a femme, acting'Wise, and Miss 
Russell uses all of her .tricks to 
show off technical thespian .skiU. 

Plot deals witli a legit actress 
•who, at the height of her career, 
Kills the producer who had guided 
her to , the top. Circumstance 
makes it possible for her to con- 
ceal her guilt and she permits an- 
other actress to be accused and 
driven to suicide. The Trilby- 
Svengali angle, as developed, car- 
ries no sympathy for the actre.ss. 
A bothersome conscience eventual- 
ly leads her to confess although not 
legally tied to the crinie. 

L.eo Rosten^s script is - loaded 
with glib, .^at dialog. John Gage's 
direction is as showy as the troup- 
ing, without the depth needed to 
tie an audience more closely to the 
Story. Among the players, Leo 
Gann presents -an interesting per- 
sonality as a man-of-the-world with 
whom l^iss Russell falls in love. 
Claire Trevor is the distraught ac- 
tress who is accused of killing the 
producer, her former, lover. 

Sydney Oreenstreet portrays a 
police captain whose interest in 
the theatre makes him a natural to 
probe the crime. Leon Ames is the 
producer. Frank McHugh, Dan 
Tobin (columnist), Theresa Harris 
<maid), Irving Bacon,, Esther How- 
ard and others- are capable. 

Frederick Brisson' and his asso- 
ciate producer, Ethvard Donahue, 
have given the picture excellent 
sight trappings as background it'or 
the drama. Also included is a play- 
within - a - play, characters doing 
"Hedda Gabler" as the finale piece 
which brings about Miss Russell's 
confession. • A title tune by Mort 
Greene and Leigh Harline is used 
as music backing for opening 
screen credits. Joseph Walker's ex- 
pert Icnsing heads up ace tech- 
nical contributions. Brog. ■ 

Mr. PeMboiI;^^ and the 
Mermaid 

* (SONCt) 

Hollywood, July 10. 

, Unlversa'l release- of Kiin)mlly ■ jTohnHon 

frodtietlon. Htavs.- AVUJiam l*i>\vell, Ann 
;]yth; featni-es .Tvetie Horvey, Andrea 
Kin^, 01inf.0n Snndberg. jEHrected ' by .Ir^- 
vlng T.*ichel. ,Sereeni>lay, Nnnually Joints 
•on; from the novel, "I'ealioily'.i iler- 
.. maid,*' by .Guy and Constanee Jones; f.am- 
•ra, Russell Metty; editor,' ilarjorlft i;row» 
lerr Konir. Johnny Alercor. Uobert Kmmett 
.Bolttu. Previewed July 6, '48. llunnlUK 
time, S8 MINS. 



Mr,. Peabqdy. 

lUlrrn^ilid 

. Mrs. Polly Pealmdy. 
Cathy JJvinKi'lnu. . . , 
Mlko Kltzgerald .... 

»r, Havvty...-. 

IiIojAr l:tadle!>. 

C!alunc> HaiiOralce. . . 

Basn., 

jjleiiterant 

'Wee shop Clerk . . . . . 

Uother. 

Nurse. 

tVaiter 

Ijady TrehKlia vv. . .. 

Walter 

"Boy.. ,.. 

.Sidney 



....William Powell 
Xnn Blytli 
..i.... Irene Ile.rvey 
.Andrea .Kins 
t.l'iinton .Sundberff 

...Art .Smith 

Hugh Krtnch 

. . V. .l'Um<iUeti Ifure 

Prcd <'larlc 

.....i. James T.o.^an 

...... ...Mary Wold 

...Kealrleo Robei^t."? 
. . . . .Cynthia llorley 

....'i'«m Bteve.n.son 

.alAry Somerviile 
, . . . ..Jtlchard Jlyan 

. ., .Bobliy llyott 
. .Ivan Hi Browning. 



"Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" 
Is an object lesson in what could 
happen to males reaching the dan- 
gerous age of 50. As such it vifill af- 
ford a load of chuckles for the 
older masculine audiences but ap- 

feal isn't as .strong fOr femmes, 
ilm's title and whimsical theme 
sire exploitation attractions that 



Miniature Reviews 

"the Velvet Touch" <RKO). 

Heavy drama of legit actress 
who kills her Svengali. Mod- 
erate b.o. 

"Mr. Peabody and the Mer- 
maid" (U). Lots of contented 
chuckles for males but light 
on femme appeal. 

"The Babe Ruth , Story" 
(Mono). Biopic with William 
Bendix as the Bambino. B>o. 
outlook excellent. 

"The Checkered. C o a t " 
(20th). Program melodrama 
of psycho killer, for dualcrs. 

"Eyes of Texas" (Color- 
Songs) (Rep). Roy Rogers 
oatuner packs enough action 
to rate big boJcofficc. 

"Daredevils in the Clouds" 
(Rep). Lightweight flying story 
for the duals. 

"Lady at Midnight" (EL) 
Ordinary whodunit for second- 
ary fare. ■ . 

"My Brother's Keeper" 
(British) (GFD). New Sydney 
Box - GainsboroughrRank mel- 
ler, not big in U. S. market. 



can aid grosses iX u&tked by strong 
selling. , 

While story idea hasn't jelled as 
well as it might on celluloid, plot 
is intriguing, and dialog and situa- 
tion are used to pleasantly prod the 
risibilities. As producer, Nunnally 
Johnson, with Gene Fowler, Jr., as 
associate, has furnished plenty of 
scenic values. Story locale is the 
British West Indies, with the island 
location, underwater scenes and 
general tropic flavor adding to the 
appeal. . 

Johnson's script^ based on the 
novel, "Peabody's Mermaid" by 
Guy and Constance Jones, deals 
with a staid Bostonian who is 
ordered to spend the winter in the 
West Indies by his doctor. During 
a iishing interlude he hooks a mer" 
maid in the "tailT fetches her to his 
beach house and domiciles her in 
the fish pond. Through circum- 
stance, no other cast principals 
catch a glimpse of more than the 
sea siren's tail, so his mermaid 
story — the most colossal fish yam 
of all ^ makes for doubts of his 
sanity. ■ 

The aging Bostonian, just .50, 
falls in love with his finny charmer 
but in the end loses her to the sea 
again' after as hectic 'a timer imag" 
inable in 'ivhich his wife leaves him, 
he's suspect by island police and 
nearly drowns because of the si- 
ren's love for him. 

William Powell plays' the Bos- 
tonian 'with sly understanding and 
reaps a healthy crop of chuckles. 
His infatuation for the mermaid is 
understandable, particularly when 
the deep-sea' denizen is such a 
charmer as Ann Blyth. Actress 
plays the role without a line of 
dialog, ' nearest approach being a 
hiss of anger at other femmes; yet, 
she gives it .solid appeal. 

Among some of th« more delight- 
ful moments of comedy is Powell's 
purchase of the bra half of a 
femme swim suit and his efforts to 
explain its purpose to the mermaid. 
Aiding the purchase scene jg, some 
fancy work by Mary Field as the 
clerk. 

Irene ■ Hervey is especially good 
as PoAvell's wife, and Andrea King 
sparks a vampish role as a young 
lady attracted to .the Bostonian. 
She also sings "The Caribbees," 
tune by Johnny Mercer and Rob- 
ert Emmett Dolan.. Clinton Sund- 
berg milks neat role of resort press 
agent. Art Smith, a psychiatrist; 
Hugh French, Lumsden Hare, Fred 
Clark and others are good. 

Direction by Irving Pichel keeps 
the mood pleasant and nicely spices 
the comedy. Russell Metty's pho- 
tography is expert, and the under- 
water scenes lensed at Weekiwa- 
chee Spring, Fla., add value. Edit- 
ing holds film to handy 89 minutes 
running time. , ' Brog. 

The Babe Itnth Slory 

<SONGS) . 
Hollywood, July 17. 

Monosrom velenue M. Roy Del Kuth (Al- 
lied Artists) produetlon. associate produeer, 
,loe Ktiiitnian. Stars \Villlam Kendix. Claire 
Tre-vor, Charles Biclttord;- features Sam 
I.evene, ^Villla.m I'\'awiey, Gertrude JStteuen, 
,J att Brl.is(,'.<i. ).)irnctcd by Del Kuth. Kcrcon- 
iilay. Bob (.'or.fiidlne, Georse Callahan, trom 
the btiOlt by.t'oupidlne; camera, Fhiliis Tan- 
nura; editor, Itk'hard Heermanee; mu,iic. 
lidvvard AVard; technical -adviser, pat 

tiisrioi. mSSs:''''' 

Babe itutu WlllUim nendix 

Claire IIodKBOn Claire Trevor 

Rroth-r Ulatthlay., Chailea BIcttord 

I'hil (!«nrud. . . .'. ........... i . .Sam Lcvcne 

.Inclc Dunn. ...,.>. i William Prawloy 

Night (llnb .SiuKCr ...Ortrude Nieseit 

Miller JlUBgins , l.'red t.ighthe'r 

Western I'nlon Boy. ...... Stanley (.'icments 

Babe Tiuth (a.s ti l)oyi. ........ .Hobby wiiih 

lla Hon , r.loyrt GouKli 

Col. Itnppert Mult KilijsM 

T>t. it:-niiles. ......... ...... .Caul CavenasH 

Jilii Carrljfan,.'. i'al Mahtr'lv 

The Kid. , ..'....,..........., ...'I'ony Tavlor 

''"K'b riicbard lane 

Mark KoeniK. .Mark Koenis 
sports Anbcamcpc. . ... iTarry Wi.siiier 

.Sports Annouiiet r .■ .Mel Alien 

.\ew.<i Announttr II. V. K.iUenhorn 

Narrator... ..Knox Manninir 

America's baseball hero lakes 
another turn at bat in what looks 
like a boxoffico home run, or at 



least a three-bagger. "The B.nbe 
Ruth Story" tells a tanciful, 
romaniicized version of the Ute 
and deeds of the King of S\v.nt, 
mixing screen license with lact to 
dish out a load of chuckles, tears 
and sentiment that should pay pit. 

Carrying the Allied Artists label 
for Monogram distribution, him 
is aimed at top percentage playing 
time in keeping with the hetty 
production budget. With the wealth 
of natural exploitation, coupled 
with the Babe Ruth name, there 
should be little trouble stirring 
up strong boxoffice interest. Early 
release to tie in with the national 
attention directed at diamond 
activiUes .j^so is in the films 
favor. 

The .screenplay picks up Ruth 
at the time he was taken from his 
father's Baltimore waterfront sa- 
loon and raised at the St, Mary's 
Industrial School for Boys. From 
there it gleans the highlights of 
his professional career, first as a 
bigtime pitcher and then as the 
Bambino of the mighty bat. His 
first start with the Baltimore 
Orioles, his career with the Bos- 
ton Red Sox and then the New 
York Yiinkees and finally .back to 
a Slipping and aging Ruth whq 
finished his diamond heroics with 
the Boston Braves. Considerable 
footage is given the Babe's present 
illness and long hospitalization. 
Opening and closing sequences, 
both on the long side, giVe a kudo 
to other diamond greats, honored 
at Baseball's Hall of Fame at 
Cooperstown. N. Y., and the future 
that may await some present-day 
sandlotter. 

In keeping with a national tend- 
ency to romanticiiie heroes, the Bob. 
Considine-George Callahan script 
tosses out fact whenever screen 
license will do a more fanciful job 
of malung Ruth the idol he has be- 
come to millions. Story shows him 
as a human, big-hearted and often 
brash character who captured the 
fancy of baseball fanii because of 
his basic color. 

Roy Del Ruth's direction milks 
every phase of tlje sympathetic 
treatment, ' combining warmth, 
tears and chuckles into a film that 
will sustain audience interest. 
William Beiidix does an excellent 
job of the title role. While he's 
still Bendix, he gives the perform- 
ance the color of Ruth and a rea- 
sonable facsimile of the Bambino's 
mannerism, batting stance and 
walk. The performance has a lot 
of heart in keeping with the 
script's line of development, 

Claire Trevor gives one of her 
solid portrayals as Ruth's second 
wife (there's no mention of the 
first in the script). Charles Bick- 
ford pleases as Brother Matthias, 
the priest wh,ose interest in Ruth 
as a boy carried through life. 

Miller Huggins, the late man- 
ager of the Yankees, comes to life 
in the deit hands of Fred Lightner. 
Ruth as a boy is capably played by 
Bobby Ellis. Sam Levene does 
well as a sports writer pal of the 
Babe's, role being a composite of 
several. Rating mention, among 
the ma.ny good characterizations, 
are those by William Frawley, 
Stanley Clements, Matt Briggs, 
Papl Cavanagh, Pat Flaherty and 
Tony Taylor. 

Del Ruth and his associate pro- 
ducer, Joe Kaufman, have given 
the film an e.xcellent mounting. 
Gertrude Niesen's voice is an 
added production touch, lending 
sultry emphasis to vocals on "No- 
body's Baby" and "Singing in the 
Ram." Other oldtime tunes are 
expertly done by The King's Men 
and the Mitchell Boychoir. 

Good musical direction by Ed- 
ward Ward, smooth lensing by 
Philip Tannura, and other techni- 
cal credits measure up to making 
this an interesting, if semi-fictional, 
screen account of George Herman 
Ruth. I ■ Brog. 

The Checkered Toat 

Hollywood, July 17. 

20th-FoiX release o" Sam Baerwifi! (Bel- 
snm) production. Stars 'rora Conway Nor- 
ecn Jyiish, Hui'd HatUeld; (catureB 'james 
heny, Carry OAven, .Jlarlen l^moot. Rory 
.M.alHn,«>n. I^eonard Wudle. Directed by Kd- 
Jii'l' I'. *'aim. Kcreeniilay. John r.' HIb- 
F.ins; orlRlual, Seelej- tester, .\rerwih Oer- 
rrd; camera, .Taeloion Rose; ciitor, Paul 
J.andres. At Krauraan'M Cliinese. Bollv- 
iVixs """^ ^'"""'"B time, «« 

Dr. Mi( bar.! .Jfadden . . . . , .; .'fonv Conway 



Strange Victory 

"Strange Victory. ' a compi- 
lation of mostly old clips ed- 
ited into a documentary at- 
teiripting to show how hollow 
was Aniei-ica's victory in the 
recent war, is hardly the .sort 
of film to achieve more than 
cursory interest. It's repeti- 
tious and overlong. Its point 
of view is obvious and laud- 
able, but fails to get across be- 
cause of a single salient* — it 
fails to mention even once the 
menace of the United Nations- 
Soviet situation. 

Hitlerism, the Negro ques- 
tion, anti-Semitisin — all these, 
and more, are unfolded to 
point up that none' of the.se has 
been erased because of the 
"victory." ' Yet. the most vital 
point of all, perhaps, the Red 
question as it 'affects world 
peace, is not even slightly 
touched upon — just as if there 
were no problem there at all. 

Barnet L. Rosset has pro- 
duced for Target Films; Leo 
Hurwitz vvi'ote, directed and 
edited; narration was by Saul 
Levitt; the fine musical score 
is by David Diamond; camera- 
men on news material were 
Peter Glushanok and George 
Jacobsen; Lehman Engel con- 
ducted the orch. and Alfred 
Drake. Muriel Smith and Gary 
Merrill were the narrators on 
the work, frequently unwieldy, 
conimentary. 

Film was previewed Friday 
(16> in New York. Running 
time, 70 minutes. KoJw. 



Creepy. ........ 

C.npt. Uunhili.., 
Prince. ... ..... 

I'rcd JiJaddeii.. 
i'erivbis. . . ... . . 

.lerry.. ....... 

Tlmvvntee; . 



Wurd Hatfield 
. .. Jiimca Seay 
. ....Carr.v Owen 
..Maricn Tjamont 
. . Ilory JIalllnson 
..Leonard :v(udi« 
I'lddle Dunn 



M .. . I i-.Muie j.,i]nn 

■'S-''"'' ■ • ■ • • ■ • • ■ ,J."hn H. Ifamiiton 



llill Ansoli 
Kurt, .... . . . . i , . . 

Cafe (>\vuir. . . . . 

Sinser. 

.^nuouncf r. . , , i-. , 
tlarteniUr; .. . . , 

T)r. Prj-or 

Dr. , Stevenson , . . 



Vred rirowne 
I . . .I.ee Tupf; Foo 
, . . .Juiia.n .rtlvero 
. .Doroihy Porter' 

.vSam Hayes 

.iicu'f'y Uobinuon 
...... r,ee Bomiell 

. . . .RuSBCll Arms 



"The Checkered Coat" averages 
out slightly better than the usual 
program filler feature by virtue of 
good performances. Otherwise, it's 
a smail-budgeted meller aimed at 
lower half of the dualersi. ' Running 



time of G6 minutes fits it handily 
into that bracket. 

Plot projects some gruesome 
touches through interesting angle 
developed for the heavy, but needs 
sharper 4ialog and less pat story 
situations. Story concerns roundup 
of a psychopathic killer whose 
eventual downfall results from his 
cataleptic seizures. Edward L. 
Cahn's pacing of the melodramatics 
is good and performances give a 
lift to thriller elements under his 
helming. 

Hurd Hatfield gets plenty of 
menace into his characterization of 
the crazy killer. Tom Conway is 
good as . the doctor and Noreen 
Nash shows well as the wife. James 
Seay makes a credible police cap- 
tain. There's a sharp character bit 
by •arry Owen. Marten Laniont, 
Lee Bonnell and others are capable. 
Film spdts one tune; a television 
number on a barrooiw receiver, 
sung by Dorothy Porter. 

The Sam Baerwitz production 
has stretched the budget dollar to 
good effect. Lensing by Jackson 
Rose, tight editing and other fact- 
ors measure up. Brog. 



Kyeii of Texas 

(COLOR— SONG) 

Republic release oX Kcuvard .1. White pro- 
duction. Star.s Roy Ttosers; features Andy 
Devine, T,,vnne (Wberts. Bob Nolan ahd i^onv 
of Ploneeis. Directed by William "\A1iifney, 
OrlEinai .^icreenplay. Sloan Nibley; camersi 
tTruooior). .HK-li.: iVIartai editor, Tttny Mar- 
tinelli. '.I'radeshbivu v., .I'uly 16. '48. 
P.unning lime. tir. MI.NS. 

Roy Roicer.s. . . , . . .V. . . , Rov Rofters 

Penny Thaiclicc. ..I.yunc Roberts 

Coolcle 'Bullflui-hei'. .■Midy Devine 

Hatlle Waters........ Nana l-^ryant 

Vic Rabin . . . Kos' Ban I'ol't 

l»ranfc .Dennis. :f>nnny Moi'ton 

Thaddena Ca nieron l-'ra'ncis Kord 

Pete ...>....,.,...... Pa«ealr Perry 

.Sheriff. .......... ..... .....vilaiUey MLvStone 

Bob Nolan and Son's of Pioneers - 



Republic has packed plenty of 
action suspense into this typical 
outdoor opus. It has added Tru- 
color and the music and singing of 
Roy Rogers and Sons of Pioneers. 
Result is one of best Jtogers oatun- 
ers in some time. Pic will be a 
strong entry wherever westerns 
are liked. 

Usual formula has Rogers, as 
U. S. marshal, fighting an easy- 
money femme lawyer, biit rings in 
a rather involved plot for a west- 
ern. Woman barrister, who uses 
cowboy outlaws to carry out her 
orders, schemes to gain possession 
of a valuable ranch property with 
two killings resulting. She uses 
wild dogs (which she has trained 
to attack her victims) to carry out 
these slayingSi thus appearing in- 
.noccnt of any wrongdoing. She 
claims it was wolves. 

Plot has Rogers taming one of 
these wild police dogs and ulti 
mately bringing all hands to jus 
tice. There's a hair-raising, run- 
ning-gun fight as a climax that's 
loads different from the accepted 
ones. 

Rogers and his horse, "Trigger," 
are as outstanding as ever, show- 
ing up particularly well in color. 
Lynne Roberts is markedly comely 
as the nurse who falls for Rogers. 
Andy Devine is the jovial western 
medico, playing it nearly straight 
for nice results. 

■ Best tuqe done by Rogers and 
Sons of Pioneers is "Padre of Old 
San Antone" by Tim Spenceri Jack 
Marta has done a trim camera job 
while William Whitney's direction 
IS topfiight. The Trucolor job is 
okay for this western though not as 
contrasty as other color processes. 

Wear, . 



Waredevils of I he rionda 




c.litor. llioliard h. Van Knacr v, ' 
York theatr*. M. Y., week July '"t? 
Fiimnlni; time. «0 SIIS,S. ' " «. 



I'et'ry O'Rburiie. 
Kay Cainerojl . . . 
.I'ihnnj' Martin 



Robert: l.ivlaKB(oii 

M^llllL,!!':!-^--''----''-''^'^"''"' 

I'Mdy Clarli. 



.. Rny fef. 

IXmklaf. Harrison... ^.J^ n™'?v^!?^*' 

..,..i.)ob Wilki 

i; I'll 111! Meiten 



(•'niuk. . ... 
.1 imiiiy , . . 
,sci'neanl;, 
Ji;art(-nOer 



. . ItUKI 



JVrins.' 



. .,. .liiiiih Pfossef 
.A iiiii u« -SBiuvSm-, 



"Daredevils of the Clouds ' is an 
unpretentious actioner aimed at 
the dualers. Stoi'y is familiar stuff 
and cast names ai-en't strong 
enough to help the film's b.o.'pro^ 
pects. Returns .will be similar to 
those garnered by the average pro- 
grammer. Ballying the picture's 
flying sequences, however, might 
''give the wicket an added whirl. • 

This is the oft-told tale of how 
a large airline seeks to absorb a 
smaller co(npetitor. Latter is Polar 
Airways, headed by Robert Liv- 
ingston, who's hard pressed to keep 
his line on a paying basis. Un- 
known to him, Trans-Global plants 
■lames CardwcU on the Polar pay» 
roll to get in some dirty work. 
After the usual yarn complicatio.as, 
the plot straightens out for '» 
happy finale. 

Cast contribs so-so performances 
in this Stephen Auer production, 
Livingston is a clear-cut airline 
operator. Mae Clark, a grounded 
pilot who becomes Polar's office 
manager, capably handles the heart 
interest. Cardwell is adequate as 
the undercover man while Grant 
Withers is a typical heav.y. Sup- 
porting players offer little thesping 
lustre. Cameraman .lohn Mao- 
Burnie's lensing is okay. George 
Blair's direction is fair. Gilb. 



Lady at Midni}$hl 

Ragle T.ioiv I'eleaee of .'Icho Suilierlanfi 
pvcduction, Stars Rii-biird I>enulnjr. Ii'i-aneeij 
Rafterty, Lora t..ee .Micliel. . Hirecied .by 
Sherman Scott^ . Screenplay by ' ^tichard Sijt* ' 
from his orlBinal story; cauiera. ' JfieU 
CicpiibalKh; editor, Wartlu Cohn, Trade- 
■■hown July '48. RunniPK time. «1 .MIVS. 



Peter WlKEins.. . 
I'^lUn 'VVlpKlns. . ... 

'I'ina Wijfffins. .... 

Al t^arrity. . . ... . . 

t^ydia Fnr.sythe. . , 
l''i'eddy b'orsy the . 
Ito.'-a , Athcrton . . . . 

f'ar(>!yn t<iiKur.... 

Willie Gold..;..; 



.Ricbaid Deindii^ 
.li'i-iinces Rftfferty 
.I'iOra I.ee MU-Ml 
.... .RHipb Dunn 
.... .Nfina BrJ ant 

tacit Searle. 

. . . Hcrian* AVarde 
. . .t'laUdta Di'flke 
.....Ben Welilen 



Routine whodunit never rises 
above its lightweight cast or hum- 
drum story and production; It's- ' 
strictly lower, dual fare for there 
is not a name that is even faintly 
familiar to brighten the marquee. 

Yam concerns an adopted child 
and problems of a young wedded 
couple (he's a radio newscaster) to 
retain possession of said brat al- 
though they have had her as their 
own for some seven years. There is 
an unsolved murder in the first 
reel, and {^.lally it appears that a 
scheming lawyer is at the core of 
several killings in his Wild scheme , 
to grab the youngster's fortune. 
There is the basis for a fruitful 
plot in this, but it is slaughtered 
here. 

.lerky dialog is cluttered up with 
trite phrases as "open up in there, 
"you can say that again." "deliver 
that body to the morgue," etc. Lora 
Lee Michel, as the 7-year-old 
adopted girl, is too precocious 
though hinting some future possi- 
bilities in her less cute scenes- 
Frances Rafferty, as the young 
wife, is a looker but not particiH 
larly impressive as an actress. 
Richard' Denning, the hubby, is 
earnest enough but that's all. 
Ralph Dunn, as the betting private 
sleuth, really breathes some 
into the scenes in which he ap- 
pears. Remainder of cast is undis- 
tinguished. 

Some of the stilted performances 
appear to, stem from ordinar.v n«- 
recting by Sherman Scott. .lacK 
Greenhalgh's lensing is up to 
standard. Wear. 



My Brother's Keeper 

(BRITISH) 

London, July 14- 

Oencral Film Distributors' I'f lease of .'. 
Aiflinr Ranlc-Galnsborousb-Sjdiity W'J 
production, stars Jack Warner. Directed liy 
-^.Ifred Roome. Screenplay by Frcnk Har- 
vey, .Tr., from original story by Wanriee 
WlKsliirt;- editor, Esmond Seal; '",","'''?' 
•CJordon Lant', Prank BaeaiU. At Oilfon. 
RunninB Ume^ e» MIMfl. ,. 

(ieorge AJartin,.., -la' k Win if.r 

Kova rjnvi'cnee. . ... , . . . .■, Jsne [i> ii"" 

Willie Sf annart . . , . ,"; ... .... .Oeoi'Bi < ■«» 

Syd Kvana. ...................... iW\ Civen 

Ronnie W.'tri«8 ...... . David 'ronillnsun 

MeK Warlne..,. ......... ....Yvonne O"'?" 

VVaihwriKht., . ........ . .. . ftiivnioiid Loveii 

Mrs. Martin. BeaHii.'e Varlf* 

,MrK, Gullv ,.......^"1^' Veuess 

Winnie Koremau.............Brenda Hri"* 

Bervl .... ....Ku.'-i:n Sin"' 

lie'ct Foreman..... lolm l"'-'-" 

landlord., i''rnl Gioiea 

Hrewstei' tian'\ M"',':'; 

IXardln^ Wtltrid )lide-l\ hM«: 

A lack of names to put o",.*'"* 
marquee is the greatest hanclicM> 
this picture will have in the U. t>- 
market. For though made on a 
modest budget, it develops a tense 
situation with action and cxcite- 
(Cotttinued on page 20) 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



11 




MAN-EATER 

OF KUMAON 
SABU> JOANNE PAGE 



AS "NARAIN" 



and 



AS "tAU" 



WENDELL COREY 

AS THE HUNTER 

w»f. MORRIS CARNOVSKY 

A UNIVBRSAl-INnRNAVONAL RCtEASE • Adapta- 
tion by Richprd ,G. Hubler and Alden Naih • Screen- 
play by Jeanne Barllett and lewii Mollzer • Based 
on (Ke book "Man'Eaters of Kumoon" by Jim CorbeK 

Directed by • Produced by 

BYRON HASKIN * MONTY SHAFF 

in association with FRANK P. fll^SENBERfi 



The -'Exploitation Picture of the Yeor'^ . , 
piling up "'A'' grosses in W houses. Fourth 
roaring week at the Winter Garden^ 
New York! BIG at Keith's, Baltimore! 
Terrific in five-theatre Los Angeles pre- 
miere at the Ritz, U. A., Guild, Iris and 
Studio City! Everybody's holding that tigerl 




12 



PICTVIUB GROSSES 



Wedticsday, July 21, 1948 



Holdovers, Reissues Dull L A. Albeit 
W Terrif at mOOO; "Waters' 
Uow 56G, Ian-Eater Fair 306 



Los Angeles, July 20. 
Business here continues on the 
light side, only "Key Largo" mak- 
ing an impression this session. On 
-.the basis of socle weekend trade, 
"Largo" likely wiU hit great $69,- 
©00 in initial frame at three the- 
atres. Only a mild $56,000 is sight- 
ed for "Deep Waters" in five 
houses. 

Combo of "Fighting Father 
Dunne" and "Strawberry Boan" 
shapes to get slow $32,500 in two 
sites. "ManrEater of Kumaon" will 
be fair $30,000 in five spots. 
"Dreams Money Can Buy" looks 
smooth $4,000 at the small Esquire'. 
Holdovei-s currently are on the dull 
side. Same is true of reissues. 
Estimates for Thiii Week 

Belmont (FWC) (1,532; 60-$!)— 
"Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed No 
Tears" (EL) (2d wk-5 days). Slim 
$1,500. ,Last week, nice $4,300. 

Beverly Hills Music Hall ^G&&- 
Blumenfeld) (826; 65^$1)— "Next 
Time We Love" (Indie) and "My 
Man Godfrey" (Indie) (jreissues). 
Near $3,000, Last .week, '.'Can't 
Take It With You" (Col) and "Pen- 
nies From Heaven" (Col) (reissues), 
mild $3,200. 

Carthay Circle"(FW-C) (1,518; 60- 
$1)— "Deep Waters" (20th) and 
"Checkered Coat" (20th). Mild $6,- 
500. Last week, "Street No Name" 
(20th) and "Here Comes Trouble" 
(UA) (3d wk), $4,100. 

Chinese (Grauman-WC) (2,048; 
60-$l)— "Deep Waters" (20th) and 
"Checkered Coat" (20th). Okay 
$12,000. Last week, "Street No 
Name'* (20th) and "Comes Trouble" 
<UA) (3d wk), neat $9,200. 

Culver (FWC) '(1,145; 60-$l)— 
"Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed No 
Tears" (EL) (2d wk-5 days). Near 
$2,000. Last week^ oke $4,600. 

Biowntowb <WB) (.1,800; 60-$l)— 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Music 
Man" (Mono). Socko $25,000. Last 
week, "Wallflower" (WB) and "Big 
Punch" (WB), slight $8,200. 

Downtown Music Hall (Blumen- 
feld) (872; 60-$l) — "Next Time 
Love" (Indie) and "Godfrey" (In- 
die) (reissues). Modest $6,500. Last 
week, "Take With You" (Col) and 
"Pennies Heaven" (Col) (reissues), 
mild $6,400. 

Egyptian (FWC) (1,538; 60-$l)— 
"Summer Holiday" (M-G) and "Big 
City" (M-G) (2d wk). Light $6,500. 
Last week, fair $10,800. 

El' Bey (FWC) (861; 60-$l)— 
"Ruthless" (EL) ahd "Shed No 
Tears" (EL): Close to $2,000. Last 
week, okay $5,000. 

Esauire (Rosener) (685; 85-$1.20) 
—"Dreams Money Can Buy" (In- 
die) and "Girl of, Canal" (Indie). 
Sturdy $5,000. Last week, 
"Brothers" (U) (2d wk), fair ,$2,000. 

Four Star (UA-WC) (900; 60-$l) 
—"Search" (M-G) (3d wk). Over 
$4,500. Last week, nice $5,500. 

Guild (FWC) (968; 60-$l)— "Manr. 
. Eater Kumaon" (U) and "Guns of 
Hate" (RKO). Slow $3,000. Last 
week, "River Lady" (U) and "Who 
Killed 'Doc' Bobbin" (UA), slim 
$2,900. 

Hawaii (G&S-Blumenfeld) (1,- 
106; 60-$l) — "Next Time Love" 
(Indie) and "Godfrey" (Indie) (re- 
issues). Mild $3,000. Last week, 
"Take With You" (Col) and "Pen- 
nies Heaven" (Col) (reissues), $3,- 
200. 

Hollywood (WB) (2,756; 60-$l)— 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Music 
Man" (Mono). Big $22,000. Last 
week, "Wallflower" (WB) and "Big 
Punch" (WB), thin $7,500. 

Hollywood Music Hall (Blumen- 
£eld) (475; 60-85) — "Next Time 
Love" (Indie) and "Godfrey (In- 
die( reissues). Slim .$2,500. Last 
week, "Take With You" (Col) and 
"Pennies Heaven" (Col) (reissues), 
light $2,400. 

Iris (FWC) (828; 60-85)— "Man- 

. Eater Kumaon" (U) and "Guns 
Hate" (RKO). Modest $3,500. Last 
week, "River Lady" (U) and. " 'Doc' 
Bobbin" (UA), dim $2,600. 

Laurel (Rosener) (890; 85) — "Die 
Pledermaus" (Indie) (3d wk). Me- 

. dium $2,000. Last week, okay $2,- 
600, 

LoeVs State (Loew's-WC) (2,404; 
«0-$l)— "Deep Waters" (20th) aftd 
"Clieckered Coat" (20th). Pleasing 
$22,000. Last week, "Street No 
Name" (20th) and "Comes Trouble' 
<UA) (3d wk), pleasing $14,700. 

Los An«reles (D'tovra-WC) (2,097 
60-$l)— "Summer Holiday" (M-G) 
and "Big City" (M-G) (2d wk) 
Finales at $11,000. Last week, light 
$20,300. 

Loyola (FWC) (1,248; 60-$l). 
"Deep Waters" (20th) and "Check- 
. ered Coat" (20th). Fair $7,800. Last 
week, "Street No Name" (20th) and 
"Comes Trouble" (UA> (3d wk), 
Okay $5,600. 

Drjpkina (D'town-WC) (2,210; 



60-$l)— "Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed 
No Tears" (EL) (2d wk-5 days). 
Near $5,500. Last week, mild $14,- 
700. 

Pantages (Pan) (2,812; 60-$l)— 
"Fighting Father Dunne" (RKO) 
and "Strawberry Roan" (Col). Mild 
$15,000. Last week, "Fuller Brush 
Man" (Col) and "Thunderhoof" 
(Col) (4th wk), good $11,200. 

Paramount (F&M) (3,398; eO-$l) 
—"Dream Girl" (Par) and "Secret 
Service .Investigator" (Rep) (2d 
wk). Slow $12,000 or near. Last 
week, modest $15,800. 

Paramount Hollywood (F&M) 
(1,451: 60-$l)— "Dream Girl" (Par) 
(2d wk). Light $7,000. Last week, 
moderate $11,800. 

RKO Uiilstreet (RKO) (2,890; 60- 
80)— "Father Dunne" (RKO) and 
"Strawberry Roan" (Col). Fair 
$17,500. Last week, "Fuller Brush" 
(Col) and "Thunderhoof" (Col) (4th 
wk), neat $11,500. 

Ritz (FWC) (1,370; 60-$l)— "Man- 
Eater Kumaon'' (U) and "Guns 
Hate" (RKO). Slow $6,000. Last 
week, "River Lady" (U) and "Doc' 
Robbin" (UA), light $5,000. 

Studio City (FWC) (880; 60-$l)— 
"Man-Eater Kumaon" (U) » and 
"Guns Hate" (RKO). Near $4,000. 
Last week, "River Lady" (U) and 
"Doc' Robbin" (UA), slow $3,600. 

United 'Artists (UA) (2,100; 60- 
$1) — "Man-Eater Kumaon" (U) and 
"Guns Hate" (RKO). Fine $14,000. 
Last week, "River Lady" (U) and 
"Doc' Robbin" (UA), Moderate 
$10,400. 

Uptown (FWC) (1,719; 60-$l)— 
"Deep Waters" (20th) and "Check- 
ered' Coat" (20th). Oke $8,000. Last 
week, "Street No Name" (20th) and 
"Comes Trouble" (UA) (3d wk), 
li^ht $4,400. 

Vogue (FWC)' (885; 60-85)— 
"Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed No 
Tears" (EL) (2d wk-5 days). Okay 
$2,500. Last week, good $5,500. 

Wilshire (FWC) (2,296; 60-$l)— 
"Summer Holiday" (M-G) and "Big 
City" (M-G) (2d wk). Moderate 
$7,000. Last week, medium $11,200. 

Wiltern (WB) (2,300; 60-$l)— 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Music 
Man" (Mono). Fancy $22,000. Last 
week, "Wallflower" (WB) and "Big 
Punch" (WB), thin $6,800. 

New A&C Lifts Cincy, 
Huge 17iG; 'Seas' 16G, 
'Street' BustCng 17G 

Cincinnati, July 20 
City is on a mid-summer theatre 
spree, three fresh bills sparking 
the bulge and bunched for front 
honors. -"Abbott and Costello Meet 
Frankenstein" and "Street With No 
Name" have a slight edge over 
"Romance on High Seas." Smaller 
capacity of its tenancy is retarding 
the A&C film's speed with mighty 
support from teenagers. "On Is- 
land With You" and "Emperor 
Waltisi' are stoutish holdovers. 
Estimates for This Week 
Albee (RKO) (3,100; 50-75)— 
"Street With No Name" (20th). 
Bustling $17,000. Last week, "Up 
in Central Park" (U), sprightly 
$16,000. 

Capitol (RKO) (2,000;2 50-75)— 
"On Island With You" (M-G) (3d 
wk). Swell $9,000 trailing $10,500 
second i-ound. 

Grand (RKO) (1,400; 50-75)— 
"Wallflower" (WB) and "Big 
Punch" (WB) (reissue). Moderate 
$7,500. Last week, "Flowing Gold" 
(WB) and "God's Country and 
Woman" (WB) (reissues), $7,000. 

Keith's (City Inv.) (1,542; 50-75) 
— "Abbott and Costello Meet 
Frankenstein" (U). Sensational 
$17,500 and second to theatre's 
modern record held by "Egg and 
I." Holds indef. Last' week, "Best 
Years" (RKO) (3d Wk), pleasing 
$6,500. 

Lyric' (RKO) (1,400; 50-75)— 
"Trail of Vigilantes" (FC) and 
"Badlands of Dakota" (FC) (reis- 
sues). OKSy $6,000. Last week, 
"Mr. Blandings" (SRO), third 
downtown week, split with "Ghost 
Frankenstein" (U) and "Son of 
Dracula" (U) (reissues), ditto. 

Palace (REO) (2,600; 50-75)— 
■^Romance on High Seas" (WB). 
Screen bow of Gincy's Doris Day 
given extra attention by local 
dailies, including blurbs on private 
preview for her mother and rela- 
tives here. Great $16,000 or near. 
Last week, "Four Faces West" 
(UA), average $11,500. 

Shubert (RKO) (2,100; 50-75)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (m.o.) (2d 
Wk). Sweet $7,200 after satlsfac- 
toiy $8,500 last week. 



Med City' 16G, Monl'l 

Montreal, July 20. 
Heavy July heat is knocking 
down biz in most houses despite 
good vacation traffic. "Naked City 
looks best of newcomers, being at 
Capitol. 

Estimates for This Week 
Loew's fC.T.) (2,855; 34-64)-- 
"Homecomlng" (M-G) (2d wk). 
Down to $10,000 after smash opener 
at $17,500. 

Capitol' (C.T.) (2,412; 30-5'7)— 
"Naked City" (U). Big $16,0M. 
Last week, "Meant for Me" (20th), 
$9,500. 

Palace (C.T.) (2,625; 30-57)— 
"Place of One's Own" (EL). Mild 
$7,000. Last week, "Bride Goes 
Wild" (M-G), $6,000. 

Princess (C.T.) (2,205; 26-45)— 
"Great Waltz" (M-G) (mo.) and 
"Heart of Virginia" (Rep). Mild 
$6,000 or over. Last week, "April 
Showers" (WB) and "Waterfront at 
Midnight" (Par)* same. 

Imperial (C.T.) (1,839; 26-42)— 
"Voice of Turtle" (WB) and "Blon- 
die's Reward" (Col). Thin $3,500. 
Last week, "Sitting Pretty" (20th) 
and "Madonna of Desert" (Rep), 
$3,000, 

"Street' lively 
$40,(1 Tops Det. 

Detroit, July 20. 
Slim film fare this week will 
bring thin returns at most spots. 
Of. the few new pictures, "Street 
With No Name" at Fox will be easy 
coin-getter. "Easter Parade," at 
the Adams, also shapes well. "On 
Island With You" looks big on 
second week at Michigan. 

Estimates for This Week 
Adams (Balaban) (1,740; 70-95)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G). Stout 
$17,000. Last week, "Fighting 
Father Dunne" ,(RKO) and "Bush 
Christmas" (U) (2d wk), fair 
$7,000. 

Art Cinema (Marten) (459; 60- 
90) — "Magic Bow" (Indie) and 
"Years Between" (Indie). im- 
proved $3,500. Last week, "Will 
It Happen Again?" (Indie), $3,000. 

Broadway - Capitol (U-D) (3,300; 
70-95)— "On Merry Way" (UA) and 
"Best Man Wins" (Col). Yanked 
after 4 days, with $6,000. Last 
week, "Fighting Seabees" (Rep) 
and "Flying Tigers" (Rep) (re- 
issues), so-so $9,000, 

Downtown (Balaban) (2,863; 70- 
95)— "Seven Sinners" (EL) and 
"Sutter's Gold" (EL) (reissues). 
Fair $7,000. Last week, "Gung 
Ho" (U) and "Eagle Squadron" 
(U) (reissues) (2d wk), trim $6,000. 

Fox (Fox - Michigan) (5,100; 70- 
95)--"Street With No Name" (20th) 
and Adventures Silverado" (Rep). 
Solid $40,000. Last week, "Give 
Regards Broadway" (20th) and 
"Arizona Ranger" (RKO), okay 
$24,000. 

Michigan (U-D) (4,039; 70-95)— 
"On Island With You" (M-G) and 
"Speed to Spare" (Par) (2d wk). 
Very good $18,000 compared to 
stout $26,000 opening stanza. 

Palms-State (U-D) (2,716; 70-95) 
— "Coroner Creek" (Col) and 
"French Leave" (Mono) (2d wk). 
Surprising $15,000 after excellent 
$18,000 opening week. 

United Artists (U-D) (2,976; 70- 
95)— "Emperor Waltz'-' (Par) (3d 
wk), Good $16,000 after big $24,- 
000 second round. 



Tarade' Mighty W Paces Hub; 
House' Builds Tan ZSG, Dunne 17G 



Key City Grosses 

Estimated Total Gross 
This Week $2,791,401 

(Based on 20 cities, 190 

theatres, chie/lj/ iirst rUns. in- 

eluding N. Y.) 

Total Gross Same Week 

Last Year $2,846,900 

(Based on 22 cities, 199 

theatres). 



'Roots' Sodieroo 
$36,000 in PhiUy 

Philadelphia, July 20. 

Launched wit'n a four-star world 
premiere, and elaborate bally, 
"Tap Roots" is the choice here this 
week. For its bow-in at the Gold- 
man, "Roots" planted $36,000 in 
the boxoffice till, a figure reached 
only once before at this house. 

Good weather over the weekend 
brought out patrons. "Easter Pa- 
rade" is marching right along at 
the Mastbaum. "Street With No 
Name" clocked up a strong third 
week at the Fox and "Paradine 
Case" is solid at the Boyd. 
Estimates for This Week 

Aldine (WB) (1,303; 50-94)— 
"Man of Evil" (UA). Weak $7,500. 
Last week, "Fighting Father 
Dunne" (RKO), $8,500. 

Arcadia (S&S) (700; 50-94)— "On 
Merry Way'' (UA). Very strong 
$6,000. Last week, "All My Sons" 
(U), $4,500. 

Boyd (WB) (2,350; 30-94)— "Para- 
dine Case" (SRO) (3d wk). Solid 
$22,000 or near. Last week, $26,700, 

Earle (WB) (2,700; 50-94)4-"Un- 
conquered" (Par). Mild $15,600. 
Last week, "Pirate" (M-G), $14,900. 

Fox (20th) (2.250; 50-94)— "Street 
With No Name" (20th) (3d wk). 
Nice $16)000. Last week, $21,600. 

Goldman (Goldman) (1,000; 50- 
94)— "Tap Roots" (U); Giant $36,- 
000 for preem week. Last week, 
"Island With You" (M«G> (4th wk), 
trim .$14,500. ' 

Karlton (Goldman) (1,000; 50-94) 
—"Berlin Express" (RKO). Stout 
$15,000, Last week, "Summer 
Holiday" (M-G), $4,000. 

Keith's (Goldman) (1,300; 50-94) 
-^"Letter Unknown Woman" (U). 
Thin $5,000. Last week, "Regards 
to Broadway" (20th), $3,000 for 5 
days. 

Pix (Cummins) (500; 50-94)— 
"Raw Deal" (EL). Fair $5,500. 
Last week, "Ruthless" (EL), $4,000. 

Mastbaum (WB) (4,360; 50-94)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (2d wk). 
Big $33,000. Last week, sock 
$43,800. 

Stanley (WB) (2,950; 50-94)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (5th wk). 
Still fine at $15,000. Last week, 
$19,000. 

Stanton (WB) (1,475; 50-94)— 
"Are You With It" (U). Dim $8,000. 
Last weeW "Coroner Creek" (Col) 
(2d wk), $8,500. 



'Street' Lusty $11,000, 
Seattle; 'Park' $6,500 

Seattle, July 20. 
Theatres are not doing so well 
for the most part here this week. 
One of few exceptions is "Street 
With No Name," brisk at the Para- 
mount. "Emperor Waltz" is solid 
for third week at Music Hall. 

Estimates for This Week 
Blue Mouse (H-E) (800; 45-80)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Waterfront at Midnight" (Par) 
(m.o.). Slow $3,000. Last week, "Re- 
gards Broadway" (20th) and "Coun- 
terfeiters" (20th) (3d wk), in 6 days, 
$2,000. 

Fifth Avenue (H-E) (2;349; 45-80) 
—"Letter Unknown Woman" (U) 
and "Are You With It" (U) Dull 
$6,000. Last week, "Merry Way" 
(UA) and "Olympic Cavalcade" 
(UA), moderate $7,200. 

Music Box (H-E) (850; 45-80)— 
"Deep Waters" (20th) and "Check- 
ered Coat" (20th) (m.o,). Fair 
.$3,500. Last week, "Remember 
Mama" (RKO) and "Rusty" (Col) 
(6th wk), swell $3,600. 

Music Hall (H-E) (2,200; 45-80)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) and 
(Continued on page 47) 



'BAD MEN' GOOD 15iG, 
PROV.; 'PARADE' 22G 

j Providence, July 20. 

Too niany people are at the 
beaches hereabouts but some spots 
are getting a modest play. "Return 
of Bad Men" and"Easter Parade" 
look toppers. " 

Estimates for This Week 

Albee (RKO) (2,200; 44-65)— 
.Return of Bad Men" (RKO) and 
"Bill and Coo!' (RKO). Fast 
$15,500. Last week, "Central 
Park" (U) and "Secret Service In- 
vestigator" (Rep), $11,000. 
^Carlton (Fay) (1,400; 44-65)— 
'AH My Sons) (U) and "King of 
Gamblens" (Reo) (2d run). So-so 
$3,000. Last week, "Give Regards 
Broadway" (20th) and "13 Lead 
Soldiers" (20th), $4,000. » 

Fay's (Fay) (1,400; 44-65)— 
"Flowing Gold" (WB) and "God's 
Country and Woman" (WB) (re- 
issues). Fair $5,000. Last week, 
^Panhandle" .(Mono) and "Jinx 
Money" (Mono), same. 

Majestic (Fay) (2,200; 44-65)— 
Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
For^You I Die" (WB). Nice 
$15,000 Last week, "All My Sons" 
(U) and "King of Gafhblers" (Rep), 
solid $18,000. 

State (Loew) (3,200; 44-65)— 
'Easter Parade" (M-G). Neat 
$22,000. Last week, "Puller Brush 
Man" (C61) and "Adventures Sil- 
verado" (Col), $18,000. 

Strand (Silverman) (2,200; 44-65) 
—"Dream Girl" (Par) and "Big 
Town Scandal" (Par). Opened 
Monday (19). Last week, "Em- 
PCTor Waltz" (Par) (3d wk), stout 
$8,000. 



Boston, July 20. ' 
Biz around the Hub has snapped 
out of doldi'ums with two new- 
comers doing sock biz. "Easter 
Parade" at State and Orpheutt 
Ipoks standout with "Mr. Bland- 
ings" at Memorial a great runner* 
"P- 

Estimates for This Week 
Astor (Jaycocks) (1,300; 40-80)— 
"Coroner Creek" (Col) and "Kings 
of Olympics" (UA). OJce $4,700 for 
third week, after $5,200 for sec- 
ond. 

Boston (RKO) (3,200; 40»80)— 
"Fighting Father Dunne" (RKO) 
and "Arizona Ranger" (RKO). Fair 
$17,000. Last week, "Mating of 
Millie" (Col) and "Strawberry 
Roan" (Col), $19,000.- '^ 

Exeter (Indie) (1,000; 45-75)— 
"Holiday Camp" (U) and "Clouds 
Over Europe" (Indie). Average 
$4,000. Last week, "October M.in" 
(EL) and "Vacation From Mar- 
riage" (Indie) (2d wk), $3,500. 

Fenway (M-P) (1,373; 48-80)— 
"Deep Waters" (20th) and "Jinx 
Money" (Mono) (2d wk). Mild 
$4,800 after $5,100 for first. 

Memorial (RKO) (3,000; 40-80)— ' 
"Mr. Blandings" (SRO) and "Ma- 
donna of Desert" (Rep). Very 
strong $25,000. Last week, "Up In 
Central Park" (U) and "Stage 
Struck" (Mono), $23,000 in nine 
days. 

Metropolitan- (M-P) (4,367; 40-80)' 
—"Romance High Seas" (WB) and ^ 
"Checkered Coat" (Indie). Okay 
$20,000. Last week, "Emperor 
Waltz" (Para) and "Big Town 
Scandal" (Para) (2d wk), neat $21,- 
000. Dr. I, Q. on stage Monday 
nights. 

Orpheum (Loew) (3,000; 40-80)— • 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) Bofi' $30.- 
000. Last week, "Fuller Brush ' 
Man" (Col) and "Adventures Sil- 
verado" (Col), nice $21,500. 

Paramount (M-P) (1,700; 40-80) 
—'•Deep Waters"^ (20th) and "Jinx 
Money" (Mono) (2d wk). Nice 
$11,500 after good $14,500 first. 

State (Loew) (3,500; 40-80)— 
"Easter Parade " (M-G). Very nice 
$15,000. Last week, "Fuller Brush 
Man" (Col) and "Adventures Sil- 
verado" (Col), $13,000. 

Mpls. Better as Heat 
Breaks; 'Feudin' Torrid 
12G, 'House' Huge 20G 

Minneapolis, July 20. 

Break in protracted torrid wave 
is helping grosses here some but 
not enough. Biz still is flirting 
with rock bottom. There's again 
a minimum of major newcomers. 
Lone important entries are "Mr, 
Blanding," "Noose Hangs High" 
and "Feudin,' Fussin'." Exceptions 
among holdovers are high-stepping 
"Fuller Brush Man" and "Em- 
peror Waltz." 

Estimates for This Week 

Century (Par) (1,600; 50-70)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (m.o). 
Good $7,000 after 2 great Radio 
City weeks. Last week, "Hatter's 
Castle" (Par), $8,000. 

Gopher (Par) (1,600; 50-70)— 
"Stole a Million" (Indie) and 
"Can't Cheat An Honest Man" (In- 
die) (reissues). Light ,$2,500. Last 
week, "Sintown" (Indie) and "Rio" 
(Indie) (reissues), slow $2,700. 

Lyceum (Schreiber) (1,900; ."iO- 
70)— "The Pirate" (M-G) (3d wk). 
Fair $4,000 after Satisfactory $5,000 
second week. 

Lyric (Par) (1,000; 50-70)— "Hat- 
ter's Castle" (Par) (m.o). Mild 
$5,500. Last week, "Lady from 
Shanghai" (Col) (2d wk), fahr 
$5,000. 

, Radio City (Par) (4,400; 50-70)— 
'Mr. Blandings" (SRO). Huge $20,- 
000. Last week, "Emperor Waltz" 
(Par) (2d wk), good $13,000 after 
sensational $22,000 initial stanza. 

UKO-Orpheum (RKO) (2,800; 
50-70) — "Feudin', Fussin'" (U). 
Helped by personal appearances of 
Marjorie Main, JOe Besser, Shelley 
Winters, others. Healthy $12,000. 
Last week, "Up in Central Park' 
W), light $8,000. 

RKO-Pan (RKO) (1,600; 50-70) 
—"Fuller Brush Man" (Col) (Sth 
wk). Sock $6,000 after great $9,000 
fourth week. 

State (Par) (2,300; 50-70)-- 
"Noose Hangs High" (EL). Abbott 
& Costello have considerable local 
following, but moderate $10,00() 
looks all. Last week, "Black Bart" 
(U), $9,000. 

„ Uptown (Par) (1,000; 44-60)— 
■Fort Apache" (RKO). First nab^ 
showing. Mild $3,500.- Last week, 
"Bride Goes Wild" (M-G), okay 
$4,500. 

World (Mann) (350; 50-85)— 
'.'Central Park" (U) (m.o.). Slow 
$2,0OO. Last week, "Silver River' 
(WB) (2d wk), mUd $9«200. 



Wcdnesdajr, fiily 21, 1948 



riCTITBE GBOSSBS 



13 



laltz'-Cafs Huge $70,000, Oh Ace; 
Vanglm Tilts 'Jaoe' Handsmne 60G, 
W Merry 216, IMama' Stout 23G 



' Chicago, July 20. ♦ 
. Loop grosses are up sharply this 
\Veek under the impetus of six new 
Strang entries. "Emperor Waltz," 
at Chicago, opened with holdouts 
throughout the day. With the aid 
of Harmonieats topping stagebill, 
it looks sock $70,000. Oriental 
brought in Vaughn Monroe baud 
plus "I. Jane Doe" and should 
garner handsome $60,000. 

"I Uemember Mama" looks like 
fine $23,000 at Palace. Two re- 
i.ssues, "Four Feathers" and 
"Drums," at Grand may do strong 
with $13,000. "On Our Merry 
Way'' is giving the United Artists 
a great $21,000 in view. Garrick'a 
double bill, "Black Arrow" and 
"Adventures in Silverado" should 
capture par $9,500. "Mickey" 
shape's trim $15,003 at Roosevelt. 

"Paradine Case" at the Woods 
lead.s the second'Weekers with sock 
$30,000, extra staunch since* Woods 
is only Loop house, running, at 
straight 98c. World ends four 
weeks of "Bill and Coo" and "Cage 
of Nightingales" with tidy $2,500. 



Broadwa? Grosses 



Estimates for This Week 

AiJollo (B&K) (1,400; 50-98)— 
"Deep Waters" (20th) (2d wk). 
Light $10,000. Last week, $13,000. 

Chicasfo (B&K) (3,900; 50-98)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) plus Har- 
monieats on stage. Thunderous 
$'/0.0()0. Last week, "Green Grass" 
{20th > (2d wk) with Peggy Lee 
p a., $50,000. 

Garrick (B&K) (900; 50-85)— 
"Black Arrow" (Col) and "Adven- 
ture in Silverado" (Col). Par 
$9,500. Last week, "Happened One 
Night" (Col) and "Only Angels 
Wings" (Col) (reissues), $8,500. 

Grand (RKO) (1.500; 50^98)— 
•'Four Fe ath e rs " ( U A ) and 
"Drums" (UA) (reissues). Neat 
$13,000. Last week. "Part of For- 
est" (U) (2d wk), $10,000. 

Oriental (Essaness) (3.400; 50-98) 
. — "I, .lane Doe" (Rep) with 
Vaughn Monroe orch on stage. 
Great $60;000. Last week, "Dan- 
gerous Years" (20th) plus Dick 
Haymes in person, $52,000. 

Palace (RKO) (2,500; 50-98)-— 
"Remember Mama" (RKO). Solid 
$23,000. Last week, "Central Park" 
(Ui (2d wk), $13,000. • 

Roosevelt (B&IO (1,500; 50-98) 
—"Mickey" (EL). Trim $15,000. 
Last week. "Coroner Creek" (Col) 
(2d wk». $12,500. I 

State-Lake (B & K) f2.700: 50-98). 
—"Romance ffigh Seas" (WB) (2d 
wki. Thin $15,000. Last week, 
$19,000. 

United Artists (B & K) (1.700; 
50-!)8> — "On Merry Way" (UA). 
Great $21,000. La.'St week. "B.F.'s 
Daughter' (M-G) (2d wk), nice 
$16..'>00. 1 ■ 

Woods (Essaness) (1,073; 98)— 
"Paradine Case" (SRO) (2d wk). 
Sliarp $30,000. Last week. $39,000. 

World (Indie) (587; 77)— "Bill 
and Coo" (Hep) and "Cage of 
Nightingales" (Indie) (4th wk). Oke 
$2,500. Last wee k, $2^. 

Indpk Slow Exceptor 
Tarade; Wham $22,000 

Indianapolis, July 20. 

Firstrun i5Im bir. is lopsided here 
this .stm/a. "Easter Parade," at 
Loew's, is getting sock biz, but four 
other pix are mild. "Romance on 
High Seas'" at. Indiana and. "Letter. 
From Unknown Woman" at Circle 
are disappointing, 

estimates for This Week 

Circle (Garable-Dolle) (2,800; 44- 
65)— "Letter Unknown Woman" 
(Ui and "Are You With It" (U). 
Slow $8,000. Last week* "Hazard" 
(Par) and "Money Madness" (FC), 
mild $9,000. 

IndUma (G-D) (3,300; 44-65)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Blonde Ice" ■(FC). Tepid $9,000. 
Last week. "Emperor Waltz" '(Par) 
(2d wk), $9,500 added to nifty $17,- 
Ofttt first week's take. 

Keith's (G-D) (1.300; 44-65)— 
"Anna Karenina" (20th) and "Song 
of Heart" (Mono). Bare $3,000. 
I^St week, "Carnegie Hall" (UA), 
$4,500. 

Loew's (Loew's) (2,450; 44-65)— 
"Easter Paiade" (M-G). Terriac 
$22 000. Record opening day at 
regular scale. Last , weelc, "On 
Merrv Way" (UA) and "Jassy" (U), 
' oke $12,000. ■ 

Lyric (G-D) (1,600; 44-65)— "I, 
Jane Doc" (Rep) and "Secret Ser- 
vice Ijivestigatoi-" (Rep). Moderate 
,$5 000. I^ast week, -Adventures 
Ciisrmova" (EL) and "Enchanted 
Valley" (EL), $4,500. 



Estimated Total Gr«s» 

This Week . $835,500 

(Basea on 16 theotres) 
Last Year .$666,000 

(Basea.on W theMres) 



WRansH^h 

In Denver, $21,1 



Denver, July 20. 
"Romance High Seas" shapes 
nice in three theatres: this week, 
but "Homecoming" is compara- 
tively bigger in one spot. "Best 
Years" is getting a fifth week as is 
"Emperor Waltz." 

Estimates for Tliis Week 
Aladdin (Fox) (1,400; 35-74)— 
"Noose Hangs High" (EL) and 
"Assigned to Danger" (EL) (m.o.). 
Fair $3,000. Last week, "Canon 
City" (EL! and "Lady at Midnight" 
(EL), big $5,000. 

Broadway (Cinema) (1,500; 35-74) 
—"Best Years" (RKO) (4th wk). 
Good $8,000. Holds again. Last 
week, $9,000. 

Denham (Cockrill) (1,750; 35-74) 
— "Emperor Waltz" (Par) (4th wk). 
Fine $10,000, and holding. .Last 
week, $12,500. 

Denver (Fox) (2,525; 35-74)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Winner's Circle" (20th). day-date 
with Esquire, Webber. Solid $16,- 
000 or near. Last ; week, "Noose 
Hangs High" (EL) and "Assigned 
to Danger" (EL), same. 

Esauire (Fox) (742; . 35-74)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Winner's Circle" (20th), also Den- 
ver, Webber. Fair $2,500. Last 
week, "Noose Hangs Higli" (EL) 
and "Assigned to Danger" (EL), 
$2,000. 

Orpheum (RKO) (2,600; 35-74)— 
"Homecoming" (M-G). Big $21,000. 
Holds over. Last week, "Fort 
Apache" (RKO) and "Open Secret" 
(EL) (2d wk), $10,500. 

Paramount (Fox) (2,200; 35-74)-^ 
".Canon City" (EL) and "Lady at 
Midnight" (EL) (2d wk). Mild 
$8,000. Last we^k, big $17,000. 

Webber (Fox) (750; 35-74)— 
"Romance High Sean" (WB) and 
"Winner's Circle"-(20th), also Den- 
ver, Esquire. Fair $2,500. . Last 
week, "Canon City" (EL) and 
"Lady at Midnight" (EL), big 
$4,000. 



'Easter' Hotter Hian 
St Loo Heat, $25,000; 
M' Modest $18,000 

St. Louis, July 20. 

"Easter Parade" is hotter wiUi 
natives than the tepid weather 
and is easily spread-eagling the 
field with the best' biz for any of 
the big houses in many weelcs. 
"The Dude Goes West" is in the 
runncrup slot. Holdovere pre- 
dominated this session. 

Estimates for This Week 

Ambas.sador (F & M) (3.000; SO- 
TS)— "Fuller Brush Man" (Col) 
and "Trapped by Boston Blackie" 
(Col) {2d wk). Nice $17,000 after 
sock $23,000 first sesision. 

Fox (&M) (5.000; 50-75)— 
"Dude Goes West" (Mono) and 
"Smart Woman" (Mono). Mild 
$18,000. Last week. "Raw Deal" 
(ELI and "Lady at Midnight" (EL) 
verv good $22,500. 

Loew's (Loew) (3.172; 50-75)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G). Sock .$25,- 
000. Last week. "Summer Holiday" 
(M-G) and "Letter Uniaiown Wo- 
man" (U). $18,000. 

Missouri (F&M) (3,.'500; 50-7.1) 
—"Fort Apache" ( R K G ) and 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) (m.o.). 
Nice $8,000. La.st week. "Romance 
High Seas" (WB) and "The Hunt- 
ed" (Mono) (m.o.), .$6,000. 

Orpheum (Loew) (2,000; 50-75)— 
"On Island with You" (M-G) and 
"Murder in Reverse" (Ind) (m.o.) 
<2d wk). Fine $6,000 aftpr neat 
$9,000 first stanza. 

St. Louis (F&M) (4,000; 50-60) 
—"Silver River" (WB) and "Fur- 
nace Creek" (20th) (2d run). Oke 
$6,000. Last week, "Rose Washing- 
ton Square" (20th) and "Slave 
Ship" (20th) (reissues). $5,000. 

Shubert (1,500; 40-60) — "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) and "Shaggy" 
<Par) (ra.o.) (2d wk). Olcay $4,500 
following good $5,500 Orst week. 



MiOs Bros.-Duiihain lift 

Texas' $20,000 in Omaha 

Omaha, July 20. 

Mills Bros, and Sonny Dunham 
band on the stage is boosting "Man 
From Texas" to a big session at 
the Orpheum. "Romance on High 
Seas" looks nice at Paramount. 
"Fuller Brush Man," in second 
week is olcay at Brandeis. 
Estimates for This Week 

Orpheum (Tristates) (3,000; 20- 
80)— "Man From Texas" (EL) 
with Mills Bros., & Sonny Dunham 
orch on stage. Big $20,000 via stage 
fare. Last week, "Feudin", Fussin'," 
(U) and "Waterfront Midnight" 
(Par), nice $12,700 at 16-65c scale. 

Paramount. (Tristates) (2,800; 16- 
65) — "Romance High Seas" (WB). 
Good $10,000. Last' week, "Best 
Years" (RKO), $10,800. 

Slate (Goldberg) (865; 16-65)— 
"Homecoming" (M-G) (3d wk). 
Rolling along at big $4,000. Last 
week, $4,600. 

Omaha (Tristates) (2,100; 16-65) 
— "Ffeudin', Fightin'" (U) (m.o.) 
and "Arthur Takes Over" (20th). 
Good $9,000. Last week, "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) (m.o.) and 
"Speed to Spare" (Par), solid $10,- 

Ann 
vuu. 

Brandeis (RKO) (1,500; 16-65)— 
"Fuller Brush Man" (Col) (2d wk) 
and "Port Said" (Col) (1st run). 
Fine $8,000. Last week, terrific 
$10,0Q0: 




'Easter a Piffade 
hL'viDe, 

Louisville, July 20. 
Superlatives are in order this 
week because Loew's State is 
knocking them cold with "Easter 
Parade." It's the biggest thing 
here in some time, and drawing 
despite mid-summer conditions. 
Biz at the other houses is spotty. 
"Miracle of Bells" at Rialto is 
okay, and "Fury Furnace Creek" 
at Strand is doing nicely. Summer 
musical shows at Iroquois Amphir 
theatre ate drawing near capacity 
biz. 

Estimates for This Week 
Brown (Fourth Avenue) (1,200; 
45-65)— "Emperor Waltz" (Par) (3d 
(Continued on page 47) 



'Bad Men' Fast $14,000, 
Wash.; Halli Big 25€ 

Washington, July 20. 

Two musicals are doing sock 
trade to get patrons away from 
parks and the nabes, and hypoing 
biz all along the main stem. Both 
"Emperor Waltz" at Warnet and 
"Easter Parade" at Loew's Palace 
are pushing them through the turn- 
stiles in near-record numbers. Cer- 
tainly the best at either house for 
many months. "Return of Bad 
Men" also is strong at Keith's. 
Estimates for This Week 

Catiitol (Loew's) (2,434; 44-80)— 
"Ruthless" (EL) plus vaude. At- 
traction of Jim Davis, ex-Governor 
of Louisiana, on stage, with his 
hillbilly band helping to keep this 
at good $24,000. Last week, "On 
Lsland .With You" (M-G) (2d wk), 
plus vaude. okay $21,000. 

Columbia (Loew's) (1,263; 44-70) 
—"Street With No Name" (20th) 
(m.o.). Firm $7,000 for third con- 
secutive downtown week. Last 
week, "Gallant Legion" (Rep), dis- 
appointing $6;000 for first run. 

Dupont (F. W. Mann) (440; 50- 
85)— "The Idiot" (Indie) (3d wk). 
Holding well at $3,000 after good 
$3,500 last week. 

ICeith's (liKO) (1.939: 44-74)— 
"Return of Bad Men" (RKO). 
Strong $14,000. Last week, "Best 
Years" (RKO) (2d wk), nice $9,000 
at pop prices. 

Metropolitan (WB) (1,163; 44-70) 
— "Noose Hangs High" (EL). Hot 
$8,500 for this smallseater. Last 
week, "Romance High Seas" (WB) 
(m.o.), nice $7,000. 

Palace (Loew's) (2,370; 44-74)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G). Despite 
lukewarm reception from crix, 
crowds are braving heat wave to 
pack the house to tune of sockeroo 
$30,000. Last week, "Street With 
No Name" <20th) (2d wk), good 
$16,000. 

Warner (WB) (2.154; 44-74)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par). Smash 
S25,O00, best here in many months. 
Last week. "Dream Girl" (Par), 
so-so $13,.'>00. 



laiio'-Bide Record $80,000, B'way; 
'Sfreet'-Cab-Mites-^Blaine Sock \M. 
WFast 130G,5tli; 'Canon 23G, 2(1 



Estimates Are Net 

Film gross estimates as re- 
ported herewith from the vari- 
ous key cities, are net, i.e., 
without the 20% tax. Distribu- 
tors share on net take, when 
playing precentage. hence the 
estimated figures are net in- 
come. 

The parenthetic admis.sion 
prices, however, as indicated, 
include the U. S< amusement 
tax. 



Temporary break in heat wave 
and launching of two strong bills 
are giving Broadway firstrun . thea- 
tres a much-needed hypo this sea- 
son. Heavy rains last week and 
scattered rainfall on other days 
before the close of the current 
week were reflected in sti'onger 
trade. 

Pacing the new product is the 
Strand, with "Key Largo" and 
stageshow headed by Count Basie 
band and Billie Holiday, first week 
representing a complete turnabout 
to recent laggard weeks at that 
house. This strong combo opened 
with best first-day at Strand in 
more than 18 months and seems 
sure of hitting $80,000 or over, 
new all-time record. House. tUted 
scale to $1.75 and got in six stage- 
shows Saturday and five on Sim- 
day. 

Also of sock proportions is the 
Roxy's initial week with "Street 
With No Name," plus Cab Callo- 
way, Jackie Miles, Vivian Blaine 
-and iceshow on stage. Likely will 
do $120,000 or better, best here 
in some time. 

Gotham, too, is doing better with 
"Mickey" and personal of Lois But- 
ler, star of film, with very trim 
$10,000 opening week. Holds, be- 
ing first picture to stay over here 
in weeks. 

"Canon City" is holding up sur- 
prisingly well in face of new com- 
petition, with sturdy $23,000 or 
close in second ftam^ at Criterion. 

"Foreign Affair*' ia still drawing 
well witli $71,000 in third session 
at Paramount, and likely will stay 
over two more weeks. "Emperor 
Waltz" continues displaying marked 
stamina with $130,000 in sight for 
fifth week at Music Hall, insuring 
a sixth round. 

"Easter Parade'' also is showing 
steady strength in big-coin br^ackets 
with about $55,000 likely at the 
State. "Raw Deal" looks fairly 
steady with $11,000. at Victoria in 
second week. 

"Ft. Apache" with Lena Home 
topping stage bill still is solid at 
$71,000 tor fourth frame at Capitol. 
Straight filmers. elsewhere are 
down rather sharply, with the 
Globe holding "Furnace Cii^ek" 
only five days of second week and 
bringing in "Deep Waters" tomor- 
row (Thurs.). 

"So Evil My Love" supplants 
"Crusades" at Rivoli also tomor- 
row. 

World preem of "Babe Ruth 
Story" IS set for Monday (26) at 
Astor. 

Estimates for This Vl^eek 

Astor (City Inv.) (1„300; 70-$1.50) 
—"Melody Time" (RKO) (8th wk). 
Down to $12,000 in current week 
ending today (Wed.) after $15,500 
for seventh. "Babe Ruth Story" 
(Mono) opens July 26 with world 
preem for this baseball opus. 

Capitol (Loew's) (4,820; 80-$1.50) 
—"Ft. Apache" (RKO) with Lena 
Home, Skinnay Ennis orch, top- 
ping stagebill (4th wk). Holding 
nicely at $71,000 after solid $86,000 
for third. Goes a fifth. "Island 
With You" (M-G) opens July 29. 

Criterion (Loew's) (1.700; 70-$l..- 
85)— "Canon City" (EL) (3d wk). 
Initial holdover stanza ended last 
(Tues.) night held up to sturdy 
$23,000 or near, after fancy $29,- 
000 opener. May stay a fourth. 

Globe (Brandt) (1,500: 90-$!.. 50) 
—"Furnace Creek" (20th) (2d-final 
wk). Oir to $7,500 in four days 
after mild $14,500 opener. "Deep 
Waters" (20th) opens tomorrow 
(Thurs.). 

Gotham (Brandt) (900; 70-$l 20) 
—"Mickey" (EL). First week end- 
ing next Friday (23) going to big 
$10,000, or a bit under, being 
helped by personal of Lois Butler, 
star of film. Holds. In ahead, "Old 
Los Angeles" (Rep). $7,000. 

Mayfair (Brandt) (1,736; 60-$l.- 
25)— "Time of Life" (UA) {8th 
wk). Current frame ending today 
(Wed.) looks okay $11,000 . after 
$14,000 for seventh week. "Return 
of Bad Men" (RKO) opens Aug. 4. 

Palace (RKO) (1,700; 40-95)— 
"River Lady" (U) and "Letter Un- 
known Woman" (U) (2d runs). Fair 
$10,500 looms after $11,500 for 
"Mr. Blandings" (SRO) (2d ran) 
and "Panhandle" (Mono) (1st run)^ 

Paramount (Par) (3,664; 55-$!.- 
50) — "Foreign Aitair" (Par) plus 
Jo SlafTord, Sam Donahue orch, 
Georgie Kaye (4th wk). Third ses- 
sion ended last. (Tues.) night doing 
nic<fly with $71,000, especially 
good in view of new entries; sec- 
ond was big $82,000. May go two 
more weeks. 

Radio City Music Hall (Rocke- 
fellers) 13,945; 80-$2.40)— "Emperof 
Waltz" (Par) with stageshow (3tb 



wk). Still up in blue chips with 
$130,000 after big $141,000 for 
fourth frame. Stays a sixth and 
possibly longer. 

Rialto (Mage) (594; 44-99)— 
"Drums" (FC) (reissue) (2d wk). 
In stanza ending tomorrow (Thurs.) 
likeUr will get $8,500, fine, after 
$12,000 in first. 

Kivoli (UAT-Par) (2,092; 60- 
$1.25)— "Cmsades" (Paf) (reissue) 
(3d wk-6 days). Slipping sharply to 
$14,000, and stays only six days, 
with "So EvU My Love" (Par) 
opening tomorrow (Thurs.), "Cru- 
sades" hit itne $22,000 in sekiond. 

Roxy (20th) (5,886; 80-$1.50)— 
"Street With.No Name" (20th) plus 
Cab Calloway, Jackie Miles, Vivian 
Blaine' and iceshow with Carol 
Liysne <Ja - stage - (2d~ wk), -First 
siNSsion ended last . (Tues.) night 
soared to great $120,000 or near, 
combO'-of well-regarded film and 
strong stage' layout spelUng - this' 
coin. Third week, "Regards to 
Broadway" (20th) wlth.iceshow and 
Dean Martin & Jerry Lev^s heai}- 
ing stage.show was $72,000. 

State (Loew's) (3,450; 80-$1.50)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (4th wk). 
Third round ended last (Tues.) 
night still was solid nt$5S.000 after 
sock $62,000 fcKT second. Continues 
indef. 

Strand (WB) (2,736; V6-$1.50)— 
"Key Largo" (WB) and stageshow 
headed by Count Basie orch, Billie 
Holiday. Strong stage-screen combo 
lifting this to new all-time tecord 
of $80,000 or over. In ahead, third 
week of "Romance High Seas" 
(WB) with Bob Crosby orch top- 
ping stagebill only $27,000, very 
thin. 

Victoria (City Inv.) (720; 70, 
$1.50)— "Raw Deal" (EL) (2d wk). 
Second frame ending today (Wed.) 
won't be far from -first week's pace 
good $17,000 opener. Stays on 
good $18,000 opener. Stays on 
with house shuttering Aug.' 1 for 
complete renovation. 

Winter Garden (UA) (1,312; 55- 
$1.25)— "Man-Bater of Knmaon" 
(U) (3d wk); Third stanza winding 
up today (Wed.) will hit $10,000 or 
near after vefy nice $16,000 for 
second. 



K.C Heat Lets Up, Biz 
Perks; 'Parade' Giant 
$30,000, 'Bad Men' IIG 

Kansas City, July 20. 

Hats here are oil to "Easter 
Parade" showing solo at Midland 
with giant $30,000. It's the entry 
of the week which otherwise is 
strictly mediocre. "Return of Bad 
Men" at the Orpheum looks solid 
$11,000. Frequent rains have 
broken the heat wave somewhat. 
EsOmates for This Week 

Esaidre (Fox Midwest) (820; 45- 
65)— "Old Los Angeles" (Rep) and 
"Timber Trail" (Rep). Good $4,000. 
Last week, "Will It Happen 
Again" (FC) and "Argyle Seiarcts" 
(FC I. strong $5,000. 

Midland (Loew's) (3,500; 45-65) 
— "Easter Parade" (M-G). House 
to single feature with this, and 
smash $30,000 looms. Last week. 
"Summer Holiday" (M-G). and 
"Sign of Ram" (Col), steady 
$15,000. 

orpheum (RKO) (1.900; 45-65)— 
Return of Bad Men" (RKO) and 
"Song of My Heart" (Mono). Solid 
$11,000. Last week. "Fighting Fa- 
ther Dunne" (RKO) and "Arizona 
Ranger" (RKO), good $14,000 in 9 
days. 

- Paramount (Par) (1.900; 45-65)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (3d wk). 
Holding its own at .SB.SOO being 
helped by preview Friday. Last 
week $11,000. 

. Roxy (Durwood) (900: 4S-63)— 
"Shaggy" (Par) and "Big Town 
Scandal" (Par). Regular $4,000. 
Last week, "Belle of Yukon" 
(Indie) and "Casanova Brown" 
(Indie), average $3,500. 

Tower - Uptown - Fairway (Fox 
Midwest) (2,100, 2,043, 700; 45-65) 
— "Another Part Forest" (U). Fair- 
ish $12/)00. Last week. "Street 
with No Name" (20th), nifty $21.- 
000 in 10 days. 



Galveston Pier House 

Galveston. 
Pier Theatre Corp. is construct- 
ing an open air, over-the-watcr 
theatre at the end of Pleasure Pier 
here. Reported to be the only 
theatre of its type on the Gulf of 
Mexico, it will seat 1,000. Louise 
A. Stjepcevich is head of the group 
building the house. 





'a 




And In Current 



Get these issues now and 
blow up for lobby display! 



WATCH FOR MORE TOP BREAKS 
that we're not allowed to teli 
you about right now . • . ' 




^t a,iesday, July 21, 1948 



15 



<i} hVn, >n l,l>M . ..linur, 



My Love 



yitnuc btoitv of Kailit «Minr and |i»viiun is 
\ vividly rnoi>itiiiit»il in tial WalliV Su Kuil 
My l^>r<> BoMtmf a priz«-«aUb«r p«rfornteivre 
liy Ann Todd, ably bsLked by Ray Mtlland and 
Ofialdine fitiKcrald thu new Paramount Aim 
runks high among mclodramw 

Viitnrian i-oiirt letords supplirti llii- |ili>l 
fr<ini the rair of a niiaaionary's widow whose 
'■ If fur a rharniing MXiuiidicI lr<i hrr lu lilaik- 
niail iind mutdpr It wai turned mtn * iKiv<>l iii 




IM7 by "Joiwph Shrriing, " one of vfral nimri 
under whkh «l •yrar-oM Mn GabiMltle Long 
has »ritlrn 140 odd bwiki ain«ng Ihetn Mojs 
Rost and tilanchr furv 

Following tha current trvnd of (timing iterin 
m actual toi Wallit t««fc hi* lUr* and Dirrc 
tor Leww Alkn to Gngtaad to mak* So Euil 
London landmarks and a supporting caat of ex 
cillent |il4yeis give an aulheniir alinokilieir 
to ajiaiuisome romantic Ihritlrr 



I LMdwi-lMaad from Jamai<.« after the defth o( 
*■ hrr iniwonary hu^twnd, Olivia Harwuod nurSM 
■ ri>>Uri.i virlini ■rliit Murk n«IlM (Kay MllUnd) 



ty OUvIa tsali Mark a room in her quiet home, 
^ unaware that he want* to hide from the police 
lie qverromei her tl mem and profcHM lovr fur her 




I Marht tctar* to h» real pfafeaiiaii ihcfi of 
art trcMUrc*. fsili He UUa Otivt«„ wt)o now 
1civr> him, he has no money, matt leave England 



il ttt get ISNdB lor Mark, Ulivia visiu an old 
^ school rriend. Susan Courtney (Garalrtine Fitr- 
grrald), unhappy wife of a wealthy proap««tivr peer 





- iHivia to Urad bv llejiry Cinirtnev (Raynumfl 
Huntley) at hli wife s companion When he hat 



fi Olroeted ky Mark, Olivia helps Suun rriumr 
" an eatra mental affaiT about whirh >hr wroir 



lu-,.! I allac k ihe hr'iu hiiii with a Jani*i< an drill f Hivi* Maik plans |i. blarkn ail H'niy anil ilir man 
itrai I iiiiK >, ••■ I fContietied on mxt vat ) 



B9 




Intarmed Ih^l bondh Suwin iiwned wire ^Id Henry finds *hp 
' Ksvi ihein ixOhvi^ He errsKges to Send Snwan laa taniUriiim 
tnler- < I via i leave bhe re'urin In sell Henrv Susans le*lerk 




' • Mark'j rrimes for the V l 
ten then tells fier it'i a (opy 
1 h*v struggle and he eolUpees. 



■stWln^MRr-ii wis. 
Hcnr^ driTOhvia. who has 
Dniaooed the JamalOUi 4rug 
gets Susan to'savf-HIm wHb it 



in Heart faliyre« as not the cause of death thedoetorenport 
< ^' irir fl< 9 01iN,M Although she burned the lellaca and the dus 
I ri I n Mark sec page 88) her murder guill mav slill be eaposed 




I I Malt ieava tor Pans but fiirtn Olivia tn slay with Susan lo 
' * a\otd sutpicioiri of the murder Susan it convicted. Wt saved 
from hanging m an ironical ending that takit (.are of the eeiMoers 



I 



^^^^^^^^^^^ 



<»•> 



Loueila Parsons Picks It As Her Picture of the Month... 




Raymond U^d\- Moua i Z j , , 



■Ill- 




and says: "It will jput you 
through an emotional 
#ringer* A superior, extra- 
ordinary thriller * * . ea»ns 

your applause . , . for being 

the best production released 
this July. I salute this fine 
piece of work." 



OUHndD Customs at Basb For 
SiHV CensorsU^ of U. S. FdDK 



Bombay, July 10. f 
LaratsS* auaiber of important g JndJie ProduCC TwO 



Yank films "recently shipped to 
India are facing a blanket ban or 
mutilation because of the imposi- 
tion of probably the strictest cen- 
sorship, in the world: Stringent 
. regulations have been gradually 
clamped on film Imports ever since 
the country obtained its independ- 
ence and divided with Pakistan. 
This development is- a direct re- 
versal from the former administra- 
tion by the British, which exercised 
an easy hand in densorship mat- 
ters. 

American film& are faced by an 
almost impossible burden to meet 
the requirements. For instance, the 
latest regulation in effect rules out 
depiction of well-dressed actors 
and actresses in films. This stric- 
ture fits In with the Indian gov- 
ernme&t'9 aim to h«ve its inhabit- 
ants use homei^ua goods or, at: 
least, that made in native mills. 
Government fears stress op fash- 
ionabTe dress in films will cause a 
buying' wave on imported. goods. 

Regulations* against showing, 
film characters. drinKing are almost 
fantastically drastic. As Hindus 
traditionally da not diinlc. Ameri- 
can films which show a bottle of 
liquor or an empty wine glass are 
out. Any scene which portrays ac- 
tion in a restaurant or bar is n.g. 
even if the players themselves are 
not drinking. 

' Kissing or any form of petting 
Is tabu. Therefore, the classic Hol- 
ly woodian ending is generally 
missing before a film gets the okay. 
Any form of undress by a woman 
—and that iiould mean an evening 
gown«-gets thfe gate by Indian 

censors* 

strangely, enough, Paramount's 
"Lost Weekend" which showed 
rivers of liquor passing down Bay 
Milland's gullet, was okayed. That 
was because the film played up the 
evil effects of tippling. 



Bilingual Fix in Vienna 

Vienna, July 10. 
Transworlia Film, an indepen- 
dent American distributing firm, is 
contemplating production of two 
bilingual films here which would 
roil late this year. Pictures are 
slated to be done hi English and 
German. 

Proposed work is to be done In 
association with- Austrian Star 
Film. In an effort to finalize ar- 
rangements with the latter com- 
pany, Transworld representative 
Robert Haggiag arrived here last 
week. It's understood he expects 
to remain in town about « month. 



JAP SHOW BIZ mm 

OiANTl-COMMYIPVE 

Tokyo, July 6. 

Twenty Japanese film, and the- 
atrical unions, imdhiding locals 
from both the National Motion Vic- 
tiire and Stage Workers Union, and 
its rival All-Japan Motion Picture 
and Stage Workers Union, met this 
week to -organize an anti^com' 
munist Motion Picture and Stage 
Reconstruction Democratic League. 

A statement released at the in- 
augural meeUng lists these league 
objectives: (a) democratic recon 
struction of the film and stage in- 
dustry, (b) the ensuring of labor 
union integrity, (c) rejection of 
communist factions, and (d) united 
efl'orts to accelerate recovery of 
production. 

Cantor Accepts M 

For Stockkolm Airer 

' Stockholm, July 13. 

Eddie Cantor is here, having ttr- 
rived last Sunday Ul) on the 
jBtockholm from New York with 
bis wife, Ida. Cantor said that he 
will leave for Oslo soon. 

His visit here is strictly for a 
res"t, but the Swedes will hear him 
on the air. When he arrived, Can- 
tor received a cable from the Lord 
■ Mayor in Stockholm, asking him to 
broadcast for the United Nations 
Children Relief Fund, July 20 and 
Cantor accepted immediately. 
"They know I am working with 
such program in the U. S.," Can- 
tor said. 

Cantor said his new film "If You 
Knew Susie" will be preemed here 
in August, but he will not stay for 
the opening. He said he had re- 
ceived an invitation to .visit a 
camp for displaced person; in 
Germany during his visit in Copen- 
hagen, and that he now is trying 
to get a visa for the visit. He 
' ' spoke to the journalists at the hotel 
here, lauding the Swedish tourist 
service. Cantor said there should 
be more advertising about Sweden 
in, U. S. Cantor plans to leave for 
Ibe U. S; the middle of August. 



lai 

100% Pay Tilt; Ntery 
Artists Get No Boost: 

Shanghai, July 8. 
Threatened strike of Shanghai 
Musicians' Federation never ma- 
terialized biecause- employers caplt" 
uiated and granted all demands, 
including a 100% hike in salaries 
for ballroom and cabaret jivesters, 
and a 50% boost for musicians em- 
ployed in restaurants. About this 
time last year the union demanded 
a substantial raise, was refused and 
struck for nine days. Then the 
employers gave in, after vainly 
trying to carry on with fourth- 
class Chinese bands, juke. boxes 
and canned music. 

Pay of average bandsman- now 
is abbut U. S. $25, or Chinese 
$100,000,000. Bureau of Social Af- 
fairs of the . city tried to bluff 
federation by threatening to jail 
any members ' who went on 
strike Jose Contreras, president 
of the federation, would not' be 
bluffed. A Filipino, he appealed 
to the local Filipino Consulate and 
was assured of supjport and protec- 
tion. Social Affairs Bureau re- 
taliated by ordering the Chinese 
branch of the federation to with- 
draw from org^iization. This was 
done, but -the Chinese boys lent 
their moral support to the for- 
eign musicians. . 

Unfortunately for nitery artists, 
they have.no union* and are few in 
numbers, therefore must accept the 
low pay offered or else. A trio is 
lucky to- receive the equivalent of 
U.> S. $3 per niglit. 



Capetown Symph's Freeze 

Capetown, July 6. 

Staff committee of Capetown 
city council resolved that all vacan- 
cies in its symphony orchestra 
must be filled from overseas and 
that appUcations from members of 
symphony or In-oadcasting orches- 
tras in other South African cities 
will not be considered. 

Reason for decision is that 
Council did not wish to be accused 
x)f enticing members of other or- 
chestras away, and thus start a 
system of competitive bidding for 
player?. Protests from musicians 
point out this would freeze them 
in present jobs and give n» chance 
of advancement. 

Festival 
May Be Cancelled 

' London, July 13. 
Original line-up for the Naples 
Music. Festival, recently an- 
nounced, is to be scrapped. It is re- 
ported that it may now be can- 
celled, but it Ukely will be poSt- 
pcined to enable several American 
stars to appear. Gino Arbib, who is: 
handling the engagements, is -at 
present in Eun^ and has prom- 
ised to make a statemmt on bis re-^ 
turn. 

What is certain is that Geraldo 
and his orchestra will not make 
the- trip after all, and the Ramon 
Lopez outfit also has canc^ed 
their backing. 

Geraldo said: "From the begin- 
ning, the difficulties surrounding 
tills proposed trip have been great. 
I was told that a representative of 
the Italian government, reported 
sponsoring the Naples season, 
would be coming to see me last 
week, but n'o one arrived. My other 
commitments were too heavy to 
allow ifte to hang around any 
longer. So 1 have arranged for the 
band and myself to take a vacation 
this month, and then complete 
other bookings." 



•TAKIKrr'B' '.ON"™* _ 
• St. Marll»'» Wan, trm taigt B fiwi 



Dratmaii Details Whyfores Of 
Italiaa Film hdustiy's Boon 



45% Quota No Aid In 
Bankrolling of Indies 

London, July ' 13. 
Indie producers here are suffer- 
ing the same difficulty as their col- 
leagues in the United States. They 
can't get financing for their pro- 
duction. Despite the fact that the 
new 46% quota will put a premium 
demand on British-made- product, 
the banks here are showing great 
reluctance to advance coin. 

This , is actually the reAson be- 
hind Warner Bros.' shutdown of 
the Teddington studios, which 
were rebuilt just a few months ago. 
WB had been searching- for in- 
dies to whom to rent space, but 
since the local independent produ- 
ceiis couldn't get . required bank 
loans, there were no tsdsers. 

Ex-Mngg Fmatty Gets 
Musical Produced In 



* The Italian film industry is noW 
I self-supporting and the big. com- 
panies such as Lux and Universalis - 
are in the process of setting, up 
Iheir owifi distributional organi/a'* 
tions in the U. according to : 
Irving Dinitman, foreign film dis- 
tributor rep, who returned to New 
York last week after a. two-and-a- 
half month trip to Europe. Mean- 
while, plans for the forthcoming 
Venice film festival are being, set ; 
before a fullscale U. S. invasion is 
launched. 

Currently getting all the finane- ; 
ing they need, Italian filmmakers : 
are in a healthy state. With top 
pix costing about $120,000, a pro- 
ducer not only can make pre-pro* 
dttction deals covering sale of the 
ItaUan distributiOBal rights, but he 
also caa adi foreign rights on the 
strength of the star's name alone. 
Intemational success of "Open 
City," "Shoe- Shine" and "Paisan," 
too, have- been strong factors in 
helping scare up private capital. 
Average' film, costs in recent. 



lanan Aftpr 13-Yir Jin months, says Drutman, fluctuate 
japan AltCI l«l ll.JIUAl ^^^^^ $100,000-$115,000. Stars 
Tokyo, July 6. -- ..... 



Burton's Crane's 13 -year -old 
theatrical jinx was finally broken 
last week (30) with the premiere 
performance at the Army's Ernie 
Pyle theatre in Tokyo of his three- 
act musical farce, ."Nona." Crane, 
veteran N. Y. Times Far Eastern 
correspondent ana onetime Tokyo 
VAWfsnr mugg, authored the show 
in 1935 and made two ill-fated at- 
tempts to produce it in Tokyo be- 
fore the war. He made good on 



Yank Distribs 

i Continued frorik paee S , 



Prod. Extreies 



Continoed ttom paw S 



such as Anna Magnani or Aide' 
Fabrizzi draw about $40,000 pef s 
picture while top leading; men are 
considerably lower on the income 
rung with about $1*,000 per pic. 
Producer, himself, draws only 
$12,000 to $13,000 unless he gets * 
cut of the film's earnings. 

Drutman recalled the trend of 
late where top directors have- be- 
come their own producers, follow 
ing the example of Roberto BosseU 
lini and that of , Vittoricr DeSica 
("Shoe Shine"). Latter has a deal 
which cuts him in 50-50 with his 



his third try with a well staged'.u,j^^]^gj,_~ ']i|j£ more prominent corn- 
production in which Crane appear- j panies try to emulate Hollywood, 



Sessions Monday were the first 
in almost three weeks by company 
toppers. They bad previously been 
meeting once or twice a week after 
the British quota was announced. 
In the morning there was a closed 
hush-hush confab among the nine 
presidents or veepees of the MPAA 
member companies. In the after- 
noon, these same men met with 
foreign department execs. Eric 
Johnston^ MPAA proxy, chair- 
manned both conclaves. 

Possible Alternate Plan 
Centralized control of distribu- 
tion of U. S. product in Britain has 
far from unanimous support of the 
MPAA companies. Very little in 
the way of any other solution has 
presented itself, however. Thus, 
more and more attention is being 
given to the plan of centralized 
control — whether it be through the 
Motion Picture Export Assn. or 
some other means. 

It is figured that with one organ- 
ization controlling the seiection of 
product for Britain and picking 
the spots where it Is to be sold 
and played, Rank's squeeze might 
be met by a counter-squeeze. All 
Yank films could be kept from him 
and a circuit of independent thea- 
tres-might be built up by guaran- 
teeing it product. 

Centralized control scheme wai 
discussed at length Monday, but 
sUn in the generalized form of 
previous discussions. The many 
problems of how the control is to 
be exercised — problems so .serious 
they might well keep it from en- 
actment- — weren't spoken of. Talk 
was more of the desirability of the 
plan in general, with most of those 
present leaning toward it. 



picture m production, "The Heh^' 
ess." In an effort to maintain ite 
backlog, however, Par is slated to 
roil with nine new films within 
the next few months, most of which 
probably won't be rdleased until 
late in 1949. 

Snudletii Backlog 
Warners, on the other hai^d, has 
probably the smallest backlog. 
That factor, it's .believed, was in- 
strumental in leading the company 
to sell its Warner theatre on Broad- 
way, since it couldn't supply the 
house with enough top .product. 
As a result, production activity at 
the WB stu^os is at an aU-time 
high, with five films' now on the 
floor and a group more expected to 
roll in the next few months. In 
addition, WB last week completed 
two features, "The Girl From Jones 
Beach" and "The Younger Broth- 
ers." 

Twentieth-Fox is in still another 
position.' Company has an aver- 
age-sized backlog but plans to boost 
its release schedule- next year. As 
a result, 20th now has four' pic 
tures in production and 'began 
work on another one only last 
week. U-I, hastening to wrap as 
many features' as possible before 
the studio shuttering date, now has 
five films on .the floor, with another 
one completed last week. Metro's 
production, pending the assump- 
tion of his new duties by Schaiy, 
is about average, with four films 
on the . floor in Culver City and a 
fifth, "Edward, My Son," now near- 
ing completion at the- company's 
Elstree studios in London, 

RKO, following the takeover of 
control in the company by Howard 
Hughes and the subsequent resig- 
nation, as production veepee by 
Schary, has slowed down its pro- 
duction to a new low. Only two 
films are now in production, al- 
though Samuel Goldwyn and Sol 
Lesser, indie producers releasing 
through RKO, are now working on 
new pix. Columbia, with an aver- 
age-sized backlog, is working at 
average production, with two films 
now on the floor and * third com-, 
pleted this week. 



ed as well as directed. Show was 
scheduled for five nights. 

Book concerns a deposed mon- 
arch of some undisclosed kingdom 
who conspires with four British 
and American oilmen to finance a 
revolution that will put him back 
on the throne in return for exclu- 
sive oil rights in his domain. A 
sinister figure named Vladimir em- 
ploys a French temptress named 
Nona to breakup the deal by what- 
ever means are at her disposal. 

Crane does a song and dance spe- 
cialty to a ditty called "Don't Put 
It in Writing." Show has two other 
songs, sung by romantic heroine 
Rosalie Koziatek, They are "Teach 
Me How to Love" and "Though 
Hope Is Gone;" 

Claude Lapham and Kyosuke 
Kami orchestrated the score. Kami 
conducted the 28-piece orchestra, 
composed of members of Japan's 
Toho Symphony. 'A dance team, 
feminine trio and chorus of 18 
round out the cast. Production was 
staged under the auspices of 
Ei^th Army Speciid Services. 

Crane has received two offers 
from Nipponese producers for Jap- 
anese performance rights for 
"Nona." 



Laurel, Hardy Pix For 

German Military Zone | French "do 

International Optima Corp. has 
closed a deal with France.^Europa 
Film Distributing Co. covering .re- 
lease in military zones of Germany 
and Austria of several Laurel & 
Hardy pix along with three Charles 
Laughton films. 

Preliminary work on the agree- 
ment was done by Optima veepee 
S. M.. Livingston on a recent Eu- 
ropean trip. Pact, however, was 
inked in New York last week. 



but the success of Italian pictures 
primarily stems from their imag- 
inaUve qualities rather than by 
aping the U. S. industry. 

Other Values 
Farther' down on ttie pay scales 
are cameramen Sfoa technicians. 
Top lensers. including Vich, Tontl 
and Craveri, whose services are 
much in demand, average about 
100,000 lire weekly (about $180). 
Previously salaries for studio labor 
were even more reasonable but 
labor has tended to up its wages 
since Eddie- Small aUegedly went 
overboard in paying the help on 
his* Italian made "Cagliostro -- 
much to the annoyance of the local 
film men. 

Particularly amusing, said Dijit- 
man, are the fantastic conceptions 
among the Italian trade as to the 
amount of dollars Italian films are 
earnuig in the U. S. Reports have 
it that ''Open City" cleared 
$750,000 and "Furia" up to 
$300,000 which are far from the 
truth. . , 

Meanwhile, there's a fair sized 
production boom in Italian studios. 
Lux, among others, has .some 1» 
films in work. These pix, however, 
are .unlikely to be made, in French 
versions since the Italian laii- 
guagers alone now make as muw 
in the international market as the 



High Price of Disks 

Vienna, July 6. 

Capitol Recording Co., founded 
two years ago, got credits for half 
a million schilling ($50,000). 

Going bankrupt before even pro- 
ducing one record, company lists 
assets valued today at $60. 

QBEERMRG BftCK TO ORUBNT 
Berry Greenbetg, special sales 
rep in the Far East for Samuel 
Goldwyn and Walt'Disney, left New 
York last week to return to the 
Orient. ' 

He had been in the U. S. about 
four weeks for a series of confabs 
with foreign chiefs of the-two- indie 
producers., 



FULLER, CARROLL COMBO 
FOR AUSSIE LEGIT HYPO 

MelboumCi .Tuly 6. 
Sir Ben Fuller and Garnet Car- 
roll, who operate the Princes* le- 
giter here, are making ^ bid for 
top overseas attractions. They re 
reported angling for tieins with top 
U. S. producers. ' „ 

Carroll told VABiwrv that b^ 
stars could be flown from the U. »■ 
to this key center in five days. 
The Princess, a 1,700-seater, is the 
most up-to-date house in Aussie 
presently. Over the 1947-48 legit 
season clicks at the Princess in-* 
eluded "Life With Father" (eight 
weeks), "O Mistress Mine " 
weeks). Ballet Rambert (14 weeks). 
National Qrand Opera Co. 'eight 
weeks), and the Old Vic Go. (eight 
weeks). "Mourning Becomes Elec- 
tra" and "The Guinea Pig" h»** 
been booked, Carroll added. . . 

In Sydney Sir Ben Fuller said 
that his ori^mization would be taK- 
ing. over the Mayfalr shortly for 
live shows. This l,2ao-seater is 
presently On lease to Hoyts for pi*. 
Fullers, which includes Carroll »nfl 
son, A. Ben Fuller, operate, a Jegii 
policy at the M«jestic, Adelaide, a 
l,00a-seater. 



'Eureka Likely To Be Ealing s Aussie 
Swan Song Due To Rising Film Costs 



17 



Sydney, July 6. 



Indications are that Ealing Stu- 
dios won't continue pic production 
Down Under with completion Of 
"Eureka." Pic is about set to come 
off the production floor under the 
direction of Harry Watt, with Chips 
Rafferty and Jane Barrett co- 
Starred. 

Looks pretty certain that this 
one will be Ealing's swan -song in 
this zone. Bising production costs, 
plus heavy transportation overhead 
and the need for up-to-date tech- 
nical equipment, are the major 
reasons for the British fold. Eal- 
ing may make pix here again if 
additional finance from other 
sources became available. Solo pic 
making in Aussie, it's said, is too 
Costly. 

When -'Eureka" is finally in the 
cans. Watt and his British tech* 
nlcians and players will fly back 
to London. This is taken to mean 
finis for- Ealing out here. 

Next in'for pic production is re* 
ported to be the Andre de Toth- 
Herbert Silverberg combo that 
visited here earlier this year. Com- 
bo was invited first by Sam Snider,' 
who heads the powerful Snider- 
Dean cinema loop. It's reported 
here that de Tbth will probably di- 
. reel an Aussie yarn titled "The 
Stingaree," using coinage present- 
ly frozen by U. S. distribs. Work 
is timed to start in early 1949, 
with most of the pie shot out-of- 
doors. Marquee talent will be flown 
from theU. S. ° 



London Music Festival, 
. With 204G Take, Proves 
Longhair Here to Stay 

London, July 13. 

Classical music for Jhe millions 
has come to stay in Britain. Suc- 
cess of this year's London Musical 
Festival has proven that to its 
backers without a'ny doubt. 

The 17 concerts held from June 
to July in the Harringay Arena 
were attended by 155,980 people, 
averaging 9,175 a performance. 
Although official figures haven't yet 
been announced, it's estimated that 
total receipts were $204,000 and 
operating costs $180,000. Since the 
Festival is run by the Musikart So- 
ciety—a non-profit-making organ- 
ization—that's pretty good going. 
Last year's Festival resulted in an 
estimated $80,000 loss. 

Biggest draws were for concerts 
conducted by the 10-year-old 
Italian boy conductor, Pierino 
Gamba. Word of mouth and press 
publicity did the trick for him and 
pulled in 10,024 for his first per- 
formance June 17, constituting a 
world record for an Indoor musical 
coneert; 8,800, June 20; 9,900, June 
24, and 9,500 on the 27th, making 
a total of 38,224. 

N^xt to Gamba came Yehudi 
Menuhin with 10,016; Eileen Joyce, 
9,750, and Lily Pons and Andre 
Kostelanetz, 9,600. Lowest attend- 
ance for any concert was 7,100. 

Austria Trying Central 
Film Censor Bureau 

Vienna. July 10. 

A commission has been set up 
by the Ministry of Education with 
aim to establish a joint censorship 
bureau for the country as a whole. 
At present Austria has nine cen- 
sorship offices, scattered over the 
country. Some provinces have 
consented to the -central idea; 
others are undecided, Whijle Tyrol 
and Vorarlberg object. Motion 
Picture Export Assn. has advised 
provinces that nix the govern- 
ment's plan that they'll be tabooed 
on distribution. 

The U. S. Army relinquished 
censorship in the U. S. zone and 
the British followed suit in their 
■ zone, 

lOTTI LODEB TO VIENNA 

Boston, July 20. 

liOtti Loder, the former Lotti 
Raymond, Viennese film star, clip- 
pered from here to Vienna to visit 
her mother. She is among the first 
to get a civilian visa into Russian- 
occupied Austria. 

Miss Loder was brought to Holly- 
wood by Darryl F. Zanuck. 



New RKO-Hoyts Pact 
Awaits Reisman Okay 

New 10-year pact with Hoyts cir- 
cuit of Australia only awaits the 
signature" of Phil Beisman, RKO 
foreign chief, it was irevealed in 
N. Y. this week by Doug G. Lether- 
ington, RKO general sales manager 
for the Australian market. Latter 
is here for homeoffice confabs with 
Reisman, after which he will go to 
Hollywood for a looksee and then 
plane back to Sydney. Contract 
with Hoyts chain is in the nature 
of a 10-year renewal. 

Letheringtou stressed how strict 
building restrictlonis on theatres 
had held new houses in Australia 
down to about six since 1939. Even 
remodeling had been sharply cur- 
tailed because of the Anzac govern- 
ment's preference for nearly all 
type of construction excepting ther 
atres. . 



Coml Radio Seen 
Nearer for Japan 

Tokyo, July 1. • 

Commercial broadcasting rugs 
make its debut on Japanese air- 
lanes if legislation recently ap- 
proved by the Cabinet is enacted 
by the Diet. The new bill, which 
will probably not come up for con- 
sideration until the fall session of 
the legislature, will break the 23- 
year-old monopoly of the Broad- 
casting Corp. of Japan, nation's 
sole radio network. 

Proposed bill c'alls for creation of 
a five-man Broadcasting Commis- 
sion, similar to the U. S. Federal 
Communications Commission, ap- 
pointed by and responsible to the 
Prime Minister, with approval 
of the Diet. Legislation will perr 
mit continued operation of BCJ as 
a non-commercial "public broad- 
casting" service, but provides for 
licensing of commercial stations for 
the first time in Japan. 

Bill stipulates, however, that 
foreigners may not operate broad- 
casting stations in Japan. 

A number of Japanese interests 
are reported ready to submit appli- 
caticms for commercial licenses, but 
most Japanese and AUied observers 
say frankly that a commercial radio 
venture won't be practical in 
Japan for a number of years. Ma- 
terial shortages and inflated prices 
would make costs absolutely pro- 
hibitive, experienced radio men 
claim. 

BCJ, Japan's present radio sysr 
tem, has been in operation since 
.1925. . It includes 46 key stations 
(with studio facilities), and a net- 
work of rebroadcast stations that 
brings the total number of outlets 
to 105. 



REPUBLIC RENEWS PACT 
WITH BEF IN AUSSIE 

Sydney, July 7. 

Republic and British Empire 
Films have pacted a new distri- 
bution agreement covering a 
lengthy span. Agreement was sig- 
natured by chairman of directors 
Norman B. Rydge for BEF, with 
Bruce .Newbery, Rep's foreign man, 
signing for latter. 

BEF, managed by Gordon D. 
Ellis, and Republic, have been to- 
gether for some time on distribu- 
tion. Key release will be through 
the powerful Greater Union cinr- 
ema loop, which Rydge also heads, 
with J. Arthur Rank a 50% part- 
ner' in both BEF and GUT. 



Morton's UA British Post 

Montague C. Morton has been 
named general sales manager for 
United Artists in Great Britain by 
David Coplan, UA managing direc- 
tor. Morton succeeds Sidney Du- 
bow, Who died several weeks ago. 

Otner promotions in the com- 
pany's foreign organization include 
transfer of Antonio Dos Santos 
SUva to head UA's office in Porto 
Alegre, Brazil. He formerly man- 
aged the Sao Salvador branch now 
handled by Mandel Soares Dos 
Santos. 



Irish Film Imports Shrnip 

Dublin, July 13. 

Figures issued by the Eire De- 
partment of Commerce for May 
show another drop in film imports 
—from 661,805 ft. in May, 1947, to 
407,069 ft. in the past May. Total 
for flrst five months of this year 
was 2,696,524 ft. against 3,124,650 
ft. in same period of 1047. 

Reason for drop is said to be that 
flow of U. S. films through Britain 
to Eire was drying-up as releases 
of pre-ban pictures were used up. 
It is anticipated that succeeding 
months will show an upward trend. 



Brit. Treasury 
Seeks Formuh 
For Indie Prod. 



London, July 16. 

British Treasury is having last- 
minute talks with Board of Trade 
film experts bi an effort to finalize 
a scheme for providing government 
finance for independent producers 
who have ideas and talent but lack 
the necessary cash to put the ideas 
on celluloids 

Harold Wilson intimated in the 
House of Commons Thurs. (15) that 
he hopes to divulge details of the 
scheme next week. One plan 
put forward by Treasury experts 
this week has been turned down 
flat by Wilson and they are now 
working on the counter-proposals 
which he suggested. 

Idea of state aid for independ- 
ents first came from the labor 
unions as a means of encouraging 
new talent, but always has had a 
tepid reception in most trade quar^ 
ters. Unions fought hard for the 
inclusion of a Films Bank as one 
of the provisions of the Films Act, 
but were fobbed off .with Wilson's 
personal assurance that he was 
sympathetic to the project and 
would give it his personal con- 
sideration. 

Because of the new Situation 
created by the 45% quota, trade 
attitude is changing somewhat. Sir 
Henry L. French, Director-General 
of the BFPA, says his association 
has not been consulted as a body, 
although he believed Wilson had 
talks „ with individual producer- 
members. He was sure the BFPA 
would consider in a receptive 
mind. 

From information available here, 
it would seem as if the govern- 
ment is seeking a formula so as to 
have some reasonable guarantee of 
completion. 

One important factor is that this 
is not going to lead to any indirect 
government c^sorship, as the plan 
is to back a personality and not a 
particular story. 

It is significant that as this is- 
sue is coming to a head, a govern- 
mental committee of inquiry into 
available studio space is getting 
down to cases with almost real 
haste. 

The committee has fixed'its pro- 
gram a month ahead. Two studio 
visits are already lined up — ^to 
Korda's Shepperton outfit on July 
"Sa, and to Metro at Elstree on 
Aug. 6. ■ • 



British Techmcians to Take Active 
Part in Politics; Back Own Projects 



Anyway, 
Film Law Is a Tough Nut 

Reports last week that the new 
Brazilian law restricting American 
films had been declared uncon- 
stitutional were said this week to 
be in error by th(; Motion Picture 
Assn. of America. MPAA declared 
that to the best of info from its 
rep In Rio, the law Is still effective. 

While it does not directly limit 
remittances of coin to the U. S., it 
accomplishes the same purpose by 
round-about methods. Principal 
points restrict the rentals charged 
by Yank distribs to 40c and limit 
admission prices to seven cruzeiros 
<38c). Titus Income of American 
companies Is held down. 



Argi 



entinaStiD 
Holds Pix Funk 



Buenos Aires, July 13. 
Nearly threb weeks have passed 
since the Argentine Central Bank 
announced an improvement in the 
<dollar-peso exchange situation, but 
local picture distributors still find 
no easing in restrictions governing 
import permits, and they have been 
unable to get release of funds 
frozen here. Argentine peso 
has been bolstered up by the Cen- 
tral Bank, prohibiting the sale of 
paper currency at prices exceeding 
10% over and above the quotations 
ruling in the free market at time 
the operation is effected, for tele- 
graphic transfers in the same cur- 
rency. 

Distributors are still hoping for 
the arrival of a commercial mission 
from the U. S. to iron out differ- 
ences in the important Argentine 
market for U. S. pix. 

Of U. S. pix currently on flrst 
run in Buenos Aires, Paramount's 
"Variety Girl" is grossing heaviest, 
now being in its third week. Uni- 
versal's "Double ,Life" is in its sec- 
ond week at the Broadway. 



Current London Shows 

London; July 20. 

(Figures show weeks of run) 
"A ta Carte," Savoy (5>. 
"All My Sons," Globe (5). 
"Ambassador," Aid. (3): 
"Anna Lucasta," Majesty's (38). 
"Annie Get Gun," Col's'm (59). 
"Bless Oie Bride," Adelphi (65). 
"Bob's Your Uncle," Sav. (1,1). 
"Cage Peacock," Strand (5). 
"Caribbean Rhap.," Wales (7). 
"Carissima," Palace (19). 
"Chiltern Hundreds," Vaude (47). 
"Edward My" Son," Lyric (60). 
"Pour, Five, Six," York (19). 
"Glaconda Smile," New (7). - 
"Happiest Days," Apollo (17). 
"Linden Tree," Duchess (49). 
"Little Lambs," Ambass. (15). 
"Musical Chairs," Playhouse (2). 
. "Off Record," Picadilly (55). 
"Oklahoma!" Drury Lane (64). 
"Outrageous," W Garden (36). 
"Paragon," Fortune (11). 
"People Like Us," Wynd. (2). 
"Relapse," Phoenix (25). 
"Starlight Roof," Hipp. (37). 
"Travelers Joy," Crit. (7). 
"Together Again." Vic, Pal. (67). 
"Worms View," Whitehall (64). 



BOOKBINDER WILL REP 
DISNEY IN EAST EUROPE 

George Bookbinder, indie for- 
eign distrib, who returned to New 
York last week from a seven coun- 
try European junket, goes to the 
Coast soon for confabs with Walt 
and Roy Disney. He reavealed he's 
working out a deal with the -car-r 
toon firm to represent it in eastern 
Europe. Meanwhile, he said he's 
virtually set a pact to release "Fan- 
tasia," "Bambi" and "Dumbo" in 
Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Po- 
land, with the deal calling for part 
payment to Disney in dollars. 

Upon his return to Europe nSxt 
fall. Bookbinder said he'll work out 
play dates with the three Soviet- 
dominated countries in regard to 
Disney pictures. He added that 
.only technical details remain to be 
finalized before the agreements 
are wrapped up. Disney cartoon 
features, incidentally, had never 
before been released in eastern 
Europe with the exception of 
"Bambi" inasmuch as the company 
failed to join the Motion Picture 
Export Assn. 



Swiss Slash Import 

Quotas on Distribs 

Washington, July 20. 

The Swiss are studying proposed 
legislation, via an amendment to 
the Swiss Constitution, to protect 
home film production from foreign 
firms, Nathan D.' Golden, film 
chief of the U. S. Department of 
Commerce, reported today. Swiss 
Film Chamber has been studying 
situation with a view on whittling 
down competition of foreign pix. 
Swiss production is virtually nil. 
Country turns out 12 , to 15 shorts 
and a Swiss newsreel. Goverifment 
pays two-thirds of latter's produc- 
tion costs. 

Golden points out that the Swiss 
sought to curb the flow of foreign 
films . last . month . which . cut 
import quotas of distributors by 
10%. Swiss Imported 439 features 
last year, 221 from tiie U. S. 



London, July 13. 
For the first time In British poli- 
tics, a campaign is being started in« 
side the Labor Party to include a 
policy for British films .in the next 
general election. Caniipaign is be- 
ing conducted by Assn. of Cine- 
Technicians, which is affiliated 
with the Labor Party, with a com- 
mittee representative of all shades 
of political opinion n«im«d to draw 
up a comprehensive t>lan for the 
industry. 

^Although the committee is just 
beginning its work, it is generally 
accepted it will campaign for the 
measures they failed to obtain 
when they made their representa- 
tions to Harold Wilson on the 
Quota Act. 

In the past they have seen eye 
to eye with the producers on most 
issues, but the technicians have 
parted company , with them on their 
agitation for a fourth circtlit, a pro- 
posal originally; sponsored by 10 
Members df Parliament nearly two 
years ago and subsequently turned 
<down flat by Wilson. 

They seem to be meeting more 
success, however, in their demand 
for State finance for indepcnoem * 
producers, and Wilson has inti- 
mated that he Is eon{;i4erlng this 
matter carefully in conjunction 
with Chancellov of tHe Exchequer, 
Sir Stafford Cripps. 

A. C. T. pet subjects are a State 
distribution scheme ' to insure h 
certain outlet for Indepe'hdent pro- 
ducers, and centrally-owned stu- 
dios which can be made available 
to bona fide independents who can- 
not obtain space from the majors. 

With more than SS% o£ their fea- 
ture production membeirs on the 
unemployed list, A, C. T. execu- 
tives hold the. view that nothing 
short of a determined govern- 
mental policy can guarantee con- 
tinuous employment In the studios. 



Dance Banib As Inferior 

Dublin, July 13. 
Just as Irish dance-band leaders 
were ready to sign contracts with 
Badio Eireann they found the 
dotted lines weren't there. Station 
execs have nixed the idea of regu-" 
lar spots by name orcbs from lead- 
ing terpies after apparently ready- 
ing the setup, Station says stand- 
ard of performance "might not 
be sufficiently high, for broadcast- 
ing, although admirable for dance 
halls." 

Bandleaders are now running 
temperatures over official reply 
and headed by Johnny Butler (who 
runs Balalaika terpery combo) are 
going to battle with station authori- 
ties — a civil service group. Only 
dance miisic currently heard from 
R. E. is via disks of American and 
English bands, With odd live per- 
formances by special combos play- 
ing Irish folk dance mnsie. 



SEE LATiN-AM. MOVE 
TO FIGHT U.S. HLMS 

Washington, July 20. 

Recent meeting in Madrid of the 
Spanish-American Motion Picture 
Conference is regarded here as a 
move to encourage production and 
Interchange of pix in the Spanish 
language countries by cracking 
down on imported films from other 
countries. And that largely means 
from Hollywood. Sitting in at the 
session were film reps from Spain, 
Argentina and Mexico. They adopt* ' 
ed several important resolutions. 

One recommends legislation in 
the Spanish speaking nations to 
bar dubbed films from those coun- 
tries. Feafing is that foreign films 
would get less play without Spanisb 
language sound tracks. 

MONTEEEY'S CINEIrlA LEAD 
Mexico City, July 20. 

Monterey, on the eastern Texas 
border, has become northeastern 
Mexico's cinema as well as indus- 
trial center. City, which boasts 
country's biggest brewery, glass, 
iron and steel works, now has 21 
cinemas with the opening of the 
Monterey, seating 5,200; the Re- 
forma, seating 5,000, and the Ara- 
cell, seating 2.500. 

New cinemas ai'e owned by the 
Gabriel Alarcon syndicate. 



and in Boxof f ice Gha^ 
prints its first Boxoff ice- 




y that led all the 

the t'^^RIETY scoreboard 
ns® the first half of 1948... 
ig-4 for the 2nd half of '48! 




£0 



Wednesday, July 21, Iffit 



Extra BaUyhoo Pays (Nf for Fihis 
Lackn^ Names, in Face of General Lag 



Film industry received another 
]n$i8ht Into how ejstra baHyhoo 
pays off in the faee of sliding box- 
office, via a numlier of illustrations 
during the last sevieral weeks. Sev- 
eral of the pix uvhich sailed to top 
earnings as a result of special ex- 
ploitation stunts lacked the star 
names and other values usually 
leading to good grosses. Distribu- 
tors of top-budgeted features, 
laden with star names, also gave 
these esiltra merchandising, with 
result that they are credited with 
having chalked up much stronger 
grosses than they would otherwise 
have done during the current sum- 
mer dogdays. 

Exploitation payoff was evi- 
denced on Broadway where such 
pix as Eagle lion's "Canon City" 
and Uaiveml's "^an-Eater of 
Kumaon" opmed well despite both 
lacking the factors usually making 
for big earning, namely slack con- 
ditions generally. EL used various 
means to ballyhoo "City," most 
epectacolar of wMch was a simu- 
lated jail cell containing a live 
"convict' in the outer lobby of the 
Criterion theatre. When city offi- 
cials put a stop to that, EL con- 
tinued to draw extra word - of - 
mouth for the picture by installing 
in the lobby, and advertising) a 
'■free displiiy" «jf the murder weap- 
ons used by . the various criminals 
portrayed in the film. 

U has probably carried the bally- 
hoo idea strongest throughout the 
country to plug the four features 
It's relieasing during the current 
month. For the Broadway preem of 
"Man-Eater," for example, a flash 
front and lobby display, including 
an animated Ufersized tiger, was 
installed at the Winter Garden. 
Opening oC "Tap Boots" at the 
Goldman theatre, Philadelphia, was 
tied in- with the Democratic na- 
tional convention in that city last 
week and soared to Smash grosses. 
"Abbott and Costello Meets Frank- 
enstein" was given a three -city 
day-and-date opening in the east 
and racked up top grosses on the 
strength ' Of special ad-publicity 
campaigns. 

Other pix that would have 
drawn well on Broadway anyhow 
were given added impetus through 
novel ballyhoo stunts. Metro, for 
example, erected giant cutouts of 
the "Easter Parade" stars atop 
lioew's States where the film is 
playing, and also built a special 
electric traveling sign above the 
marquee to plug this picture 
alone. For "Foreign Affair" at the 
Broadway Paramount theatre. Par 
took fidl-page ads in several New 
York daily newspapers and- capital- 
ized on rave reviews given the pic- 
ture by quoting from them in a 
mammoth valance- hung atop the 
marquee. 

Up in Calgary, Alberta (Canada), 
£L gave its "Northwest Stampede" 
an especially boff sendoff by tying 
it in with the annual Calgary Stam- 
pede function. Stunts included spe- 
. cial "friendly relations" message 
exchanges by the mayors of Great 
Falls, .Mont, and Calgary, which 
border each other, plus a number 
of important tyins with local Cal' 
gary merchants, whose names are 
used for 'characters in the script. 
All three local radio stations co- 
operated in on-the-spot coverage of 
the film'a opening at whieh civic 
dignitaries spoke. Film, as a result, 
opened to SRO biz last week and 
}s reportedly going strong. 

Warners' homeoff ice ad-publicity 
department will follow through on 
the. extra exploitation idea on its 
"Key Largo," which is slated for 
a day-and-date opening in more 
than 200 theatres in 100 Florida 
cities during the current week. 
With much of the Aim's action 
lensed around the Florida key from 
which it takes its title, a co-op ad 
campaign has been set up with a 
group of Florida newspapers; 
Btate-wide radio coverage, includ- 
ing a group of specially-cut tran- 
scriptions by the film's stars, has 
been set, and the city of Miami 
has been brought in to plug tomor- 
row (Thursday) as "Key Largo 
' Day," with a message from the 
mayor proclaiming that fact. 

Tupper'8 Calif. 800-Seater 
' , Los Angeles. 

William J. Tupper, Jr., started 

fonstruction on new 8D0*seater in 
ja Tijera, Gal, He recently re- 
signed as sales manager for Terry- 
tone Cartoons to devote time to his 
Vteatre interests. 



8 !n Work at Rep. 

Hollywood, July 20. 
August will be the busiest month 
in , two years at Republic with eight 
pictures in production, including 
five starters and three holdovers 
from July. 

Starters are "Sundown in Santa 
Fe," "The Missourlans," "Too Late 
for Tears" and two still untitled. 
Holdovers are "Wake of the Red 
Witch," "The Far Frontier" and an 
untitled medium-budgeter. 



TheidreGDiUs 
Foot-iihdie-Door 
Move Into Prod.? 



Establishment by the Theatre 
Guild this week of a film promo- 
tion department Is seen as a foot- 
in-the^door move. Guild has long 
discussed the idea of producing its 
own pictuiizations of its play and 
the new department Is viewed as a 
tentative step in that direction. 

Film' promotion setup is a one- 
man affair in charge of Dick 
Weaver, legit p.a., who has flacked 
a number of Guild shows and 
worked for United Artists in that 
company's tieup with the TG on 
"Henry V." His first assignment 
under the new arrangement Will be 
exploitation of "Hamlet," which is 
being distributed by Universal for 
J. Arthur Rank under Guild spon- 
sorship. 

Weaver will be an employee of 
the Guild, not of the distrib, as was 
the case in tieups on previous films. 
In addition to "Heniy** and "flain- 
let," legit organization has spon- 
sored BKO's "Mourning Bectnnes 
Electra." The new promotionai 
setup, it is thought, may prove use- 
ful to the Guild in making deals 
for further film sponsorship. 

Arrangement with U is believed 
similar to that with UA, under 
which the Guild receives 2^% of 
Rank's share of the gross. That, to 
date, has amounted to slightly less 
than $20,000 on the almost $800,- 
000 which the British filmmaker 
has earned here on "Henry." 

Prior to the establishment of the 
film promotion department. Guild's 
sponsorship consisted entirely of 
allowing use of its name for pres- 
tige purposes and providing its sub- 
scription list in 26 key cities for 
clrcularization. Discount is given 
subscribers on tickets for- the film. 

Much more important to the 
Guild than the relatively unim- 
portant coin reaUzed from the tie- 
ups is the prestige that, in turn, 
accrues to it through sponsorsliip 
of a top pic, plus the fact that the 
opportunity to buy discount tickets 
strengthens its subscriber list. 

Guild in each of its 26 cities has 
a subscription secretary who will 
help with the promotion of the 
films through contact with city of- 
ficials. Chambers of Commerce 
educational leaders, clergy, etc. 



I Hub-'Hanlet' 

I ■ . . . continned from pac" 2 ssJ 
that the bluenosing had been done 
by the city censor board. When it 
was later revealed that the state 
censors had ordered the cuts made, 
the Herald followed throu^ wtb 
an "apologetic" editorial the fol- 
lowtog day. "In deference to the 
Boston city censors," it said, we 
apologize for unintentionally adfl- 
ing to their low repute." Deletions 
were ordered only in prints show- 
ing on Sundays but, according to 
sales officials "of Universal, which 
will release "Hamlet" in the U. S., 
it would be impossible to service 
each theatre running the picture 
with two sets of pruits, one for 
weekdays and one for Sundays. 

Other papers warned the Boston 
public that U might pull the film 
from the market entirely if too 
many cuts were ordered. Quoting 
advance agents for the film," one 
paper declared that "they ex- 
pressed the opinion that extensive 
surgery on -what is bebig hailed as 
a cinema masterpiece would mean 
this film would be withdrawn from 
the film market in Massachusetts." 

U spokesmen, meanwhile, said 
they wouldn't appeal the censors' 
move unless the cuts ordered were 
too many. Publicity given the 
bluenose action, in fact, is ex- 
pected to hypo business for the 
picture. 

Catholic Legion of Decency last 
week pift its official okay oh "Ham- 
let," assigning the picture an A-II 
rating (unobjectionable for adults). 
Legion thereby scotched persistent 
rumors that it would follow the 
lead of the Boston state bluenoses 
in demanding that a number of cuts 
be made in the bawdier dialog of 
the Shakespearean tragedy. 

According to Rev. Patrick J. 
Masterson, assistant secretary of 
the Legion, the Catholic censorship 
body asked for no scissoring what- 
ever in the film. Because of 
Shakespeare's maiiy bald expres- 
sions on sex, which Sir Laurence 
Olivier retained in the script, how- 
ever, the' film was not given an A-I 



hside Stnif-Picbires 

Released this week as part of Paramount's Peacemaker serla . , 
"Neighbor to the North," adroitly spotlights Canada's lack of dollte 
and what the American public can do to ease that problem. Canadaw 
remittances, of course, are not frozen, but it s anticipated that Canada'i 
fast dwindling dollars might bring about a partial block in the.Amer. 
ican companies' earnings north-of-the-border. Already they've sought 
to ease the situation by spending part of their rental coin via inct^gg^ : 
Canadian production, etc. . t . 

Par's short is woven around a motor trip taken by American Walter 
Abel and Canadian Ralph Forbes. Their experiences with border 
customs officers point up Canada's recent stnngent regulations de.' 
signed to restrict its citizens' spending in the U. S. The counti^'s 
magnificent scenery is also emphasized pictorially. Animated drawings 
show that Canada's dollar shortage actually stems from the European 
lack of dollars since Britain and the continental countries in pre-war 
times helped the Dominion balance its dollar scales througji their 
ca.sh-on-the-barrel imports of Canadian products. ; 

Paramount may not be ready yet to okay a full merger of its film 
and television station operations, but the company apparently isn't 
averse to using tele to ballyhoo its feature product. Company, for tKe 
first time, uses TV to intro its trailer on "Beyond Glory," new Alan 
Ladd starrer which preems at the Broadway Paramount following the ■ 
current "Foreign Affair." 

Trailer opens on a simulated TV studio, with Par's KTLA (Los An- 
geles) tele cameras in full view. Large-type words declare: "FlMhl 
Alan Ladd's first television appearance." Tele cameras are then seen . 
to pan in on Ladd, who's sitting on a comer of a desk. Actor thai 
starts talking about the picture. Metro, incidentally, used KTLA tel« * 
cameras in a scene in "State of the Union." - 



(totally unobjectionable) rating. 



Film Reviews 

Contlnaed -f rom pace 10 ; 



American-Indonesijui Corp., M?hich Matty Fox formed recently. 
partnership with the Indonesian government, is 51% owned by the^ 
Universal v.p. Fox got into the deal by arranging an $80,000 loan for 
the Indonesians when they needed the coin In a hurry last year. 

Fox will do all of the Indonesian government's bulk buying in the 
U.S. He'll also arrange for American capital to invest in the building 
up of Indies , industry and development of mines. His company wiU 
get a 5% cut on all the material it moves, either way. Already stock« 
piled and ready for shipment out of the Indies is reportedly $170,< 
000,000 worth of rubber, tin, pepper, manganese, bauxite, lumber, gold, 
tea, coffee and other products. 

Trend towards adventure stories, on screen and radio, is creating 
new interest in the Richard Harding Davis stories. His daughter, Hope 
Harding Davis, states that such novels as "White Mice" and "Capt, 
Macklin" have attracted attention of all. About 11 years ago David 0. 
Selznick had in mind making "Macklin," but passed it up when he 
found it impossible to produce the picture in Honduras. A revolution 
there put a quietus to that plan. 

Miss Davis worked at Metro for nearly a year as writer on the story 
of R. H. Davis romance with Bessie McCoy (her father and mother), 
only to see the yam shelved, at least temporarily, on the theory that 
it was too much of a war story. 



Flakerty Seeb General 
Distrib for Esso Conml 

Robert Flaherty, whose "Nanook 
of the North" pioneered feature- 
length documentaries 25 years ago. 
is currently on the lookout for 
major distrlbutioa of "Louisiana 
Story," a 78-iidnute pie treatise 
which he Juit (iompleted for Stand- 
ard OIL Altbott^ it cost £sso 
some $2S0,000 to make, film has 
been given as a present to Flaherty 
with no strings tied. All Standard 
Oil wants is a flock of bookings if 
the producer can win them. 

In so doing. Standard is follow^ 
Ing the tradition of "Nanook," 
which was made for Revillon 
Freres, fur dealers, and then hand- 
ed to Flaherty gratis. "Nanook" 
later copped thousands of book- 
ings. 

"Louisiana" is probably the cost- 
liest documentary yet made. It 
was originally budgeted at $175,- 
DOO and later upped to the final 
$250,000 for additional footage 
plus dubbed music. 



My Br«tlier's Keeper 

ment. In most spots here. Jack 
Warner's personality will be a tell- 
ing factor, and "My Brother's 
Keeper" should do modestly. 

Sydney Box has given many an 
opportunity to prove, their worth 
in this production. Alfred Roome 
was promoted from the cutting 
room for this directorial assign- 
ment and has displayed a clear 
grasp of his new functions. 

Film is by no means free of criti- 
cism. It takes too Jong to get 
under way, and in the opening 
stages dialog plays too important a 
part. But once it gets moving, SLm 
becomes a creditable thriller. 

Plot is built around two escapdd 
handcuffed prisoners, a hardened 
criminal and a frightened youth in 
trouble fbr the first time. Entire 
story is taken up with the relent- 
less manhunt, emphasizmg the 
bombast and confidence of one 
man and the terrified, miserable 
unwilling partner, who eventually 
gives himself up. 

In his first starring part. Jack 
Warner departs from his custom- 
ary comedian role and proves an 
all-round actor. Jane Hylton seems 
a girl of promise and turns in a 
neat performance as Warner's girl 
friend, but acting honors go to 
George Cole as the frightened ac- 
comolice. 

The director makes good use of 
countryside locaticMis. Myro. 



RKO has ceased all efforts to obtain playdates for Dudley Nichols* 
"Mourning Becomes Electra." FilmizaUon of the Eugene O'NeUl drama 
has been so weakly received, that RKO has laid it aside penduig re- 
lease of another Rosalind RusseU-starrer, "The Velvet Touch."' 

It is hoped that the latter pic will serve to bolster Miss Russell's 
draw at the b.o. to the extent that it will help "Electra" later. TherCs 
also fear that "Electra" may damage receipts of "Touch," so the delay 
on thcT former is figured advantageous all around. 



Forc^ Fifal Review 

(Unlilcelif for Analo-V. S. Market) 



"Mj- IlMris An Clay" (IrUli). Egan 

Film Bervlcea release of Dublin Fllma 

INttrick McCM>Bn.n production. Directed 
by Tommy TomUnson. Original by John 
Pattenon. Features. Richard Aherne. 
BerMwIette-lMMihy, Ho))ert Dawson. At 
Aileiphi, Dublin. Bunning time, 60 MINS. 



First effort by new Irish setup 
fails to make the grade although 
exterior photography is of good 
quality. Story, told in flashback, 
IS an amateurish melodrama of a 
child with talent as sculptor, nurs- 
ing a jealous obsession' through 
adolescent years, to be released 
from the obsession when he models 
a sUtue of the Blessed Virgin. . 

Direction is heavy and action 
slow, with small response from 
players, few of whom had previa 
ous screen experience. Dialog is 
inclined to drag. Picture, made on 
a reported budget of $80,000 is 
nandicapped by story and lack of 
screencraft Swen. 



CJohn McCartiiy 
S Continued from p»gt S s 

thus was forwarded by the Mayor's 
office in New York a letted it bad 
received from a British father. 

John Woledge, of Slaines, Mid- 
dlesex, explained in the message 
that his son had tubercular men- 
ingitis. He was given three weeks 
to live. The only hope for him 
was in the American drug; strep- 
tomycin. But doctors here could 
not provide, it because the Treas- 
ury's dollar allocation for imports 
of the drug buys only one-fifth the 
need of British patients. 

"The doctor told me it would be 
useless to get on the waiting list 
for streptomycin, the list was so 
long," Woledge told reporters. "I 
could not stand by and watch my 
son die. So I ahnudied the letter 
to the Mayor of New York for 
help." 

Ten days later McCarthy was On 
Woledge's doorstep with the drug. 
He had wangled it out of the re- 
serve of a London hospital on the 
promise that he would return it in 
a few days. Mrs. McCarthy arrived 
on the Queen Elizabeth shortly 
afterwards with the replacement 
supply. She and her mother con- 
tributed the $700 which it cost 

That was 11 weeks ago. Young 
Woledge, though still dangerously 
ill, shows signs of recovery. His 
chances would have been better, 
wxording to the attending physt- 
raan, had the drug been 
when first needed. 



4th Gircoit 



New Marx Bros, picture, "Blondes Up," started out as a Lester 
Cowan production but was suddenly shifted to the- Artists Alliance 
banner, because of "prior commitments." Aside from his own produc- 
Uon^company. Cowan is allied with Mary Pickford in AA. He thought 
he had discharged his obligation to AA by producmg "One Touch of 
Venus and planned to fihn "Blondes Up" on his own. No dice. 

Hotel shortage is not what it used to be in Hollywood. One of the 
local hostehies has been offering a room at $8 per day with accom- 
modations, mcluding a gander at the mside of a motion picture studio. 
Checkup showed that the studio is a small rontal lot where the general 
manager SMd he knew nothing about the deal. Understood one of tl» 
owners of the lot is a pal of the hotel manager. 

^^Understood the cause of the controversy over "Flandngo Road" on 
the WaruCTs lot is a. difference of opmion on story treatment between 
Michael Curtui, director, and Jerry Wald, producer. It's the fourth 
time they have feuded about story values. Previous differences of 
"jJlto^^SS^ '""^^ Adventures of Doo Juan" and 



St t ss=3 



- CooUnued froot page 
having British counsel investigite; 
the situation. 

Idea of confederating Englan^f 
indies into a chain in opposition n> 
Rank's Od^n and Gaumont-Biit- 
ish and the partially Warner Bios-* 
owned Associated British Circait< 
was also further discussed. It was 
admitted by Arthur W. Kelly, U* 
exec v.p., who has been pushmg 
the plan, that U. S. companirt 
wouldn't give the new circuit tne 
guarantees of product they neeow: 
get started. Each company isf"^ 
hoping to play its pix on the Ban* 
chains, despite his restrictions. 

Nevertheless, enough product. It 
was said. Is playing the indies » 
almost automatically put them m 
strong competition with the otner 
three theatre setups. It was de- 
cided that two UA pix for whicb 
Rank made offers that were 
called "virtually insulting" shorn 
take their chances playing the^m' 
die houses. They are .sam 
Bischoff's "Intrigue" and JMwy 
Pickford - Buddy Rogers - Balpn 
Cohn's "Sleep, My Love." 

Rank offered $32,000 for 
trigue" and 20% for "Sleep." 
pix, it was said, could Play 
centage in the indie houses and ge^ 
40% terms or better, so it was oe^ 
cided they should take 
there j chances with the indies 
' than play Odeon. 



"in- 
Both 



thor 
rather 



Wednesday, Jul^ 21, 194S 



n 



mmms 

m A 

pMoecm^ 





i 





"Every week I get a 
shot of that good old 
Vitamin M-G-M! 
This 'Homecoming' is 
merely terrific!" 



"Zowie! Capra's done 
it again in 'State of 
ttie Union' !" 




"This Technicolor * 
'Easter Parade' is Irv- 
ing Berlin's top!" 




'Tjn nuts about this 
Technicolor *0n An 
Island With You' !" 




"Another sure-fire 
Technicolor hit! 'Date 
WiOi Judy' is great!" 




"Garson in tights! Wait 
till they see 'Julia 
Misbehaves'!" 




"And now Technicolor- 
ific 'Three Musketeers' 
tops them all!" 




"Wait a minute! Just when I thought I'd seen everything I 
get this wire about Technicolor 'Hills of Home'! Let'«s read it!'' 

"Not since 'Green Years' has any preview so deeply moved 
an audience as did 'Hills of Home' last night in Glendale ' 
sneak screening. Here is genuine emotionol beauty with 
exciting dramatic background in Technicolor. Superb per- 
formances by Edmund Gwenn, Donald Crisp, Tom Drake, 
Janet Leigh and appeal of Lassie promise big box-office 
rewards. Direction by Fred Wilcox and production by Robert 
Sisk. are top M-G-M quality. It's another topper in the 
Vitartin M-G-M Parade of Hits ! " 




/ U \ 



MORE AND MORE IT'S; "M-G-M GREAT IN '48! 



22 



PICTVBES 



Wcdimaday, Jnly 21, lg4| 



British Exhib-Bankrolkd Film 
Productions Regarded Dubiously 



London, July 20. 

Cooperative film production out- 
fit, instituted here last week by a 
group of independent exhibitors to 
insure them of enough home-made 
product to fill the 45% quota regu- 
lation, is Iboked on skeptically in 
the trade. Local Industryites re- 
call that a similar venture spon- 
sored by the Cinematograph Ex- 
hibitors Assn. before the war fell 
through because of lack of finan- 
cing and production experience. 

New group has already scouted 
the Paignton and Devon, studios 
here preparatory to leasing them. 
It's claimed that 500 theatres were 
represented at the initial planning 
meeting last Friday (16) Saturday 
and Sunday, each of which would 
be willing to invest $1,000. Or- 
ganization plans six features the 
first year at an average cost of 
$400,000 veach. Production would 
be stepped up to 10- the second 
year and 20 the third. 



Se^rs 



Details How He 
Tried, to Get Scllary 
hto the UA Prod. Fold 

United Artists prexy Grad Sears 
reported 'to the company's board, 
meeting in New York last week, on 
the confab he had held the previa 
ous week in Hollywood with Dore 
Sehary. Sears tried to lure the 
former RKO production chief into 
the UA fold as the bead of a 100%- 
financed indie unit. ' Schary chose 
the job of second in command at 
Metro instead. ' 

Sears made a flying trip to the 
Coast to huddle with Schary after 
Eetting arrangements for "outside 
money" to finance the unit the 
producer would head. It was said 
that the coin Avhich Sears obtained 
could- not be made available to any 
other indie. 

UA prez also reported to the 
board on several, potential deals 
■with otlter producers. All were 
nixed by the directors. Product, 
it was said, did not come up to the 
standard U A is endeavoring to set. 
In addition, the producers would 
have little chance of getting their 
money out Board felt that while 
there is immediate gain in dis- 
tribution fees obtained for releas- 
ing even an unsuccessf ul film, such 
pix couldn't in the long run do 
anything but hurt the company. It 
is thus adopting a tougher attitude. 

British situation likewise came 
In for discussion by the board, but 
no action was taken. Under con- 
sideration for some time h£(S been 
the possibility of bringing suit 
against J. Arthur Rank to force 
him into giving UA playing time 
en the Odeon circuit, in which it 
is part owner. 




Schary-Rodgers 

COnttQued Iron page 3 es 

ago, he would rather see Schary 
in Chi than travel to the Coast in 
August, llodgers had several hud- 
dles scheduled with his Chi sales 
staif this week anyway, so will go 
that far whether Schary is able to 
meet him or not. 

It's been learned that Metro was 
all set to announce severed weeks 
ago a slate of 22 pictures for dis- 
tribution or production within the 
n«!xt eight months. Deal with 
Schary . iias now tied up the wholff 
wbrks, since he might desire 
changes in the schedule. It's be- 
lieved that he may want some fea- 
tures speeded up and others de- 
layed because of current market 
conditions. It's that factor which 
will form the basis of his talks 
Vith Kodgers. 

To date, Metro has releases set 
only through September. Follow- 
ing the current July releases of 
"Easter Parade" and "A Date With 
Judy," August will see only one 
film, the foreign-made "Search." 
Two are earmarked for September 
"Julia Misbehaves" and "A South- 
ern Yankee." Eleven more fea- 
tures have either been completed 
«r are now editing, while five more 
still in production. Latter 
group includes "Edward,* aiy Son." 
JJOW being filmed at M-Cf's Elstree 
f tudios in London. 



Nip Travel Pix 

Hollywood, July 20. 

Robert Carlisle Productions was 
given General MacArthur's okay 
to shoot a series of travel films 
in Japan, thp first since the war. 

After eight weeks in Manila and 
Hong Kong, Carlisle and his len- 
ser, Frank Ramsay, are due in 
Japan this week. They will film 
scenes in Bangkok and Saigon be- 
fore returning to Hollywood. 



EXPECT SCHARY 
TO DiFLUENCE 
STORY HW 

Inking of Dore Schary as second 
in command of the Metro studios 
last week is expected to generate a 
resurgence , of activity in M-G's 
story department because of 
Schary'is background as a writer 
and Iiis.Bair for turning out off- 
the^atep-path films on compara- 
tively low budgets. Major pub- 
lisiiing firms, as a result, are look- 
ing to Metro to lead the way out 
of the current static condition -of 
the book marts, which haven't seen 
a single novel off the bestseller 
lists sold to any film company in 
the last several months. 

Before drumming up any busi- 
ness for writers and their agents, 
however, it's ^xpected that one of 
Schary's first jobs will be to clean 
out Metro's current piled-up inven- 
tory, which now represents the 
largest backlog of unfilmed story 
properties among aU the studios. 
Value of the books ' and plays 
bought by Metro and now gather-, 
ing dust on the shelves was esti- 
mated in the company's last an- 
nual financial report at some 
$7,000,000. That was one of the 
chief reasons, leading M-G to. 
abandon its prize-novel contest re- 
cently and to give up other options 
on story properties, such as the 
ones it held on all Atlantic Month- 
ly "firsts" — those novels and short 
stories first appearing in that mag. 

It's noted, meanwhile, that 
Schary's production penchant, as 
evidenced during the 18 months he 
served as RKO production veepee, 
lay in building boxoSice winners 
out of original story properties. 
Even so, "Crossfire," which is gen- 
erally considered one , of the best 
pictures turned out by 'RKO under 
his supervision, was adapted £rom 
a best selling novel, "The Brick 
Foxhole." It's believed to be a 
tossiip, consequently, as to whether 
he'll intensify the prowl for best 
selling novels at Metro or depend 
more on original screen plays for 
the majority of pix. 

In line with the' dearth of recent 
book sales to film companies, the 
major publishers deny allegations 
that the nation's writers haven't 
turned up anything good. Faulty 
they claim, lies in the .studios' cur- 
rently renewed cost-cutting cam- 
paigns. Efforts to save money not 
onl^ have militated against the 
sale of any new books but have 
also prevented studios from film^ 
ing many of those now lying on 
their shelves. As a result, most 
studios' inventories of story prop- 
erties are far above normal, a fac- 
tor which fliey claim has had most 
to do with the market's static 
condition. 



ASCAP Suit 

SB Continued from page 3 sB 

mean that the same fees will be 
passed on to exhibs in the way of 
increased rentals. 

Suit, based on claims by each of 
the 164 plaintiffs, led in the court 
fight by Harry Brandt, also asked 
$700,000 treble damages, Judge 
Leibell ruled out that claim, declar- 
ing the plaintiffs had not shown 
proof that the performance rights 
were worth any less than what was 
paid. ASCAP formula for collect- 
ing fees was "fair and reasonable," 
he said, even though the organiza- 
tion operated a monopoly. "I'm 
satisfied," he added* "that the 
plaintiffs 'were not injured by 
ASCAP's violaticms .during the pe- 
riod." 

ASCAP Appealins, of Course 
ASCAP officials, meanwhile, de- 
clared that they will endeavor to 
have the case reopened on the plea 
that Judge Leibell was not fully in- 
formed on certain major points in 
their standard licensing agree- 
ments. 

Underlying the entire decision 
was the belief that if ASCAP had 
not increased its rates last August, 
the judge would have ruled in its 
favor. Fact that the organization 
had the power to up its. fees as 
high as . IS times over those in e£- 



Court's 5 Points Against ASCAP 

Following are the five points established as injunctive relief for 
independent exhibitors in their suit against ASCAP, as outlined, 
in his decision on the case yesterday (Tues.) by N. Y. Fedi^rsa 
Judge Vincent H. Leibell: 

1. Directed ASCAP to divest itself with all reasonable spied 
of all public performance rights, through motion picture exhibi- 
tion, of compositions which have been synchronized with films" 
and to assign said performance to the owners of the original copy- 
rights on the songs. 

2. Restrained ASCAP m the future from obtaining public per- 
formance rights of any musical composition synchronized with, 
films, when such musical composition is performed publicly for 
profit in conjunction with exhibition of said film. 

3. Restrained ASCAP members from refusing to grant film pro- 
ducers the right to perform publicly for profit through film ex- 
hibition all musical compositions which they allow film producers 
to synchronize in their product 

4. Restrained ASCAP members from licensing except to film pro- 
ducers the public perfonnance ri^ts for profit through exhibition 
of said compositions. 

5. Restrained ASCAP and its members from conspiring with pro- 
ducers for the purpose of including a clause, in contracts issued 
bv producers to exhibitors, directly or indirectly inquiring exhifai- 
tbrs to obtain an ASCAP license as a condition to exhibition of 
pictures. 



PCC Hands Out 772G 
From Third Fund Drive 

Hollywood, July 20, 
Penitanent Charitlies Committee 
of the motion picture industry 
handed out $772,000 as the first 
move in the distribution of the 
$1,137,900 collected by Hollywood's 
Third Annual United Appeal. 

Allocations included the Los An- 
geles Community Chest, $685,000; 
Burbank Community Chest, $1Q,- 
000; Santa Monica Community 
Chest, $8,000; Glendale Commu- 
nity Chest, $3,000; Damon JJun- 
yon Memorial Fund, $25,000, in ad- 
dition to $10,000 advanced last 
Fall; L. A. Tuberculosis and 
Health Assn., $33,000, and Sister 
Kenny Foundation, $8,000. 



Brandt's Yes & No 

One of the most interesting 
points made by Judge Leibell 
in his decision on the ASCAP 
case yesterday (Tues.) was 
that even though a plaintiff in 
an anti-trust case may have 
violated anti-trust laws in con- 
duct of his own business, that 
has no relationship with the 
case at hand. 

ASCAP had attempted to 
put in a special defense plea 
that Harry Brandt and other 
of the indie exhib plaintiffs 
were guilty of "unclean hands" 
in setting up monopolistic 
practices in booking their 
own theatres. Judge quoted 
Brandt's testimony as admit- 
ting that he had obtained some 
of tlie "advantages" con- 
demned by the U. S; Supreme 
Court in its decision on the 
film industry's anti-trust case. 
Anti-trust violations of , the 
plaintiff in tills case, however, 
the judge ruled, cannot prop- 
erly be said to have any "im- 
mediate and necessary rela- 
tion to the equity he seeks." 



Key City B.O. Rates 

Up 68% Over Prewar 

Washington, July 20. 

Motion picture admission rates 
in the larger cities have jumped 
approximately 68% from the pre- 
war levels, according to figures 
compiled by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics . of the Department of 
Labor. . 

Taking the 193S-39 average as 
100%, the Bureau found that adult 
filmery tickets cost 164.1% of that 
average in June, 1947, and 167.7.% 
in March, 1948, last date for 
which figures are available. In 
June, 1947, children's rates were 
158.5% of the prewar levels. In 
March, 1948, the level had moved 
a little higher to 160%. 'The over- 
all average for the last available 
date was 167.7%. 



feet since 1934, Judge Leibell said, 
"is an indication of the power 
ASCAP has unlawfully acquired." 
Plaintiffs are entitled, conse- 
quently, "to have the court exer- 
cise its equitable powers to pre- 
vent a recurrence of what hap- 
pened in 1947 and to have their 
rights adjudicated and protected 
by a court decree;" 

'Almost AU . . . Anti-Trust' 

In a detailed history outlining 
how ASCAP has violated the anti- 
trust laws, the court declared: "Al- 
most ■ every part of the ASCAP 
structure^ almost all of ASCAP's 
activities in licensing motion pic- 
ture theatres involve a violation 
of the anti-trust laws. Although 
each member of ASCAP is granted 
by the copyright law a monopoly 
in the copyright work, it is Un- 
lawful for the owners of a num- 
ber of copyrighted works to com- 
bine their copyrights by any agree- 
ment or arrangement, even if it is 
for the purpose of thereby better 
preserving their property rights." 

Action of ASCAP members in 
transferring all their non-dramatic 
performing rights to ASCAP con- 
sequently, is a combination in re- 
straint of trade, the judge ruled. 
It restrains competition among 
members of ASCAP in marketing 
the perfonulng rights. By barring 
a member from assigning rights 
to a film producer at the same 
time recording rights are assigned, 
the channels in which the films 
may be marketed is limited to 
those exhibitors Who have a license 
from ASCAP. 

Judge also brought film pro- 
ducers into the picture, claiming 
their agreements with ASCAP to 
book pictures only into theatres 
with an ASCAP license is a fur- 
ther violation of anti-trust laws. 
"Fact tliat ASCAP is a member- 
ship association gives it no Im- 
munity," the court stated. "Ar- 
rangements or combinations de- 
signed to stifle competition can- 
not be immunized by adopting a 
membeicstaip device accomplishing 
that purpose." 



Sunner Slump 

ss Continued from pase S ss 

is on a tremendously fairer plane 
than in pre-war years. They can 
yet drop a long way before they'll 
come close to the level of 1037-38, 
which were then considered very 
good years. CMIsetting in part the 
much higher grosses currently, of 
course, are the much higher costs. 

Summer Resort Biz Up 

While the warm weather fall In 
biz has badly hit some exhibs, 
present general prosperity has 
helped keep overall grosses from 
slumping too badly. Result of the 
high level of%ncome is seen in the 
excellent grosses being racked up 
by houses in summer resorts, 
which are compensating somewhat 
for the dropoff in urban centers. 
One distrib exec pointed out this 
week that theatres in resort towns 
that were doing $5,000 ui 1938 were 
averaging $7,500 last season and 
are hitting $8,500 cuirently. 

Resort biz, however, can never 
completely compensate Cor city 
grosses, since admission prices are 
generally much lower. Lilcewise, 
instead of the heaviest b o. take 
occurring on weekends; biggest in- 
come is on Monday, Tuesday, 
Wednesday and Thursday, when 
poppa is back in town and ma and 
the kids are alone. 

Urge to get in the family 
jalopy and take off for the beach 
or countryside hit this year at the 
traditional time. As in the past, 
the slide at the b.o. began in May, 
continued through June (although 
rain through much of the nation 
helped theatres somewhat) and is 
going on at the moment If the 
graph continues true to form, an 
upturn can be looked for about 
Aug. 10. Around that "time, ap- 
parently, the novelty of the open 
road, the sunburned hide and the 
picnic lunch have worn off to the 
point where home and a theatre 
again look attractive. 

MAJOE OIDFIELD SWITCHED 

Major Barney Oldfleld, assistant 
to Major Gen. Floyd L. Paris, 
chief of the Army's Public Infor- 
mation Divisaon here, goeii to a 
new assignment in the Command 
and General Staff School class, be- 
ginning September, at Fort 
Leavenworth, Kans. 

Oldfleld was film editor of the 
Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, 
Neb., before the war, and came 
back from the army to work a year 
and a half at Warners in Holly- 
wood. He gave tip civilian pursuits 
to return to the Army as a regular 
last August. 



STATE DEPT. lOOKS TO * 
REPLACEMENT ON PR 

Wasldngton, July 20. 

State Department hopes to havt 
a replacement in the next week or ' 
two for Wilson T. M. Beale, Jr., ila - 
conunerciid motion picture speciiil- 
ist Scale's short tour of duty on 
the flicker beat ends this month. ' 
Then he transfers to the National 
War College for several months oi' . 
training. 

Due to strong industry agitation - 
for a man to stay with the' job^ 
State Department is looking foit a 
career official who could be as- 
signed to motion pictures for two 
or three years. , It is believed that 
he will be a man high enough in 
State Department officialdom .to 
dicker on an even basis with in- 
dustry toppers and also with fo]> 
eign governments over the prob- 
Vems facing films abroad. 

There has been concern over 
Scale's assignment to New York 
since he made a very good impres- 
sion on industry people during the 
short time he was with the job. 
Trouble has been the failure of th* 
State Department to recognize the 
job sufficiently important to com- 
mand the services of a good man 
for a long period. 

George Canty spent nearly four 
years at it and was considered 
highly satisfactory to the motion 
picture people. In February Canty 
was switched to the embassy iit 
Switzerland. He was succeeded by 
R. Horton Henry who, after a 
couple of months, was shifted tQ 
Damascus. Then Beale, assistant 
chief of the division of commercial 
policy, was put on the job tem* 
porarily. 



Congress Mad 

as C<«tlnued from pace 



3 



spots have been suffering from no* 
biz heebie-jeebies. 

When Cqpgress returns all biUS 
come alive again, resuming theiv 
status quo as of the last day of 
the recent regular session. For. ex- 
ample, several bills are buried M 
the House Judiciary Committee 
but agam could be acted upon. 
One of these is the measure to 
make jukeboxes subject to ,*^* 
copyright laws, so that the juK» 
operators would have to pay pej' 
forming rights on the records 
played in the machines. Another 
is the so-called "anti-ASCAP" bi». 
which would . require ASCAP to 
collect its performing rights fees 
on motion picture soundtracM 
from the studios latfaer than from 
the theatres. 

There are also -bills to give 
writers and composers the special, 
lower tax rates now enjoyed^ by 
operators of oilwells. The recaU oi 
Congress may affecit the proposea 
Hollywood investigation by tne 
House Small Business Committee. 
This committee had expected to 
junket to L. A. on alleged pew 
anU-trust violations by the studios 
as well as visiting a number oi 
other cities On differept matters. 

"The committee* members," 
pointed out an employee, "simP;^ 
can't be visiting cities from coaw 
to coast and gathering needeu 
evidence While a Congress session 
is on." 

• Rep. Carroll Keaims, of tW 
House Labor Committee, has also 
been figuring on another visit w 
Hollywood this -summer or fau- 
Whether the special session will m- 
teifere with this, is not yet known. 



Wcdacgdjiy, Jnly 21, 1949 



NOTHING 



EVER 
HELD 



HITCHCOCK'S 



^ FOR THI 
FIRST TIME ANYWHCRI 
IN THI WORLD 
N.Y.OI.OBI THEATRE 
IN AIIOUST 




24 



nCTCBES 



Wedneetlay, July 21, 1<>4« 



Clips from Film Row 



♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦4»4»4««» M « MM t » < M « . »« MM< <« »♦♦♦» 

CHICAGO 

Wayne Singer, assistant manager 
of Lido, May wood, becomes man- 
ager of Capitol, Whiting, Ind. 

Balaban & Kat? circuit will issue 
free fan magazine, "Show," startmg 
July 23. Weekly eight-pager will 
have 50,000 press run on first issue. 

Gael Sullivan; exec director of 
TOA, in town huddling with John 
Balaban and other circuit heads. 

Stradford, weekend vaude house 
on southside for years, added Fri- 
day to stageshow setup. 

Max Roth, Film Classics head, 
back after month in hospital. 

jiooth and Lubliner circuit 
bought the Cozy, 500-scater in 
South Bend, Ind., from Harry 

Rialto, second-run Loop house, 
slashed matinee admissions to 40c. 
before 1 p.m. and 55 cents until 
5 o'clock. Clark, downtown third- 
run, also cut admish to 29c, before 
5 o'clock; 

Ludwig Sussman. operator of 
Adelphi, in Milwaukee hospital. 

Jack Echardt, 20th-rox head 
booker, upped to salesman. Old 
job will be taken over by his. as- 
sistant, Annamae Sufferor 

Tom Gilliam announced three- 
week pay bonus to 20th-Fox em- 
ployees as result of Andy Smith 
drive, record. 



MINNEAPOLIS 

Village council of Golden Valley, 
local suburb, deferred action on 
granting of license to build and 
operate a new theatre there. Three 
interests are competing for the 
license and one of them, Paul K. 
Enghauser, associated, with Al 
Svensson of Sebco, .local theatre 
builders, tendered a $5,000, certified 
check. Council granted a license 
about a year ago to Goldeii Valley 
Theatre Corp., but start Of work 
has been delayed. Another seeking 
a license is Joe Powers, formerly 
with National Screen. . , 

When he unveiled his renovated 
film house in his hometown of 
Westhope. N. D., recently, Howard 
Henry was able to get what he con: 
siders revenge for being fined for' 
a parking meter violation at Minot. 
N. D., rifeighboring town. Opposed 
to parking ineters; Henry refused 
to put a coin in the one at Minot 
as a matter of principle and was 
fined. Out of resentment against 
the Minot' parking meter incident, 
Henry decided to "re-make" West- 
hope which has been without a ii.tan 
house. He has built the theatre and 
a number of other buildings, 
launching numerous new enter- 
prises to make Wcsthope a rival of 
Minot. ■ ' • 

Three applications filed > for new. 
theatre licenses in Golden Valley, 



Minneapolis suburb. Jack Wright 
and Gordon Greene have asked for 
a renewal of their license issued a 
year ago. Others wanting to build 
are Joe Powers, former of National 
Screen and partner in several thea- 
tres, and AI Svensson, head of a 
theatre building concern. Wriglit is 
Red Wing, Minn., exhib and 
Greene recently resigned from Na- 
tional Screen sales staff. 

Cliff Gill, former 20th-Fox ex- 
ploiteer here and now freelancing 
at Los Angeles, visited Sioux Falls, 
S. D., in connection with new 
radio show he and Joe Floyd, thea- 
tre manager there^ ace launching. 

Duane Becker. Paramount sales- 
man, invalided at Minot, N. D., by 
an injured back. 

Southside Business Men's Assn, 
offering a $250 government bond 
prize for best name submitted for 
new neighborhood theatre being 
built here by Nathan Shapiro and 
Bennie Bcrger. 

Bill Mussman, Paramount sales- 
man, confined to his home follow- 
ing heart attack. „ „ , 

Florence McHugh, M-GrM in- 
spectress, injured in auto accident. 

KANSAS CITY 

M. G. Shackleford resigned as 
Eagle Lion branch manager to go 
into another industry. Had been 
exchange manager here since in- 
ception of Eagle Lion. Beverly 
Miller, company's district man- 
ager, also left j^ecently to go into 
business on , his own. ^iGene Snitz 
moves up from city - salesman to 
exchange manager. 

Admiral, east side nabe, re- 
opened after virtually complete re- 
building. Theatre . burned last 
December. Dan Bodney, » co-' 
owner, is handling house for time 
being. 

Jim Castle, exploitation rep for 
Paramount,- transferred to St. 
Louis. - . ' ■ 

Eriiie Block is new salesman with 
Selznick. Releasing Organization 
here. . Will work with Tommy 
Thompson, who had been handling 
local work by himself. 

Hugh Siverd an'd Roger Ruddick, 
Fox MicHvest managers, are assist- 
ing in "Save a Life Campaign" 
here, being carried out in conjunct 
tion with Public Service Co., K. C. 
Safety Council, police department 
and several private firms. 

Plan of Midwest Dfive-In Thea- 
tre Corp. to up kid attendance 
with free pony rides has spread 
to their installation, here, the Mis- 
souri drive-in^ on East Highway 40. 
Othei* drive^ns in area ate sticking 
close to their i-e^ular admissioq 
policy. 



and Shuttered his Bluffs in same 
town. 

Repeal of 5% tax on picture 
theatre ducats and 5'"o on all sports 
events has been promised by city 
solons when a half of 1% wage bill 
is enacted by local Board of Alder- 
men. Alderman Herman Novack 
promised to introduce the repeal at 
a special session ot the lawmaKers 
within the next 30 days. Exhibitors 
beefed long and loudly over duca 
admish tax. , 

NEW YORK 

Donald R. Duff made general 
sales manager of Po|»ular Pictures 
Co., Cincinnati. With Lee L. Gold- 
berg, he will concentrate on cir- 
cuits and Uieatres booked out ot 
Cincinnati. 

Eagle Lion ad-publicily veepee 
Max E. Yoiingslein left yesterday 
(Tuesday) on the second leg ot his 
nationwide tour of all 31 exchanges 
as captain of the Bill Heineman 
sales drive: He's to visit New 
Haven. Philadelphia and Washing- 
ton, appointing deputy captains in 
erfch ■ branch who will follow 
throughjm operation of the drive 
under plans he's to outline. 

William Shartin, former Eagle 
Lion eastern division manager, 
named district manager of Port- 
land-Seattle territory by Film 
Classics; replaces Jack Kloepper, 
resigned. Shartin, a 20-ycar vet in 
film industry, will attend FC sales 
meet in N. y;, July 30-Aug. 1. 




PHILADELPHIA 

Sidney Samuelson, general man- 
ager of Allied of Eastern Pennsyl- 
vania and New Jersey, will install 
a booking and buying service for 
his organization. Project should be 
ready within the liext six weeks. 

It will be patterned after similar 
operations run by Allied in Chi- 
cago, Wisconsin and Western 
Pennsylvania. 

Minimum goal of $100,000 set for 
Philadelphia exchange area, in Will 
Rogers Memorial Hospital cam- 
paign. Jn addition to contribution 
solicitations, subscriptions wiU be 
sold in a contest. 



3 Pix Houses Costinf 
$1,200,000 Planned By 
Associated Near L.A. 

' Los Angeles. 

Construction of three new film 
theatres, with a total .<!eatine 
capacity of 4,600 and an invest- 
ment of more than $1,200,000, will 
be started in November by Asso- 
cited Theatres, Inc.; which operates 
16 houses in the Deti-oit and Min- 
neapolis districts. Alex Sclireiber. 
prexy, has owned the sites in this 
area for several -years. 

The Valley Plaz^. a 2,000-seater, 
and the Valley Village, seating 
1,200, will be built in San Fer- 
nando Valley. The Paradise.; a 
1,400 sealer, is slated for West- 
chester, suburb of L. A. 



3, New Texa.s Drive-ins 

Weathertord, Texa^. 
Construction started near here 
on a 350-car drive-in to be operated 
by C. H. Jones, who also runs the 
Plaza here. 

New 400-car drive-in is being 
built at Waco by Ed Newman^ who 
also operates the Sunset drive-in 
at Brownwood. 

Audrey Cox opened 350-car 
Yucca drive-in at Lamesa: 



SAN ANTONIO 

C. H. Moss named manager 
of Broadway, Interstate suburban 
house in Alamo Heights here. 

Victory, formerly operated, by 
Underwood & Ezell circuit of 
Dallas, in Amarillo bought by 
Hiram Parks, a circuit operator. , 



Open 2 New Texas Drive-Ins 

Denton. Texas. 
: Second drive-in opened here by 
George Franklin being called the 
Colonial. Recently Lester Dollison 
opened his R^ncho Drive-In here. 

3 Ohio Drive-ins Tee Off 

Toledo. 

Sunset Auto Theatre, near Steu- 
benville, O., openeded recently. Ca- 
pacity is 750 cars. ■ It is owned by 
John Selby, and Ralph Noltemeyer, 
of Co-op 'Theatres, Cleveland. 

One of more lavish drive-ins in 
this sector opened recently near 
Battle Creek, Mich., boa.sting 880^ 
car capacity. Known as the Battle 
Creek Auto Theatre, it is owned by 
Mid^West Enterprises, Inc., with 
Paul O. Brake manager. Project 
cost $185,000. Firm is also planning 
a similar drive-in on opposite side 
of Battle Creek, having already ac- 
quired the site. 

Third new drive-in to open in 
Akron (O.) area this season is:700- 
car Montrose, west of Fairlawn, 
owned by Mr.' and Mrs. Lawrence 
A .Tyrrell. 



TOLEDO 

.The Princess, formerly used as 
moveover house by Balaban & 
tCatz, Chicago, for prodilct shown 
first in the Paramount, i^emodeled 
as a firstrun. ' Approximately $100,'- 
000 was spent on the S&year-old 
bouse. 



HUttlMMOl 



MKLWINCNEU 



"FORT 

APACHri[««a"» 



LOS ANGELES 

Columbia's .15-chapter serial. 
Superman,." has been booked into 
the RKO Hillstreet and.Pantages 
theatres here, the first time a Cliilc- 
hanger has invaded first run 
houses in these parts. Similar 
bookings have been arranged for 
the Golden Gate, San FrancLsco; 
Tower, San Diego, and Orpheum, 
Denver^ Move >is explained as an 
attempt to stimulate summer busi- 
ness among the younger film fans. 

New branch offices wete opened 
by the Selznick Releasing Organi-' 
zation in Chicago, Indianapolis and 
New Orleans. Recent additions to 
the ^RO personnel include: H. L. 
Frost and .Tames H. Kaylor, In- 
dianapolis; Ernest Block, Kansas. 
City; Joseph . Marks, Toronto; 
Charles Weiner, Minneapolis, and 
Harold Marenstein, New York. 



llir*. 



- -itAPIO CITY mm. HAU 

* ' RooltBfeller Ctntef 

' iliiil CROStY '• Jtu FONTAINEI 

: i'THE EMPEROR WALTZ': : 

Color bS' 'C*:CIENI0OI<OH 
" ' A JP«i'ainount JPiutUie 

' Sptiifaeul«r 'St*g» PrasanUtion 



MARK STEVENS .• RICHAIIir WIDMAIIK 

"THESTREETWITHNONAME" 

A 20th o«iilory-FK PletoM 
' ON VARIETY STAGE— CAB CALLOWAY 
JACKIE MILES • VIVIAN BLAINE 
' ON ICE STAfiE— CAROL- LVNNE 
ARNOLD SHDDA « THE BRUISES 

: R OX Y »"*«•' 



ma St. 



Decree and Tek 
TOA Conv. Topics 

With the Theatre Owners of 
America's natronal convention still 
more than- two months away, more 
than 400 exhibitors have already 
reported they'll attend the two-day 
meet, which tecs olf at the iTotel 
Drake, Chicago, Sept. 24. High- 
lighting the agenda will be a dis- 
cus.sion and , study of the recent 
U. S. Supreme Court decision and 
the assignment of committees for 
the study of specialized problems, 
such as television. . 

TOA's legal advisory council Is 
expected to hold a special session 
on the anti-trust decision, accor'd- 
ing to Robert Coyne, TOA's re- 
tiring exec director; Council wiu 
then report to the convention -w ith ' 
recommendations to exhib mem- 
bers about . their modus operandi 
under the decision. Intra-iniiustry - 
conciliation and arbitration prob- 
lems will also come in for their 
full share of huddling. Concilia^ 
tion program suggested at a r^ 
cent Allied meet in Minneapolis 
is to get a full going over. Plan 
has met with informal approval of 
TOA officials, according to Coyne, 
but is still so vague in format that 
it hasn't been * presented .to- the 
TOA board for of ficial okay. 

An as yet unselected official of 
one of the tele broadcasting com- 
panies will tell exhibs alM>ut the 
relationship between their busi- ^ 
ness and the upcoming TV indus- 
tij. In addition, delegates will be 
given a chance to see a demonstra- 
tion of large-screen theatre video. 
Other industry problems tentative^ 
ly up for discussion are 16m com- 
petition, taxation, public relations, 
audience expansion, campaigns and 
charities, distributor-exhibitor re- 
lations and the organization's 
budget and finance. 

Format of the convention hasn't 
been approved yet by the TOA 
board, Coyne said, but it's ex- 
pected to comprise three general 
business sessions.. He said distribu- 
tion and studio execs were also 
expected to attend, since many of 
the problems up for discussion in- 
volve them as well as exhibitors. 



ALBANY 

Plans to raise $10,000 in the Al- 
bany exchange district for Will 
Rogers - Memorial Hospital at Sar- 
anae Lake .discussed , at) a meeting 
in .a 20th-l'ox projection room. It 
followed one held in Buffalo. 



1,000-Seater' For Watertown, S.D, 
Minneapolis. 
Minnesota Amus. Co. (Paramount 
circuit) plans to start a new 1,000- 
seat theatre at Waterto.wn, S. D., to 
replace the State, recently de- 
stroyed by fire. It also will spend 
$30,000 in improving the Lyric, 
local loop , moveover house; will 
install a new canopy at Lorlng, 
local nabe house, and air-condition- 
ing plant at State, Sioux Falls, S.D. 

Schreiber group of Detroit, Mich., 
operating the Lyceum, local legiti- 
mate roadshow theatre now in 
downtown firsti-un field, will install 
air-conditioning soon. 



RALEIGH 

Elm at Greensboro reopened 
June 29 after being shuttered since 
early May for facelifting. 



SEATTLE 

Egyptlian Building Corp., headed 
by Frank L. .Newman, Evergreen 
Theatres prexy, purchased, the 
Egyptian theatre building in the 
university district. Evergreen has' 
operated this nabe house for years. 

Bob Blair, heading Paramount 
exploitation in northwest for sev- 
eral years, transferred to Holly- 
wood in .similar stint. - . 

George Dowden new manager 
of Palomar, ' suceeeding Gerard 
Fowler, resigned. 

Jack Flannery back as manager, 
for National Screen here. 



ST. LOUIS 

Ralph Clark purchased the Idaho, 
Sumner, 111., from Merlin Atkins. 
Clark formerly operated a house iii 
Clay City, 111. 

Theatre owners and execs on 
Film Row hosted Fred C. Soutter, 
former regional manager here for 
Fox Midwest Circuit prior to his 
transfer to Kansas City for the 
$ame eompany. ' ^ 

Flora Amus. Co., which runs two 
houses in Flora, 111., will plan a 
new O00-.seater in the same town. 

Paul Durbin, Perry, III., opened 
new OD-B£ theatre, Bluffs, HI,, 



CLARKSBURG 

Donn Wermuth, manager of War- 
ner theatres' at Fairmont, W. Va. 
since 1946, resigned.; 

Cathy O'Donnell Quits 
Goldwyn on Loanout Beef 

Hollywood, July 20. 
Cathy O'Donnell, under contract 
to Samuel Goldwyn with three 
years to go, departed from the pay- 
roll after an argument with her 
boss about a loanout job in Martin 
Mooney's indie production, "The 
Daughter of Ramona." Under- 
stood she told Goldwyii she would 
rather be freed from her contract 
if she had to appear in films off 

home lot. 
' .StdcUo announced th.tt another 
actress would replace Miss O'Don- 
nell as co-star with Farley Granger 
in "Roseanna McCoy," which starts 
Sept. 2. 



Salisbury, N. C, Drive-In 

Raleigh. 

Salisbury drive-in near Salis- 
bury, opeqied with S. L. Pinkston 
as manager and partner. Other 
partner is, W. J. Martin' of Lincoln- 
ton. ■ ■ 




FB£P SAFETY SHORTS 

Hollywood, July 20. 

Cascade Productions is making a 
series of 13 shorts flnanced by Fox 
West Coast in cooperation with the 
National Safety Council. 

Briefies, produced by Barney 
Garr and' directed by Roy Sea- 
wright, go into work Aug. l on the 
Hal Roach lot, with a cast of Los 
Angeles traffii: cops doing their 
stuff. 



Jean Hersholt Briefs, 
Acad on European Trip 

Hollywood, July 20. 
Prexy Jean Hersholt, of the Aca- 
demy of Motion picture . Arts and 
Sciences, gave Academy ' board 
members a brief review of his. trip 
abroad Monday night (19) at the 
first meeting of that body in two 
months. Hersbolt returned over 
the weekend after two months in 
Europe. 

Academy prexy' scouted as 
"very unlikely,'* ' any serious 
trouble in future between Ameri- 
can and foreign producers. He felt 
sure that the differences would 
"readjust themselves." He sa w con- 
siderable production in Scandina- 
via currently, particularly in Swe- 
den, where there are some films 
which might be worth importing 
since the subject matter is more 
easily understandable to American 
audiences. He said both Swedish 
and Danish producers asked him 
if some method, whereby markets 
could be opened for them in the 
U. S., might not be devised. 

While abroad, he huddled exteU' 
sively with film toppers in Eng 
land, Belgium, Denmark and 
Sweden. He also met with film 
leaders of other nations on the 
feasibility of an international film 
exposition in Hollywood. 

Some results were touched on at 
these- meets, but Hersholt will 
malGe ii mone complete re|kort l&tet. 



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25 



NBC PROMISE VS. PERFORMANCE 

To ^mm Group; time SeheiiN 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 



Dems Sidestep Free U.S. Radio Plank 

Philadelphia. July 20. 

A free "Voice of America" plank rather than a free domestic 
radio planlt is wliat turned up last Wednesday (13) in the platform 
adopted by the Democratic National Committee. Completely side- 
stepped was the thing that the broadcasters were interested in— ■ 
lecognition of the rights of radio and television under the First 
Amendment to the. Constitution, 

The Republican platform, a fortnight earlier, contained no radio 
plank at all, {ilthough. a free radio paragraph liiad been included 
in the party's 1944 platform; . 

Last week's Democratic platform aI.so included several other.pro- 
visions of interest and application to .show biz. The radio plank 
stated: 

"We urge the vigorous promotion of worldwide freedom in the 
gathering and dissemination of news by radio, press and television, 
with complete confidence that an informed people will determine 
wisely the course of domestic and foreign policy." 

The screen came in for no particular attention in the platform, 
but one plank at least partly seemed to rebuke the House Un- 
American Activities Committee for its probe of Hollywood last 
fall, so far as that investigation touched on the content of films. 
The plank said. 

•We deplore the repeated attempts of Republicans in the 80th 
Congress to impose thought control upon the American people 
and to encroach on the freedom of speech and preiis." 

In the section on foreign policy, the Democrats endorsed restora- 
tion of the full reciprocal trade agreement^!, which have been re-< 
sliicted by the Republican Congress. The Motion Picture Associa- 
tion and other branches of the industry have favored the trade 
agreements as necessary to assure the open door for our motion 
pictures in many foreign countries. 



Truman's 2 AJL Next-to-Ooai^ 
Act Deemed Poor Shownundiip 



'i'lie broadcasting industry's post-*' 
mortem verdict' on President Harry 
S. Truman's acceptance speech last 
Wednesday night (14) was that, it 
was a hit "special events" show 
which played to an almost empty 
house. 

Undoubtedly, but for bad tim- 
ing, the No. 1 Democrat's fighting, 
aliliost entirely off-the-cuff talk 
would have copped a sock Hooper 
bolli on tele and radio. Its 2 a.m. 
teeolf, however, amounted to a case 
of poor showmanagement which 
conceivably cost Truman a great 
many votes. 

[•■or the speech — generally con- 
ceded to be the best of Truman's 
cai*eer — lost much of its punch in 
print; it was a cinch to got no fa- 
vorable play in the predominantly 
Republican press of the country; 
it broke too late for the morning 
papers' home editions,, and, by the 
time the afternoon sheets were out. 
the Republicans had had time to 
top it with loud cries of ''cheap 
politics." 

If the Demo party bosses' plan- 
ning hadn't been fouled up by the 
Dixie revolt, a long series of nom- 
ination seconding harangues and 
such incidents as the ill-fated 
pigeon stunt, the President might 
have taken to the air between 10 
and 11 p.m. That was the blue- 
print. And the time was still not 
too late to give Truman a whop- 
ping AM-TV audience. 
, As it turned out, the conscensus 
(Continued on page 34) 



Eire's Home-Brand Hooper 

Dublin, July 13. 

Largest time buyers on Eire rar 
dip— Irish Hospitals' Trust (sweep- 
stake organization) — is undertak- 
ing the first countrywide poll to 
test public opinion on its nightly 
GO-minute air shows. 

Survey is being split to get opin- 
ions on each night's show— differ- 
ent types being aired throughout 
the week. ■ ■ 



Kyser in Colgate 
Exit; "Brooks Hot 

Colgate, in a revamp of its 1948- 
'4.9 nighttime program roster, is 
definitely ■ dropping the Saturday 
nighl NBC Kay Kyser show and in- 
dications at the moment are that 
the company will buy the neVv CBS 
house-built "Our Miss Brooks," the 
Eve Arden-Hollywood originating 
situation comedy which preemed as 
a sustainer on Monday (19). 

Colgate has been auditioning, a 
number of sho\ys., including the 
radio version of "1 Remember 
Mama," but the CBS program is re- 
ported far out in the sweepstakes 
lead, with likelihood of a decision 
in a day or two. "Brooks" has an 
$8,000 weekly gross price tag, 
Which includes the agency commis- 
jsion. If Colgate buys "Brooks" it 
will go into the Sunday night 9:30 
CBS period. 

With Kyser exiting, the new Col- 
gnle lineup will include Judy 
Canova and "Can You Top This?" 
as a back-to-back Saturday night 
NBC parlay; the Dennis Day ,NHC 
show, "Blondie," Bill Stem and 
the new acquisition. _ 



Alan Young Top Choice 
For 'Breakfast in H'wood' 

Alan Young is top choice as 
Garry Moore's successor on "Break- 
fast in Hollywood" and can have it 
if he'll eschew other radio conunit- 

ments. 

ABC's Bud Barry had several 
talks with him on the Coast after 
it was decided not to change the 
show's format. Likely that Moore 
will continue as emcee until Pills- 
bury comes on in September as co- 
sponsor of the audience participa- 
toi' with Procter & C^amble. 



PROCiii; FLi 
STILL ELOSl 

It's been nearly a year now 
since NBC put itself on -record 
that, in line with its newly-ac- 
quired' accent-on-youth adminis- 
trative format and fresh approach 
to old problems, a similar em- 
phasis would be placed on net- 
work-developed programming, it 
was recognized that, perhaps in 
public service programming more 
than any other piiase of its opera- 
tion, thj network was completely 
lacking. Upshot was that NBC an- 
nounced the creation of a pro- 
gram board for the projection of 
creative ideas which could be 
translated into coast-to-coast shows 
and demonstrate Uiat the network 
was really carrying the operaling- 
ihg-therpublic-interest ball. 

However, in these between-sea- 
sons "taking stock" days, there's 
been an increasing awareness, even 
within ihe NBC network .ranks, 
that somewhere along the line 
somebody missed his cue line, for 
in adding up the score since NBC 
publicly acclaimed that it was go- 
ing to get oil the public service 
hook, it's been generally . recog- 
nized that exactly nothing has hap- 
pened. . 

In its one serious attempt to 
put its best foot forward this past 
season, N&C did come up with its 
"Living— 1948" Sunday afternoon 
series which, it's conceded, man- 
aged occasionally to project some 
vital ideas, but on the whole 
failed to contribute much toward 
heightening the web's stature. As 
one* radio exec put it: "It's still 
Toscanini and the NBC Symphony 
Orchesti-a, and the network is stiU 
standing pat on that." 

'The web's outstanding job, for 
which it was widely kudosed, on 
coverage of the two political con- 
ventions via its tieup with Life 
magazine, has demonstrated that, 
when it comes to the know-how 
techniques, ■ the application of 
showmanship, plus the coin in- 
vestiture, NBC's got it. But it 
must be . translated into program- 
ming on a continuing basis rather 
reservini? it for special events, 
when it's expected of a network, 
of NBC's st.iture. 

What particularly irks some of 
the bra.ss ai-ound the network is 
when they attempt to draw a 
parallel between the: almost static 
NBC status of creative program- 
ming and the Bill- Paley-inspired 
job going on at CBS. The latter 
web, it's acknowledged, i.s not 
(Continued on page 37) 



Sweet Kittjr 

Hollywood, July 20. 
Biow agency is studying a 
plan to increase the jackpot 
ofl ."Take It Or Leave It" to 
$640 and let it ride double to 
a top payoff of S20.000. Dial- 
ers around the country may lie 
called to race with the studio 
participants for the heavy 
sugar. 

Both agency and client feel 
the show needs a cash hypo to 
compete with other giveaway 
quizzers. 



ABCAfeoMiA 
SavingsfiiiigeTo 
PayTVFfeii^ 

The economy axe;, which has 
been cutting .a' swath through all 
CB^ departments of late, has' now 
turned up at ABC. The i%trench« 
ment, as far as could be learned 
this week, is not as drastic as CBS', 
where some personnel has heen 
lopped off, but apparently springs 
from a similar cause — heavy out- 
lay in TV facilities, personnel and 
programming. 

Whether the order to cut ABC 
department l>udgcts, issued in a re- 
cent meeting of all department 
heads with web brass, will cost 
many or any webbers their jobs 
isn't generally known yet. In most 
staffs, apparently, shearing of non- 
' (Continued .on page 34) : 



Radio's quiz-giveaway boom 
has turned into a gold rush ior 
a select coterie of glib-tonguedl 
spielei-s, a number of whom are 
now pocketing more cash 'than ^he 
President of the United States. 

By the same token, a consider* 
able segment of the industry'^ 
dramatic talent, who've seen their 
shows squeezed off the ethei: Ity 
the giveaway craze, are scratch- 
ing hard for pay dirt and praying 
for • the day the current fad suc- 
cumbs. For, in effect, cash and 
merchandise have supplanted ac- 
tors as the "cast" in dozens of air 
shows. It takes' only an emcee, 
an announcer and an organist to 
xnan a ^eaway. 

It's little wonder, then, tliat 
John Reed King,' who .probably 
ranks among the top half-dozen 
busiest confc?.enciei's, had to apol- 
ogize on the air the other night 



Giveaway, I Love You 

Tin Pap Alleyites are an- 
gling for some of that "Stop 
'I'he Music" gravy via original 
tunes cued to the stanza. 

ABC, which airs the give- 
away, has received a number 
of ' such dittieSf one titled 
"Stop the Music,", another tab- 
bed, "Listen to the Myster}' 
Melody tt£ My Heart" 



WCAU's 12% Staff Hike 

■ Philadelphia, July 20. 
WCAU, local afl-iliate of CBS, 
has renewed its contract with the 
American Federation of Radio 
Artists. Deal provides for pay in- 
creases of about 12% for the staff. 
Union shop conditions are con- 
tinued. 

Station is owned by the Evening 
Bulletin, but operated by the for- 
mer owners, Isaac D. and Leon 
Levy. Twitter are largo stockliold- 
icrs of CBS. 



OUT NEXT WEEK 

3d Annual 

RADIO and TELEVISION ISSUE 

(1948-49 Season) 



of 



for his hoarseness. In addition to 
his own multiple emcceing chores, 
he was pinchhitting for tlie week 
for Bill Cullen, whose own stren- 
uous schedule resulted in doctor's 
orders to knock off .for a few days. 
Somehow, King managed to woiic 
in more than two dozen air sttnt^ 
that week, " 

, Current take for emcees is rmgr 
ing from $150 to $500 or more 
per show; witti the average ap- 
parently around $2150 for sustain- 
ers and $400 tor ■ commercial 
stanzas. It's the multiplicity of as- 
signments that piles up tlic take- 
home' of the more i>opular spiel' 

(Continued on page 34) 



Oiapter724h 
WOVDuopolyCase 

Washington, July 20, 
In radio's most protracted duo- 
poly situation. General Broadcast- 
ing Corp. (Richard E.. O'Dca, Her- 
man. Bess and Harry Reichenstein) 
last week filed a reply to Victory 
Broadcasting Corp. (Ralph Weil, 
Arnold Hartley and Joseph Iieigh) 
opposing General's request to pur- 
chase New. York's WOV. 
■ Victory, in opposing General's 
request, had invoked the AVCO 
rule saying that tlic FCC should 
consider its api^Ucation for pur- 
chase and offering tite same terms 
as GeneraL ' «, 

Gefieral claims Victory could and 
should have bid earlier for the 
Italian-English langua.ge station 
now owfned ■ by Arde Bulova and 
Harry B. Henshel, who also own 
WNEW, New Vork. 
One of the terms of sale by both 
(Continued on page 37) 



Rob't Mann's CBS Exit 

Robert Mann has exited from 
the Commercial Sales division at 
CBS, where he was the liaison be- 
tween the sales and programming 
departments on sale to agencies 
and clients of CBS-built and other 
commercial airers. 

It's the third departure from the 
division since it was created a 
couple years back when Dong 
Coulter moved into the spot from 
the net's program dept. Dave 
Fredericks held the job after 
Coulter moved over to Foote, Cone 
& Belding. 

Tom Connolly, formerly in pro- 
motion and more recently assistant 
to Mann takes over latter's post. 



RADIO 



We<lnc8tlay, July 21, 1948 



IffiCsColk^e-by-Radio Takes 
Fmn Hold; May Reach li Areas 



NBC's college-by-air project, un- ♦ 
veiled a few weeks ago with the 
aim of dragging professors out of 
their ivory towers to help offer 
formal at-home educational courses 
for listeners, is copping such wide- 
spread interest in hroadcasting and 
university circles that it appears 
the airwaved study programs mw 
be under way in 50 to 100 areas of 
the country by early next year. 

Already launched experimentally 
in Louisville by WAVE, in coopera- 
tion with the Univ. of Louisville, 
the project is well along toward » 
teeoff soon on KWSC, Pullman, the 
Univ. of Washington's 5kw. station. 
AdditionaHy, there's keen interest, 
looking toward fall starts for the 
plan, at the Univ. of Maryland, in 
cooperation with WBAL, Balti- 
more; at Boston 17.. in cooperation 
with WBZ; at the Univ. of Ala- 
bama; at Syracuse U., in coopera- 
tion With WGY, Schenectady, and 
at WTTM. Trenton, which hopes to 
enlist Rutgers' cooperation. 

Concurrently, Sterling Fisher, 
NBC director of educational pro- 
gramming, who's iiBceiving a steady 
stream of inquiries from dialers, 
stations and colleges, is blueprint- 
ing winter preems for^rom three 
to five a,dditional courses, some 
ibuilt aroi|nd new programs, to sup- 



plement the initial, experimental 
course now being conducted at 
Louisville in "Contemporary Amer- 
ican' Literature," based on NBC's 
"World's Great Novels" series. 

One of the new coursesi on "Con- 
temporary Learning," will be 
built around the web's Chicago 
Roundtable of the Air. Another, 
on ','Music Appreciation," will be 
based on the NBC Symphony con- 
certs. Fisher said he will invite 
Dr. Allen Nevins of Columbia , U., 
noted as an historian, to Qonsult 
with NBC in building a series on 
government and the; operations of. 
a democracy. 

Still another proposed course, on 
science, is being outlined around 
an NBC series combining the docu- 
mentary technique and lield pick- 
ups from famous centers of scien- 
tific activity. A course on home- 
making also is being mulled. 

While there are no specific plans 
in the works for utilizing NBC's 
growing television web for the 
college- via-air program, there's 
every likelihood the idea will get 
consideration if the radio project 
clicks. ' Such a series as the one 
on science, for instance, would be 
particularly adaptable to TV. 
Jail Inmates Enrolled 
In Louisvill», the municipal uni- 
versity is offering college credits 
for enroUees in the air course and 
is broadcasting ^classroom discus- 
sions to supplement the NBC pro- 
grams. As the project got under 
way, with very little advance 
ballyhoo, more than 150 listeners 
registered for the courpe. Mayor 
Charles Farnsley, enthusiastic ad- 
vocate of the project, personally 
visited the city jail and enrolled 
several dozen inmates (who asked 
him, according to a local paper, if 
the course wasn't going to teach 
them "how to get outa here"). 

Fred Hay ward, manager of 
KWSCi was in N. Y. last week con- 
ferring with Fisher on the project 
at Pullman. It's to be carried out 
in cooperation with KHQ, NBC 
affiliate in Spokane. Most of 
KHQ's execs ar% U. of W. grads 
and hence anxious to give it a go- 
ahead. Jtts expected KWSC wiU 
ask permission to air NBC's' basic 
"University of the Air" programs. 
With KHQ also cai-rying them. 



EVANGEIST SMITH TO 
FIGHT DURR DECISION 

Washington, July 20. 
Evangelist J. Harold Smith, 
whose application for the license 
of WIBK, Knoxville, Tenn., got an 
initial denial from Commissioner 
Clifford Durr petitioned last week 
for additional time to file excep- 
tions to Durr's decision of June 
29. 

Rev. Smith plans to request an 
oral argument and said that he 
needs more time to collect exhibits. 

Commissioner Durr had pointed 
out the original application said 
that 150 shares of common stock 
were divided equally among the 
minister, his wife, Myrtice Rhodes 
Smith, and Marvin I. Thompson, 
station manager. The manager had 
subscribed to the remaining 50 
shares. Durr said the hearing 
showed the last block had not been 
taken in whole by Thompson, but 
divided three ways, leaving Rev. 
and Mrs. Smith as two-thirds 
owner and Thompson as one-third 
owner. 

The case was confusing and full 
of contradictory statements, . ac- 
cording to Durr. 

It has been reported that Rev. 
Smith plans to appeal as far as the 
Supreme Court if the Commission 
agrees with Durr's findings. 




KLZ's Directttr of N«w«> 
Special Events 

SHELDON PETERSON 

A reporter, editor and a keen 
writer with a eliarp sense of the 
dranifitic in new.'?. Introduced use 
of spot news wire recordings into 
newscasts in Denver. 

KLZ, DENVER 



More Monos 
On The Demos 



Tex^ Deep in The 
Heart of Libel, Sez 
KPRCmU.S.Siiit 



Houston, July 20. 
Texas laws are in conflict with 
the FCC's recent Port Huron rul- 
ing, the Houston Post, owner of ra- 
dio station KPRC, pointed out last 
Thursday (15) in filing suit in fed- 
eral district court to clarify the 
right of radio stations to allow free 
speech to political candidates. A 
hearing is set tor next Thursday 
(22). ■■, 

Whereas the FCC's decision June 
28 held that a station has no right 
to edit a candidate's speeches' for 
libel, Texas laws make the radio 
station liable for anything libelous 
that any speaker may say over the 
station's facilities. (FCC's ruling 
covered a case involving WHIS, 
Port Huron, Mich.). 

Attorney General Price Daniel of 
Texas, according to the Post, ruled 
that, regardless of the FCC de- 
cision, Texas stations are still lia- 
able for civU damages and may still 
be punished by criminal proceed- 
(Contlnued on page 34) 



Will Designates All 
Profits From Station 
Go to Can. Charities 

Toropto, July 20. 
Will of the late W. E. Mason, 
owner of CKSO, Sudbury, makes 
this station unique in that all 
profits will be distributed an- 
nually to Canadian charities. 
Mason, who died June 22, was one 
of the first private station opera- 
tors in this country and also was 
publisher of the Sudbury Daily 
Star and the Korth Bay Daily 
Nugget. 

Earnings of CKSO, Sudbury, will 
lienceforth be free of the news- 
paper associations; trust fund will 
.bfl haadled by G. M. Miller, K.C., 
K» president; W, J. WoodiU as 
•octeUiiiy and gen«ra]L manager. 



Spot Bookings Set 
For Fall Upswing 

Judging from activities in a 
number of major ad agencies, na- 
tional spot bookings should show 
a substantial pickup next month. 
These agencies report that they've 
made spot campaign recommenda- 
tions which the ^ients are now 
scanning, and the general consen- 
sus among them is that the heavy 
buying in that direction will be 
quite noticeable by mid-August, 

The spot end of the business has 
been decidedly slow as far as new 
placements are concerned since the 
early part of June. In major 
agency quarters this is construed 
as merely a temporary condition 
and not indicative of a fall out' 
look. 

In this connection Kenyon & 
Eckhardt has mapped an elaborate 
spot campaign for Kellogg with 
the agency waiting for the account 
to approve the initial step, a test 
in Providence. When the proposed 
splurge gets into high gear, it will 
involve an extensive list of mar- 
kets and allow for a schedule of 
10 announcements a week. The 
tentative starting date is Aug. 2. 

Campaign wiU tee olf with copy 
concentration on the brand's 
"Variety Pack" and later focus the 
blurbs on Kell0gg'9 All Bran. 



Philadelphia, July 20. 
For Life-NBC's Room 22 tele 
cameras, eight Mississi{>pi dele- 
gates who'd just walked out of the 
Demo convention, threw tfieir 
badges on a table. Then, soon as 
the cameras were switched off, 
they snatched' up the badges and 
pocketed them . . . In the midst of 
the pigeon-releasing floperoo pre- 
ceeding President Truman's talk, 
Morgan Beatty reached "up and 
swung ajound a bird perched 
menacingly over Mrs. T. ... R^es 
from some rival web observers for 
James Caddigan's (DuMont direc- 
tor of programming) nifty "take" 
calling on the TV "pool pickups. 
And he had an endurance grind on 
that Wednesday closing session . . . 
ABCers chesty over their beat 
(which sent the press boys scramr 
bling) on- Truman's plan to recall 
Congress. The gabber who got the 
tip, at 11:12 p.m., and passed it 
along to Elmer Davis, who was 
handling the pool news desk at that 
time, was Earl Godwin ... Early 
sessions so dull that Art Peck of 
CBS operations and George Her- 
man, news editor, paid a printer 
$10 to print 500 cards reading, 
"Don't be unbrotherly, brother" 
(the CBS crowd were temporarily 
"brothers," bedding down in a U; 
of Penn. frat house). Cards got 
all over the hall, one finally aplJfear- 
ing on the front of the rostrum, 
where it stayed right through Tru- 
man's talk, showing up in news 
pix and TV pickups . . . Dorothy 
(Kilgallen) and Dick KoUmar, 
originating their WOR (N. Y.) chat- 
ter from the Bellevue-Stratford, 
commented that they were in the 
midst of such confusion that people 
had come in from everywhere ex- 
cept through the window. Moment 
later a man working on a scaffold 
outside apologized for coming 
through the window . . . NBC's 
Carlcton Smith took White House 
press secretary Charlie Ross to the 
TV pool booth to explain its work- 
ings . . . Biggest radio-TV shindig 
celebrating the windup was NBC'S, 
starting at 3 a.m. in the Rose Room 
atop the B-S hotel, with web top- 
pers Niles Trammell and Charles 
R. Denny hosting and such rival 
web gabbers as Ed Murrow and 
Baukhage dropping by. Went on to 
broad daylight. 



4IM > Mt l Httttt* t***** * * ********* 

From the ProdoctioD Centres 

lis mW WRK CITY . . . 

Joan Sinclaire has been inked as director and talent coordmator and 
Barbara Hotchkiss as scripter on the "Meet ]\Irs. America" daytime 
oross-the-board show being packaged by Roger White Productions and 
Leonard Traube Associates . . Lyman Bloomingdale, veepee ot' WABP 
(FM) off to the Coast on station biz for a iortnight . N. Y. Star re- 
oorte'd looking for a radio columnist.. Harpers and Readers Digest 
among mags said to be prepping blasts at radio's giveaway fever . 
Prexv Gailegos of Venezuela asked for and got, by courier a platter of 
Pru Devin's WQXR stanza of July 9, when she twii'led all Venezuelan 

'"preero o'f CBS-^ew "Mr. Chameleon" series, calendared for last 
Wednesday (14), postponed to tonight (Wed.) because of Demo con- 
vention "Romance of Helen Trent" celebrates its 15th year on the 
ether Friday (23) . Hazel Latowsky added to "Lpra Lawton" cast 
and John McGovern to "Just Plain Bill" . Joe Latham m "David 
Harum" . Singer Pat Terry ticketed by WINS for a five-a-week quar- 
ter hour at 6:45 p.m., starting next Tuesday (27), for Ben Tucker furs. 
He'll continue his WPIX tele stint . .Walter Kaner, WWRL flack, 
penning a book on pressagenting titled "For Immediate Release" . Eve • 
McVeigh and Monty Margetts joined "The Guiding Light" ca.st. . .Frank 
Telford of Y & R, exits "Mystery Theatre" in its switchover from NBC 
to CBS' He'll build a couple new shows for prospective agency ac- 
counts ' Arnold Perl to the Coast for huddles with Harry Ackerman 
on future scripts for CBS' "Mr. Tutt" series . . Alton Kastner, column 
editor of NBC, switches over to Dell Publications next week. He'll 
edit ncv\ fan mag, Modem Television and Radio, which will hit news- 
stands in November. ... Jim Miller gets Kastner's spot at NBC. 

Pierre Crenesse, North American director of the French Broadcast- 
ing System, hosting a cocktailery tomorrow (Thurs.) evening to house- 
warm new offices at 934 Fifth ave. . . March of Time filmed two broad- 
casts of Mutual's "What Makes You Tick" to incorporate in an up- 
coming "Career Girl" piece . . . Frederick Freed, ex-feature editor of 
Esquire, has joined the reporter staff of Bill Leonard's "This Is New 
York".. Raised eyebrows dept.: CBS offering the "Sing It Again" 
quarter-hours at $4,150, exclusive of announcer and time cost (against 
$1 900 for "Stop the Music" talent) and th6 stanza is rating-hungry. ... 
Earl Kennedy, head writer and assistant director on "We the People,' 
has resigned. Will vacation for month at shore with ailing spouse 
before malting tele bow in September. .. . „ , 

Kenneth Crawford, associate editor of Newsweek, subbing for Fulton 

Lewis, Jr., while MBS gabber vacations for a month Bob Waldrop, 

ex-NBC and ABC announcer now narrating "Ohio Story" on WTAM, 
Cleveland, east for a visit and skedded to reunion with old pals at Ben 
Grauer's home tomorrow (ThUrs.) night — New son, Dennis, at the 
home of actor James McCallion and actress wife, Nora. . . Aluminum 
Co, of America added to Mary Margaret McBride's 13 sponsors 
Dick Dunham now announcing "We Love and Learn" and "Strange 
Romance of Evelyn Winters". WSPD-TV, Fort Industry station in 
Toledo, inked as 11th outlet for Telenews-INS weekly newsreel ... 
Broadcast Measurement Bureau over the 700-subscriber mark, with 
97 FMers and five TV stations now in the fold. 

Prospective variety show, to star Dean Martin and Georgia Gibbs, 
was audition-recorded last week, from: a script by Hal Block. Audi- 
ence of the Chesterfield "Supper CluW was used for the show . . . MisS 
Gibbs guests Friday night (23) on the Percy Faith show for Coca-Cola 
. . . .Wilt Gunzendorfer, general manager of KROW, Oakland, due east 
in mid-August for his annual look-around, 



Dick Pack 

Humorously Atks 

•What, No Wrestlers?' 

In 

3dl Annual Special 
RADtaTELEViStON 
NUMBER 
Out Next Wodk 



fiV HOLLYWOOD . . . 

Joe Rines set Artie Phillips on the Judy Canova writing staff to 
supplement Fred Fox and Henry Hoople, Dropped were John Ward 

and Ben Perry CBS wants Abe Burrows for a half-hour sustaining 

spot, but just now he's too interested in his nitery success. He figures 
he's no longer a "house" act and having had a taste of commercialism 
has come to like it. . . .Leo "Ukie" Sherin, former stooge and writer 
for Bing Crosby, is making a theatre tour with Keenan Wynn.,,. 
NBC's tele topper, Sid Strotz, motors in from Chicago this week and 
will pass a couple of months here before returning to New York... • 
Mannie Manheim and Charlie Isaacs will be back next season writing ^ 
for Al Jolson . . . . Ray Newby, CBS engineer for the past 18 years, 
passed away last w6ek after a lingering illness. . . .CBS broke a tradi- 
tion of long standing by taking a newscast by Frank Goss for the net- 
work following Hollywood Bowl orchestra concert. Heretofore all 
regular newscasts for the skein had to come front New York .... Bill 
MacCrystal, manager of Metro's frequency modulation station, spot- 
plugged the Bowl concerts on the opposition KNX-FM in the fond hope 
that it would generally benefit FM and lure more of the 200,000 set 
owners in L.A. to his station ... John Mulvihill trained to New York 
where he'll base his operations as radio head of General Artists Corp. 
Harold Jovian looks after the local end ... Julian O'Donnell pulled 
out of the Hixson-O'Donnell agency and Kai Jorgenson now has part- 
nership billing, . . .Nat Wolff and the frau, Edna Best, have teamed up 
to co-produce for television and the stage. Their first venture with 

Sylvia Sidney was a sell-out in Santa Barbara There's talk around 

that Bing Crosby may emcee the two-hour holiday specialis for Wrigley 
in opposition to the Elgin shows on NBC . .Harry Engel, late with 
Earl Carroll, joined Raymond R. Morgan agency as sales promotion 

director, and Jim Morgan, no kin to R, R., was moved up to v.p 

Lyn Murray takes over the podium on Hit Parade while Axel Stordahl 
vacations. . . Sealtest is said to be more than mildly interested in Lum 
and Abner's new half-hour format recently recorded . .Art Rush was so 
elated at winning a golf tournament he presented the club with a 
television set, 

fJV CHICAGO ... 

Walter Preston upped from commercial program director to pro- 
gram supervisor at WGN, following resignation of Buck Gunn who 

bows out in a fortnight Tommy Horan, NBC sound chief, back at 

his desk after several months' recuperation from surgei-y Bob Hawk, 

who twirled disks here before hitting the nets as a quizzer, returns 
early next month in connection with the national bridge tournament 
. . Frank Van Etten, ABC sales traffic manager, checks out July 29 
to join F.C.&B. , WGNB, which has continued to use both high and 
low bands for the benefit of listeners with outmoded FM sets, scuttled 
its cellar wave length last week... Chuck Acree, emcee of "Hint, 
Hunt " vacationing this week in Stuart, Fla., at the home of Zack 
Mosely, who cartoons "Smilin' Jack" .... John Berrafato, WGN music 
copyist, flying to Italy with his wife for an extended sojourn with 
relatives there. 

GOP's state central committee shifting its account from Gordon 
Best to Schoenfeld, Huber & Green... Motorola loan for $2,000,000 
has been negotiated with Prudential Insurance. Loan, for 15 years at 
di^Jo, will be used as working capital, in addition to .$10,000,000 al- 
Jin^Tii" kitty.... ABC promoting "Breakfast Club" via 40,000 
Don McNeill for President" buttons distributed in the Loop by dainty 
damsels... Hard-riding "Tom Mix" cast trains to Milwaukee Aug. 9 
.1 1 Wisconsin State Centennial. . . Presidential 
^ \ <« n>erit was phined on G. E. Gustafson, Zenith veepee, Wednes- 
day (14) for his wartime chores Byer-Rolnick (hats) signed for 52 

starting Aug. 2. . . .Launching date for the so- 
called Fifth Nejiwork has been postponed again, .. .iPrank Smith, the 
(Contintied on page ai) 



Wednesdiqr, July 21, 19fS 




Jones, Sinii^ IKsseat as FCC 

Reatfvm Ikvitz Kx in (ttio 



Washington, July 20. 

The Federal Communications 
Commission has finalized its re- 
fusal for two Ohio newspapers to 
operate AM and FM stations at 
Mansfield and Lorain. The Mans- 
field Journal and Lorain Journal, 
both owned by Isadore porvitz of 
Cleveland, in early hearing vigor- 
ously attacked Edward Lamb, a 
competing applicant for Ohio sta- 
tions. Horvitz sought to pi-ove him 
• a Communist. 

The Mansfield and Lorain Jour- 
nals publish the only, daily news- 
papers in each town, and FCC 
found that "diversifications of con- 
trol of the media of mass com- 
munication, and the avoidance ot 
monopoly of the avenues of com- 
municating fact and opinion, were 
desirable.'" 

The Commission also considered 
evidence relating to exclusive ad- 
vertising contracts the two papers 
had tried to enforce in opposition 
to an established radio station. . 

FCC sdid a local merchant and 
a cAmpany executive "reported in- 
stance of attempts to establish ex- 
clusive advertising contracts dur- 
ing the period between the hear- 
ings on the AM and the FM appli- 
cations when applicant must have 
known of the Commission's interest 
in this question. Accordingly, upon 
the record herein it logically may 
be concluded that the Mansfield 
Journal Co. has harassed some lo- 
cal merchants to prevent their using 
station WMAN as an advertising 
medium and has used its position 
as the only newspaper in the com- 
munity to attempt to coerce such 
merchants into entering into ex- 
clusive advertising contracts^ 

"The record herein establishes 
that the Mansfield News-Journal 
has consistently fought the only 
other medium of mass communica- 
tion in the city, WMAN. The news- 
paper has refused to carry the sta-; 
tions' program log, has refused ad- 
vertising from the station or from 
merchants desiring to mention the 
station in advertising copy, and has 
used its position as the only news- 
paper in Mansfield to keep legiti- 
mate news about the station from 
residents of the area. If its appli- 
cation were granted it would pub- 
lish the program logs of its station, 
but still would not carry those of 
WMAN." 

The Commission found that these 
practices showed a lack of concern 
for the listening public. 

At the same time FCC denied 
application of Laurence W. liarry, 
Fostoria Broadcasting Co., of Fos- 
toria. O., but ordered his cp re- 
quest i-etained on the hearing 
docket and placed In the pending 
file. 

Harry was denied simply be- 
cause iie sought a U. S: Class I-B 
frequency which FCC has said it 
would not i-elease until a rules de- 
cision had been reached concerning 
daytime skywave transmission of 
iContinued on page 34) 



ALFRED HARDING INTO 
WCCO TOP SALES POST 

Minneapolis, July 20. 

Alfred J. Harding was named 
sales manager of WCCO replacing 
Tom Dawson, who joins CBS sales 
department in New York. 

Harding had returned to WCCO 
two months ago. He was on sta- 
tion stall' from 1939 to 1942, and 
witli KSTP after leaving the Navy 
in 1945. 

' Carl Ward, promotion manager, 
mQvc.s into sales department, and 
will tac replaced by Tony Moe, 
moving over from KELO^ Sioux 
Falls. 



GOODWIN TO WNJR 

■ Harry D. Goodwin, former pro- 
motion manager for WCOP, Bos- 
ton. Jias been named station man- 
ager of WNJR, Newark (N. J.) Eve- 
ning News outlet, 

Appointment, effective Aug. 9, 
follows by a week the naming of 
John McNeil, former station man- 
ager of DuMont television's WABD 
(N. Y.I, as WNJR's director of radio 
operations. 



Dave Gudebrod 

(ManO0*r, Tc/sviiion & Commcrcraf 

f ilm Oapt., N. W. AycW 
ditaih the advertisinq agmcy** 
penpcctivt on 

Television and Its Oppor- 
Umilies for Real, Creative 
iPatterning 
in tht 
3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

of 

Out Next Week 



FCC Letto Stirs 
^ fears On 
AM-TV Status 



Washington, July 20. 

FCC has raised the question, in 
the opinion of . many observers 
here, of whether a motion picture 
company which has been found 
guilty of an anti-trust violation has 
the right to buy or operate a radio 
or television station. As a result, 
many of the major film outfits are, 
in effect, out on a limb. For such 
firms as Metro, Baramount, 20th 
Century-Fox, and Warners, all now 
involved in radio or tele plans or 
actual operations, are on the anti« 
trust violation guilt list. 

Despite fact that a three-man 
statutory court in New York last 
year found the Big Five and Little 
Three film companies guilty of 
anti'trust violations, FCC has since 
granted radio and tele permits to 
a number of picture outfits. What 
now puts the FCC in a peculiar 
position, as industry people here 
see it, is a letter the commission 
sent to Tri-States Mereditli Broad- 
casting Co., Des Moines, which had 
bid for the purchase of KSO and 
KSO-FM, Des. Momes, last Feb- 
ruary. 

Letter, not written until July 12 
and not received in Des Moines 
until the afternoon of July 15, ac- 
cording to Tri-States attorneys, 
asked for a "discussion" of the 
Supreme Court's decision in May 
reaffirming the anti-trust decision. 
Paramount, a defendant in the 
anti-trust case, owns 50% of Tri- 
States Theatres, which in turn- 
owns 50% of Tri-States Meredith, 
making Par a 25% holder in the 
new company. 

Tri-States; it's understood, fired 
back a hot letter stating, that the 
FCC letter arrived the day the 
firm's option to buy expired and 
protesting the commission's delay 
in raising such a question. .> 

Tri-States Attorney Marcus Cohn 
told Variety that Tri-State had 
cancelled the contract and at this 
time had no idea of buying KSO 
.since it felt: 1. The Commission 
had had plenty of time to ask for 
discussion or briefs; 2. Tri-States 
had put in excess of $300,000 in 
the bank in good faith- on Feb. 15; 
and 3. Tri-States could not remain 
at the mercy of an inactive FCC 
indefinitely. 

CHRYSLER'S WANT AD: 
A SOCK RADIO SHOW 

Chrysler would be inclined to 
return to a network niche in the 
fall if it could find something ex- 
ceptional in the way of a program. 
The manufacturer has been going 
along with an extensive spot cam- 
paign as support for local dealers 
and as a time-marker pending the 
advent of that "exceptional" net- 
work candidate. 

McCann-Erickson is the agency 
on the account. 



RECORD BJ2 



Business is enjoying a 1948 hypo 
in the New York indie station field, 
to hear them tell it. Billings coin 
has reached an all-time Hi^ at a 
number of the stations and, with- 
out exception, they're claiming 
pickings in excess of revenues for 
the same period of 1947. 

Whether profits are up in every 
case is, of course, something else 
again, operating expenses beuig on 
the upgrade also. There have been 
reports of some rate cutting, which 
would appear to indicate a net in- 
come picture not so rosy as the 
gross billings comparisons indicate. 

WINS, the Crosley-owned sta- 
tion, which was running in the red 
at the time the Jimmy Shousc- 
managed outfit took over a couple 
of years ago, is in the black, with 
time "nearly sold out," billings up 
35.7% over the 'first six months of 
last year and currently at an all- 
time high. 

Biggest percentage gain, because 
the station was deeply in the hole 
a year ago, is claimed by the Post's 
WLlBr where, according to man- 
ager Herman , Bess, the take is a 
whopping 100% over the first half 
of '47. Station is in the black for 
the second time in its history, Bess 
reports; net revenue up 500%. 

Bulova's WNEW and WOV both 
claim -substantial hikes in time 
sales. Latter, according to topper 
Ralph Weil, racked up a 31% in- 
crease for the past six months, 
with Italian-language billings up 
26% and English 44%. WNEW 
sales veepee Ira Herbert reports a 
22% gain. 

Loew's WHN reports a 12%% 
gain in sales over the first half of 
last year; the Times' WQXB esti- 
mates liillings are up about 2^%, 
and Nathan Straus' WMCA reports 
a fractional increase and ''good 
prospects" for greater gains in the 
fall. 

Gains are considered all the 
more significant in view of the fact 
that, in addition to the competition 
of the four network flagships, the 
indies are now competing for bill- 
ings with several aggressive FM 
stations and . four television sta- 
tions, with more coming. 

American 03 Bk 
Salvaged by ABC 

ABC rescued its American Oil 
Co. billing this past week and 
picked up still another "interim" 
bankroller for the web's hottest 
giveaway property, "Stop the 
Music." 

American Oil, which pulled in 
the pursestrings • on its Saturday 
night "Prof. Quiz" stanza at the 
season's end, is coming back into 
the fold Sept. 26 with a half-hour 
show tentatively titled ."Carnegie 
Hall" and possibly to originate 
from the famous N. Y. concert cen- 
ter. 

An important factor, no doubt, 
in the oil outfit's return was ABC's 
offer of the choice 7;30 Sunday 
period, which spots the "Carnegie" 
stanza immediately ahead of "Stop 
the Music." . ■ 

Web sold the 8:15 segment of 
"Music" to Swerl Products (dis- 
tributed by H. J. Heinz) for the 
nine weeks .pending EversHhrp's 
sponsorship of this period, Maxon 
agency's Detroit office placed the 
Swerl billing, effective last Sun- 
day (18). 



HopesUitinuitHnit«Lever(jies 
SwitchWitfaA&A;ToRMCanp 



Gordon Hiibbcl 

f Radio aiirf .TV 0iii*t>oi( th» Amatiuin 
; VnivvnilyrJ 
6iv«( rtw AeodMiIc Shwt (n 
"Now ft'« a B.S. in TV, at 
Video Goes to D. C. College" 
* * • 
An Editorial Faqtiir* . , 
In 

3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
NUMBER 

Out Next Week 



ABC Rules Top 15 
Hoipr Roost, Bid 
AH Ratings Wat 

ABC swept into the No. 1 posi- 
tion in the Hooper summertime 
sweepstakes this week, latching 
onto eight of the Top 15 spots in 
the July 1-7 ratings and topping 
all other nets in the commercial 
nighttime averages, for the first 
time. W^ter Winchell and the 8:45 
segment of "Stop the Miisic" are 
in the 1-2 brackets for the second 
time in a row. 

The overall rating picture, how- 
ever, is at a low ebb, W^V's payoff 
being the sole show exceeding 10 
and such summer -stan/.as iis tlu! 
Robert Shaw Chorale anfl the In- 
ternational Silver ".Musicontedy" 
failing to pick off even a 3.0. 

ABC blossomed as the top sum- 
mer network in Hooper's tabula- 
tion of commercial nighttime aver- 
ages showing ABC on top three 
evenings, CBS two and NBC two. 
Week-long averages came to 5.0 
for ABC, 4.7 for NBC and 4.4 for 
CBS. 

Big talk in the latest NieLsens 
(for June 6-12) is the No. 2 spot 
copped by Mutual's airing of the 
(Continued on page 34) 

Eisenhower Asb FCC 
To Cancel Columbia U. 
Grant for FM Station 

Washington, July 20. 

Columbia University President 
Dwight Eisenhower has had can- 
celled'the University's non-educa- 
tional FM grant. 

Gen. Eisenhower wrote the FCC 
that the commission had granted 
the call letters WCUV on channel 
210 in 1946, but "due to internal 
difficulties, the University ha.s not 
been able to carry through its ton- 
teraplatcd radio station, and tlic 
commission has been quite tolerant 
in holding this matter in abey- 
ance." 

He. said further that- he could 
not foresee in the future that the 
university could build a station. 
He asked the authorization be dis- 
missed without prejudice. 



San Antonio's Mr. I).A. 
Goes on a Radio Spree 

San Antonio, July 20. 

One of the most vigorous radio 
campaigns by a local politician is 
tliat lined up'by the local district 
attorney. 

In addition to a spot campaign 
lined up on KCOR and a series of 
five minute programs, a total ot 24 
quarter-hour periods will be used 
on KTSA. KABC. KITE, KONO 
and KMAC. 



WARING SWITCHOVER 
IN CLEARANCE SNAG 

Inability of NBC to line up suf- 
ficient stations may result in post- 
ponement of the moveover of Gen- 
eral Electric's Fred Waring show 
from Monday night 10:30 to Thurs- 
day night 10:30. Latter time has 
been vacated by Pabst, which is 
moving Eddie Cantor over to Fri- 
days on NBC in the fall. 

GE wanted to get rolling in the 
new time segment on July 29, but 
unless the aft'iliates can clear their 
local commercials, the switchover 
won't become cft'ective until later 
in the summer. 



Hollywood, July 20. 

Amos 'n' Andy return to Pepso- 
dent sponsorship next season, 
switching with Boh Hope, who 
takes the aegis of another Lever 
Bros, product, Rimso. Change 
ordered hy Charles Luckman, 
prexy of Lever, necessitates a shift 
in agencies, with Hope moving over 
to RuthrauS & Ryan and A & A 
coming into the fold of Foote, 
Cane & Belding. 

Change of products for the two 
comedy programs was occasioned 
by the demands of liope for addi- 
tional budget to travel his shows, 
which previously had been denied 
by Luckman. Comic has contended 
that his rating sufl'ered last season 
bepause of lack of funds to ^-.ecp 
hiB show on the move. . Understood 
that Hope has served notice on 
Lacktmin that unless Ala traveling 
expenses were . uadervnritten by 
Lever Bros, he would ask for re- 
lease from his contract. When. 
Luckman advised Hope that the 
P^psodent budget would not allow 
for any additional outlay, the comic 
is suld to. have suggested another 
product that could stand an in- 
creased travel allowance. 

Luckman had been in conference 
here with Hope and the prexy's 
decision to switch him- over to 
Rinso left him with only the al- 
ternative of giving A & A Pcpso- 
dent or finding another product 
for the blackface team, one of last 
season's high rated shows. Last 
season was Hope's 11th for Pepso- 
dent and previously, from 1829 to 
1938, the two A's served the then 
independent dentriflce outfit. 

It has long been Luckman'x 
theory tiiat, regardless of ratings, 
shows can be on the air too long 
for one product. He takes the as- 
sumption that when ratings are 
consistent, though high, year in 
and oat, it clearly indicates that a 
show is attracting the same audi- 
ence and if they're not buying the 
product after so many years they 
never will. Change of shows, he 
allows, means change of audience 
and a new buying public. When 
Amos *n' Andy were dropped by 
Luckman he admitted that these 
were his reasons toT making a 
change. 

When Hope goes to the post next 
season he'll be the only one left 
from last year's talent and pro- 
duction lineup. Disturbed by his; 
lowest ratings in many years, he'll 
start from scratch with a new slate 
of performers and writers. Jerry 
Colonna and Vera Vague, Les 
Brown's orchestra and the writing 
stafl: will be missing. Switch to 
R & R assures a new producer. 
Format will also undergo a change 
and instead of a dozen writers as 
in past seasons he'll use only three 
or four of the top fllghters. 

Don Belding, board chairman of 
FCB, is scheduled for a yachting 
trip with Luckman this week, and 
the following week Vic Hunter, in 
charge of new shows and talent 
liaison at FCB, will visit the Lever 
prexy at his ranch near San Diego. 



DAILIES HOPPING ON 
GIVEAWAY PAYOFFS 

Mutual's white hope in the give- 
away stakes, "Three for the 
Money," couldn't have had a nicer 
publicity break . than when that 
Himtington, W. Va., phone com- 
pany worker turned down $7,300 
he won Saturday night (17) be- 
cause he wanted to live in peace 
and obscurity. 

Papers, newsreels, etc., hopped 
on the story. Ed Wolf Associates, 
which produces the show, dis- 
patched a man to Huntington with 
a $7,300 check and a wire recorder, 
to talk the reluctant winner into 
accepting and get a "Mutual News- 
reel" recording of it at the same 
time. 

Story, which broke in Monday 
ayem papers, took practically all 
the play from ABC's "Stop the 
Mcsic" handout Sunday (18i of 
$17,000 in cash and goods to a 
Louisiana widow who guessed the 
"World Events March" mysteiy 
tune. 



18 



VednoeOay, July 21, 




It happened oj 




mm 



STORY OF A SIX-RING CIRCUS ★ The Bi'g Top's 
pitched every Saturday morning from nine till noon 
on the NBC Network. First ring: story-teller Craig 
McDonnell cracks his whip and favorite characters of 
fairy lore come to life. Second ring brings us back 
to this world with stnall fry themselves participating 
in a Mind Your Mannere session during which Proper 
Deportment jumps through hoops and illustrates how 
«&sy it Is to make friends a^d influence people. 

A fanfare, and Americaij hero Frank Mcrrlwell 
•prints into ring three for another dramatie adventure. 



The Adventures of Frank Merriwcll is higher than 
the circus' loftiest serial act with the January to March 
quartcriy Hooperating soaring to 3. 4. The Gilbert Youth 
Research Organization Survey shows that availability of 
younger listeners reaches its peak when Frank carries 
the ball for NBC. Incidentally, Frank Merriwell, Mind 
Your Manners, and Story Shop arc all waiting for a 
sponsor's banner to fly over their rings. 

Swift and Company hold the hot-dog concession at 
this NBC Saturday morning circus when they present 
Adventures of Archi« Andrewfi-^th© comic-stiip lad 



AMERICA'S NO. 1 NETWORK 



Wednesday, Joly 21, 194S 



P^mff 



29 




and a first-rate clown in his own right. Ring five is 
filled with die zany characters of .Meet the Meeks, as 
wacky a family as ever staged a circus of its own— 
again for Swift and Company. 

Smilin' Ed McConnell and His Buster Brown Gang 
throng into ring six ,with thirty- minutes of thrills, 
drama and fantasy bringing all the worid of glamour 
and imagination to the sawdust trod by the millions 
of 3'oung folks who wear shoes ma<le by the BroAAii 
Shoe Company. 

Just like the circus that pitches its tents in the soil of 




America, the Saturday morning NBC big top is visited 
by Mom and Dad as well as the young folks— only the 
NBC big top stretches from the Rock Bound Coast of 
Maine to die Sunny Shores of California. 

How to stage a circus? Jump on the Band Wagon in 
the big parade that goes on every Saturday morning 
through all the forty-eight states. Route your act over 
the powerful facilities of the NBC Network. Stretch your 
canvas over the vast NBC audience.* Join the performers 
of other great NBC acts. The result: a circus of sales 
that pays off week after week for show-niinded sponsofsi. 



f'OrpcralioH efAmema 



. . • the National Broadcasting Company 



30 



RADIO RBVIEWS 



Wednesday, Julf 21, 1948 



OUR MISS BROOKS 

With Eve Arden. Jeff Cbandlcr, 
Dick Crenna, Jane Morgan, Joe 
Forte, Wilbur Hatch orch, others 

Writers: AI Lewis, Lee Loeb 

Produeer^Director: Larry Berns 

30 Mins,; Moiii, 9 p. m. . 

Sustniningr 

CBS, from Hollywood 

Hei-e's another example of par- 
laying all the necessary show biz 
ingredients into an entertaining 
and adult half -hour of radio com- 
edy. Premiere of "Our Miss 
BrooHs" this : week (19) malccs two 
In a row in QBS' ambitious attempt 
to woo new business through its 
expanding roster of house-built 
shows, the web only two weeks pre- 
viously having successfully "sneak- 
previewed" the equally entertain- 
ing Lucille Ball show, "My Favor- 
ite Husband.''. ' ' 

"Our Miss Broolcs," at least on 
the getaway show, was a happy in- 
tegration of production, writing 
and acting. The talk is that Col- 
gate is anxious to gr^b H for the 
fa .11. tFhd preem performance defi- 
nitely won't invite any change of 
heart. 

Ji\c Arden is. cast in the lead 
vrple, and it looks like CBS' has 
found the right formula for inte- 
grating her talents into the audio 
medium. It's certainly a vast im- 
provement over her Sealtest career 
of ''he past.'season on NBC. 

Cast as a romantic English teach- 
er ^vho's on the make for a biology 
Instructor, she accents; all of the 
script's high points for a maximum 
laugh payoff.. She's suirouded by 
an equally competent east, includ- 
ing: Jeff Chandler, as the dope 
who's incapable of translating his 
biological experimentations into a 
more realistic version; Dick Cren-* 
na as a Homer-type student; Jane 
Morgan as a pixilated landlady, 
and Joe Forte as the .school 
principaL They're all distinct 
types, humanized and never too 
bvoadly caricatured, thanks to the 
Al Lewis-Lee L6eb mature script 

1 r l!} t^IIICD t ■ 

Latry Bems as piodaca>director 
has kcgred fhe whole thing to a 
correct tempo. Hose. 

MK!HAEL O'DVFFX 

WtK Sylvan Levin ' Oich> Tom 

O'Brien, announcer 
Prndacer: Frank McCarUiy 
15 iVIins.; Snn., 1 p.m. 
S--i<*aining ' 

^Tichael O'Duffy, who came to 
ti- ; U. S. last week from Eire and 
almost immediately went on the 
ail" for WOR, impresses as being 
o.ne of the more pleasing imports. 

has an easy, authentic style, 
fin-ly developed pipes, and excel- 
lent: phrasing and diction which 
should assure his acceptance on the 
airwaves. . ' ■ 

While his song selections run 
along the usual lines of Irish 
tenoijs, on his preem program he 
made one omission that shojtild in- 
gratiate Mm to the vast majority 
of I'^iteners: He failed to sing a 
Sf - ' tvf mother-love wiiich is tra- 
d' >:il with Irish tenors. 

' -.osmuch as O'Ouil^ arrived in 
this country a day^or so prior to 
his debut, the WOR musical staff 
did a sock job on O'Duffy's ar- 
rangements. They prepared the 
program in advance by the ex- 
pedient of copying the arrahge- 
incnts on recordings made abroad. 
Sylvan Levin's house band gave 
the singer a fullbodied background 
wliich helped accentuate the tenor's 
fin« falsetto. 

. O'DufOy is apparently slated for 
a Mutual buildup. In addition to 
hi'! Sunday WOR spot, he's to do 
a 10-minute session Thursday eve- 
nings on the network. Jose. 



m TIME AND DEATH 
Producer: Hoyt Andres 
Wr tier: Mary Ames Thompson :: 
30 iVIins., Sat., 7:30 p.m. 

Sustaining' 

WKY, Oklahoma City 

WHY'S "Ol Time and Death" is 
bitter fare tolling of death in traf- 
fic, accidents. It's a public service 
prqgram that isn't likely to be for- 
gotten by those hearing it, and 
should this session bring about 
more careful driving over the holi- 
days in the Oklahoma area, the 
program will have accomplished itis 
mission. 

Yarn tells of four unrelated peo- 
ple who meet death in July 4 ac- 
cidents last year. Most of the time 
is taken up by narration; one of 
the weaker parts of the ses.sion in- 
asmuch as there's little time al- 
.lotted to bringing about an ac- 
quaintanceship with the unfor- 
tunate parties. However, the pro- 
gram designers probably felt that 
there's enough sympathy for any- 
one meeting sudden death. 

Program describes a rather 
placid holiday of Jts sub.iects, a 
day which culminates in four fatal- 
ities. Show stresses the point that 
e?ich would have escaped had they 
taken 30 seconds to be careful. 

Production and writing are of 
Wgh standard and. enactments are 
competent. Carroll Freeman does 
• «apaole Job of narration, 



YOU CAN LOSE YOUK SIHBT! 
With Jack Barry, m.c„ Jerty Mar- 
shall, announcer 
Producer: Ted Got* 
30 Mins.; Mon., 9 p.m, 
BBUNO-NEW YORK 
WNEW, New York . „ . . . 

The really refreshuig thmg about 
this quiz session is that basically 
the contestant gets nothmg but 
laughs. And the laughs that piled 
up on the initial installment (19) 
would have sufficed to cushion 
handsomely several of the current 
network replacements which cany 
a comedy-show tag. However, it s 
a question whether "You Can Lose 
Your Shirt!" wUl be able to main- 
tain that risible level unless it 
equips itself each, week with a 
guest who can deliver the way 
Morey Amsterdam did on the 
opener. Amsterdam, who is defi- 
nitely a comic on the way up m 
this medium, tied the tiling into a 
knot when it came his turn to 
answer the? questions. 

In format, "Shirt" is a switch on 
the giveaway plague, Here the 
contestant collects naught for com- 
ing up with the correct answer hut 
pays off when he muffs. The 
losses, which are limited to $100, 
go to the lasing contestant's fa- 
vorite charity. The station also 
chi]ps into tills pot, turning over 
the check it gets from the spon- 
sor, Bruno-New York, distributors 
of RCA Victor products, Bendix 
washing-machines and other items, 
to a charity of its choosing.' Jack 
Barry, of "Juvenile Jury" note 
who emcees this one, also con- 
tributes his salary to some cause. 
And that also applies to announcer 
Jerry Marshall. It's a rather un- 
usual spectacle, to say the least, of 
everybody dishing out of his pocket 
and having a swell time at it. 

Introductoqr stanza brought to- 
gether as contestants, in addition 
to Amsterdam, some more or less 
wellknown New York businessmen. 
One of them was Bennett ' Cerf, 
publisher and anthologist. Among 
the three others were two heavy 
spot advertisers, ArUiur Adler, of 
the Adler shoe chain, and Joseph 
Shorin, ' head of Topps Chewing 
Gum. Shorin got so many men- 
tions for his products during the 
course of the quizzing and crossfir- 
ing that he cracked, "Anybody 
would think that we were sponsor- 
ing tills show." Shorin also proved 
quite quick on . the ad lib. Cerf 
got himself caught for $50 on a 
wrong guess on the number of 
radio sets in the U. S. He esti- 
mated 500,000, and a phone call to 
C. E. Hooper's home in Connecticut 
quickly set him right. Hooper's 
figure was 55,000,000 sets. Adler 
went down for the limit when he 
failed to sing his own commercial 
satisfactorily. 

Where the ' program actually 
turns out satiric, as obvldu.sly is its 
secondary, if not prime, motiva- 
tion, is the taggmg in at the end 
of the "Mystery Voice" gag, re- 
ferred here as "Mr- Shush." The 
"voice," which delivered a blurb 
on the Bendix washer, failed of 
identification from the contestant 
gallery. "Mn Shush," as it de- 
veloped, was Barry himself; How- 
ever, there's a straight touch to the 
"voice" device. Each identification 
earns $100 from Bruno. 

An added feature of the charity 
composition, of the progra.m is the 
sponsor's contribution of a washer 
to some" worthy organization. In 
.any event, Bruno's got itself a 
good buy and Monday evening lis- 
teners in New York a somewhat 
•different offshoot of the quiz she- 
bang. ' Odec. 



RAY NOBLE 

With Ilene Woods, Crew Chiefs (4), 
orch (30); Hy Abberback, an- 
nouncer 

Writer-Prodacer: Charles Herbert 

30 Mins.; Than., 9:30 p.m., EDT 

SEALTEST 

NBC. from Hollywood 

(McKc*" & Alhright) 
Pending the switch of the. radio 
billings from McKee & Albright to 
the Ayer agency in tlie fall; Na- 
tional Dairy Products is sponsoring 
a musical show with Ray Noble and 
Ilene Woods as a summer replace- 
ment for the Sealtest "VUlage 
Store," It's in the familiar, easy- 
to-take but slightly Innocuous 
classification of • hot weather pro- 
gramming. The only notable aspect 
qf the operation is the question of 
whether there may be any confu- 
sion of sponsor-identification in the 
use of Noble, who has been asso- 
ciated so long with Chase & San- 
bom, as the representative of the 
dairy combine. Presumably the 
Hooper telephone surveyors will 
provide dope on that, too. 

Noble Is an engaging m.c. as well 
as a gifted batoner. Although tiie 
continuity is not particutariy dis- 
tinctive, he gives it an unpreten- 
tiously gracious quality unusual in 
commercial radio.: And, as he's 
demonstrated for years, his music 
always has characteristic sheen of 
its own. As heard Thursday (15) 
the musical selections and arrange- 
ments are attractive, Ilene. Woods 
is a pleasing vocalist and the Crew 
Chiefs mixed chorus pro'vides ac- 
ceptable backgrounds. 

The orchestra numbers on the 
premiere included "Serenade," bas- 
ed on an Italian song; a nicely^ 
varied medley of Scotch airs; a 
medley of popular tunes of a 
decade ago (with a mild attempt at 
atmosphere continuity), a n d a 
medley of old Cole Porter hits. Miss 
Woods' sang "It Only Happens 
When I Dance With Y6U," "FeUa 
with an Umbrella" and part of the 
Porter medley. The choral' group 
did "Hooray for Love" and backed 
Miss Woods on "Fella." 

The Sealtest commercial, read by 
Hy Abberback, was for cottage 
cheese, and there was the usual 
cut-in for local dealers (in New 
■York 'the brand is Sheffield Farms). 

Hobe. 



A WOMAN'S WAY 

With Ann Hubert 

1.5 MiiLs., Mon.-thrU-Frl., 12:45 p.Bi. 

WAVE, Louisville 

Pleasing iocal femme personali- 
ty, Ann Hubert, has been on this 
station for a year, having celebrat- 
ed a birthday last week, and gives 
the lie to the old saw. "You can't 
serve two masters." Miss Hubert 
has been doing just this, and suc- 
cessfully; for t'wo divergent spon-^ 
sors, such as National Biscuit, and 
then by contrast, institutional plugs 
for the local utility, former for two 
days a week and iatt^ for three. 

Miss Hubert has interviewed a 
good many celebs during her one 
I year" term — authors, bandleaders. 
Amphitheatre principals, and a wide 
crossrscction of local people in the 
news, etc. She has a friendly way 
with her guests, and wisely lets 
them do most of the talking, a 
switch from the usual radio inter- 
view. On the days when she 
doesn't have a guest available, her 
program consists of women's news, 
recipes and household liints. An- 
nouncer handles the commercials, 
and Miss Hubert gives out with the 
friendly visits. She gets the Idea 
across to listeners that both she and 
her guests are having a wonderful 
time just talking over such simple 
things as how they came to get 
started in their work, etc., and 
seem to include the radio listeners 
as an important part of the friendly 
confab. One of the town's better 
daytime femme stanzas. Hold, 



STAIRWAY TO FORTUNE 
Producers: Joe Floyd, Cliff Gill 
30 Mins. Sat. 7:30 p.in, 
Sustainingr 

KIHO, Sioux Fails, S. D. 

Several years ago Joe Floyd, 
Sioux Falls theatre manager, and 
Cliff Gill, publicity man, .fed a 
remote line to the stage of Floyd's 
Hollywood theatre and introduced 
a. program which graduated to the 
networks as the popular "Blind 
Date" show. Now they've launched 
a new radio format. "Stairway to 
Fortune," on the same stage, again 
testing an idea in middle America's 
home pastures before offering it to 
bigtlme. The new show gives sev- 
eral original twisis to the well-worn 
quiz formula. There are entertain- 
ment values for'radio here, but the 
stage dressing , which "Stairway" 
utilizes suggests that its greater 
appeal' may lie in TV. 

Contestants in this quiz try to 
walk up an actual stairway, mov.' 
up a step for each query answered 
correctly and being penalized a 
step for each Huff. The staircase 
assumes< a spectacular and compet- 
itive pattern as participants find 
themselves on its various steps, 
each trying to reach the top first 
and get a crack at the jackpot. The 
theatre audience found it Interest- 
ing and amusing. 

An added gimmick aiding lis- 
tener reception is the business 
whereby contestants draw names 
of people living outside the city of 
broadcast, each name being sent 
the same award as his teammate on 
the stairway cops. Floyd himself 
handled the <L.racee job on the In- 
troductory show, but the permanent 
assignment goes to KIHO's Wayne 
Pritchard. Rees. 

Followup Comment I 



Guy Ijombardo orchestra's last 
Friday nifht (17) brought to a 
pleasant period his four-week 
stand for Old Gold on CBS. The 
repertoire was routined with hard- 
ly perceptible variation along the 
same lines that Lombardo has been 
packaging for that numerous line 
of sponsors, dating back to 1933; 
current pop tunes alternating with 
standards and a Lombardo medley 
for good measure at the finish. The 
maestro ni.c.'s this four-week series 
with his: usual simple aplomb, all 
in good keeping with a musical 
style that fits each successive num- 
ber to the same rigid mold. The 
script itself never got in the Way 
of the entertainment. Whether by 
Intent or lack of resourcefulness, 
that's the way it should be when 
tlje dean of the sweet contrivers of 
dansapation is the attraction. 



PHIL A. REPORT No. 2 

With Doue Edwards, narrator; 

Warreii Sweeney, announcer 
Writer - IProducer - Director: Lee 

Bland 

30 Mins.: Sun. (18). 1 l>Jni. 
Sustaininr 

CBS, from New York 

This one-shot was the Demo 
convention counterpart of a show 
CBS aired following the GOP i)ow- 
wow, editing down the taped rec- 
ord of the proceedings to a half- 
hour documentary reprise of high- 
lights, tied together with a narrated 
summary of the developments. 

CBS is deft at this sort of thing. 
From the -point of craftsmanship, 
the stanza in question was artfuUy 
done. t)oUg Edwards Is one of the 
Industry's bes>t hands at news de- 
livery and Lee Bland's script was 
terse and comprehensive (up to a 
point, which will be noted later). 
The taped pickups were generally 
well selected and nicely segued. 
"The program was conwiendably 
conceived, designed as it was to 
give listeners (few of whom could 
sit at their sets throughout the en- 
tire convention) a quick wrapup of 
what happened, documented by the 
voices of the leading figures in the 
event. , . 

It seems, however, that CBS not 
only missed a good and obvious 
bet in the show's treatment of Tru- 
man's acceptance speech, but may 
conceivably even be suspected of 
editorial slanting. It it wasn't a 
case of biased treatment, it was one 
of poor Judgment. For. manifestly, 
while the party's battle over civil 
rights and the resulting breakoff 
of the dixiecrats was one of the 
convention's major developments, 
the Truman talk was at least an 
equally significant and dramatic 
sequence. Coming at 2 a.m., as-it 
did, and electrifying a hot. weary, 
despondent convention, it obviously 
marked an 11th hour turning point 
in Demo hopes. 

If for .no other reason than that 
the President came on so late that 
only a small fraction of the radio 
and tele audience heard the ad- 
dress, it was worthy of, say, at the 
very least, five minutes of the 
stanza. But listeners, after hearing 
the party's differences of opinion 
highlighted for a good 27 minutes, 
suddenly found Truman kissed off 
with two brief quotes— much less 
time than given to several other 
speakers-— just before a quick 
windup! Racing the clock Edwards 
just had time to reel off something 
about Truman's talk pumping new 
life into the Demos. 

This .sort of thing is a cre.dit 
neither to CBS' impartiality nor its 
news judgment, Doan. 



SECRET MISSIONS 

With Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias, 
Myron - McCormick, Stcphan 
Schnable, Helen Shields, Martin 
Wolfson, Bill Quinn, Peter Ca- 
pell, Walter Kinsellsr. Neil C- 
Malfey, Cameion Tnid'homme; 
' Bill Hi^htower, announcer; El- 
liot Jacoby,. music 

Writer: Howard Merrill 
:roduccr-Director: Roger Bower 

34 Mins., Sun., 9 p.m. 

Sustainiiis 

Mutual, from New York 

Teed off last Sunday (18), this is 
a series of dramatizations "based 
on" the secret files of Admiral 
Ellis M, Zacharias, wartime deputy 
chief of the Ottice of Naval Intel- 
ligence, with the admiral himself 
introing and signing off each 
stanza. The series is suppo.sed to 
unreel "heretofore untold activities 
and accomplishments" of the ONI, 
in sort of international detective- 
story fashion. 

Yet, in the face of the ONI's 
proclaimed motto that "a fact is 
not ; a fact until it is confirmed," 
the show is neither all fact nor all 
fiction. And the- listener, told at 
tlie close that certain of the inci- 
dents really happened, in uncon- 
nected cases, is disillusioned with 
the discovery that he has not ac- 
tually heard one of the "mo.st 
thrilling«exploits" of the war, but 
rather just a thriller utilizing a 
few fictionalized tidbits from ONI 
files. (It's too much to expect, ap- 
parently, that the publicitv-hating 
Navy Dept. even now would dis- 
close some of ONI's undoubtedly 
tlinlling exploits. It's understood 
the Navy passes on Zacharias' ma- 
terial for .security, but doesn't 
vouch for the factualness of any 
of it.) 

Thus, the listener is left to judge 
the stanza on its mertts a.s a drama. 
AS" siich, it's so-so stuff. The inl- 
tialer was concerned With Si man- 
hunt, to Holland and Germany and 
back to the U. S., for a Dutch 
scientist with the formula for an 
anti-sub explosive. The characteri- 
zations were ineffective; there was 
no real plot; scripting and overall 
production were uninspired. Zach- 
arias, though, has pleasant mike 
manners. Doan. 



GET RICH QUICK 

With Johnny Olsen. emcee; Jimmr 

Blabic, announcer 
Writer: Ken Houston 
Producer-Director: John Clearr v 
30 Mins.; Mon., 9-3* p. m. ~ . 
Sustaining 

ABCy from New Yorii 

Now it's. "Get Rich l^uick." 
ABC's newest entrant in the tele* 
phonic-giveaway hysteria follows 
the now-standard, . familiar pattern 
without going too overboard on the 
payoffs and with Johnny Olsen. to 
keep It moving at a moderately 
fast clip. Chalk it up as a better' 
Class B product in the giveaway 
sweepstakes. • 

Here's the format on Uiis one: 
A group of actors enacts a dramatic 
vignette. The person called must 
Identify the person, place, etc., rep- 
resented In the enactment. The 
solution is reasonably simple, with 
the answer fetching a $25 U, S. 
Bond, and making the contestant 
eligible for the jackpot question: 
"What was the name of King 
Midas' daughter?" Jackpot starts 
out with a $500 U. S. Bond, with an 
additional $50 added every time the 
jackpot question Is muffed. 

Within the space of a half-hour 
Olsen, by maintaining a steady 
pace, permits for a good half-dozen 
of the riddle-me-this vignettes. 
He's okay. , Rose. 

HOLLYWOOD BOWL SYMPH 
Witb. Eugene Onnandy condact« 

ing; James Passett. Eva Gaotier» 

Edward Goodnow 
Producer-director: Peter Pronse 
90 Mins.; Swi.. 3 pju. 
Sustaining 

CBS, from Hollywood 

Moving into the time .slot held 
in fall and winter by the New York 
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Holly- 
wood Bowl Symphony auspiciously 
teed off an eight-week concert 
series on CBS Sunday (18) under 
Eugene Ormandy's direction. Pro- 
gram ranged from the oft-done 
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in C 
Minor and Ravel's "Bolero" t» 
Richard Strauss' tone poem, ''Don 
Juan" along with Bach's Toccata 
and Fugue in D Minor. 

The Bowl Symphony, whose per- 
sonnel is formed from Ijbe Los 
Angeles Philharmonic Orch, did a 
standard interpretation of the 
Beethoven work and was particu- 
larly colorful in playing the Ravel 
score. Music lovers . would' have 
found few flaws In Ormandy's 
masterful guidance of the 100- 
piece outfit. 

Series, incidentally, marks the 
first nationwide broadcasts 'to be 
done by the Bowl organization. In- 
termission comments were sup- 
plied by CBS music supervisor 
James Fassett and- his guests, Eva 
Gautler and Edward Goodnow. : 
Their observations were the usual 
background stuff, already known" 
by the more erudite dialers. . Bowl 
Symphony, however, won't do any 
harm to CBS' prestige through the 
summer dog days. Gilb. 



MARY CHERRY 

With Arnold Wilkes 

15 Mins., Mon-thru-Fri.. 1:39 P.1II. 

Participating ' 

WGY, Schenectady 

Mary Awilda Cronlnger, who airs 
under the. name of Mary Cherry, is 
a former overseas Red Cross worker 
spotted to replace the longtime 
"Betty Lennox" program (last of 
which was conducted by Mrs. Clark 
Poling). She had substituted for 
Mrs. Poling during a vacation 
period, Arnold .Wilkes, supervisor 
of continuity at WGY and ex- 
announcer, has been added to 
break up voice monotony and to: 
lend a touch of masculine infor- 
mality. 

It's a reasonably listenable, if 
quite orthodox, matinee quarter- 
hour. Chief topic of discussion is 
meals and recipes. One slightly 
different angle is "International 
Day" on Wednesday, when the 
favorite dishes of Polish, Swedish, 
Italian, etc., listeners are discussed. 

Miss Cherry, who had experience 
as .a radio secretary and commer- 
cial announcement writer after 
serving two years in jungle hospi- 
tals of New Guinea and later the 
Philippines, turns o u t smooth 
scripts. It's difficult at times to 
determine whether she and Wilkes 
are reading or adlibbing—^ which 
speaks well for their mike tech- 
nique. 

Wilkes has a nice set of pipes, 
but sometimes sounds a bit too 
stylizied. He is a glib talker. 

One wonders whether a more 
provocative, comprehensive and 
challenging women's show — the 
kind that digs into questions other 
than cooking and decor.ating — ^will 
ever replace the long-accepted loca: 
type. Jaco. 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



Bimio 



31 



First in 8-Station Baptist FM Web 
Preems in Tex.; 175G Program Fund 



Belton, Tex., July 20. 4 

The first of eight FM stations 
to feature religious programs in 
a ngtwork promoted by the Bapt- 
ists General Convention is on the 
air. It is KMHB, owned by Mary 
Hardin-Baylor College here. The 
outlet is broadcasting on a 90-day 
probationary permit preliminary 
to getting a fuUtime FCC license. 
KMHB is operating with 14,000 
watts on FM channel 246 or 97.1 
megacycles. 

Dr. R. Alton Reed of Dallas, 
who has been connected with the 
various technical, legal and finan- 
cial aspects of the web since 
May, 1947, estimated that "15 to 
18 months" would . elapse before 
the rest of the stations get going. 

That time is necessary, accord- 
ing to Dr. Reed, in order to get 
equipment, and personnel and to 
iron out other problems. Dr. Reed, 
whose title is director of radio 
activities for the general conven- 
tion, emphasized that the conven- 
tion is only promoting .the net- 
work and that each of the outlets 
will ibe owned by other Baptists 
groups or in.stitutions. 

Network headquai-ters will be 
in Dallas with $175,000 earmarked 
for ' the production of live broad- 
casts featuring drama, music and 
preaching. 

Each of the outlets is proposed 
AS a nonprofit institution. Each 
would be: on the air from 6 a.m. 
to I'G pinf. seven days a week. 
Enough commercial broadcasts 
would be carried to pay opera- 
tion costs of each outlet. 

It was estimated that each of 
the outlets would cost around $25,- 
000. Where the station is located 
at a college they would: serve as 
laboratories for the radio classes. 

Six outlets in the proposed web 
have been given a conditional 
grant by the FCG. Each would 
have a power of 4,000 watts. These 
outlets include KBSG, First Bapt- 
ist Church at Beaumont, channel 
300 at 107.9 megacycles; KPHC, 
Howard Payne College, Brown- 
wood, channel 290, at 105.9 mega- 
cycles; KBOH, Buckner Orphans 
Home, Dallas, channel 300, at 
107.9 megacycles; KSWW, South- 
western Baptists Theological Sem- 
inary, Fort Worth, channel 227 at 
93.3 megacycles; KSSC, San An- 
tonio Baptists Association, San 
Antonio, channel 289, at 105.7 
megacycles; K W S W, Wayland 
Baptistsi College, Plainview, chan- 
nel 297, at 107.3 megacycles. 

The eighth outlet would be 
owned an doperated by Hardin- 
Simmons University at Abilene. 
The application has been accepted 
for filing by the FCC. 



World-Circling Format 
For 'Vox-Pop' in 2-Way 
AM-TV Spread for '49 

Parks Johnson and Warren Hulif 
the vox poppers, are peddling 
their 16-year-old air show for the 
fall as an AM-TV deal, for which 
tliey may eilher make a sys- 
tematic road tour of the 48 states 
pr lake a globe-circling junket. 
In the latter case, they'd originate 
"Vox Pop" from the sites of the 
Seven Wonders of the World. The 
radio stanza would be tape rec- 
orded and the tele edition filmed, 
ducer chores on "Vox Pop" early 
this year, during its season's run 
on ABC- for American Express, 
ha.s been retained by Johnson and 
Hull (incorporated as Vox Pop, 
Inc ) and currently is conferring 
w,ith them on format changes and 
tele plans. Johnson has formed a 
new company, Vox Pop Films, to 
handle the production and market- 
uns of the TV stanza. A camera- 
man will be added to the show's 
troupe to film all broadcasts and 
supplementary material wherc- 
ever the program travels. 

Reformatting, according to Hull, 
calls for stepping up the show's 
gimmicks, greater audience par- 
ticipation, and less "feature story" 
accent. 

to visit the 48 states 
stems from popular reaction the 
vox poppers got from a visit to 
the Texas legislature. If the all- 
states junket comes off, they'll 
similarly visit each capitol. "Vox 
f op, incidentally, claims to be 
televised exactly as aired. This 
its stand at the 
world's Fail- in 1939, 



Tale of 3 Cities 

Producer-director Herb Moss is 
in the throes of auditioning a new 
Hildegarde radio show in three 
cities on two continents. 

On the q.t. he aew out to Chi- 
cago last week to wrap up the 
show idea with Hildegarde. and her 
manager, Anna Sosenko. One seg- 
ment of the show was auditioned 
there immediately. Another pai-t 
of the show will be auditioned 
next week in Paris, where Hilde- 
garde and Miss Sosenko will be 
at the time. Moss expects to fly 
there to produce this segment, too. 
Third portion will be cut immedi- 
ately upon Hildegarde's return to 
New York in early September. 

It'll be a wire-recorded show 
formatted so an Informal, at home 
and nitery chitchat series enlist- 
ing top show biz celebs as guests. 



Talking It Up 

Hollywood, July 20. 

General Foods will try a new 
tack in commercials on its 
four Jello shows by having 
Meredith Willson and his "talk- 
ing people" handle all the plug 
.copy, For programs ailing 
from the east he'll be cut in 
from Hollywood, where he'll 
originate his own show for GF. 

Idea is to concentrate its 
identification with one set of 
voices. Willson innovated his 
"talking people" on the Ford 
show two seasons ago. 



Lewis Vice Funt On 
'Nora Drake' Scripting 

Milton Lewis .succeeds Julian 
Funt as' scripter of the "Nora 
Drake" daytime serial for Toni 
shampoo, effective Monday (26). 
Funt had to relinquish the assign- 
ment because of a product conflict 
between that show and the "Big 
Sister" serial, which he writes for 
Procter & Gamble. "Drake'' is 
directed by Charles Irving, 

In addition to scripting "Thin 
Man" and numerous other pro- 
grams, Lewis collaborated with 
Funt in the authorship of "The 
Dancer," melodrama produced two 
seasons ago by George Abbott. 



Virginia Pape Seen New AFRA 
Head; Coast Key to Elections 



WOR's Mobile Unit Show 

WOR, N. Y., which has been 
shopping for a long time for a reg- 
ular assignment for the expensive 
mobile unit purchased by the sta- 
tion last year, has finally come up 
with, one in a new woman-in-the- 
home show to be kicked off in mid- 
August, featuring Charlotte. Adams, 
cooking and home editor of Look 
mag.' 

Miss Adams, ex-cooking editor 
of the Associated Press, who for- 
merly did a show for femmes on 
WQXR, N. Y., was one of those 
auditioned last year by WOR for 
its Barbara Welles spot. Initially, 
she'll do an 10:^0 Saturday ayem 
half-hour, but the station is mull- 
ing a cross-the'-board stanza if the 
weekly setup clicks. Miss Adams 
Will travel with the mobile unit to 
homes, shopping centers* etc. Pro- 
gram will be offered for participat- 
ing st>onsorship. 



L A.-to-N. Y. Swing of Summer Originations 

T/iere's o wholesale west'to-east sM/t in th.e »rigination8 of summer replacement fare and other 
new .shows on the jour major networks. Tabutat ton this meek, as the hiatus semester got into full 
swing, showed that among fMin stanzas and pro grams which have teed off since late spring, or are 
soon to preem 74 originate from N. Y,,. whereas only 20 come from Hollywood and 11 from Chicago 
and other points. It's spelling a worfcra-plentj/ heyday for Gotham tolent, ond o comparative dearth 
of paychecks for Coast radicMes, Here's the orifiilnofion lineup; - 

AMERICAN BROADCAS'rmG CO. 



New York 
Buddy Weed Trio 
Fun House 
Criminal Casebook 
Hope of Peace 
Get Rich Quick 
This Changing World 
Second Honeymoon 
What's My Name? 
Jergens' Journal 
Go for a House 
Sea Hound 
Spotlight on Sports 
Tomorrow's Tops 
Race of the Day 
Whiz Quiz 

Milton Cross' Opera Album 
Super,stition 



Hollywood 

Front Page 
Johnny Fletcher 
Comedy Writers' Sho':? 
Musical Etchings 



Elsewhere 

Esplanade Concerts (Boston) 
Dance Band Jamboree (remotes) 
Xavier Cugat (remotes) 
For Luvva Mike (Chicago) 
Personal Autograph (Chi) 
Stars in the Nilght (Chi) 
Music by Maupin (Chi) 



Cabin B-13 
Camel Caravan 
County Fair 

Dr. Standish, Med. Exam. 
Jerry Wayne-Ned Calmer : 
It's Always Albert ■ 
Give & Take 
Family Hour 
Hilltop House 
Moray Amsterdam Show 
Mr. Chameleon 
Pause That Refreshes 
Lombardo's OG Show 
Singalong 
Spotlight Revue 

Let's Dance, America (plus remotes) 
Musicomedy 
Sing It Again 
Robert Q. Lewis Show 



COLUMBIA BROADCASTING SYSTEM 

Amazing Mr. Tutt 
Hollywood Showcase 
Our Miss Brooks 
My Favorite Husband 
Romance 

Hallmark Playhouse 



MUTUAL BROADCASTING SYSTKM 



Life Begins at 80 
Better Half 
Under Arrest 
What Makes You Tick 
Mystery Playhouse 
Merts' Record Session 
Adventure Parade 
Heatter's Mailbag 
John B. Kennedy 
Secret Missions 
Talent Jackpot 
Three for the Money 
There's Always a Woman 
Gol. Stoopnagle's Quiz Academy 
Luncheon at Sardi's 

First Piano Quartet (Sun.) 
Jane Pickens Show 
Robert Shaw Chorale 
First Piano Quartet (Mon.) 
Carmen Cavallaro 
Thin Man 
Call the Police 
National Minstrels 
.rack Pearl Show 
Tex & Jinx 

Armed Services Review 
New ITaees 
Cities Sei-vice Band 
First Piano Quartet (Fn.) 
Radio City Playhouse 
We Love & Learn 
Sammy Kaye 
Morton Downey 
Author Meets Critics 
Who Said That? 
Slapsie Maxic Show 
Sat. Night Dancing Date 



Lone Wolf 
It's a Living 



Roy Rogers Show (travels ) 



NATIONAL BROADCASTING SYSTEM 



♦ Virginia Payne, defeated for the 
national presidency of the Ameri- 
can Federation of Radio Artists two 
yeavs ago by one disputed vote, 
looms as a likely choice for the 
office this year. However, the 
union's Los Angeles delegation to 
the annual convention in Boston 
next month may vote as a. solid 
bloc and swing the election to 
some other candidate. 

From indications, Ken Carpen* 
ter, current and last year^ prest-. 
dent, won't be a candidate again; 
Under the usual procedure, the 
presidency alternates between the 
■New York and Coast chapters, and 
it was understood last year, when 
Carpenter was re-elected, that the 
office would go this year to. Clay- 
ton CoUyer, then president of the 
New York local and elected at that, 
time as national first vice-presir " 
dent. However, Collyer has since 
been succeeded by Nelson Case as 
N. Y. local prez, his conservative 
Artists Committee faction has been . 
ousted from control of,the°local. 
board and, a few weeks ago, of the 
New York representation on the 
national board. . 

Also, the liberal forces swept the; 
election of delegates to the national 
convention, so CoUycr's election. to 
the national presidency now ap- 
pears unlikely. However, there 
may be difficulty finding a candi- 
date of sufficient national promi- 
nence who is acceptable to the vari- 
ous factions. On that Ijiasis, Miss 
Payne may be a natural choice, as 
she has never been closely asso- 
ciated with any group, has not been 
involved in factional strife and is 
especially popular with the smaUer . 
locals. 

A former president of the Chi'' 
cago chapter, Miss Payne was a 
national vice-president of AFBA 
two years ago when she was nom- . 
inated for the presidency against 
Carpenter, When the ballots were 
first £ounted it was thought the re- 
sult was a tie, but before the tabu- 
lation was announced a missing 
delegate appeared and cast the de- 
ciding vote for Carpenter. Mian 
(Continued on page 37) 

Scripps-Howard Nixed 
InFCC'sGrantofCleye. 
AM Bid to Lociil Outfit 

Washington, July 20. 
Following its pattern of favoring 
local ownership of broadcast sta* 
tions, the Federal Communications 
Commission, last week granted aU ' 
AM station to Cleveland Broadcast- 
ing, Inc., instead of Scripps-HoWard 
Radio, Inc. 

FCC said 24 of the 25 officers, 
directors and stockholders of Cleve- 
land Broadcasting have been res- 
idents of the Cleveland area for 
many years, and 23 of these in- 
dividuals reside ' there at the 
present time: 

Scripps-Howard, on the other 
hand, has only one member of its 
board of five directors and three 
executive committee members liv- 
ing in Cleveland.' Two officers of 
the corporation also reside in 
Cleveland. 

FCC found that favoring the 
application of Cleveland Broadcast- 
ing would integrate ownership and 
management. "We believe that 
these factors are of particular 
relevance in the. instant case where 
both applicants propose initially to 
provide a local non-network serv- 
ice devoted to the particular needs 
and interests of the Cleveland 
metropolitan area." 



Let's Talk HoKywood 
Rexall Summer Theatre 
Meet.Corliss Archer 
-Evening With Romberg 
Kraft Music Hall 
Ray Noble-Ilene Woods 
Time, Place & Tune 
Mel Torme Show 



RFD America (Chi) 
Dizzy Dean 'St. Louis) 
Appointment with Music (Nashville) 
Sat. Nite Dancing Date (Chi) 



MATHES PITCHES FOR 
BORDEN AIR BILLINGS 

The' J. M. Mathes agency is 
readying a pitch at the Borden 
radio billings, now handled by 
Kenyon & Eckhardt. John Bates, 
director of radio for Mathes, was 
in Hollywood last week to record 
a ne\y "Elsie and Elmer" comedy 
program for submission to Stu 
Peabody, Borden advertising head. 

The milk outfit now has two 
radio shows, "Your Song and 
Mine," produced by Air Features 
for K & E, and "County Fair," pro- 
duced by the agency. Young & 
Rubicam, which had a long and 
spotty record with the Borden 
radio account,* still has some Of tbe 
billings in other media. 



TBUBVISIOIV 



Wciln^'aJay^ July 21, 194S 



Video StiD a lystery Baby To 
Cincy; Pix, Cafes Cross B,0. Fingers 



Television Reviews 



By JOE KOLUNG 

{No. 6 ill o series showing how 
television is projecting itself in the 
key bities throughout the coun- 
try.) 

Cincinnati, July 20. 

Entering its fifth month of com- 
mercial existence in Cincy, tele- 
vision is still a mystery baby. 
While being cuddled by its first 
local adopter, Crosley's WLWT. 
Video Is drawing oodles of ahs and 
ohs from most of the owners and 
lookiers^on at a known 3,250 
sets, with others, engaged in 
amusements and kindred lines that 
might be helped or hurt by TV, 
crossing tlieir fingers and hoping 
for the best. 

At this early stage there is no 
accurate way x>f telling whiat affect 
TV has had on diverting trade from 
pix houses and niteries, or if it has 
cut or built attendance at Grosley 
Faeld, home of the Cincy Reds. In 
other lines of sport, it is definitely 
known that»TV has been a consid- 
erable gate builder for wrestling 
and boxing, 

Justin B. Duncan, acting direc- 
tor of WLWT, is the accepted 
authority on TV hereabouts. He is 
a pioneer in the television field, 
having worked with it and on it in 
the east for a decade before join- 
ing Crosley seven years ago. 

"Our baseball schedule," said 
Duncan, "is only for 34 games this 
year, none of them at night or on 
Sundays and holiday's, and only 
four on Saturdays. So it is diffi- 
cult to learn if we are keeping 
more persons from the games here 
than are new customers made by 
video. 

"Wrestling attendance has built 
upi real well since we began tele- 
- vising tlie Friday night matches. 
Ross Leader," the promoter, has 
openly verified this help. Our 
coverage of the Golden Gloves box- 
ing bouts on three Monday nights, 
sponsored by WKRC, according to 
a statement volunteered by Charl- 
ton Wallace, that station's promo- 
tional director,, cleared more than 
enough money to make up a deficit 
from last year. ■■ 

"We da have a definite check on 
at least two of our shows. One is 
a nightly 50-minute program for 
children, starting at 6:30 p.m., re- 
cently added to our schedule and 
running our air time up to 30 hours 
a week. It contained a 20-minute 
picture, 'Jungle Queen,' in 12 
episodes, which recently ended and 
drew heavy fan mail. 

"Our Tuesday night 60-minute 
• program;' 'Who Am I,' in which 
viewers are called by "us on the 
telephone and offered merchandise 
prizes to identify the subjects, like- 
wise has a big audience. A dozen 
or so persons are called during the 
hour, and on two occasions every 
one . of them answered the calls and 
had their television sets on." 

Downtown and neighborhood 
cafes with television sets are 
known to get their heaviest plays 
on wrestling and boxing programs. 
Baseball followers ai'e hot and 
cold, the bar trade reports, accord- 
ing to the way the Reds are going, 
the n^al fan preferring to go out 
to the ball : park, if he has time, 
rather than view the game on a 
small screen. 

' Cincy installations,; which • have 
stepped up steadily since the in- 
auguration, of regular program- 
ming, .are ^nbw at weekly rate 
of from 150 to 200. 

-Sets' for the most part are oper- 
ating within ..a 60-mlle~radiUs, says 
Duncan, and offer satisfactory re- 
ception. Crosley management in 
replying to inquiries from residents 
beyond that range cautions that 
they will be assuming .a, risk on 
pickups for "consii^tentty good re- 
ception," 

WLWt telecasts have been re- 
ceived 'MP to a 400-mile distance, 
Duncan informs. 



Dr. Allen B. DuMont 

sett forth his 

'^'Tele-Transcription 
Idea for Rapid 
Networking'* 

in 

3d Annual Special 
RAPIO-TELE VISION 
EDITION 

Out Next Week 



Dallas Council Hixes 
500*Ft. Tower Erection 
Despite 'Kid Stuff Plea 

Dallas, July 26. 
, Permission for the erection of a 
500-foot television tower in a resi- 
dential area east of downtown Dal-- 
las, was denied Tom Potter by the 
Dallas City Council. In a plea be- 
fore the council, R. K. Prescott, 
lawyer for Potter, told the group 
that "you'll be voting against 68,- 

000 school children and the citizens 
wlio want television 'if you vote 
against this tower/' The vote of 
the coiincil was unanimous. 

Mayor Jimmle Temple told Prss-:. 
jcott that "it's not a question of 
whether we have television. We 
are talking about a zoning problem. 

1 wouldn't want a 500-foot tower 
jammed up against my home -and 
you wouldn't either." 



Ziv's 52-Week Series Of 
'Yesterday's NewsreeF 

New 52-week series of television 
film shorts titled "Yesterday's 
Newsreel" has been wrapped up 
by Ziv Television Programs, Inc., 
and is now being oHered to net- 
works and sponsors. Shorts, run- 
ning 15 minutes each and featur- 
ing news highlights of years back, 
were directed by Donald Jacques. 
Warren Sweeney, Ray Morgan and 
Koslyn Green are narrators. 

Although they were produced 
€.5peciaUy for TV. the shorts have 
aroused considerable interest 
among major film distributors, ac- 
cording to Ziv TV prexy John 
Sinn. One of the majors, he said, 
has already begun negotiations to 
take over the series for theatrical 
distribution throughout the U. S. 

Ziv last week, incidentally, 
bought out the General Film Li- 
brary of California from M. M. 
Landres. its owner, for .$100,000. 
Outfit now owns the General li- 
braries in both California and N.Y., 
plus the Miles, Kinogram and 
Forster libraries, giving it a total 
13,500,000 feet of Jibrary and 
stock shots from which to package 
its TV shows. 



GROSS QUESTION „. , , 

With Geraldinc Paiec HUa DieW. 
Bob Brown, Joseph JSelluccj, 
and Richard Kcyes; Myron Wal- 
lace, announcer c, * 
Producer-Director: Bruno Ve»o|o 
45 Mins,. Sun., 8:30 p.m. 
PATRICIA STEVENS, INC. 
WGN-TV, Chicago 

(Arthur Meyerhoff) . 
It was inevitable that .tele, fol- 
lowing the lead of legit, films and 
radio, should make use oi . the 
ready-made drama of trial by jury. 
"Cross Question," however, varies 
from its prototypes in several 
fundamental details. The dialog is 
ad Hbbed. The judge and attorney 
roles are filled by professionals 
from the Chicago Bar Assn. 

William Wines, of the Illinois 
attorney general's staff, briets ac- 
tual cases, retaining the basic legal 
situation. The plaintiffs, defend- 
ants, and witnesses, portrayed by 
actors, are grounded in the facts 
necessary to their respective char- 
acterizations, but the dialog is left 
for them to improvise. It's the 
video twist on commedia deH'arte 
with overtones of Stanislavsky. 
And it saves rehearsal time. 

Show viewed • (18) marked the 
sponsored bow of the series, which 
teed off as a sustainer several 
months ago. . Case concerned a di^ 
vorced husband " Who sued his 
mother-in-law for alienating his 
wife's affections. Drama had a gen- 
uine courtroom flavor and held in- 
terest throughout. Verdict was re- 
turned by a jury of studio visitors 
who, like others in the drama, are 
on their very own. 

Prosecuting attorney Max Liss 
and defending lawyer Homer 
Johnannsen sparred in highly 
credible style, under the phleg- 
matic eye of John W. Costello. an 
attorney who presided as judge. 
Impressive was Liss' plea to the 
jury, a spread-eagle harangue in 
the best legal tradition. The three 
principles on the witness stand 
were generally effective except one 
whose ad libbing, under Liss' grill- 
ing, was reduced to monosyllables. 

Timing of the show, an awkward 
matter sinc& lawyers aren't partic- 
ularly clock-conscious when orat- 
ing, was handled via notes from 
the bailiff, an actor. At several 
points the cameras failed to keep 
pace with the verbal ping-pon§ be- 
tween judge and objecting lawyer, 
but that's an expected penalty 
when ad libs are free to fly. Single 
set carefully approximated a 
court room. As an added touch o£ 
realism, a bona fide court reporter. 
Blair Miller, does a transcript of 
each show. 

Patricia Stevens, a model school 
and agency, will ' test-sponsor on 
three more Sundays. Although 
"Cross Question" is firstrate video 
fare, its specific power to lure 
would-be models is open to debate. 

Beat. 



ABC Unwraps largest Yet'TV 
Studio Blueprint; Preems in 6 Montb 



E. F. McDonald, Jr. 

is bullish that his 

"Phonovision Is 
Television's 
Programming 
Panacea'* 



3d Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
EDITION , 

Out Next Week 



$40,350,000 Tele-Radio 
Equipment Sales For 
'48's 1st Quarter Period 

Washington, July 20. 

Sales of radio and television 
equipment, including electron 
tubes, totaled $40,350,000 .during 
1948's first quarter,, according to 
the Radio Manufacturers Assn. 
Almost half of the sales, or $18- 
053,969, went to the U. S. Govern- 
ment, and $12,875,186 of the Fed- 
eral purchases were for radar 
equipment. 

Tubes used in TV sets showed 
the greatest gain over the same 
period of 1947. First quarter out- 
put of 170.430, this year, was more 
than three times the production in 
1947's first quarter when 51,214 
s&ch tubes were manufactured. 

Sales of transmitting and com- 
munications equipment of all types 
fell below the $56,000,000 total 
reached in the first quarter of 1947, 
because of a drop in government 
procurement from about $40,000,- 

000 to $18,000,000. 
Transmitting equipment sales 

for the first quarters of both years 
were about equal, totalling S6,725,- 
1385. 

I FM transmitting equipment sales 
' by R\l.\ member-co.mpanies aggre- 

1 gated $l,61.i.2ft4 and AM sales 

I were .f(i()7,435. Studio equipment 
I for both AM and FM stations 
i amounted to $1, 193,060 and an- 
tenna equipment, excluding towers, 
to $558,577. 



ABC's exec veepee Robert E. 
Kintner on Monday (19) took wraps 
off blueprints for the construction 
of the country's biggest televisipn 
studios, which will be the nerve 
center of the web's TV operation 
as well as housing its N.Y, flagship, 
WJZ-TV. 

A building formerly used as an 
arena for the N, Y. Riding Club, 
occup.ving the width of a city block 
betweeh 66th and 67th streets, off ■ 
Central Park West, will be convert- 
ed into a TV center providing 2,- 
000,000 cubic feet of usable space. - 
Reconversion will be started imme< 
diately, and is expected to be com-' 
pleted in six months. 

Until a usable studio is available 
at this location, WJZ-TV, which is 
slated to take to the air August 
10, will operate temporarily from 
the Peter Junco photo studios at 
157 East 69th street, between' Madi- 
son and Lexington avenues. 

Principal studio in the big lay- 
out will measure 200 feet by 100 
feet, with a 45-foot ceiling. It will 
be equipped with sound-proof 
translucent panels, fabricated of ' 
glass and plastics, to divide it into 
smaller units when wanted. When 
not in use, the panels will, be 
dropped by motor controls into ; 
slots in the floor. 

Studios will be fitted x>\it with 
total of 16 image orthicon cameras 
as well as the latest types of studio, 
motion picture and field . cameCfis. 
Elaborately equipped control boai'd. 
will be erected" on a balcony. A 
clients' booth adjacent to it will 
share a 95-foot plate-glass vie\ying 
window. Several hundred video 
amplifiers will be installed through*: 
out the building to provide picture, 
distribution. 



Tele FoUow-Up 



"Texaco Star Theatre" as a 

vaudeo showcase projected anew 
last week the ever-mounting prob- 
lem of integrating established 
show biz personalities Into the 
sight-and-sound medium. Up to 
now the Texaco hour-long TV pro- 
duction has been a Milton Berle 
"baby'' and if the subsequent em- 
cees have shown up less advan- 
tageously (as was particularly ap- 
parent when Bill Gaxton tried step- 
(Continued on page 37) " • 



ap- 



Mayo's Playlet Series 

Ba.sil Rathbone has been 
proached by Waldo Mayo, who con 
ducted the orchestra on the old 
"Capitol Theatre Family" radio 
-show, to be narrator and occasion- 
al leading actor of a series Of tele- 
filmed playlets. The stanzas would 



McClay to Coordinate 
WCAtl-TV Prograhuning 

Philadelphia, July 20. 

John IVfcClay, former program 
director at WPEN here, has been 
named program coordinator for 
WCAU-TV, succeeding Donald S. 
McKay, who resigned. 

In his new post, McClay will be 
responsible for program develop- 
ment, special writing, studio as- 
signment, coordination of local and 
network programming and overall 
scheduling. 



Kieran, Arcel Series 

Pointing up anew the increa.sed 
emphasis on television film pro- 
grams pending the completion of 
coast-to-coast networking facilities, 
two more series of film shorts were 
put into production this .week by 
International Tele-Film Co., N. Y. 
indie package fitni. One series is 
to star John Kieran and the other, 
written and directed by author 
Budd Schulberg, will feature fight 
trainer Ray Arcel. 
Kieran series, of which 78 spe- 




Since doing the "Capitol Fam- 
ily" program with the late Major 
Bowes, Mayo has made a few 
summer theatre appearances and 
has written books about music. 



sectors of the TV audience. 
Ai'cel series, stressing the value of 
keeping in physical Condition, will 
feature Interviews with a group of 
sports celebs. Shows are being 
filmed in N. Y. 



JEx-Philly Record Staffers 
Team Up.for Tele Show 

^Philadelphia, July 20. 

Two of the top .staffers of the 
now defunct Philadelphia Record 
have teamed up as stars on a new 
WCAU-TV show, "Major Events." 

Jerry Doyle, the w.k. political 
cartoonist, and sports columnist 
Harry Roberts have pooled their 
drawing, writing and gabbing abili- 
ties and now meet the public in- 
stead of dealines, Monday nights at 



Breaking Down a $1,000,000 Tele Show 

Following recapitulation of the estimated costs jor Texaco'x one- medium requires. It will be noted that the commercial in this 

hour ^'fudeshow on the NBC web for the period oj July 1, 1948 to instance, because of the regular use of the pitchnmniSid Stme) 

June 30, 1949, as set by Arthur Kudner, agency on the account dis- routine, is made, part of the talent costs. The /icwes under Vo. 

closes for the first time the tj/pe o/ projectea.boo/cfceepMtg which the Bets." denote^the number of broadcasts per month 

No. ■ ■ . , : a . : ■ "., 

stations Film Film Total 

^"^i^'u^- u'™* positive negative base Studio , Talent charges , Monthly 

yi?" "^ll fpff*^ tr pin' "^fff^ '^""''^ Programs Commercial totals 

August lo 5 ^26 9^5 ^liZ ^innn ^f.'^^ **'°'^" ^'^^'^'^^ ^^'^^ 'P3'.8«0 $71-028 

Sentember'' In 4 fAll K i'aSo ^'°"" ^^'O"" 2,250 47.2.50 88 785 

SSli^ f9 I f2fi ''S S ViS iloS 

IsIq * ^^'^^^ ^'**° 41,508 4.000 36,000 1,800 37,800 SsiSOS 

II I f^^l ^°'f°0 }'800 5.^560 5,000 45.000 2,250 47,250 107,810 

March 12 t S4R4R filfiO Afn ^'°°" 3"'"°° ^'^OO 37,800 86 248 

Aoru II t ^4 fita B ifin Afr. ^^^12 *'''*^° ^6,000 1,800 37,800 86 248 

Tun„ ^4 I qfi?4R Q'?9n l'?2S 5^'2i2 ^'"O" *5'""" 2,250 47,250 109 160 
* ' ^'^^ ^fi-SPg *.000 36,000 1,800 37;800 WfiW 

.$398,564 $97,200 $18,720 $514,484 $52,000 $468,000 $23,400 $4qi 400 $1057 884 

Plus 15% agency commission... y ■ SJISnn okVa f^»*"">"«»* 

Less 121/2% (52 times) —49,820 . ' 73,710- 

^^T'tt'4^r^e.r.^tuJ^,ea~¥S<>J^. *^ -^^0 



tir«|neBclasr, July 21, 194S 



as 



P&G PLANS OWN TV PK SUBSID 



Talent Unions, 




The talent unions and guilds,-'- 
like the i-est of show business and 
even the television industry itself, 
unprepared for TV, are still trying 
to adjust themselves to the rapid- 
ly developing situation. In the 
talent field, too, nobody knows 
what the future holds or what 
steps should be taken to protect 
the interests of writers, aetors, 
singers, dancers,- announcers, direc- 
, tors, etc. ■„ , . 

.AuthoMj perhaps more than any 
other group, have been caught 
flat-footed by the emergence of 
tele. It's anyone's guess how many 
thousand short storjes,novels, plays, 
dramatic and comedy sketches, ra*- 
dio scripts, film scenarios and so 
on that have been sold outright 
over a pei-iod of years. Whatever 
the amount, there is obviously a 
vast library of available story ma- 
terial on which the author no long- 
er holds tHle, much of it adaptable 
for video. That is doubtless par- 
ticularly true in the film and 
jradio fields, where outright pur- 
chase of written material has long 
been general practice. - It is prob- 
ably less true of the dramatic and 
literary fields. 

'For the immediate future, the 
Authors League of America and its 
subordinate Dramatists -pulldi Au- 
thors Guild, Screen Writers Guild 
and Radio Writers Guild, whicH in- 
clude virtually all established writ- 
ers in the country, are merely try- 
ing to stop the outright sale of all 
written material to tele (and, as an 
Ultimate goal, to all media). What 
permanent steps will be taken to 
deal with the situation is unpre- 
.dictable. But as a temporary step 
the League has formed a television 
committee to study the problem 
and work out a method of meet- 
(Continued on pa^e 36) 




UfChTsTV 
Sets Oif in Aft 



Chicago, July 20. 
Half of all television receivers 
here not in use during the after-- 
noon, according to a recent survey 
conducted during telecasts of Chi- 
cago Cubs games. Survey, bdsed 
on 931 tavern calls and 493 home 
calls, reveals that only .721,- or 
50.fi% of sets were in use. View- 
ers totaled 6,533-, o'r 'an average of 
9.06%. 

. It's pointed out that without 
baseball fare and with less em- 
phasis on tavern calls the sucvey 
would have disclosed an even 
higher percentage of sets not in 
use. As it was, only 26.7% of 
home set's were tuned in, with 
average viewers per set down ' to 
2.6. Slightly more than 70% of 
tavern sets were in use, with an 
average of 9.89 viewers per set. 

Survey, conducted by WBKB rC- 
nearches, also disclosed that of all 
set.s in use, 69,3% were turned, to 
WBKB and only 30.7% to its rival, 
WGN-TV. 



Don McClure's 

"21:20 on the TV 

BMton" 

' *. * » 

An Editorial Feature 
in 

3d Annual Special 

radio-television 

EDITION 

Out Next IVeefc 



DuMont Shifts Xonrt' To 
Avoid Texaco Competition 

In one of ttie. first, in.stances on 
record of a television show being 
moved from one time to another to 
escape competition, the. DuMont 
network this -week .shifted its 
"Court of Current Issues" from the 
a to 9 p.m. slot Tuesdays to the 
Monday night 9:30 to 10:30 spot. 
Move was admittedly made because 
of the inroads cut in the audience 
of "Court" by NBC's "Texaco 
Star Theatre," aired in the same 
Tuesday night segment. 

Switch was an easy one for Du- 
Mont^to make since "Court" is a 
sustainer. Because the show is one 
of the few regularly-scheduled 
public service programs now on 
the air, however, DuMont officials 
believed it deserved a better break 
than to be spotted opposite the 
talent-laden Texaco show. DuMont 
consequently has scheduled a film 
program for the Tuesday night 



Still Plenty Of 
Give-and-Take In 
Fxisco TV Bidding 

Washington, July 20. 
Participants in . the recent' San 
Francisco television channel hear- 
ings still have their lawyers busy 
filing briefs with the Federal Com- 
munications Commission. 

Television California, Ed Pau- 
ley's ' tele hope, has again asked 
leave to appear in.the reallocation 
and redistribution of channels hear- 
ing. Pauley wants to back Radio Di- 
ablo in protesting assignment of 
channel 12 to Stockton. Radio Di- 
ablo wants the channel for a rural 
station and Tele Calif, thinks Stock- 
ton would interfere with the chan- 
nel it wants in Frisco. 

FCC refused Tele Calif's appear- 
ance on the grounds it was for it- 
self rather than in support of Ra- 
dio Diablo it wanted to appear. 

Judge Sam Rosenman, on behalf 
of CBS, has asked FCC to disre- 
gard 20th-Fox's petition to amend 
its original exhibit to include plans 
for an auxiliary studio in Oakland. 
Rosenman contends that 20th made 
no mention of the Oakland studio 
until a day before the close of the 
SF hearings. He said the way the 
five participants changed theii- esti- 
mated construction and operating 
costs, as well as facilities costs, 
caused the hearing "to degenerate 
into an auction." 

Rosenman said the Commission 
would "defeat the maior purpose 
of the 20-day rule to provide com- 
peting applicants with advance no- 
tice of competition they will meet," 
if they grant 20th's petition to 
amend; 



Set Town Meeting' 

Dnplication for TV 

ABC's hour-long "Town Meet-, 
ing" will be . simultaneously tele- 
vised over t he web's TV outlets 
starting in early October. Program, 
which is a co-op AM show, also will 
be offered for cooperative sponsor- 
ship on video. 

Net execs said a bankroUer for 
the WJZ-TV (N.Y.V airing is ex- 
pected to be signed by the end of 
the week. AM version of the 
George V. Denny, Jr.-moderated 
forum is sponsored on WJZ by the 
Modern Industrial Bank of N. Y. 

Program will be fed live to east- 
ern TV affiliates and probably will 
be filmed for air-express to un- 
linked affiliates. 

Deal puts somewhat of a crimp 
in "Town Meeting's" custom of 
swinging around the countiy for a 
portion of each year, but ^ the 
program is expected to travel oc- 
casionally to. points from which 
TV pickups are possible. 

It's ABC's fir.st project in regu- 
lar .simultaneous AM-TV program- 
ming.' 



TELE Um 



Hollywood, July 20. 

In the not too dim future home 
tele viewers may have their vision 
crossed with a title line reading, 
"Procter & Gamble Presents . . ." 
Then will unfold the picture's title 
iind credits followed by the open- 
ing illustrative spiel on a bar of 
soap or a box of chips. 

All this may be a year or so dis- 
tant but that it's in the making 
was amply evidenced last week 
wiien a passel of P&G toppers, 
flanked by the high command of 
the Compton agency, converged on 
Hollywood last week to study pic- 
ture costs, step by step, and make 
comparisons with finished product 
being, offered by indies producing 
for TV. 

Soap and commission men filed 
into Consolidated laboratories for 
a rundown of all there is to know 
about picture-making. Called in 
were ' artisans " from the picture 
plants to explain every step of 
production from the planned pro- 
duction down to the last cutting. 
P &■ G execs seemed more in- 
terested in cost sheets than the 
technical 'data and every element 
of picture making was scanned for 
price and quality. 

It was evident from the quotes 
loosely baindied that P & G is more 
intent on making its own pictures 
than buying the finished product. 
One of the Cincinnatians dropped 
the remark that "we may have to 
sub-contract." This implied a 
similar setup to that now obUtin- 
ing between NBC and Jerry Fair- 
banks, in which the latter is mak- 
ing a series of films for the net- 
work undisrt'the latter's supervisory 
direction. Understood there were' 
preliminary talks " with indie pro- 
ducers, who were asked about stu- 
dio facilities to meet the volume 
demandis of P G. No commit- 
ments were made,' the statement 
being volunteered that only studies 
(a P & 6 fetish) were being pur- 
sued on this trip. 

Viewed were many completed 
pictures now in.the open market 
but this phase of . the study was 
more to draw comparisons than the 
initiations of aiiy possible buys. 
The poser seemed to be, "can we 
make better pictures at lower co.st 
than what is being offered?" 

P&G, it was indicated, won't 
be ready for tele for another year 
biit when the soapmaker does take 
the plunge it will be with a budget 
running well into seven figures. 
Daytime soap operas will be tlie 
last to flop over to sight-and- 
soimd, it is agreed, because of the 
mobility of its listeners. That the 
dip into tele will first affect the 
nighttime shows was indicated by 
the presence of Gil Ral.ston, P&G 
topper for the after-dark programs. 

Others participating in the pre- 
liminary surveys were A-. L. Hal- 
verstadt, ad chief of P & G; Rob- 
ert Holbrook, prexy of Compton; 
William Ramsey, radio head of 
P & G; Louis Titterton, radio boss 
of Compton, and Floyd Holm, 
agency's Coast head. Dick Comp- 
ton .came up from his retreat at 
Rancho Santa Fe down tlie coast 
but it was more social than busi- 
ness. He has been in practical 
retirement but his health has so 
improved tliat likely he'll return 
to actual participation in the 
agency's affairs. 

WGN-TV Revamps Policy 
To Check Red Ink Flow 

Chicago, July 20. 

WGN-TV policy of accepting 
only public service spots has been 
scuttled as part of the station's re- 
cent drive to cut down the flow of 
red ink; Rates announced this 
week are $741 for 13 live one- 
i minute spots and $617.50 for 13 
I one-minute film spots. Singles are 
' .■^eo live and $50 iilm. 

Ban on non-public service spot.s 
I has cost the .station plenty in lost 
J revenue since its teeoff in April. 



Lush TV Market for Scripters 
With Four Top Dramatic Series 



Lec Cooley 

warm 

"Beimre of the 

Hooper Hassle'* 

. ♦■■■■■■*■ •"• , . 

An Intartsting Fcatwe . 
tn the 

3dl Annual Special 

RADIO-TELEVISION 

NUMBER 
•f 

Out Next Weefc 



Guys Who Know 
The m Way In 
Key TV Sales Spot 

CBS has recruited for its tele- 
vision sales staff a major portion 
of what it considers to be the cream 
of its sales crop in the network's 
owned-and-operated stations^ The 
web's plan is to make this sales 
setup, from the start, the strongest 
in the business, bunching together 
men of long training and experi- 
eiice within the CBS organi/.ation, 
instead of assigning to tlie .staff 
comparative newcomers and letting 
them gradually acquire the "CBS 
■way." • 

Each of the salesmen on this 
video staff has been an executive 
in some CBS station operation. For 
instance, Maurice Mitchell; comes 
direct from the post of general 
manager of WTOP, Washington. 
Kingsley Horton's previous CBS 
connection was as asst. gen. mgr. 
of WEEI, Boston, While Tom Daw- 
son, another TV 'sales designee, 
held the sales managership of 
WCCO, Minneapolis. All of these 
are being replaced from the ranks 
of the stations from which they've 
departed. 

It all follow.«i a policy which CBS 
adopted a couple of years ago of 
decentralizing its O & O operations 
so that each station would be an 
entity in the development of per- 
sonnel. ' Also of furthel-ing this 
development by promoting such 
"local talent" to network .jobs 
whenever such spots became avail- 
able. 



A. C. Tele Hearing Opens 

Atlantic City, N. J,, July 20. 
Hearings to determine who will 
be granted the one permit avail- 
able tor a telcvisiion station in the 
resort opened 'here yesterday 
(Hon.) before Hugh B. Hutchinson, 
FCC examiner, with George 
Ham id,, operator' of both Steel and 
the Million Dollar piers as the first 
witness. 

Hamid ; appeared for Neptune 
Broadcasting Corp., operators of 
WFPG, one of the applicants, and 
said that arrangements had been 
tentatively completed for the use 
of one of Steel pier's four theatres 
as a television studio should the 
permit be granted. 

Those seeking the permit be- 
dsides Neptune are: Press-Union 
Publishing Co., owners 'and opera- 
tors of WBAB and WBAB-FM; the 
Atlantic City Television Broadca.st- 
ing Co., owned by the Claridge 
Hotel Co., and Phiico Corp., and 
the Atlantic City World, Inc. 



Bnfi Tele'i Iiegiter 

Buffalo, July 20. 
WBEN-TV televised complete 
performance of the "Suds in Your 
Eye" legiter at the Grand Island 
Playhouse strawhatter. 

An atmospheric film prolog pre- 
ceded the performance showing 
! rehearsals and scenic cons-truclion 
I for tite production. 



Lush new market anticipated for 
writers when television opened up 
is already shaping in the indus- 
try, with at least four -top-drawer 
dramatic series scheduled for air- 
ing in N.Y. during the coming fall 
and winter. While these will rely 
mostly on adaptations of old play's 
and stories, producers declared, 
they'd also be on the lookout for . 
new scripts penned especially for 
TV. ■ 

Newest of the scheduled series 
is a 52-week group of shows sched- 
uled by World Video, Inc., in asso- 
ciation with Actors' Studio, Inc. 
Scripts from these programs are 
to be adapted from one-act plays 
and short stories selected by John 
Steinbeck, one of the WV veepee. 
Also scheduled for airing, is a 
:iew series on the NBC web spon- 
sored by Chevrolet, plus NBC's 
Theatre Guild Shows and the Kraft 
Television Theatre. In addition, 
CBS, ABC and WPIX (N.Y. Daily 
News), plan dramatic' shows, once, 
they get their new studios in full 
operation. 

WV-Actors' Studio series will 
follow the lead o£ NBC and the 
Guild in atten^pting io develop new 
dramatic techniques for TV. Di" 
rectors of the Studio include Ella 
Kazan and Chei-yl Crawford and 
the group will be able to dr^w for 
^talent on approximately 50 actors, 
including, such Broadway names «a 
David Wayne, Marlon" Brando and 
Kim Hunter. Burgess Meredith if. 
to narrate the audition show wA 
all succeeding programs. 

WV plans to put the shows on 
film in order to provide the spon- 
sor picking up their Ufy U> pe 
widest possible coverage^ Audition 
. (Continued m page 3$) 



Drug Retailers 
ToPooFCharade 



A deal is under way for the Wal- 
.green and Cunningham drugstore 
chains to join the 'Whelan group in 
a sponsorship pool of the "Charade 
Quiz" program through the Du- 
Mont telecast interests. Under 
the proposed fkrr&ngcment tbe 
three retailers would diwy up the 
show's initial cost and spot film- 
transcribed versions of the pro- 
gram in markets where the respec- 
tive Chains operate. Whelan al- 
ready supports the quiz on WABD, 
DuMont, N.Y, flagship. 

The stations which are being 
considered for the tele transcrip- 
tion project are WFIL-TV, Phila- 
delphia, WTTG, Washington; 
WMAR, Baltimore; WNAC, Bos- 
ton, and WEWS, Cleveland. Du* 
Mont has a film-transcription 
booking arrangement with leach' of 
these stations. In such instances 
the web collects 30% of the card 
rate and furnishes the film gratis. 



Lasker's $1,220,000 
5-Station TV Bndget 

Edward Laskcr, associate of Wal- 
ter Wanger and Hal Roach, is 
planning io spend. $1,220,000 on 
tele stations in five cities where he 
has asked FCC for channels. Las- 
kcr reported his existing capital 
to be $3,939,304.33. 

Here's a breakdown of what he 
expects to spend in each city: Frcv 
no, Calif., $288,991.28; Denver; 
$208,747.53; Seattle, $288,991.28; 
Portland, $225,337.07; and Salt 
Lake City, $208,747.53. 



Ted Collins' Reversal 

Boston, July 20. 

In a sharp switch from his for- 
mer thumb.s-down attitude on tele- 
vising sports events, Ted Collins 
has agreed to permit tele pickups 
of all home games of the Boston 
Yanks' pro football team next fall 
by WNAC-TV, local tele outfit, 

Collins emphasized that the deal 
is for the 1948 season only, since 
he still wants to determine what 
effect TV will have on his gate 
receipts. 



WedacMbj, Jidy 21, 19tt 



Giveaway Crate 



Conttraed f rom pas* tS i 



era, most of ateo hatre tm- 

nottncer chotes oa soap operas 
and other shows, and while Uie 
total suras they pocket are known 
only to the income-tax collector, 
it's obvious— and in some cases 
admitted— that a handful of the 
star ' emcees are accounting for 
from $60,000 to more than $100,- 
000 apiece in annual income. 
' ConSiofine Broadcast Times / 
Time schedules are the emcees' 
major enemy. Where they some- 
times have time to do additional 
shows and are in demand for 
them, conflicting rehearsal and 
broadcast times interfere. The 
giveaway boom lias created a de- 
niahd tor topnotch emcees which 



Stop the Hiatus! 

Speidel jewelry plugs aren't 
heing heard .now on the 8:30 
segment ol *'Stop the Music" 
because the outfit, in signing 
with ABG, wanted a nine-week 
hiatus from June 27 to Sept, 5, 
then 52 weeks on the show 
through Aug. 28, 1949. 

But Monday (19), Speidel 
changed its mind and decided 
to get back into the act. The 
plugs will be resume;d, follow- 
ing a live-week absence, on 
Aug. 8. 



programmers ape finding hard to 
fill. "There's a market in New 
York for not one, but several 
more really good emcees," says 
Charles Harrell, eastern program 
manager of ABC — who should 
know, having been on the prep- 
ping «nd «f one giveaway after 
anotiier lately. - 

Actors In' tiie Act, IVw 
While a great Inany of the 
emcees have come from announcer 
ranks, a few actors are finding it 
possible to turn the giveaway 
curse into a golden blessing. One 
of the most conspicious is Clayton 




"On file IsloMi wiHi You" 
"mis Tin* for KMps" 
Mgf.: LOU CLAYTON 



TELEVISION-RADIOMAN 

4-A agenqf television man, 35, top- 
notch boehgronnd in commtfciol 
film and radio'is avalliAlt. Exctp- 
tionally itrong creotiv* flair — 
writar 'prodnccr of ontstanding 
tetovisioa and radio, cenunerciab 
BOW OB air; ' ontlior of ineceisful 
novel. Goantd to tailor Ihre t«l«yl> 
tion or any branch of filM or radio 
iiicdiwa to ths requirements of yowr 
client and follow through fironi «li- 
cnt preseat^hMi t^ prednetion 
sopcrwIuoB. 

Box 435, Variety, 154 W. 4M St. 
New Y«ih 19. N. Y. 



(Bud) GoUyer, who, in addition to 
his longtime roles in "Superman" 
and "Hoad of IJfe," currently has 
emceeing chores in eight give- 
aways per week. 

On the N. Y. scene, where the 
giveaway emceeing harvest is the 
heaviest, these are some of the 
spielers in two or more shows 
weekly: > 

Bert Parks — "Stop the Music" 
(ABC), "Break the Bank" (ABC), 
and "Second Honeymoon" (ABC), 

John ReedvKing "Give & 
Take" (CBS), "Missus Goes A- 
Shoppin' " (WCBS and WCBS-TV), 
"Go for a House" (ABC). 

Bill Cullen— "Winner Take All" 
(CBS), "Give & Take" (with King), 
"Hit the Jackpot" (CBS), "Nora 
Drake" (CBS) and "Grime Photog- 
rapher" (CBS). 

Clayton Collyer — "Break the 
Bank" (With Parks), "Three for 
the Money'' (Mutual), "Winner 
Take All" (CBS-TV), "On Your 
Mark" (WOR), "Road of Life" 
(NBC) and "Superman" (Mutual). 

Jack Barryr— "Daily Dilemmas" 
(WOR), ."Life Begins at 80" 
(Mutual) and "You Can I^ose Your 
Shirt" (WNEW). 

Johnny Olsen — "Johnny Olsen's 
Rumpus Room" (WJZ), "Get Rich 
Quick" (ABC); until lately did 
"Movie Matinee" (Mutual) and 
"It's in the ft«" (WINS): 

Bob Shepard— "Take a Number" 
(Mutual) and "Talent Jackpot" 
(Mutual). 

John K. M. McCaffrey— "What 
Makes You Tide" (Mutual), "Au- 
thor Meets the Critics" (NBC) and 
"Room 416" (WNBC). 

Bill Slater — "20 Questions" 
(Mutual), "Luncheon at Sardi's" 
(WOR and MutuaU, "Tele Char- 
ades" (WABD). 

Tiny RuSner — "Ladies Man" 
(WOB) and "Better Half" (WOR, 
soon on Mutual). 



Trunin 

Continued from page 25 

is, he probably lost virtually all. 
of his tele audience (it being con- 
fined to the eastern time zone), and 
most of his radio audience except 
in the west. 

MvY accurate indication of the 
percentage of dialers still at their 
radios when Truman finally took 
to the air won't be known untU A. 
C. Nielsen's audimeter measure- 
ment tapes are collected and tabu- 
lated, in a month or so. And Niel- 
sen may not release the informa- 
tion publicly. C. E. Hooper's in- 
terviewers checked listening from 
7 to 10 ip.m. Wednesday and had 
instructions to resume phoning if 
Truman came oo before 11:15. 
When he didn't, theyJjtiosed up 
shop for the night. 

As far as is known, no check was 
made by any survey agency of the 
tele sets still flickering at 2 a.m. 
But it's probable that, aside from 
those in bars, only a small percen- 
tage were still on. 

Since 80 few people heard the 
speech, the possibility was con- 
sidered in some quarters of re- 
broadcasting it. vHie webs have it 
on tape. That, though,, would spark 
an immediate demand from the 
GOP's that Gov. Thomas E. Dew- 
ey's acceptance^ address also be 
re-aired. 
Idea is being mulled by oue net 




*XMt lnn0!«ft iMto m$ coat tsib. Smith! 
TimH ftet jnmr IHieaitiM later." 



work of waiting until Henry WW- 
lace accepts the Thii-d Party nom- 
ination, then wrap all three nomi- 
nees' speeches into an "I Accept" 
documentary, srfiich would give 
listeners a chance to stack the 
vanous parties' claims and prom- 
ises against ,one another. No 
definite plans, though. 

It was disclosed, incidentally, by 
Clarlc Gifford, one of Truman's 
top advisers, that television Was a 
definite factor in the President's 
decision to make his acceptance 
address almost entirely from notes. 
While the chief executive has dis- 
covered in recent weeks that his 
delivery is much more efCective 
extemporaneously than wlien he 
reads from a prepared speech, 
Gifford said that Ti-uman had been 
watching both GOP and Demo con- 
vention speakers carefully on the 
White House TV set and had noted 
how much effect was lost, particu- 
larly, on the tele audience, when a 
speaker had his eyes-lowered most 
of the time reading his talk. 

The unexpressed portent was 
tele-wise offiee severs are in for 
some heavy practice in off-the-cufE 
speaking. v 



Top Hoopers 

Cotitiiined from page ZT. ; 



Zale-Graziano fight, its 22.3 ex- 
ceeded only by Lux Theatre's 27.1. 

TOP HOOPER SHOWS 
(Jttlj/ 1-7) 

Walter Winchell 12.0 

Stop the Music (8:45) 9.9 

Take It, Leave It. 8.8 

Fat Man 8.4 

Mr. D. A 8,2 

Horace Heidt 8.1 

Stop the Music (8 p.m.). .. .... 7.9 

This is Your FBI. 7.9 

Crime Photographer . ...... . . 7.4 

Big Stdry 6.9 

Gangbusters 6.8 

Hitparade 6.8 

Break the Bank . . . ; . . . 6,8 

The Sheriff 6.8 

■Mr. Keen .............. 6.6 

Music Hall ...... . : . ........ 6.6 

Bob Hawk 6.6 

TOP NIELSEN SHOWS 
(Jitne 6-12) 

Lux Theatre 27.1 

Zale-Graziano ......... . 22.3 

My Friend Irma 19.4 

Mr. D. A , 18.5 

Godfrey's Scouts . ... .. . . , . , . .18.2 

Screen Guild . . ... . . . • . . ..... 16.7 

Walter Winchell . . . ... ........ 16.1 

Eddie Cantor ........... 16.0 

Duffy's Tavern .15.8 

Big Story .....15.7 

Sam Spade ............. .14.9 

Music Hall 14.9 

Jack Benny 14.5 

Take It, Leave It 14.1 

T or C . . ... . . .14.0 

Inner Sanctum . . . . . . ..... . . .13.8 

Horace Heidt 13.6 

Cail the Police 13.6 

Bob Hope 13.5 



Texas 



ConUnned from page 26 



ings if they allow speakers to 
brOiadcast anything libelous. 

Ex-Gov. W. p. Hobby and Ovetta 
Gulp Hobby, prez and exec v.p. 
respectively of the Post, are in 
agreoment with the FGC policy. 
Post's'petition to the court states: 
"It has always been and is at the 
present time and will continue to 
be the philosophy of the plaintiff 
that the facilities of radio station 
KPRC should be available to any 
legalb' qualified candidate for pub- 
lie office and any such candidate 
should have the untrammeled right 
of freedom of speech in radio 
broadcasting and should have the 
unqualified right and privilege of 
making any statement over the ra- 
dio which said candidate could 
make to any audience physically 
present." 

KPRC contends that certain can- 
didates in the Demo primaries, now 
campaigning; have notified the sta- 
tion that they intend to make cer- 
tain statements over the air which, 
unless proved true, would be li- 
belous. Station hence feels it's on 
the spot, pointing out that, to com- 
ity with Texas laws, it must edit 
speeclies m violation of the FGG's 
ruling. 

Station has current contracts for 
15 different political broadcasts by 
candidates, accotding to general 
manager Jack Hajcris, 

Suit iras filed before Federal 
District Judge T. M. Kenberly. 
Technically, the defendants are 
the U. S. and the FCC. Action re- 
quests that Judge Kennerly set 
aside the FGG's ruling and himself 
construe the meaning of the Com- 
munications Act of 1&34, under 
-whicli the ruling was. issued. 



Fran Tbe Praduction Ceoten 



Continued from page 26 j 



Sun-Times vets ed; pteemed "G. I. Notebook" on WCFL Sunday (17) 

. . . .Harry Fleer, heard on local kilocycles in 1935-37, is back in town 
as a principal in "High Button Shoes". . . .Blue made its debut on lUy- 
white tele screens here last week via the badinage of a disk jockey 
who's' noted for racy ad libs .... Newcomers to WTMJ-TV include M 
BeaumonU director, Joe Fox, artist, and Art lThlman> newsreel fotog 
"Bringing Up Parents," Cliff Johnson's new Saturday airer, orig- 
inates in the living room of his suburban home, where he sounds out. 
small fry on the question of what's the matter with mom and pop? ..... 
Tele set count in the (Thi metropolitan area now past 27,000. 

IN WASHINGTON.., 

Washington correspondents Paul Ward of the Baltimore Sun, Pulitzer 
Prize winner Nat Finney of the Cowles Bureau, and Lyle'Wilson, UP 
Bureau chief , will pinchhit for editor-in-chief Ray Henle as guest com* 
mentators on NBC's Sunoco 3-Star Extra during latter's vacation.. .. 
John Gaunt, program manager of WNBW, local tele outlet for NBC, 
off to join production staff of web's tele setup in Hollywood. Charles 
Kelly, ex-staff producer for WNBW, steps in to take Gaunt's place. . . . 
Hazel Kenyon Markel, WTOP's Director of Public Service, copped an 
award for her "D. C. Dateline", interview of Secy, of Treasury John 
Snyder, which was named"oijts'tanding radio program" of the ctu-rent 
bond drive. . . . WBUZ-FM, Bradbury Heights, Md., station, currently 
making mid-city street pitch for the District's Junior Police and Citi-> 

zens' Corps fund raising campaign Lansing lindquist, ex of WSYR, 

Syracuse, named program manager of . WOL-Mutual. Lindquist did a 
post-war Stint as radio and communications officer on Gen. Mac- 
Arthur's staff in Tokyo .... Larry Frommer, WOL producer-writer, 
picked by National Conference of Christians and Jews to serve on local 
committee for Religious Book Week. . . . WWDC now airing a new daily 
lOrminute musical show, featuring new releases and predictions (m 
upswing of new tunes.''..'"'"'-'.'.'" 



ABC 



Continued from page 25:; 



payroU expenses wUl meet the re- 
quired cuts, which are said to 
range from 5 to 10%. It's pretty 
certain, however, ! that any sched- 
uled pay raises are out the win- 
dow. 

While the web's billings for the 
first six months are up 10.6%, 
biggest gain for any of the nets, 
ABC, Uke CBS, ^as to ear- 
mark a heavy chunk o f rev- 
enue to get into the TV race 
fast. (Talk in the trade is that 
CBS proxy William S. Paley 
ordered a $1,000,000 cut in that 
net's expenses.) ABC, with five 
owned and ' operated tele stations 
a-building, reportedly expects its 
TV outlay for the fiscal year to 
reach around $9,000,000. 

Thus far, no word of budget par- 
ing at billings-heavy NBC. And 
Mutual execs, perhaps with fingers 
crossed, also deny any inunediate 
expectations of retrenchment. 



Horvitz 

Continued froin page 27 ; 



standard broadcast stations. Harty 
met the specifications of good pro- 
gramming. 

The Mansfield and Lorain Jour- 
nals had requested that the record 
in the AM proceeding be reopened 
to introduce evidence concerning 
the financial qualifications of 
Harry. However, this also was de- 
nied, as FCC said FM hearings had 
established Harry as financially 
qualified. 

Commissioner Robert F. Jones, 
former Congressman from Ohio, 
and Commissioner George Sterling 
dissented. Commissioners Frieda B. 
Hennock and Edward Webster did 
not participate. 

Dissent was against labeling the 
two newspapers as being unfair in 
their adverUahig policies. The two 
commissioners said the newspapers 
had merely engaged "in vigorous 
competitive practices." 



Topeka — Station WREN put 
its frequency modulated affiliate, 
WREN-FM, on the air here last 
week. Verl Bratton,- general man- 
ager, said WREN-FM will operate 
full time, and many ABC net shows 
heard on WREN tvill also be heard 
on the FM outlet. I^ogramming 
and production will be bandied by 
Fred Conger. 



Not So Fanny 

Akron, July 20. 
The giveaway craze is causing 
lots of resentment in this area, be- 
cause pranksters, supposedly rep- 
resenting radio shows, are tele-> 
phoning people- and offering phony 
prizes. 

Latest one is a, young woman 
who calls, claiming to be from the 
"Master Quiz Show," which ^ves 
$500 for each correctly answered 
query. When asked what station 
she represents, she says, ''Oh, 
aren't on the air because we 
haven't got a sponsor!" 




WDSU btoadcasn 5000 watt* 
from the. French Quarter t<» 
the Gulf and South JLpuisiana listener^ 

From dailyasspciarioa with tiaieJMMiOKtt 
Ntui Orleam intititlinn ^DSU ha* 
dereloped a high quality of iategtitf. 
WDSU devotes j^gmm limt ngulmrtf 
■nd cxdusivcif to the St. Louis Gatnedral^ 
the loternatiooal House, Moisuit Intce* 
national Airport, Tulane Univetsitf, * 
Union Siation,the Muoicipal Auditoxiuov 
Symphonies and Operas. 

VDSlTt dominate Hoop* 
crating proves that hoo- 
oring local iasiinitioat 
creates high listcMt : 

■ |OJraIq^■ 



NEW , 
ORLEANS 1 



ABC 
Affiliate 



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iOHH OLAIR «, C0„ RwfMmtativs 



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neiit Kxec«tl*e»— .MUtctm 

3 KOOMS$16S 

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MleimiMtM" 4-6630 



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TV TROUBLE SHOOTER 

A topflight radio-TV writ«r-dinKI«r and IDEA MAN. To « 
kead-ap advtrtisiag ogtacy o» Molioa jftregraM deporlNMii;, Or u-n— . 
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Wediicadaj, July 21, 194» 



Boston B'casters 
Radio Execs Club 

Boston, July 20. 

Through the efforts of Nona 
Kirby, regional sales manager of 
WLAW, a Radio Executives Club, 
modeled aft^ the New York club,- 
is being formed in Hub. 

TeeOff luncheon held last week 
(15) at Hotel Touraine brought out 
over 60 enthusiastic prospective 
members, with actual membership 
expected to be well over t^O at end 
of vacation season. While not much 
actual business could ; be done at 
first meeting, a committee of six 
was selected to draft bylaws to be 
acted vpoii when club actually gets 
going. 

Members elected to the commit- 
tiee are Nona Kirhy, WLAW; Wil- 
liam McGrath, WHDH; William 
Swartley, WBZ; Harold Fellows, 
WEEI; and Edward Shea and iJan 
Gilbert, agency men. Actual busi^ 
ness meeting is tentatively skedded 
for third week in Se^mber. 



,WNYC Does On-the-Spot 
Job on N.Y. Port Hearing 

WNYC, N. v., knocked off its 
regular programming Monday (19) 
to do another . on-the-spot public 
aervice job like the one it did on 
the city's subway, hearings some 
months ago. 

Seymow Siegel, station- director, 
took the municipal indie's .inikes 
to the Board of Estimates' hearing 
on proposals to improve the Port 
of N. Y., putting the proceedings 
9n the ether at 10:30 a.m. for the 
nm of the session. 

Station snagged considerable ac- 
claim locally for its subway-fare 
fight coverage. 

Betty Powell to Emnplirey 
Betty - Powell has joined the 
H. B. Humphrey agency as time 
buyer of network and spot. 

She was formerly with Blow 
and BBD & O. 



ST. LOO BUS RIDERS TO 
GET NEWS, MUSIC ON FM 

St. Louis, July 20. 

Execs ot the St. Louis Public 
Service Co., operator of all pub- 
lic busses in St. Louis are plan- 
ning the equipment of 20 of the 
machines with FM receivers and 
loud speakers to supply the cus- 
tomers with music and news. A 
deal was made last week with 
C. L. Thomas, gen. mgr. of the St, 
Louis Star-Times Radio Properties, 
owner and operator of KXOK for 
the test which will begin Aug. 4. 

During a 10-day test 20 busses 
will operate on a rotating basis on 
various city streets and an indie 
survey organization will measure 
the degree of public acceptance. It 
IS on the basis of the survey that 
a decision will be made to deter- 
mine whether radio equipment- will 
be installed in more than 1,000 of 
the company's busses. 



55 



In Cincy, Too 
Cincinnati, March 20. 

Servicing of music and news pro- 
grams by WGTS, PM station of 
WKRC, local CBS link, to 100 
busses and trolley coaches of the 
Green Line, which links Northern 
Kentucky with Cincy, was started 
last week and will be extended 
early next month to 300 vehicles of 
the Cincinnati Street Railway CO; 
on the Ohio side of the Ohio river. 

On the inaugural broadcast, Hul- 
■bert Taft, Jr., veepee of WCTS and 
WKRC, haled the event as a na- 
tional first and opined that the 
service will soon be provided in 
many cities. 

M Hike for WC(NP 
Gabbers in AFRA Pact 

Boston, July 20, 
The American Federation of 
Radio Artists has signed a renewal 
of its staff contract with WCOP, 
local ABC outlet. The pact gives 
announcers a raise of approximate- 
ly 10% and contains -a clause speci- 
fying that actor and singer pay 
must be raised to conform with 
any general increase in the local 
scale. 

New pact continues union-shop 
rule at the station. 



Gulf Ordered to Pay 
Social Security Taxes 
For 'People' Fredancers 

Attempt of Gulf oil to avoid so- 
cial security payments for free- 
lance performers on its "We, the 
People" radio series was outlawed 
yesterday (Tues.) by the Bureau of 
Internal Revenue; Sponsor was 
ordered to pay to the Government 
money it originally aeducted from 
talent fees and later refunded to 
the artists. 

Company had claimed that free- 
lance performers on the program 
should be classified as "inde- 
pendent contractors" and thus not 
eligible for social security. Treas- 
ury Department ruled, that such 
talent rate as "employees" for the 
purposes of social security. Case 
has been closely followed in ra«lio 
and other show business Circles, as 
possibly setting a sweeping prece- 
dent. The law firm of Jaffe & 
Jaffe, attorneys for the American 
Federation of Radio Artists, ap- 
pealed Gulf's action to tiie Treas- 
ury.. 

CBS, RCAJteveoiies 

Washington, July 20. 

SEC issued a list of corporation 
earning . statistics ' today (Tues.) 
showing a drop in overall revenue 
for RCA (including NBC) and CBS 
during the first quarter of 1948 as 
compared with the final three 
months of 1947. 

CBS' income from net time sales 
"and/or operating revenues" was 
$18,677i000 for the opening quarter 
of this year, compared with $19,- 
596,000 for the last quarter of '47 
and $19,529,000 for the first quar- 
ter of last year. 

RCA's take (with no breakdown 
shown for NBC) was $87,895,000, 
compared with $88,754,000 for the 
final '47 quarto:. It Was a gain, 
however, over the first qwirter of 
'47 figure of $47,465,000. 



Syracnse— The Syracuse Herald- 
Journal and Herald - American 
(Sun.) have launched a radio col- 
umn, "Good Ustei^g," edited by 
Thomas (Bud) Coolican. It is first 
air notes and comment space to be 
carried in over a decade. 



Press \hmik Ri|^ to MWe DX 
Bands; NAB Wants Channel Hearing 



Washington, July 20. 

The Federal Communications 
Commission's recent rejuggliiig of 
mobile radio services caused a 
flurry from two different directions 
last week. 

American Newspaper Publishers 
Assn., Associated Eress, New York 
Mirror and others sent in peti- 
tions Thursday (15) asking if the 
four wavelengths in the 152-162 
megacycle channels formerly al- 
located to press are still earmarked 
for press. 

The next dSy tlie NAB issued a 
letter to FCC opposing deletion of 
present 152-162 add supporting as- 
signment of 26 and 450-460 mega> 
cycle channels for remote pickup 
broadcast stations. 

NAB requested an informal 
hearing on the matter and par- 
ticularly stated: "It is only the 
sharing of these channels with the 
mobile press ttiat is impractical, 
for they, have their greatest value 
and both radio and press need 
them simultaneously wbenew 
emergencies or events of pubUe im- 
portance occur.'* 

However, N^B pointed out that 
sharing frequencies for remote 
pickups with the geophysical and 
motion picture services has been- 
proven practical, and there is no 
objection- to such sharing. 

The 26 megacycle band is useful* 
for cue work, broadcasters t<dd 
NAB, but not for reliable broad- 
cast purposes^ 

NAB asked channels in the 450 
band be allocated to penult tlwir 
development for specialized «ppll> 
cations, and to accommodate some 
of the needs of the multiplied AM, 
FM and tele licensees. Also if 
this band were allocated manufac- 
turers would experiment with 
equipment. NAB said. 

The Petitions from newspapers 
and NAB were unrelated, but 
chanced to be timed almost simul- 
taneously. 

Under the recent FCC ruling 



motion pictures are not directly 
mentioned. However, FCC experts 
interpreted the order to mean that 
pix would- have more frequencies 
for location crew to studio trans- 
mission under the "rural" clause. . 



loonV 
Ein<^ Fomiida OD ABC 

Bert Parks' emcee chores With 
ABC's "Stop the Music,", now that ; 
the show is playing theatre dates, 
are tying him down so much that 
the web has been forced reluctantly 
to pull him off its new cross^the- 
board "Second Honeymoon," al- 
though he can still work in time for : 
Friday night's "Break the Bank." 

Caught for a cinch choice to fill 
the "Honeymoon" spot, the web's 
programmers decided to rotate the 
assignment. First to get a week's 
whirl at the stint is Durward 
Kirby, who formerly m.c.'ed NBC's 
"Honeymoon in N. >Y." and at «n- 
othei^ time was on ABC's "Club 
Matinee." Johnny Qlsen, initially 
tidieted . (or "Honeymoon," was 
yanked at the last moment umifer 
pressure from Quaker Oats )>ecause 
of his identification until recently 
with <^'s "Ladies Be Seated." 



CbicaKO, July 20. 

Mutual shocric. off the summer 
doldrums with two sales here last 
week. Brach Candy signed for the 
"Superman" strip, on m small mid- . 
west bookapr sturtiog Aug. 30, and 
Wilson SpdrOnK Goods hit tin 
dotted Une for tito AU-Star Football 
game at Soldier FielA Chicago, 
Aug. 20. . 

All-Star game between the Chi 
Cardinals pro team and the College 
AU-Stats wiU have Harry Wismer 
for the play-by-play and Red 
Grange hanfllfng color. Kwell, 
Thurber & Associates is the agency 
for Wilson; George H. Hartmau Co, 
for Bracli. 



testimonial with teetli 

Greater testimonial than this hath no programi 

"•The McCanns at Home" radio's oldest food prO£praizi, h^s enjoyed the sponsorship of . . . 

Dugan Brotiiers for 21 years 
The Hawaliaii Pineapple Company for 19 yem 
The Richmond-Chase Company for 19 years 

The IMiniieiota Valley l^hningfC 

lor;19^;yi«l»:\:^-:-;;: ^ 

Any sponsor who wants action fast — at a 
delightfully^^^l^ 

re4MC^^ the "McGanns at 

rtght from their Yonkm fe 
■ acre 4-8000 and lisk iter ^1^^ 




WOR 



mutual 



hturd by the dioa* people wher^ th9 imwt 



36 



BABIO 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



Inside Stuff-Ral 



■Mary Mason, a singer, has joined the American Federation of Radio 
Artists, the second member with that name. Newcomer joined in April, 
just before the union passed its new rule prohibiting applicants from 
using the same professional name as performers already in the organi- 
zation. Under the new regulation the applicant must take another 
professional name to be eligible for membership. -.^ 

The actress Mary Mason has been active in radio for more than 15 
years in New York and Hollywood. She has starred in a sponsored 
series and been featured in Broddway iegit and, before coming east, in 
^pictures. Actress took the Mason name from her stepfather about 20 
years ago. - 

Mary Mason is said to be the singer's real name, and she was a mem- 
ber of the American Guild of Variety Artists pnder it before she 
joined AFRA. However, she could not use it on the legit stage, as 
Actors EqiUty. has a rule against duplication of professional names, and 
Mary Mason, tlie actress,, has been an Equity member for years. 

A third Mary Mason is said to conduct a femme chatter program 
daily over a Washington station. But she is rarely confused; with 
either of the two ditto-names in New York. 



Radio as a hypo for baseball game attendance will gel the acid test 
in Kansas City the night of the annual KCKN-Blues Radio Apprecia- 
tion Night, August 11. In other seasons these annual one-night pro- 
motions have been helped with ladies night and Other stunts to near 
record attendance^to see winning teams. . 

This year there will be no admission inducements and the Blues 
are far from a winning team, lolling somewhere in the second division, 
usually about seventh place. But KCKN, which broadcasts the game, 
is not taking the situation laying down. Instead ot focusing the at- 
tention on the ball club, this year's emphasis will be directed at the 
man who spiels the games and is winning over "a good many listeners 
in Kansas City. Hence, the nig^it is to be known. as "Larry Ray Night," 
and ceremonies of the evening will feature presentation of several 
gifts to Ray at home plate before game time. Landon Laird, Kansas 
■Cit.^' columnist and sports enthusiast, has agreed in m.c. the deal. 

Kills Attebury, KCKN commercial manager who is handling the pro- 
motion, is taking this pitch to give radio Vii'tually full sway to test 
its -pulling power for that night. 



: - Radio Writers Guild is opening' its ranks to would-be, scripters. Max 
Wylie, chaiiTOan of RWG's membership committee, disclosed this week 
that anyonenir interested in breaking into broadcast writing may now 
become an associate, non-voting RWG member. 

■ Move is of especial interest to students, teachers, writers' workshops, 
etc., since the $8 per year associate membership fee, entitles the sub- 
scriber to all RWG publications, including the monthly "Script Writer," 
plus the fi-eelance market list and the bulletins of the Authors League 
of America, of which RWG is an affiliate. 

New classirication was created to meet a need indicated by continu- 
ous inquii-ies, Wylie said. Regular membership in the ,guild requires 
Jthat the applicant have had at least two scripts broadcast. 



Radio, tele and overseas shortwave coverage is in the works for the 
world preem of Allied Artists' "The Babe Ruth Story," at the Astor, 
N.Y., next Monday i26). AM-TV angles of the opening are being hanr 
died by radio's Maxine Keith, who so far has lined up radio coverage 
by WCBS, N.Y., and the Armed Forces Radio, for which lobby inter- 
views are being mTim^^ed with State Dept.. sipsrts and showbiz per- 
sonalities. TV pickup isn't fimilizcd, but is pr(il>ablc. 



A 250G Surprise 

Philadelphia, July 20. 

Glare Booth Luce, wife of 
the publisher of Time & Life 
and one of the star speakers 
at the recent GOP convention, 
observed much of last Wednes- 
day night's (14) windup of the 
Demo powwow from the telc^ 
vision pool booth (which was 
air conditioned and com- 
manded one of the best views 
of tlie ball). 

Evincing great interest in 
the TV setup, Mrs. Luce at 
length inquired (v/aving a hand 
over toward the pool moni- 
tors): "Well, who's paying for 
all this?" 

(P.S.: — Estimates as to Life 
mag's outlay in its tieup with 
NBC for tele coverage of the 
two conventions range up to 
.1:200,000.) 



WCOP'S 55G TAKE ON 
'GE BOSTON TEA PARTY' 

Boston, July 20. 

WCOP, the Cowles station here, 
has .iuist' landed what's believed to 
be the biggest' chunk of local bill- 
mg for a Hub, station in several 
years. General Electric Appliance 
Co. has b'S§M pacted .to bankroll a 
full-hour, cross-the-bdard "GE Bos- 
ton Tea Party." It's a house-built 
audience participation and music 
stanza, for which the tab will nm 
about $55,000 on a year's basis. 
Show tees off Aug. 16 as a 1:30-2:30 
attraction,- 

'This sale, plus several others 
wrapped up diiring the cm-rent, 
normal' doldrum season, has boost- 
ed WGQP's billings to 32% over a 
year ago, station exec reports. 



N. D. Gets Chi Grid Sponsor 
Chicago, July 20. 

Complete sked of Notre Dame 
grid games will be aired in Chicago 
via -.VCFL, starting Sept. 25, with 
the Greyhotmd Corp. as sponsor. 
It's said to be the first-time all the 
Fighting Irish games will be heard 
locally; since "in previous seasons 
the nets have fed football on the 
pick-and-choose basis.. 

Green Associates will handle 
production. , / 



Talent Unions in TV 



Continued from page 33 ; 



ing it. In general, the practice 
of lease, rather than flat sale of 
material will doubtless be sought, 
in line with long-range League 
policy. 

In the acting field, only the film 
players have a similar problem of 
having made a large backlog of 
material suitable for video, with 
nO right of ownership or say in its 
control. The Screen Actors Guild 
is attempting to deal with this sit- 
uation in its new contract with the 
studioSi 'but the exact status of the 
matter is uncertain as yet. . Un- 
questionably, the film actors , will 
hencesforth try to limit the right of 
telecast of their pictures. 

■ State of 'Flux Elsewhere 

In the other actor fields the situa- 
tion is still somewhat uncertain. 
Although there is an Associated 
Actors & Artistes television com- 
mittee, representing all the aftili^- 
ate unions, currently in negotiation 
for an industry-wide production 
code for tele, the -question of jui-is- 
dietion is still not' entirely clear. 
If the 4A's - committee suceeds in 
getting a sati.sfactpry contract (and 
if the various affiliate unions ac- 
cept a pending move to consoli- 
date), the situation will be well 
organized. 

If not, the American Federa- 
tion o£ Radio Artists may simpjy 
take' over jurisdiction and attempt 
to work out an agreement with tlie 
telecasters; leaving Actors Equi- 
ty Assn.,' Screen ' Actors Guild 
(which, however, will control the 
film pi'oduction field without con- 
trolling the telecasting of films), 
American^ Guild of Variety Artists, 
American Guild of Musical Artists 
and the smaller aifiliates with 
merely jurisdictional claims. This 
latter prospect is probably remote, 
however. 

The situation in the directorial 
field is apparently wide open. The 
Radio & Television Directors Guild 
(until recently the Radio Directors 
Guild), has contracts with the net- 
works and ad agencies, which gives 
it a strategic position, since they 
are the ones actually controlling 
most telecasting at present. How- 
ever, relatively few video directors 
are believed to be RTDG members. 



and the organization is not yet a 
powerful one. Meanwhile, the 
Screen Directors Guild is mov- 
ing into the situation, in possible 
jurisdictional opposition to the 
RTDG. Also, there are a number 
of stage directors going into video, 
seenjingly oblivious of either RTDG 
or SDG authority in the field, 

But if the situation in television 
is uncertain and puzzling for tal- 
ent, it i.s no less so for the tele- 
casters themselves. For until the 
jurisdictional questions are settled 
and agreements are reached with 
the various talent unions and 
guilds, the telecasters face the 
constant possibility of strikes, va- 
rious demands relating to pay and ■ 
working conditions, and a- welter of 
conflicting jurisdictional claims. 



TV Scripters 

Continued fiom page 33 



show is to be done live in a studio 
but "will be recorded on film off 
the face of a receiving tube. Ac- 
cording to WV execs, filming the 
shows will also give theni consider- 
able repeat value, which they , na- 
turally wouldn't have, if done live 
as a one-shot. Byron McKinney, 
tele director of the American The- 
atre Wing, is schfeduled to handle 
TV production on the series, with 
the Studio group selecting the di- 
rector. Richard' Gordon will pro- 
duce for WV. Four shows are to 
be in rehearsal at all times so that 
there will be a sufficient backlog 
of completed films. 

Among the playwrights and au- 
thors from whose works Steinbeck 
Will cuU the pi-ograms are Stephen 
Crane, John Collins, O. Henrj^ 
James Barrie, Saki, Ring Lardner, 
Damon Runyon, Eugene O'Neill, 
Clifford Odets, Noel . Coward, 
Thornton Wilder, Mark Twain, Ed- 
gar Allen Poe and William Saro- 
yan. Price to authors' on those 
scripts not in public domain will 
be worked out individually, •with 
the authors also slated to draw 
royalties for any repeat per'fonn- 




LEAGUE 



WITH 




WBT! 



It's easy! For WBF's 5:00 a.m. fo (1:30 a.m. battinjg order is one 
of fhtt longest, sfrongesf b/ocfe-programmino linwps in all radid. 

LEADOFF MAN IS GRADY COLE (5:00-9:00 a.m.), VARIETY 
Award'-winnlng WBT farm editor w/io performs such mirachs aM 
selling 320,000 chicks in eight days. AHrag* unsoliciied fan- 
mail: .8/000 cords and ieiters a monfh. 

WMBER TWO MAN IS KURT WEBSTER (9M>-I0j30 a.m.i 
whosa single-handed revivo' of the tune "Heartaches'' sold more 
ihan 3,000,000 records. Now he's -emcee of a fast-moving 
audience pciriicipaKon show, "Whof's Coofein'?'' — a solid hiti 



THinO AT BAT KMTHUn GODFREY (10:30-11:30 aM.)onCBS. 

A big-league trio. Yet even before these heavy hitter* were one- 
two-three on WBT, more Charlotte listeners toned to 50,000- 
watt WBT than to ALL other stations, all morning lotig I* 

Now WBT't batting average will be higher than ever. You'll 
lead the league, too, if you let Grady Cole or Kurt Webster 
go to bat for yout 



WBT 



JEFFERSON STANDARD WW K9 § BROADCASTING COUPANY 
SO,pOOWmm ' Ripfaentea by RADIO SAtES . CharMtm,M.tt. 



*8iOO (».ni.-/2i00 (laoii amast, Mon. (kioua/i f/fi-C. e, Hooper, Ocl.l>V.Feb. I94t 



Wedne«il«T, Jn ly 21, 1948 



vr 



Television Followu|i 



Continued from page 32 ; 



Blag into the breach a couple 

wits afSO and was accented to a 
mildtef degree with Georgie Price 
nn hand to coordinate the acts last 
fuesda* <13), it's because Berle 
was so singularly outstanding in 
patterning his talents to video. 

Once again the Texaco ehow last 
week, when broken down into its 
romponenf parts, came up with 
some quaUtative programmmg. 
That went for Price as a "single," 
with his stiU socfc delivery of the 
Jolson-Cantor-Jessel-Cohan rendi- 
tions; the long-standard Buck & 
Bubbles routine; Jackie Miles; Vic 
Hvde and hiiS one-man band; the 
Eaoul & Eve Hayes' Cuban terping 
and the Acromaniacs to open. All 
solid vaude-nitery turns ofE the 
top-shelf Wm. Morris booking 

^* &it as video's top variety show, 
the spontaneity and show-wise con- 
tinuity that gave it the needed pro- 
duction values when Berle tied it 
together were again lacking on 
last week's'stanza. The show cried 
out for good pacing and cohesion. 
Similarly the most recent install- 
ment pointed up anew the impor- 
tant role of the camera crew in 
ac^eving the necessary rhythmic 
quality. That the camera's as es- 
sential as the producer or the orch 
leader in the pit has by now been 
established.' But the camera boys 
had an off-week In keeping the 
acts within camera range, particu- 
larly in the Rayes' dance turn and 
the aero opener. ' 

CBS' "Toast of the Town" edi- 
tion of last Sunday night (18) meas- 
ured up entertaining-wise with any 
one of its predecessors. What was 
particularly noteworthy about this 
bill was the sock comedy act, even 
though it were not intended that 
way, came at .the opening of the 
runoS instead of next-to-closing. 
The opener was Gautier's Brick- 
layers, the No. 1 dog act of show 
business, and the manner in which 
it strode across the tele^screen 
added up to a wow. However, there 
were two somewhat regrettable 
factors. The' lesser one was that 
the nature of the act, the frequent 
coincidence of action on two ends 
of the stage, made it tough for the 
cameras to give closeup coverage 
of some of the comedy. But the 




Mnptions vtre 

up for their sixth year on 
WGBI, Scranton, Fa. And for 
the same sponsor, too! On 
WGBI they reached a J7.4 
Hooper during 1947 on their 
13 -minute Monday through 
Friday program from 6:30- 
~ 6:45 p. m. 

America's foremost West- 
ern playing and singing group 
— as well as the largest . . 
The Texas Rangers also offer 
you the greatest number of 
high fidelity, vertical cut tran- 
scribed tunes. Finest for FM 
as well as AM! 



"Cowboy Hymns," by The 
Texas Rangers is the first 
album of its kind. This excit- 
ing new album by Bibletone, 
fi»tures six outstanding cow- 
boy fayroii selection*. 



more disappointing angle was that 
the telecast took place at an hour 
(9:30-10:30) when the moppets, at 
least in well-regulated famiUcs, are 
not included in livingroom circles. 
They would have got a tremendous 
wallop over this wizards of an ex- 
hibit for video, what with the 
pooches gohig through tlie antics 
of a building construction gang and 
the solid flow of laughs reaching a 
climax via the bit in which one<*f 
the dogs plays injured, as the re- 
sult of a fallen object, and is trun- 
tyod off in an ambulance. Gau- 
tier's is the sort of turn that can 
appear on one video web after the 
other in early succession and still 
be welcome. ' 

Bill Robinson, who recently 
celebrated his 70th year, got his 
inning in fifth spot, and the pas- 
sage, as happened on his appear- 
ance on the Texaco show (NBC) 
several weeks previously, was a 
combination of topgrade rhythmic 
and optical pleasure. Garbed in a 
snazzy summer outfit, Robinson 
looked equally as good as he 
danced. For an encore he did a 
a hardshoe routine with the pro- 
gram's girl line, and that too was 
a darb. Ella Fitzgerald preceded 
him with a couplb of her choice 
flights into neo-modern jazz vocal- 
IsUcs, and the pair returned In the 
afterpiece for a nifty duet of "Eas- 
ter Parade." Up ahead of the mis- 
tress of scat rhythms were, in that 
order, Kate -Murtagh, erstwhile of 
the Murtagh Sisters, whose chief 
item was a moderately amusing 
song-saga about a bearded lady; 
and the acrobatic dancing team of 
Toy and Wing, specialists in tos.s- 
Ing off pirouettes, splits, high 
jumps and what not in fast time 
and attractive precision. 

Dick Buckley's was one of those 
comedy acts that fare better with 
a live audience than through the 
limited scope of a television screen. 
No question about his routine of 
using persons out of the audience 
to play "Charlie McCarthy" while 
he grinds out his multiple«harac- 
ter crossfire being funny, but 
somehow, perhaps due to the lag- 
gardness of the cameras, the thing 
failed to jell nearly as well as it 
does in person. 

The amateur "toasted" on this 
occasion was the city paymaster of 
Baltimore, Elmert Rehihart, who 
wrapped a fullbodied and pleasing 
baritone around "Home on the 
Range." Ed Sullivan, the program's 
m.c, kept the event moving smooth- 
ly and with a minimum of words. 
It was his most higratiating job to 
date on this series, which seems to 
be takmg on that quickening know- 
how complexion from week ^to 
week. The lighting could still 
stand improvement. 



BRICKER BACKS OUT 
ON COLUMBUS BID 

Washington, July 20. 

Senator John W, Bricker of Ohio 
has apparently lost interest in 
radio. He is veepee and 25% 
common stockholder in Capital 
Radio, Inc., Columbus, C, which 
has just been granted a petition to 
dismiss without prejudice its appli- 
cation by the Federal Communica- 
tions Commission. No reason was 
given for the dismissal request. 

John W. Galbreath, real estate 
man, is president of the company 
and owns 25% of the common 
stock and three-fourths of the pre- 
ferred stock. 




ABC Taps Kieruan For 
Smnmer Vacatioo Duty 

No sooner had Walter Kiernan 
decided on a two-week vacation 
from his early ayem WJZ (N.Y.), 
show than ABC tapped him for the 
11:45-12 a.m., cross-the-board spot 
on the web, replacing the Galen 
Drake show which is gohig off for 
the remainder of the summer and 
will return to the air in the 3:30 
p.m. slot. 

So Kiernan teed off the new 
stanza Monday (19) from his Kent, 
Conn., summer home. "Unlike 
little Bo-Peep's sheep," he crack- 
ed, "I have my wires dragging be- 
hind me — and all this after those 
18-hour-per-day stints at the po- 
litical conventions." 



AFRA 



Continued from pace 31 { 



KGW in PadficN west Takes Wraiis 
(MF Newest Look in Radio Stations 



wov 

— Continncd from pace 25 as 

General and Victory was the serV' 
Ices of O'Dea .as an experienced 
radio man. General stated In its 
recent letter that O'Dea had not 
consented to this arrangement. 
O'Dea is also to turn over his stock 
in WNBW. 

General said; 1.) Victory had 
conceded that General was legally, 
technically and financially qualified 
to run WOV; 2.) Victory conceded 
that Leigh, who owns controlling 
slock, will not participate in the 
day to day running of WOV should 
Victory win; 3.) Victory could have 
filed a bid but did not; and 4.) Vic- 
tory concedes by implication that 
it is not in a position to deliver 
to Bulova and HensheU the con- 
sideraUon wliich it purports to 
offer. 

Therefore, General asked the 
Commission to favor Its bid vjith- 
out a hearing of both applicants. 

Victory attorneys told Vahiimt 
they would shortly file a brief 
reply. 



Baker's Buff Homecoming 

Buffalo, July 20. 

Roger Baker, w.k. to Buffalo 
dialers of the 30's as the sportMast- 
Ina sports director of WKBW, is 
returning to the Station on Aug. 1 
as commercial manager. Since last 
vear. he's been manager of KOB 
Albuquerque, New Mejuco's onlj 
50kw outlet. _ , 

Baker was with the Buffalo 
Broadcasting Corp. for H yeajs, 
ferving at var'ous times as studio 
and pfogram manager as well as 
sports director. He left 
•iucceed Red Barber at WLW, Un 

cinnatlT later becoming * 

exec in charge of sales 
ihome office* 



Payne was then elected national 
first vice-president. 

Last year, after she had trans- 
ferred to the New York local (with 
the switch of the "Ma Perkins" 
program from Chicago), Miss Payne 
withdrew her name from the run- 
ning for national office, explaining 
that sh^ preferred to wait until the 
membership had become well 
enough acquainted with her to 
know that the stories being circu- 
lated about har loyalty to AFRA 
were false. At that time there had 
been some political hysteria in the 
campaign ^activities in the union. 

The principal uncertainty of the 
coming national convention is the 
question of the policies and tactics 
of the Coast delegation. According 
to reports "in the? union, the Holly- 
wood chapter intends sending only 
a handful (some statements place 
the number at three) of delegates, 
with proxies representing the en- 
tire delegation of 106. That would 
presumably give those few repre- 
sentatives enormous voting power. 
With the New York, Chicaga and 
other delegations voting independ- 
ently on issues, possibly even split 
on some, the Coast aggregation 
might vote as a bloc and control 
the election. 

The recently elected L. A. repre- 
sentatives to the national board, 
all regarded as conservatives, are 
Edward Arnold, Art Gilmore, 
WaUy. Maher, Earle Ross, Harry 
Stanton, Bill Thompson, Lurene 
Tuttle and Harry Von Zell. The 
delegates who will actually attend 
the convention are not yet selected. 

Meanwhile, there is a movement 
on within the New York chapter to 
raise sufficient funds to pay the 
expenses of a sizable delegation. 
Adelaide Klein and Betty Garde 
are heading the activity. 



Portland, Ore., July 20. 
After some 21 months of antici- 
pation, KGW-KGWFM, Portland; 
Ore., NBC outlet, at last took the 
wraps off the Pacific Northwest's 
newest broadcasting studios in a 
mid- July Open House. Ad agency 
and radio personnel,- plus John Q. 
Public, got a look at how one of 
America's leading architects thinks 
a modem radio Station should 
look. 

Designed by Pietro Belluschi, 
w.k. advocate of the new look in 
architecture, the KGW-KGWFM 
studios are an integral part of the 
multi-million dollar new Oregonian 
newspaper plant. The studios and 
offices occupy the major part of 
the fourth floor of the vast city 
block ' square structure, ana are 
done up in an eye-catchiing vista 
of blues, greens, yellows, and 
browns. 

The entire new KGW-KGWFM 
radio facilities are laid out wtth an 
eye to the utmost ease and effi- 
ciency of operation, and offer five 
complete studios ranging widely in 
size to handle every type of pro- 
gram< production. The main opera- 
tion studios are all hubbed around 
the master control room, like 
spokes of a wheel, giving complete 
visibility and simplified operation. 

Each studio is a completely float- 
mg unit, suspended within the 
main building structure to kilt out' 
side vibrations. And their interiors 
look like a mathematician's dood- 



NBC Promise 

; Continued from pa^e Z5 



the 



account 
for its 



only 'way out front in the realm 
of sock public service shows, such 
as those booked out of the Docu- 
mentary Unit, but also in its long- 
range blueprmt of house-built 
commercial potentials, where the 
operation's been going on at an 
almost feverish dip during 
past year. 

Some at NBC contend that the 
next year may tell a different 
story; that the Sterling Fisher 
Cducation-via-radio program being 
formulated may touch off a pub- 
lic service career for the web that 
hasn't been equalled ui radio m 
years. (See separate story.) 

But this, it's recognized, is still 
on the upcommg agenda and must 
be translated into a reality. And 
It's further recognized that, with 
the web boasting record billings 
for the first half of 1948, it only 
tends to accentuate the network s 
shortcomings in the field of high- 
minded public service radio. 



ling to the layman, what with 
curves, columns, and cylinders 
bulging the walls. But by engineer- 
ing standards, the design ranks the 
new KGW-KGWFM studios right 
up with the nation's best in 
acoustical efficiency. 

Video has not yet reached tiie 
Northwest, but complete televisiim 
facilities have been incorporated 
into the new KGW-KGWFM plant, 
with a huge auditorium ready and 
waiting, and coaxial cables in-* 
stalled in the master control room. 

New home rounds off more than 
2fi years of public service and 
entertainment by KGW and its 
5'ounger offspring, KGWFM, in the 
Pacific Northwest. 



\% Pay 6o9^ eft 
Nise 



Fort Wayne, July 20. 

General pay increases of mor« 
than 8% and affecting 45 em* 
ploycs of WOWO, Fort Wayne, 
were announced by R. G. Duffield, 
manager of «the Westinghouse sta- 
tion, who said an additional 290 
workers of the firm in Philadelphia, 
Boston, Pittsburgh, Springfield. 
Mass., and Portland, One,, also 
shared in the pay boosts. 

Retroactive to June 13, the wag* 
increase is tiredicated on a 40-hour 
week, and is the third increase for 
station emj^oyes in the past tn* 
years. 





PEOPLE ARE 
"SEEING THINGS" 
IN DETROIT 




Every day of every week, WW)-TV, 
Detroit's first and only television station 
has the eyes of Detroiters focused in 
its direction. WWJ's diversity of programsand 
features has aroused the interest of Detroiters 
of all ages, in all walks of life, to the 
point where steadily increasing sa1es-of 
Jietevision receivers has attracted an impressive list 
of natio/ial and local advertisers, Thanks to 
WWJ-TV's pioneering and shpwman^hip^ 
television has already become an effectlw; 
advertising medium in the Detroit 
market— .4th largest in America! 




AtwMfaito AM StathM WVfl 




thihaglttmimttllmt tUl WOMt P. HOtilNOBEIIY COMMNV 



S8 



ORCHBSTRAS-MVSIC 



AFM s Midni^t-to-S AI. Non-Travel 
Rule Gripes Traveling Musicians 



Musicians who are members of 
name bands are strenuously ob- 
jecting to tlie decision by the 
Americati Federation of Musicians 
to enforce an old regulation, for- 
bidding them to travel between 
midnight and 5 a.m., unless by 
train. Tooters, any of whom spend 
a fair portion of each year on the 
road if they remain with a name 
band for any length of time, assert 
that in barring them from move- 
ment, except by train, during the 
wee hours, the AFM will be work- 
ing a hardship on all musicians 
rather than helping their lot. 

It's the AFM's idea that in bar- 
ring musicians fi;om auto or bus 
travel between those hours the 
number of accidents in which musi- 
cians are killed or injured annually 
will be reduced substantially. To 
do this, the AFM is putting back 
into effect an old law which de- 
mands that when a masiciain must 
move by night, he must request his 
leader for a train berth, or not 
move at all. If this rule is violated, 
the tooter hiijiself is subject to a 
$25 fine. . For years, however, the 
regulation was ignored. At th& 
recent AFM convention in Asbury 
Park, it was decided to reinstate it, 
although there has been no official 
-word from AFM execs as to when 
the" new enforcement will begin. 

Musicians do not like the rule 
for many reasons, namely (1) travel 
by car or bus is less fatiguing in 
the early hours because there's less 
traffic and they spend less time at 
it; (2) in many smajl towns there 
are none or inadequate sleeping 
accommodations; (3) the rule will 
increase living costs since the pat- 
tevn of using hotels now calls for 
what tooters label "two sleeps for 
one." What they mean by that is 
that they'll leave a one-night job 
at, say, 2 a.m., reach the next town 
at 7 a.m. (check-in-time), get a 
room, sleep all day, work the job 
that night and return to the same 
hotel and sleep again (check-out 
time is usually 4 p.m.), all for the 
price of one. They then move onto 
the next ttate, starting in the morn- 
ing, reaching it in time to change 
clothes and go right to work. When 
that job is completed, they don't 
Sleep ,but go rjght on to the next 
town and start the process all over 
again. It means that in six days of 
otie-nighters, ntusicians pay only 
three hotel tabs. 

' It's pointed out that a rule bar- 
ring travel between midniglit and 
5 a.m. will completely disrupt this 
pattern and under it the physical 
hardships of road travel will be 
much greater, not'N:o mention the 
additional costs. 



Old Brunswick Label 
Gets Decca Hypo In 
Move to Up Revenue 

Decca Records is bent on reac- 
tivating the old Brunswick label, 
which it purchased some years 
back from the old American Rec- 
ord Co., forerunner- of the current 
Columbia Records, Move, to all ap- 
pearances, is part of a pattern via 
which Decca is tightening its belt 
and planning to wring every pos- 
sible potential from its vast catalog 

• of unreleased recordings. 

Decca has formed the Brunswick 
Record Corp., • a wholly owned 
subsidiary, which will issue new 
recordings (not reissues) from the 
Decea backlog and from among the 
Brunswick masters that came to 
Decca when it bought the label 
name. These recordings ' will be 
lharketed by Decca through inde- 

. pendent distributors, which means 
that nowhere along the line will 
there be^ny confliction with Dec- 
ca business, unless Decca continues 
to appoint indie distribs for its own 
label. • 

Brimswick label will handle pop, 
country, race and other classifica- 
tions except classical. That many 
will be drawn from Decea's own 
backlog is illustrated by the fact 
that the initial' release, sometime 
In September, will consist of sides 
by Tony Martin, Frances Langford, 
Tex Ritter, Gallagher & Shean, 
Merry Macs, bands of Jimmy Dor- 
sey. Woody Herman, Charlie Bar- 
net, Johnny Messner, Bobby Hack- 
ett, et al. None of..these has ever 
been released, and the idea, of 
couraej is to rid Decea's backlog of 
tinaterial that can help boost the 
Wmp&tkfi gross busiti«$s. 



Best British Sheet Sellers 

(Week Endhig July 15) 
London, July 16, 

Gal way Bay Box and Cox 

Heartbreakfer ..... . Leeds 

Ballerina . . . . .Maurice 

Nature Boy Morris 

Four-Leaf Clover. F. D. & H. 
Time May Change . . . Connelly 
Golden Earrings. . . . .Victoria 
Dream of Olwen ...... Wright 

Toolie Oolie- ..Southern 

Near You . . Wood 

After All. . . . : Cinephonic 
My Achin' Heart . . . Connelly 
Second 12 

Teresa Leeds 

Laroo Lilli Bolero . ...... .Dash 

Serenade of Bells. , E. Morris 

Civilization E. Morris 

Tree in Meadow. . . .Connolly 

Miranda . . . Kassner 

Reflections Water . . . .Maurice 

Silver Wedding Waltz . . . Unit 
Ask Anyone Knows. .Feldman 
You 13o .......... Chappell 

I May Be Wrong. . , . L. Wright 
Nice to :Know You Care . . Unit 



Andrews Sis Get 
British Clearance 
For U. S. Musikers 

Andrews Sisters took three U. S. 
musicians with them last week 
when the trio sailed for London to 
play a date at the Palladium the- 
atre. Girls went to great lengths 
to secure clearances for the three 
men from the BritiiUi Musicians 
Union, which usually frowns on ad- 
mitting American Federation of 
Musicians cardholders to its terri- 
tory. Trio will be key men in the 
Palladium pit band which accom- 
panies the trio. 

Vic Schoen, who has conducted 
Decca disk dates and theatre ap- 
pearances for the trio; drummer 
Tommy Rundell and pianist Wally 
Wechsler are the men involved. 



Coney Isl. Set on Names 

Cincinnati, July 20; 

Coney Island, Cincy's biggest 
summer buyer o£ road bands for 
its Moonlite Gardens, has set Tex 
Beneke's orchestra for a Aug. 6, 
one'-nighter: Ray Anthony, Aug. 13- 
19; Stan Kenton. Aug. 20 and 
Charlie Spivak, Aug. 27. 

Other dates are filled by Clyde 
Trask's orch, a Cincy combo, with 
occasional vocal supplements. For 
the week starting Friday (23) 
Trask's band will be bolstered by 
the Modernaires with Paula Kelly. 



Wedneaaay, July 21, 194S 



Cap Pitches for Lift Of 
CaL Transcription Tax 

Capitol Records has made a 
heavy pitch to California Slate 
Equalization Board, asking that 
state sales tax of 2'/fec. on tran- 
scriptions be lifted. Ground for 
plea is that sale of waxed music 
is not transfer of wholly tangible 
personal property, but largely a 
rendering of services. Joining Cap 
in tussle is Standard Transcrip- 
tions, and others probably will add 
pleas when they learn of; pitch. 

Nine months ago Illinois ex- 
cluded records from state sales tax, 
in answer to similar arguinent. 
Other states have kept it on. 



Oberstein's 39c Disks 
Awaited Warily by Top 
Firms a^ Sales Threat 

Eli Oberstein's new 39c Var.sity 
label, which was to have hit the 
market 10 days or so ago but was 
held lip by processing difficulties, 
will debut today (Wednesday) 4t 
Macy.'s, New Yoi*k department 
store, and a string of other chain 
outlets. Initial release will consist 
of six pop records inscribed with 
current or potential hits, and two 
hillbilly disks. They are musical 
records, incidentally, presumably 
made in England. 

It's no secret that there are those 
among major disk company execu- 
tives who are plenty perturbed 
over the possibilities in Oberstein's 
disks. They know full well that if 
Oberstein has any sort of product 
— that if it's well recorded and well 
performed, that the 39c tab can 
make faii'-sized inroads on sales, 
especially since the diskrbuying 
pubUc has not been buying the 
majors' 75c disks in very large 
quantities in r e c e n t months, 
'Though major company, executive's 
have repeatedly pointed to the dislt 
ban and the theory that the. public 
is unaware that new tunes are still 
available, as the reason for the 
sales slump, there are many Smong 
them who feel that the 75c price is 
a big hurdle in* view of current in- 
flated living costs. 

Oberstein's initial release con- 
sists of "Rambling Rose" and "It 
Only Happens" backed up; "Run, 
Joe, Run"-"My Heart Belongs To 
You"; "Love .Somebody"-"Maybe 
You'll Be There"; "Woody Wood- 
peeker"-"My Happiness"; "You Call 
Everybody Darling" -"Turkish De- 
light" and "Tomorrow Night"- 
••'Long Gone." "Bouquet of Roses"- 
"•rexarkana Baby" and "Seamen's 
Blues"-"Suspicion" are the hill- 
billies. No name artists are used. 



Feist has assumed publishing 
rights aof "Love Is a 'Dangerous 
Thing,'' whic" Don Reid, song's 
writer, recorded on his own prior 
to the disk ban and later placed 
with the National label. 



Jocks, Jukes and Disks 



By Ben Bodec 



Bob Huston — "I'd Like to Live 
In Loveland," "On the Waterfall" 
(M-G-M). The Huston pipes have 
attached themselves to a waltz bal- 
lad, "Loveland," which has a good 
chance of staging a revival. The 
number dates back .to 1910. Hus- 
ton's treatment is 'schmaltzy but 
modern. "Waterfall," with the Fon- 
taine Sisters putting in a refram, 
also carries a nifty sentimental 
touch. It's the best pair tliat Hus- 
ton has turned out under this label. 

Claude Thornhill Orch — "Arab 
Dance," "La Patoma" ]CoUimbia), 
It's a safe bet Thornhill's "Arab 



My Favorite Five 

Bv CARL C. GOOOWIN 
(WCHV, Charlottesville, Va.) 

"Whilfenpoof Song" (Pied 
Pipers). 

"Benjie's Bubble" (Benny 
Goodman),. 

"Backbeat Boogie" (Harry 
James). 

"Without a Song" (Tommy 
Dorseyi. 

"Danny Boy" (Glenn Miller). 



Dance," based on Tchaikowsky's 
"Nutcracker Suite," will wind up a 
standard in station libraries and 
with collectors who look for imag- 
inative and stimulating perform- 
ances. Arrangement is loaded with 
colorful passages both solo and in 
concert, adding up to musicianship 
decidedly oif : the l)eaten track. 
Slowly paced and subdued "Pa- 
loma" figures as a satisfactory 
companion pieced It's a good 12- 
inch buy. 

Jo Stafford— "This Is the Mo- 
ment," "Every Day I Love You" 
(CapitoIK- Infefctious lilt that. Miss 
Stafford rings around "Evei-y Day" 
spots it as qualitatively superior to 
the mate, even tliough the latter is 
rich in tonal fluidity. Edge of the 
first over the other spells charm. 

Primo Scala Orch "Under- 
neath the Arches," "Side by Side" 
(London). Cloylngly sentimental 
"Arches" has become the latest 
object for eyebrovv lifting in the 
trade. Reaction it has had on some 
pre-release tests marks it a hit. 
Emphasis on banjos and accordions 
is an obvious design to latch on to 
the sudden popularity on this side 
of the string band, but the answer 
to the click indications leans less 
to this factor than the circum- 
stance that the lyric falls within 
the. simple bittersweet sentiments 
of such hits as "You Can't Be True, 
Dear," "When Apple Blossoms 
Fall," "My Happiness" and "Tea 
Leaves." Apparently "Arches," like 
the others, responds to a current 
mood of looking backwards to the 
simple and the serene. 

Danny Kaye-Andrews Sisters^ — 
"Woody Woodpecker," "But 'Em 



: 1- 

2. 
3. 

, 4. 

■.':5.;; 

6. 
,.,:7.:" 
8. 
9 

10. 



10 Best Sellers on CoiihMacliiiiesJ!!!!;!^^ 



WOODY WOODPECKER SONG («) (Leeds) Kay Kyser Columbia 

YOU CAN'T BE TRUE DEAR (15) (BHtmore) 'Griifin-Wayve . ' Rondo 

m HAPPINESS (10) (Blasco) Jon & Sondra Steele . . . Damon 

YOU CALL EVERYBODY DARLING (3) (Mayfair) Al Trace . . . .' , .Regent 

IT'S MAGIC (4) (Witmark) .1 DicJc Uaymes '. ...Decco 

• : • I Dons Day ,. .-. . . . . CoIu?ii.faia 

LOVE SOMEBODY (S) (Kramer-W.) D. Day-B. Clark Columbia 

TOOLIE OOLIE DOOLIE (13) (Ch'as. Ham's) \ Andreics Sisters. . .-. . . Decca 

■ :. \Vaughn Horton Continental 

WM. TELL OVERTURE (7) (Tune Town) Spike Jones Victor 

LITTLE WHITE LIES (19) (BVC) ^Dick Haymes ........ .Decca 

: ■ '■■ ""' {Tommy Dorsey ...t.,.;.. Victor 
NATURE BOY (14) (Burke-VH) Kiflg Cole .Capitol 



Coming Up 



I JJIAYBE YOU'LL BE THERE (BVC) . . . .• Gordo,^ Jenkins Decca 

MAILVBAJAH OF MAGIDOR (Mutual) , . Vaughn Monroe . .... Victor 

RUN, JOE, RUN (Preview) ; i^ouis Jordan. . . .■ '.Decca 

;: £y,TJ™I^'A**5/?!™ii'L>l---. King CoU.: C«pi,ol 



; ; BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS (T. B. Harms) 

HEARTS WIN (Miller) 

BLUE SHADOWS (Santly-Joy) . . 
RABY DON'T BE MAD (Paramount) 

• ■ (TELL ME A STORY (Laurel) 



HAtJNTEJI HEART (WiUiamsoii) 



• ' t • • ' • • • Art Mooney , .M-G-M 

. i . Xi:,.:.;. . . , . . . Petty Trio. Uiifoersot 

..... :.: . . . . . , . ; . Bing Crosby ..... , .... . . Dcfcca_ 

.... ......... .... Froiilcie Laine , , , . . . .Mercury 

. ... ' [Sammy Koj/c. .Victor 

V ■ ' ' ' " " " ■ ' I Ames Bros. . . ,. . , . ,, , Decca 
iVi Stafford. ............ .Capitol 

" ■ ■ ( Perry Como Victor 

OtCKEY BIRD SONG (Robbins) ' ) Frcddi; Martin Victor 

' [Larry Clinton Decca 

HEARTBREAKER (Leeds) .-. . ^ Andrews Sisters Decca 

- , ■ ' "■■ i Fer/co String Band Pdlda 

TEA LEAVES (Morris) E)>iil Cote Colinnbia 

- ^ . ; ■ ' ■ : ' ( Ella Fitzgerald .,. , Decca 

iN- MEADOW (Shapiro-B) MargaJ-et Whiting. '. Capitol 

fFigurei in parmthesea indicate number of weeks song has been in the Top 10.1 



In a Box, Tie 'Em with a Ribbon" 
(Decca). This hai'monica - backed 
version of the tune Kay Kyser sent 
spinning into the, bestseller class 
ii its the market before the novelty 
has started to dip substantially. 
While lacking the instrumental 
zing of the Kyser grooving, tlie 
Decca candidate should do well. 
Coupling, likewise backed , by 
mouthorgans, makes a neat spring- ' 
board for the Kaye personalitjv- 

Mindy Carson-^ "Every Day 1 
Love You," "I Can't Believe You're 
in Love with Me" (Musicraft). In- 
sinuating bounce of "Day" is win- 
somely capitalized by this rising 
young stylist and tlie underside 
ballad emerges as a fine blend of 
melody and meaningful phrasing. 

Ink Spots— "Where Flamingos 
Fly," "Just for Now" (Decca). 
Strength is backed by strength : 
here. Both ballads find the group 
sharply on the beam in perform- 
ance and mood medium. .Tuke ops 
will likely find it tough to decide 
between the dramatic drive en- 
cased in "Flamingos'" and the solid , 
lowdown sentimental appeal of the 
flipover. For a long- rider "Now" 
sounds like the choice. 

Pied Pipers — "With All My 
Heart," "Goodbye Romance" (Cap- 
itol). As polished a set as the 
team has trotted out tliis year. 
"Heart" mixes top-level harmon- 
izing with deft feel for the lyric 
and- the livelier tempoed mate 
spotlights June Hutton for some 
nimble hurdling over verses that 
tickle the ear with superior whim- 
sy and humor. Specially recom- 
mended for jock sessions. 

Connie Haines — ^"Just for Now," 
"Where Flamingos Fly" (Signa- 
ture). Miss Haines could have a 
clickeroo in "Just." Her treatment 
combines the ace elements of 
melodic sweep, persuasive heart 
appeal and a captivating style. 
She's not as relaxed or effective 
with the British import. 

Platter-Pointers 

Charioteers (Columbia) carve a 
fairly entertaining pair of rhvthm 
ditties out of "Run, Run, Rim" 
and "The Tourist Trade': . . . Don 
Reid imparts a smooth quality of 
crooning to his own scripted "Love 
Is a Dangerous Thing" (National). 
Underside's "Just a Gill that Men 
Forget" is not as convincing . . . 
Anne Shelton (London) pours lyr- 
ical brilliance into both "Time Out 
lor Tears" and "Be Mine" but, as 
usual, runs short on the stulV that 
comes from the ticker ... Vera 
Lynn, her label mate, rides "You're 
the One I Love" and "Silver Wed- 
dmg Song" with a precise appre- 
ciation for melody and words .ind 
not much beyond that . . . Kay 
Kyser Orch (Columbia) packs a 
neat assortment of rhythmic sock 
in Too Much-a Manana," with 
Gloria Wood contributing a snazzy 
vocal . . . Barclay Allen's Rhythm 
toiir come through with their most 
excjtmg performance to date In 
Barclaj'-s Boogie" and "Green 
I'-yes. Bai*lay's ivory pyrotech- 
nics, as projected on this series, 
sets him up as a "must", on any 
program of strictly instrumental 
PfP music . . . Jose Curbclo Orch, 
3"a='»e<l, to Victor's international 
stable, ^ builds up "Rural)a Rum- 
hero into rousing brand of dan- 
sapation, with the maestro's pian- 
istics adding much spai-kle to the 
performance. 



FRENCH DECCA PLANS 
U. S. SALES INVASION 

Akin to London Records' U. S. 
invasion, French Decca plans n 
strong campaign to merchandize 
Its waxings of Edith Piaf, Jacques 
Pils, Suzy Solidor, Tohama and 
other Gallic artists. Edward W. 
Pelgrins, president of Ponior, S. A., 
with headquarters in Brussels, con- 
trols Decca of the Continent. 

Like London Rfecords (which is 
really the Decca Co. of England, 
but waived that tag because of its 
contract with the U. S. Decca 
Corp.), Fonior feels that the re- 
cent French talent invasion is a 
natural for the U. S. merchandii- 
ing of their platters in their origi- 
nal versions. 

Tohama is being sent to Mon- 
treal m October, her first western 
hemi.sphere boohing, via her disk 
company. She will play the Canuck 
tneatres in Canada and may e.ssay 
a U. S. nitery date. Tohama's name 
in Private life is Matia AUmann. 



W^e<1nc8«1a7, July 21, 1948 



S9 



BALLROOMS' mm CAMPAIGN 



HTwood Wirkers Sbre Advanced? 

Music publishers who have been on the Coast recently say that 
sdngwriters who live in the Hollywood area are much more ad- 
vanced than their eastern brethren in these disk ban days. Pubs 
assert that Coast writers, when they turn out a new song, often 
have it recorded two or tnoi^e ways by bootlegging musicians 
before they approach a publisher with the. idea of inducing him to 
talce the tune for publication. 

With a few masters of a new tune available, which can be turned 
over to either major or minor disk firms, the songwriter has a 
much easier task in disposing of publication rigiits. 




ISFOIS So^s OB Ksbes, as Se&g Lure, 
BIZ DEIEIMNI Crocby Co. 



Band bookers in the east have i 
launched a campaign against what 
may be one of the causes of the 
lagging business beingi done this] 
summer by one-night ballrooms. I 
Led by Howard Sinnott, General 
Artists Corp.' oite-nighl salesman, 
the idea- is a cleanup campaign de- 
signed to induce promoters who 
operate unpaintcd, unattractively 



AFM AppaiFeH% Re^pned to Vo^ 

American Federation of Musi-|— — — ■ 

cians appai-ently h»s given up hope o^. t * » • x 

of changing, in any way the u. s. | opmner Lets Listeners 

Suprem*^ Court decision which out- 1 gp^|. Him Jfour Dailv I "'""^'^ be afraid to allow their 



la\ved its Form B contract blank, ] 
which made buyers of a band re- 
sponsible for sficial security and 
unemployment taxes. AS'M is ex- 
jtected within a month or so to is- 
sue new contract blanks formulated 
by .* committee- of AFM director 
.board ' members; These will re- 
place Form B. 

Though it is more than a year 
since the Supreme Court decided 
that the AFM's Fonn. » biank was 
illegal, tbe- union tsus continued to 
usfi it, forcing band agencies and 
otter sellers to attach riders to 
•every contract nullifying the effect 
of the blank's s.s. and unemploy- 
ment tax clauses. AFM clung- to 
the blank in tho hope that it could 
upset the Court's ruling, at least in 
individual states- New York's Lo- 
cal 802, for example, has been try- 
ing for some time to get U. S. 
Treasury Department to Issue 
special orders covei'ing the tax col- 
lections on dates played by its 
membci's. 



Nicky Campbell, who split re- 
cently with Al Porgle in operation 
of Campbell-Porgle, set up his own 
publishing firm last week, Galled 
Campbell Music, the cOmparty is 
being financed, according to Camp- 
bell, by his own coin Slid is iiot 
affiliated with either Broadcast 
, Music, Inc., or the American So- 
decorated ballrooms to refurbish j ciety of Composers, Authors and 
and dress up their spots. Included, | Publishers. In the charter papers, 
too, m the plan is the attitude that I filed in Albany last week, Garap- 
promoters must make of their ball- i bell and Barbara Walters are listed 
rooms places to which parents ) as directors. 

Campbell has a staff consisting 



. ^ Major music publishers ran into 

Nif-lfv rtmnh^ll Sptu NpW I""* °* unusual infringe- 

iMtlty t^ampoeu OeiS r^W ^.35,^3 ^j^^y ^^^^ encountered 

Music Firm With Own Com ; last weok, when a crockery com- 
pany was tagged selling sets of 
dishes on which were Inscribed th» 
titles and f our bars of (^ght of th« 
most Valuable standard tunes in 



San Antonio, July 20. 
Local Mialers who have a yen to 
become* a disk jockey are- getting 
the- opportunity to do so on KITE 
each morning between 8 and 9 a.m. 
Joe Allison, m.c. for the three-hour | 



youngsters to go. Properly super- 
vised admissions is also .part of the 
setup. 

It has been noted during the 
few months since the* summer one- 
night season began that the ball 



flail v "Hadin Almanar " invito •'^'^^ 80od busi- 

.1 u ™i- ? . •^ ,'^^"^f'. attractively dccor 

would-be; disk jocks to his airer. < ' 1.1™=.^ wmvwvrajr tow 

Guest platter spinner brings to 
the studio Iris or her own favorite- 
recoirduigs, or * may select them 
from the stacks' of wax at KITE!. 




bUewCc^aet 



AvaSaUe Fer 
Pickup l-Niters 

Some crack musical hands are 
working out of New York cur- 1 
I rently under medium-name^ maes- I 
i Sros who form "iiick up'' combina- 1 
; tions only after they are signed for i 
! a one-nighter by an agency. There | 
' ai'e so many topflight musicians j 



'Variety* Forum 

Varikty has received in- 
crvasing' reports concerning 
the ideas used by such ball- 
rooms as the Ritz, Bridgeport, 
Sunnybrook, Pottstown, and 
many others to promote busi- 
ness. As a means of relaying- 
these promotional projects to 
other operators who might be- 
missing business bets, Variexy 
is serving as a clearing house- 
for the exchange of such ideas. 

A Forum column will he 
available to any operators 
wishing to tell about their 
exploitation gimmicks. .lust 
address VAntETY, New York,- 
19. N. Y., attention Music 
Dept. 



of George Gilbert to aid him in 
N. Y. and Ralph Harris in Holly- 
wood. They have begun work on 
"The Tilings I Love," with which 
Campbell originally went into busi- 
ness for himselt In. the- early '40s: 
He retained ownership of ita after 
joining- forces with- Por^cs 



' available, who formerly did only [rated and furnished, well-run spots, 
recording and radio work, that a i such as the Totem Pole ballroom, 
j leader looking for good men for | Auburndale, Mass.; Bitz ballroom, 
i an occasional one-nighter has his 1 Bridgeport; Carousel ballroom, 
I pick of the best musicians in the | Hampton Beach, N. H,, etc. Many 
,! country. (which had not been maintaining 

One-night promoters in the! any sort of a business standard 
Attorneys for t h e American | east, who know good music, say; were, when checked, found to be 
Society of Composers. Authors and 'that in recent months they have i unattractive, run - down buildings i handling the sort of item.s implied 
Publishers, and legalites I'epresent- ! bought bands tliat a leader who with inflammable paper decora- i by the firm name. Its deal with 
ing radio interests, will meetAvith- 1 maintains his own combo all-year j tions that were torn and hanging ; Decca is exclusive • and relieves 
in the next couple* of weeks con- 1 couldn't po.ssibly maintain. They j askew, poorly cleaned floors, chairs, that company's San I*"rancisco 



Decca Names 
hielSM 
For l$t 'hm 



Decca Records for the- first time 
in its comparatively brief opera- 
tion has appointed an independent 
distributor of its product. Ever 
since Decca's inception 10 . years< 
or so ago, the- company has main- 
tained wtioUy owned and operated 
dispersal points, which become 
dangerously expensive when sales 
begin to slide since ttu;re is no 
way of reducing such operating 
costs unless branches are closed. 
It's stated by Decca that its initial 
move toward using indie distribs 
"m-iy be the forerunner of others 
in areas where current coverage is 
deemed inadequate," 

Salt Lake Hardware Co. is the 
indie signed by Decca. It hereto- 
fore has concerned itself only with 



cerning the extension of ASCAP's ' were made up of musicians who, land washrooms, etc. 



.agreement with radio, which 
pipes at the end of next year. 

Law factions will review the de- 
velopments already reached be- 
tween negotiating committees rep- 
resenting both sides, which have 
been meeting: occasionally for about 
. a year in the process of making ex- 
te'njjion terms agreeable. 

. soon as the attorneys huddle. 
ASCAP will seek to clean up tlie 
radio contract as quickly as pos- 
sible and thereafter will turn its 
full attention toward concluding, an 
agreement for the use of its music 
by television. It first, however 



when there was no recording ban 
and much more radio work than 
is now available, earned up to 
$50,000 annually. Such Is their 
ability that they need very little j 
rehearsal on the book of a leader j 
who hires them for one night. 1 
They form a crack band just by sit- 
tina down together. 

A leader can hire such musicians J 
for the type of dates mentioned 
because all are worked within 
short distances of New York, and | 
they're only for one night. Ma- 1 
jority of the musicians involved are 
familv men living in N. Y. or its 



As a result, it dawned upon Sin- 
nott and his cohorts that tlie physi- 
cal attractions, or the lack of them, 
(Continued on page 47) 




1 branch, which heretofore was re- 
i sponsible for supplying the area 
\ of which Salt Lake is the center. 
! For years the recording industry 
• has been predicting that Decca 
I would go into indie distributor- 
t ships. It wasn't until earlier this 
iyear, however, that Decca showed 
I signs in that direction. Its first 
i move was to establish what it 
' called "super-branches." These 
I were laid out to. carry complete ih- 
I ventories of Decca's past and pres- 
ent line to shorten the time re- 
; quired on orders for any "catalog" 
material to be filled from eastern 



existence. Apparently the novelty 
angle of the use of the tunes meant 
•much to the manufacturer's selling 
point since 6,000 dozen sets were 
said to have been gold before th« 
pubs were made aware of the iip- 
fringement, 

Fondeville Co. is the manufac- 
tui-er of the crockery. It I?- mad« 
both in the U. S. and England, but 
the majority sold her*'. Company 
has ofl'ered publishers a royalty or 
IWiC to 15c per dozen, but in re- 
turn demands an exclusivity 
clause. At least on»jn^6r son# 
house is. demanding 25c pier dozen 
royalty (dishes- sell f or fS and $ff * 
set of 12) and refuses' the exclu- 
sivity clause. If that isn't sati»> 
factory, sa-ys' the pub, it will. pro- 
ceed with an infnngenrent suit. 
Included in the Aeal Is a' lamp sum 
scttletttent on idl sales jilmdy 
made. 

There are eight publishers in- 
volved. Four other tunes are ih 
the public domain. And the crock- 
ery manutaeturer is in a spot if, h« 
can't make a deal with all pub^ 
lisheps who could have infringe- 
ment cases against him. It seems 
that the dishes ar« paclced jsuod sold 
in sets, each plat&of which cairrtet 
a difTerent title iuid music. There- 
fore, if the rights' to one soQ|t can- 
not be obtained, the sets- must be 
broken up. • ~ 

.Songs used are "I'll Be Down to 
Get You in a Xaxi, Honey"; "If I 
Had My Way," "Lrt Me Call You 
Sweetheart," "When You Wore « 
Tulip, " "Dear Old Girl/' "I'm For- 
ever Blowing^ Bubbles;" "MtDon* 
light Bay" and "Sw«et AdeUne:" 



Deci^n in N. Y. 

The right of ASCAP to collect 

seat tax from motion picture -or westwn stock shelves; Some 18 



must secure clear rights from its suburbs and they wouldn't hit the theatres was virtually thrown put , super-branches have been esUb- 
members o re~nt them in^^^^^ In addition to yesterday (Tues.) m an historical lished but they replaced a num- 

visioi, negotXns ^ the one-nishtins out of town, thoy ■ decision handed down by Federal . ber of minor distributing points. 

: cIo club .iobs, etc., in New York. .Judge Vincent H. Leibel I m N. Y 
They must, to maintain families in the suit brought by 164 thea- 
since the elimination of recording tres 
and the reduction in N. Y. radio 



work due to the removal of many , 
shows t6 Hollywood. 

Thornhill to Resume 

Batoning in October 



CAMMATA A STICILER 
FOR THAT AFM m 

Tuttie Camarata, musical direc- , 
tor of London Records, who con- 
duoteft the majority of the record- 
ings made by the English company, 
before the fust of the year, is scrup- : 

Ulously continuing to avoid con ! , .„ , u i,» 

ducting more until the American ' Claude Thornhi 1. who broke up 
Federation of Musicians disk ban hi.s orchestra a few weeks back, 
in the U. S. is lifted. Despite the will resume operations m Octobei 
f?ct that his conducting for London William Morris agency has booked 
would be done in England, with the band for two flays-Ocl. 28-2. 
English musicians, Camarata is a ;— at VPI, Blacksburg, Va and m<o 
member of the AFM and he has'liave others precedin? 
assured James C. Pelrillo that for It's emphasi-/.cd that lliornliill vmu 
the duration of the ban he will not 
recoFd, even in England. 

*or months, Camarata has off and 
«n been reported as leaving for 
England to cut new disks for Lon- 
flon But, in addition to his own 
wish not to violate AFM orders, 
"l,*ears that it he did record, the 



Boosey Plea to Dodge 
Bela Bartok Suit Denied 



To-Do Mid%Bk 
MJaylorHike 
In ASCAP Ratings 

There was quite a to-do within 
the past 10 days between executives 
of the American Sdciky of Com- 
posers, Authors and Publishers 
and at least one of the members of 
its board, over raises in classifica- 
tion given two writers. 

Gene Buck, who had been listed 
in the "BB" class, was raised to 
"A," while Deems Taylor, who re- 
cently stepped down as president 
of the organization, was boosted 
from "A" to "AA". And the jumps- 
caused a squawk. Both are former 
presidents of the Society. 

One of the members of the board 
protested the increases on the 
grounds that neither writer was, 
getting suificient performances to 
justify the jumps, which involve 
several thousand dollars annually. 
After a fairly long dispute the 
raises were allowed to stand, 
Buck's jump to "A", however, 



in the metropolitan N. Y. 
area, (See full details on Page 3.) 

Highlighting the court's deci- , , . , , . 

sion, which declared that ASCAP's ; Federal .ludge Alfred Coxe la-stl^^.^^ nature of a copipromisei 

collection of laeatre fees violated week in N. Y. federal court -de- 1"? M ''"IS?* ,.a^a^I*^1 
the Sherman anti-trust laws, was ; nied a motion of Boosey & Hawkes : to AA, the high-: 

a five-point injunftion for relief to dismiss Victor Bator and Julius est glaSsincatto n. 
to the plaintiffs. Injunction or- g. Brown's suit alleging Infringe- ... , , , . _ ^.^^ 

dered ASCAP as an organization ^nient of a third piano concerto , WAI I A CF S NEW I llIlK 
to divest K.sclf immediately of all composed by the late Bela Bartok. I " "'^ " 
publie performance rights on ; piaintifils are executors of Bartok's I IM rflUljfp^ jtrrnOSP 
songs licen.sed tor films, -with the .estate and originally filed against j *" VVniiaiuU n.\»WlTU 
rights to be turned back to the Columbia Records for a declaratory j . Philadelphia, July 20. 

original copyright holders. judgment on a charge the record- i Henry Wallace's Third Party 

ASCAP members were then re- ing firm had waxed the tune with- ' will blaze new trails in convention 
strained from refusing to grant ■ out con-sent. music when it meets here this 

such rights to film producers, or ; Boosey & Hawkes were later j week-end. GOP and Democratic 

„ P^-nrdv the same in- to grant them to anyone but film brought in as a defendant on a . parleys sported 60 piece brasss 

return \^'[f^,f^,^", . '"u.'n u„ <jis. producers when they involved . claim that it was involved m as- : bands under the guidance of such 
.siriimentalion he held ynen nc «^^^ synchronization of tunes with film.s .signing recording rights to the w.k. maestri as Meyer Davis and 
VocaiLsis idi " exhibited lor profit. Bartok concerto to Columbia. Pub- Howard Lanin. Wallace's con- 

' Court also restrained ASCAP and li.shing hou.so had sought dismissal Tvention wiir feature a -dance 
its members from conspiring to in- 1 of the action on the ground that it i orchestra. 

lude a clause in film booking ; docs not do bu.siness in New York i Tony De Simone, local pianist. 



banded 

and Gene Williams 
placed by a vocal group. 

Thornhill is in Honolulu revising 
and adding to his librar.y. and va 



and adding to : i.'c- -leieemonts with distributors and .state, but the court disallowed the 'has recruited an orche: 

,cationinR. He ' l^''"^" JL exhibitors "that would force exhibs , claim. B & H, under a 1939 agree- j band format, most of 

. cause that s "/'"'^ ''^ J\u"^^^^ to obtain an ASCAP license in or- ment. had been Bartok's Agent and ' cians coming from the 



AFM might latch onto the idea to ( ..""-.V. , ... 



publisher. 



^has recruited an orchestra of jazz 
the mu.si- 
hcii WCAU 

iunit 



40 ORCHKSTRitS-MIJSIC 

^ — , — — ^ — 



WedncHflay, July 21, 1948 



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WedneMlay, July 21, 1948 



ii S(Higs with Laniest Ra£o Au^ence | 

.Thirtj/ song^of the week (more in cose of fics), bn,?prf 07i the 
1 copyrighted Audience Coverage Index Survey of PdpuJnr Music 
■■ Broadcast Over Radio Networks. Published by the Office of Re- 
search, Inc., Dr. J.ohn G. Peaxviav, Direrior. 

Survey Week of July 9-15; i})48 
I A Fella With an Umbrella— fBaster Parade" Feist 

• A Tree In the Meadow i . siiapiro-B 

:; Baby Don't Be Mad at Me Paramount 

Blu* Shadows On the Trail — i "Melody Time" . ; Santly-Joy 

Dolores ^ . • ."• . . '- Famous 

Dream Peddler : , . , . . • • ■ • . • .... . ... , . . . Southerh 

Ev'ry Day I Love You Harms 

Haunted Heart— *"Inside XJ.S.A." Williamson 

I Went Down To Virginia. ........ ..... ... , , , Jefferson 

Only Happens Dance With You-*7"Kaster Parade". Berlin 

It's Magic — fRomance On High Seas" Witmark 

It's You Or No One Rcmick 

Just Because Leeds 

Little Girl Leeds 

.Little White Lies BVC 

-Xove Somebody Kinmer-W 

My Fair Lady -. United 

Nature Boy Burke- VH 

; . Now Is the Hour Leeds 

• ■ JP. S, I Love "You LaSalle 

Put 'Km In a Box— fRomance On High Seas" Remick 

• • Rambling Rose — , , . . Laurel 

Rhode Island Is Famous For You — *"Inside U.S.A.'', Crawford 
'. . Scren.ide- (Music Played On a Heartstring) ........ Duchess 

• • Steppin' Out With My Baby — f'Easter Parade" .... Berlin 

• Takin' Miss Mary To the Ball. . .Miller 

Tea Leaves ......v...,......;....... Morris 

Tell Me a Story . . . . . , V ; . ; : . . .... .... . . .... . . . . . Laurel 

Toolie OoUe Doolie . . . . : ... . . . , . C. K. Harris 

t When the Red Red Robin Comes Bobbin Along . . , , . Bourne 
' i Woody Woodlpecker . .r. . Leeds 

• ^ You Can't Be True Dear ...... Biltmore 



OIICflBSTItAS-lMIJSie 



41 



The renuiinitt0'2O songs of the meek, based on the copi/rigihted 
'Audience Cot2«r(t0e Index Survey of, Po%)ulat Miisie Broadcast 1 
Over Jladio Networks. Published by the Office of Research, Inc., •■ 
Dr. John G. Peatman, Director. . - , 

A Boy From Texas- . . ; , . ... .... ..... . . . Shapiro-B 

Baby Face ; . . . . . , » . , . Remick 

Better Luck Next Time-^t"Easter Parade" ........ Feist 

Caramba It's the Samba ............... . ....Martin 

Chillicothe, Ohio Mellin 

Confess • ^ i ........... , \ . . ... Oxford 

Don't Blame Me . . , Warren 

Dream Girl— t"Dream Girl" Fam.ous 

EMore Cherie . . .... . ... ... . . . . .Miller 

Fiddle Addle . . . '. Mills 

Foolin' ... ...... ... i . . . . . ..Jay Dee 

Heartbreaker Leeds 

I'd Give a Million Tomorrows . . . Oxford 

I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover Remick 

It's a Most Unusual Day Bobbins 

It's the Sentimental Thing To Do . ...Fisher 

Just For, Now Advanced . . 

Last Thing I Want Is Your Pity Morris 

Long After TOni^t , Broadcast 

Love Of My Life— t"'The Pirate" T.'B. Harms 

Old Ferris Wheel .............................. . Goldmine 

Take It Away ...Peinora 

What's Good About Goodbye— f'Casbah" Melrose 

You Call Everybody Darling ...... . . . ....... . Mayfair 

You Were Meant For Me ................... . Miller 

Yours Marks 



; ; * Leflit Mwsicol. t Filmusical. 



Giitzley ioins Alexander 

Al Gazley, who did not shift with 
■.the Mus-Art agency personnel to 
General Artists Corp. 4ast week, 
joins Willard Alexander's agency 
Aug. 1, in New York. He will assist 
Alexander in booking locations. 



SI6 BVTS FAT TERRT DISKS 

Signature Records has taken 
over Seven sides cut by Pat Terry 
for the Famous label prior to the 
ban. ■ ■: 

Etchings will be marketed both 
as singles and as part of an album. 



"jjuuuuj-iiJiujuujjLy 

/ Just Concluded Ten Weeks V 

W ABfTAIklA RAI I BrtriM MFW YORK ^ 



ARCADIA BALL ROOM, NEW YORK 

TOMMY RYAN 

and His Orchestra 
CaiTMtly (July 17-30) 

PALISADES PARK. N. J. 
^liMSHTON lEACH, N. Y. (AUft. 3-1 0» 
AIMON HOTEL, ASIURY rARK. N. J. 
Starting Aug. 12 — li«i«f- 



:<C.'JSIVE MANAGtMENT 

ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP. 



JOe GLASER Pres 
745 hfth Ave , ,New forx 22 
PL, 9.4600 



203 No WabaJh 
Chicago 



Til* To|i Fiivwit* 

MY HAPPINESS 



Lvfc hf tMy PMwmh M»ic by 

All Material AveihibI* 

BLASCO MUSIC, INC 

mi ■oMniM* Kaaw* Cily, Ma- 



Tops of the Tops 

Retail Disk Seller 
"Woody Woodpecker" 
Retail Sheet Music Seller 

"You Can't Be True, Dear" 
"Most Requested" bisk 
'"Woody .Woodpecker" 
Seller on Coin Machines 
"Woody Woodpecker" 
British Best Seller 
"Galway Bay" 



Duke Ellington Banned 
From Albert Hali By 
Nott'ham Church Execs 

London, July 13. 
Duke Ellington was told this 
week that he had been banned by 
the church authorities of Nottihg- 
ham from performing in the city's 
main concert hall on July 16. When 
eiforts were made to book the Not- 
tingham Albert Hall, the only suit- 
able building, impresario Harold 
Fielding, who is organizing Elling- 
ton's concert tour of British cities, 
was told that the hall was not avail- 
able. 

The Rev. Frank T. Copplestone, 
minister of the Albert Hall Mis- 
sion, said that no booking had been 
accepted and there could be no 
question of any cancellation. 

"An inquiry was received from 
Harold Fielding's office as to 
whether the hall \yould he avail- 
able," Rev. Copplestone said yes^ 
terday. We felt it seemed hardly 
the standard of concert we liked to 
have in the hall, which after all is 
our church and Fielding was in- 
formed that the hall was not avail<- 
able. 

"This is a Methodist church and 
not a public hall, but the demand 
for good class concerts in Notting- 
ham is such that the Albert Hall is 
generally available tor them. 

"This is no judgment on the 
proposed performance. We do not 
wish to reflect adversely on this 
type of concert, but we still have 
to 6xerci.se discretion as to what is 
put on. Our object is to make it 
available for civic and social func- 
tions and high class concerts." 

Duke Ellington commented: ".I 
have played in charqh halls all 
over the V. S. and frequently per- 
formed in Carnegie Hall. I play 
everything from modern folk music 
to symphonies. I have every re- 
spect and reverence for anyone's 
religious beliefs, but it is nonsense 
to suggest that my n^usic is in any 
way irreligious and I cannot con- 
ceive why I am not acceptable to 
appear at Nottingham." 

Harold Fielding, who is organiz- 
ing the tour, said: "I was amazed 
when I heard I could not have the 
hall. Ellington's visit to Britain 
has been the most succesful I have 
ever managed. He is such a draw 
that I have had to alter the whole 
program to give him more time on 
the platform." 



Bands at Hotel B.O.'s 

■, IVcdn '.'ea»t"i 'Op«cnl '' 
niinii H*>*l Flaxnl WcebOnDnU 

Dick Jurgens** .... Waldorf (400; $Z) 6 3,195 ld,76S 

Skitch Henderson,, Pennsylvania (500; $1-$1.50).... 2 1,300 2,745 

Ray Eberlei" New Yorker (400; $1-$1,50>. ... 10 1,310 13,885. 

Guy Lombard© Astor (700; $1-$1.50) 8 3.515 31,U0 



" New Yorker, ice show. 
■'^ Dick Jurgens replaced Monday 112) . 



Chicago 

Georee Olsen (Beachwalk, Edgewater Beach; $1.30-$2.50 min.). Raia 
Monday (12) cut take, but still sock 12,000. 

Florian ZaBach (Empire Roont, Palmer House,. 550; ^3.50 min.-^l 
cover). Second week of new summer revue doing line biz. Excellent 
4,000. 



Los Angeles 

Sbep Fields-Frankie Laine (Ambassador, 900; $1.50-$2). Solid 2,900 

tabs. . ■.■m ■■■ 

Jan Garber (Biltmore, 900; $1-$1.50). Good 2,750' covers. ' 



Location Jobs, Not in Hotels 

(Cliica.qo) 

Marty Gould (Chez Paree, SOU; $3.50 rain.). Danny Thomas keeping 
bistro packed. Boff 6,300. 

Henry Kinr (Trianon; $1-$1.15 min.). King switched to southside mi 
picked up fair 8,000. 

Al Trace (Blackhawk, 500; $2.50 min.). Building right along. Brisk 
2,600. 



Buddy Rich-Helen Forrest (Palladium B.,. Hollywood, 2nd wk.). Poor 
7,800 callers. 

Desi Amaz (Casino Gardens B., Santa Monica, 3rd wk.). Poot 2,800 

takers. ■ . 

Frankie Masters (Aragon B., Santa Moioica, 1st wk.). Powerful 7.500 

dancers. ■ ■ . 



GAC's Talent 0.0. 

General Artists Corp. is now hot 
after new artists 'since it acquired 
fresh manpower in the deal which 
brought into its sales force the 
personnel of the Mus-Art Agency. 
Agency has been approaching in 
^he past week or 'SO a ijiumber of 
unattached, and attached, artists 
with a view toward alignUig them 
under the GAC flag. ' 

Action in the direction tov^ards 
strengthening and enlarging its 
talent roster are not being doQe, 
however, simply because of the ad- 
dition of Russ Facchine, Jack Whit- 
temore, Lyle Thayer and Howard 
Christensen, the exMus^Art men. 
There's televisian to lie tsonsideced. 



Upbeat 

New York 



M-G-M MAKES 1ST 
DISK SINCE AFN BAN 

Hollywood, July 20. 

M-G-M Records last week made 
its first recording since the appli- 
cation of the America^ Federation 
of Musicians disk ban. 'It cut Art 
Lund with harmonica backgrounds, 
doing "You jC!all jBv»i]^ody Dar- 
ling" and "Hair ol Gold." 

Ever since the ban, M-G-M has 
observed the AFM ban, partly be- 
cause of its affiliation with Metro 
films, and partly because anything 
It required could be gotten from 
England, a source of material for 
all major disk companies during 
ivcent'montbs. 



New York Public Library shifted 
indoor disk concerts, which were 
l un all winter, to outdoors in Bry- 
ant Park; they'll be done daily... 
Leeds Music found another sleeper 
hit in Claude Thornhill's "For 
Heaven's Sake." Columbia disking; 
...Dave Dennis forming new or- 
chestra .. .Edmundo Ros, British 
Latin-American maestro, here from 
London ... Sammy Kaye donated 
12 radios to Halloran hospital, war 
vet institution; prizes on Kaye's 
Chesterfield "So You Want to Lead 
a Band" show, incidentally, have 
pyramided to .$12,000 in value... 
Milt Krasny, General Artists v p., 
will come east in a few weeks while 
Tom Rockwell, prez, goes west.,. 
Jack Spina out of Leeds Music. 

Hollywood 

Bob Crosby Orchestra playing 
Palace theatre, Columbus, July 19- 
22, and then RKO Palace, Cleve- 
land, week of July 23 . . . Million 
Dollar theatre will pair Interna- 
tional Sweethearts of Rhythm and 
.Joe Liggins combo week of Aug. 
17, Red Ingle combo set for July 
ii .stanza . . Following date at 
Million Dollar. Tngle group goes to 
Zamboanga nitery for an mdet 
stand , . . Leonard Sues' new crew 
inked for July 23>Labor Day stretch 
at Del Mar hotel . . - Miguelito 
Valdes' band set for ( wo weeks at 
Del Paseo, Santa Barbara, Aug. 18, 
Valdes will add a dance team and 
get $3,230 per week for the engage- 
ment . . V Red Norvo back in town 
after series of midwest nitery 
stands. 




The R H 



SYSTEM 

Is FUEE 

(This Friday-My 23) 



To Prove the Following Facts 

1. It starts a song faster. 

2. It shows where and how your song is played. 

3. It gives a true valuation to every piu9« 

4. No secret tabulations. 

5. All information available at ail times. 

6. Vocal renditions score higher than instru- 
mental. 

7. All our staff consists of recognized music 
men. * 

Our Fee will only be $50.00 a month. 

MORTY KEIT 

Gen. Mgr. 
Circle 7-5197 



42 



ORCBESTRAS-MIJSIC 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



Levant Tops Gershwin 
HVood Bowl Concert 
With Chopin Encores 

Hollywood, July 20. 

The lady was indignant. 

"He plays beautifully," she de- 
clai'ed, "but I don't think even 
Oscar Levant has the right to play 
Chopin as an encore at a George 
Gershwin Memorial Concert." 

Thus the Hollywood Bowl's fifth 
Gershwin memorial ended. Record 
crowd of some 21,000 people had 
been more or less disappointed 
anyway by the programming. ^Last 
two years, under the batoning of 
Paul Whiteman, program had 
leaned heavily on the more popu- 
lar . Gershwin melodies — - the 
familiar songs from musicomedy 
hits. This year, with Leith 
Stevens conducting, only the ex- 
pected "Rhapsody in Blue" and an 
arrangement of the "Porgy and 
Bess" score could be considered 
. close to Gershwin's pop catalog. 

■ lievant's encores, which teed off 
a home-going controversy, came 
after he had concluded' a brilliant- 
ly executed "Rhapsody." After 
several bows, he repeated a few 
chords of the Gershwin piece, but 

■ but the crowd demanded more. Af- 
ter a few moments, however, the 
encores began^ First "Mala- 
guena," and when that didn't sate 
the overflow crowd he tried some 
Chopin, "Clair De Lune" and 

; eventually ''Good Night Ladies" to 
chase 'em home.'' By that time, the 
controversy was on in full force. 

Kap. 



TELL ME 
A STORY 

LAUREL MUSIC CO. 

% 

1619 Broadway „ 
New York 

TOMMY VALANDO 



Sound-Equipped ' 

MOTOR COACH 
FOR $ALE 

Hands! BAail siiows! Entertnloment 
fctonpa! Siteakers! Completely rebnllt 
White Mdtar Coach ready for Jrnnr 
Iiuifj; or short trips, Beailtltiiillyr^Aiif- 
fltteil, roomy for conifoii; and plenty 
of Instrnnient and luKRase space, ^w- 
cial ttppearanee platform at rear. New 
nud complete puliUc address system 
with generator and built in speakers. 
Bndy rebuildinK alone cost $«,fla«; 
sound system east 1|>4(0|)0. Our client 
will sen at real l>nr((»ln price ; also 
will consider lease proposition, 

'gmsl, TnBB or wmxi: 
TRACY.LOCKE, CO., INC. 

1A07 Paclflo Avenqe 



BETJUL DISI BEST SEUEIS 



Survey oj retail disk best 
sellers, . based on reports ob- 
tained from leading stores in 
12 cities, and showing com- 
parative sales rating for this 
and last week. 



National 
Ratine 

This Last 
wk. wk. 



Week Ending 
July 17 

Artist* Label, TiUe 



1 


1 


SSlY KYSER (Ckilumbia) 


1 




5 


1 


.. 




1 


1 


I 




1 


9 


68 


2 


2 


K. GRIFFIN-J. WAYNE (Rondo) 


5 




6 


2 


2 




2 


2 


3 


2 






64 


3 


"4 


DICK IIAYMES (Dccca> 


4 


4 




3 


4 




'■■4 


9 


6 








43 


4 


3 


SPIKE JONES (Victor) 


2 


5 




6 




8 


5 




5 




. 4 




42 


5 


14 


BLANC-SPORTSMEN (Capitol) 




6 






1 


1 








1 






35 


6 


5 


DORIS UAY-B. CLARK (Col) 


6 




3 




7 




8 










2 


29 


7A 


9 


PEE WEE HUNT (Capitol) 
"12th St. Rag" , 




2 


1 








3 




■ 




10 




28 


7B 


5 


JON-SONDRA STEELE (Damon) 


3 


7 




5 






T 


■5 ■ 










28 


8 


7 


PIED PIPERS (Capitol) 












7 








4 


2 


8 


23 


9 


11 


ELLA FITZGERALD (Diecca) 






2 




6 








4 








21 


10 


14 


PATTI PAGE (Mercury) 








7 


5 










3 






18 


llA 


19 


GORDON JENKINS (Decca) 
"Maybe You'll Be There". . .. .... 




9 


7 








10 










1 


17 


IIB 




DORIS DAY (Columbia) 




3 














2 








17 


lie 


8 


AL TRACE (Regent) 

"You Call Everybody Darling". . . 




1 












4 










17 


12 


13 


DICK HAYMES (Oecca) 

"It's Magic".. 










3 


6 


9 












15 


13A 


7 


KING COLE (Capitol) 

"Nature Boy" 


7 








8 


5 








10 






14 


'l3B 




DICK HAYMES (Decca) 

"You Can't Be True, Dear" 












2 












6 


14 


14 


6 


ANDREWS SISTERS (Decca) 
"Toolie Oolie Doolie". .......... 


9 






4 










7 








13 


15A 


10 


TEX BENEKE (Victor) 




8 


9 












8 








8 


15B 




TONY MARTIN (Victor) 












3 














8 


15C 




VAUGHN MONROE (Victor) 












10 












4 


8 


15D 




ROSETTA HOWARD (Columbia) 
















3 










8 


15E 




KING'S WAY SYMPH. (London) 


N 






















3 


8 


15P 




SPORTSMEN (Capitol) 






















3 




8 


16A 




PERRY COMO (Victor) 








8 








8 


10 








7 


16B 




TONY MARTIN (Victor) 












■.4; 














7 


16C 


15 


ART MOONEY (M-G-M) 




















5 




10 


7 


16D 




TOMMY DORSEY (Victor) 






4 




















7 



FIVE TOP 
ALBUMS 



I 

PROGRESSIVE 

JAZZ 
Stan Kenton 

Capitol 



SONG HITS OF OUR 
TIMES 
(7 Albums) 

Decca 



EMPEROR WALTZ 
Bing Crosby 

Decca 



ALBUM NO. 3 
Al Joben 

Decca 



S 

MASTERPIECES 
Glmn Miller 

Victor 



Harry James will disband July 
24 for four week. Band now is on 
one-nite trek up and down coast. 



CAN YOU IMAGINE? 

Yes, can you Imagin* a "nobody" imaqinlng that ht mlglit writ* a good 
seiig lyric? It hm takm m* 30 ytori of trying to evtii "Imagine" I might. 

U you putbllth leag* Wwirlte marie, and think this might "do" if It had 
murie I'd bo glad to know it. 

Jutt a couple of excerpti from it ai 1 haven't the whole completed to my 
satiifactlon, and $oitie line* and Meet ef it f de not want shewn at the 

present time... ..• 

"I Con Imagine" 

I caw imagine an Angel being jealous 0} u^fit 
And I can imagine a. rose being jealous too 
I can imagine the ielight 

Of the stars at niglit ' 
How vou must thrill them with your lovcUiteas 
How they must envy the breeze, each soft carets: 
Oh, I can imagine a million things. I guess v 
But I can't imagine what I woiM do, if iiou ' 
Should, say .our love was thru 
Fof' I cim'timagim, Just caWt irnagine 
What i wouW. Ao, without van. 

P. S. STALLINOS BOWIE, TEXAS 

Motlce: This Ad, Title and Lyric Are leieg Copyrighted 
leceuie ef Coatacl* Mode IWs Will le Last Ad f er AwMIe 



3 Ex-PIuggers Form 
Music Co. With EMI Aid 

Cavalier Music, a new publish- 
ing firm , formed by three former' 
contactmen, Went into business in 
New. York last week, Bob Baum- 
garten, Mickey Glass and Jerry 
Lewin established the company via 
deal with Broadcast Music, Inc., 
which is backing them on a per- 
formance arrangement. 

BMI handed over to the trio 
"You Walked By," brought out 
oiriginally by BMI during its radio 
fight with the American Society 
of Composers, Authors and Pub- 
lishers. Disk compaiDdes assertedly 
are reissuing platters of the tune. 



A GREAT 
RHYTHM BALUO 

CONFESS 



OXFOKO MUSIC CORTORATION 
. U19 inMhrar. New Yerti 



Jonie Taps Prowls 

For Jolson Pic Tunes 

Jonie Taps, coordinator of music 
for Columbia Pictures, is due east 
later this month. 

He's bent on buying songs for 
use in the next Al Jolson film, due 
to roll in the faU. for Col. 



U.S. Pubs Earned 500G 
For Dollar-Hungry Eng. 
This Y«ar, Says FRS 

London, July 20. 

Harojd Wilson, president of the 
Board of Ti-ade; was told by Leslie 
Boosey, chairman of the British 
Performing Right Society at a 
luncheon in London, July 15, that 
the "export" of British music had 
resulted in foreign income this 
year 'of %500,000. 

Wilson" said that de.'^pite the-; 
greater use in dollar and other hard 
currency countries of British songs, 
films and compositions the volume 
of such two-way traffic was still in 
favor of compositions coming into 
this country. He urged greater at* 
tention to export.' 

"It is a matter of some pleasure 
to me," said Wilson, ".'that on my 
last visit to America I found that 
works of art and particularly pop 
songs produced in this countiy 
were .in considerable use, particu> 
larly in Ui S. 'juke boxes'. I appeal 
to everybody to exploit our music 
to the very fullest possible extent. 

"I would not deny that American 
tunes are very good. I think it 
would be very wrong to restrict the 
flow of American popular music 
into this country but we must not 
take and play everything Ameri- 
can In this country merely because 
it is American. 

"Don't let us take everything 
that comes out of Tin Pan Alley and 
everything that comes out Of Holly- 
wood and give it an automatic 
priority over everything British." 



in Tribute to a Great 
American 

GENERAL 
PERSHING 

MARCH 

The March Always Associated 
With Hit Long Military Career 
Band Arr., Piano Solo Available 
MILLS MUSIC, INC. 
1619 Broadway New Vork 19. H. V. 



FEATURED BY THE 
THREE SUNS fVICTOR) 

I'M IN 

LOVE-CANT 
YOU TELL 

EDWIN H. MORRIS CO. 

t6I» Brotidwny, N«w Vork 
All Mateilaf AviMilabh 



Veatared In M-G-tt'» 
"Bl© CITY" 

DONT 

BLAME 
ME 

Music by... 
JIMMY MeUUGH 

ROBBINS 



nu tmm mu: 

(WAAT's Famous Disc Jockey) / 




»rhi* one h atppina oof fast. Gefling lots of requetfs, 
ond It toola liilte one of the Summer's biggest liiJsl" 

# 



qreJncsJay, July 21, 1948 



ORCaRESTIIilS-MlISIC 



4S 



Snarl on Deccas 
La Scala 'DeaF 

Vhethet Decca Records has 
signed a contract with the La Scila 
opera Co., Milan. Italy, under 
which disks made by the latter will 
be marketed in this country, seems 
a source of argument in New York. 

Guido Orlando, who asserts he 
was cominissioned by the La Scala 
people some time ago to make a 
deal with a U. S. disker, says that 
terms of a contract have been 
agreed upon and that Jack Kapp, 
becca prez, who left for Europe 
last week and is to go to Italy as 
part of his tour, will sign in Milan, 
pecca, in turn, denies the agree- 
ment, stating that a cable from 
Kapp is its source for the denial. 

Orlando claims that after he was 
appointed to make a deal, conver- 
sations with Kapp led to the ar- 
rival here several months ago of 
Count Alvisi Bragadin, of La Scala. 
Terms were formulated which were 
relayed to Milan, They proved un- 
satisfactory but later were revised 
to the satisfaction of both sides, 
and it remains only for Kapp to 
meet with La Scala heads in Milan 
to formally sign the contract. 

Deal nssertedly calls for Decca 
to record La Scala in Milan "with 
the most modern equipment." 
Masters will then be shipped here 
for processing and marketing of 
pressings. Length of the agree- 
meat would be decided: in Milan; 
it calls for either five or 10 years 
duration. 

Murphy Vice Edwards 

. Walter Murphy was moved from 
the parent CBS network into 
Columbia Records last week, as di- 
rector of press department. He re- 
places Christine, Edwards, who had 
held ther post several years. ' 

Murphy was assistant manager 
of the magazine division of press 
information at CBS. He originally 
came to CBS from WEEI, Boston. 



RETm SHEET BEST SELLERS 



Survey of rctoil sheet musle 
sales, based on reports obtained 
from leadinflf stores in 12 cities, 
and showing comparative sales 
r«ti»ig for this and last toecft. 



National 
Rating 

This Last 
■wk.' wk. 



Week Ending 
July 17 



title and Publisher 



T 
O 
X 
A 
L 

P 

O 
I 

N 
T 
S 



1 


1 


"You Can't Be True" (Biltmore) . . 


1 


1 


1 


I 


1 


2 


1 


7 


1 


2 


1 


1 


112 


2 


2 


"Woody Woodpecker" (Leeds). . . . 


2 


3 


4 


3 


2 


1 


2 


4 


3 




3 


2 


102 


3 


3 




6 




2 


2 


5 


3 


8 


1 


2 


3 


■2; 


4 


92 


4 


5 


"Little White Lies" (BVC) 


4 




3 


5 


7 


4 




9 


4 


5 


8 




56 


5 


5 


"Toolie Oolie DooUe" (C.K.Harris) 


5 






4 


4 




6 


6 


5 


4 


4 


6 


50 


6 


4 




3 




5 


7 


8 


6 


10 




7 


9 


5 


5 


45 


7 A 


6 


"Now Is the Honr" (Leeds), . .... 








8 


3 








« 




7 


7 


24 


7ii 




"Put '£UL in a Box" (Remick) 




6 












2 


9 






3 


24 


8 


8 


"Haunted Heart" (Williamson)... 


7 






6 


0 


5 










9 




19 


9 


7 


"Dickey Bird Song" (Robbins) .... 




8 


,ii 


9 


10 


9 






10 




6 


9 


18 


10 


13 


"Tree in the Meadow" (Shapiro). ^ 




4 










4 


8 










17 


Jl 


11 
















3 






6 






13 


12 




"Maybe You'll Be There" (BVC) . . 


























11 


13 




"Call Everybody DarlinK"(Mayfair) 






8 








5 










10 


10 


14 


9 


"Iiove Somebody" (Ktamep-W) . . . 






7 










6 










9 



Mercury Eyes Kid-Disk 
Trade With 29c Platters 

Chicago, July 20. 

Mercury Records, in addition to 
regular kiddie line, will package 
seven-inch children's platters to re- 
tail at 29c. Series will be sold in 
groups of fours and first gi;oup will 
feature narration by , George Mack 
and a choral group in Mother 
Goose tunes. 

Although no definite sales policy 
has been made in regard to young- 
ster disks, several drug and variety 
chains will Ibc used as test sales 



Jo Stafford As Disk Jockey 

Jo Stafford becomes a disk 
jockey starting today (Wed.) on 
WHN, N.Y., while Ted Husing, 
regular whirler of the station's 
"Bandstand," vacations for three 
weeks in Europe. 

Miss Stafford takes over the 
evening segments of "Bandstand" 
the first week, with Skitch Hen-- 
derson jockeying the, morning 
stanzas. Leonard Feather will 
script and Milton B. Kaye direct. 

Second and third week subs still 
to be set.' ■ 



Cnmmins at New Yorker 
After 18-Year Absence 

Bemie Cummins, who opened 
the Hotel New Yorker's (N, Y.) 
Terrace Room 18 years ago, but 
who hasn't played a N. Y. spot in 
years, will replace Ray Eberle at 
the Terrace spot July 29. Current 
ice Show holds over with Cummins. 

Cummins, incidentally, was one 
of those bands acquired by General 
Artists via the recent deal by 
which it absorbed the Mus-Art 
agency. 



Mass. Ballrooin 
Ops Org Expands 

Bo,<5ton, July 20,. 
Membership in the Massa< 
chusetts Ballroom Operators Assn., 
recently formed here to find way» 
of hypoing biz, has spread over 
such a wide area that a change of 
name became mandatory. Org will 
now be known as the New England 
Ballroom Operators Assn,, encom-' 
passing cardholders from Atteine to 
Connecticut, 

Arnold Kahn, counsellor and 
secretary of NEBOA, cites the pur- 
pose of the outfit is to promote 
friendship and cooperation among 
operators. And one of the first 
moves will be to try to combat high 
band prices, a primary gripe of op' 
erators. An attempt will be made 
to solve the problem by 4 system 
under which a group of operators 
would pool resources to buy a par- 
ticular band for one week's work, 
then route the one combo through 
seven different ballrooms on a 
divided cost basis. While this has 
been done in the past, particularly 
in this area, operators lately bav9 
been booking independently, with 
not too solid results. 

Another item high on the 
NEBOA 's list is a plan to introduce 
a bill in the State legislature to 
legalize Sunday dancing. Some ops 
are not yet completely sold on the- 
idea but the majority are.for it and 
plans are proceeding. It's pointed 
out that sports are- now allowed on 
the Sabbath and dancing should 
not be an exception. 



Morgan's Biltmore Run 

Russ Morgan's orchestra will re- 
turn to the Biltmore hotel, New 
York, A.«g. 8. Spqt has b^en )played 
by Morgan often in recent ye^s, 
and this date will be 12 weeks 
duration. 

MorgAn Is now managed by Jo0 
Glaser's Associated Booking, hav- 
ing switched 'from Mtisic Co^p. ot 
America. 





SKYROCKETING 
TO THE TOP! 




Voc«l by Bud BretJ ani Th» GaHi $i$ter»--Potm Rfcifatien by A4M««ii*y 
Backed by SUNSET TO SUNKm ' '^^ ''^ 

(Art Meoney** tiitme) 



A NEW SMASH SUCCESS RECORb foHowhg "CLOVER" and "6 AftKMC^ 

ART MOONEY 

and his ORCHESTRA 

On MGM Record No. 10207 



M G M RECORDS 



VAmWKVnMM 



Wednesday, July 21, 19441 



Kettering and Staff of Frederids 
Agem^ Anl^ m Coin fflixop 



Chicago, July 20. 

Tom Kettering, veepee and gen- 
eral manager of Frederick Bros, 
agency, walked out last week 
•midst a battle royal that may lead 
to a suit for. alleged Dreach of con- 
tract. Resigning at the same time 
was Herb Pauleyi general manager, 
and members of the office staff. 
Kettering claims that withholding 
of two and a half months' salary 
■breached contract, which would 
have expired next Dec. 31. When 
B. W. Fredericks, now in charge, 
' was asked by Variety about this, 
he said: "Kettering had a contract 
when in Hollywood and in New 
York, but not in Chicago." ^ How- 
'ever, agency is an Illinois corpora- 
tion, -and presumably contract 
pacted here originally would hold, 
jregardless o£ Kettering's location. 

Kettering also showed Vjuiiety 
lettttrs in which B. W. ' acknowl- 
eged the loan of $1,500 to the 
agency. Kettering stated that Billy 
McDonald, Walter StauiTer and 
Howard Bruce had made loans to 
. the agency, which were repaid be- 
fore they left. Kettering was also 
paid oA', with Hei"b Pauley being 
the only gne left holding notes^ 
/Pauley is returning to Iifaicolii, 
Neb., where he owns Turnpike 
Ballroom.^ His claim will be paid 
off in installments. 

Kettering, Pauley and Joe Musse 
wrote B.W. Frederick,, when, he was 
In Ohio, several months ago that 
they were going to take legal ac- 
tion unless salaries were forthcom- 
ing. Frederick is said to have dug 
up the coin and paid oS. Musse,, 
head of the eocktail unit division, 
xemahis with agency along with 
(Continued on page S5> 





Nttw Apimuiwi . 

"KEN MURRAY'S 
BLACKOtllS OF 1946" 

El Capttan Tkcati* 
HollywoMl, Cat 



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Ramona, Grand Rapids, 
Sets Shows for Weekends 

Chicago, July 20. 

Ramona Park theatre. Grand 
Rapids. Mich., is restoring vaude 
policy. Frank Taylor, Chi booker, 
is lining up weekend bills starting 
with Jack Owens, July 20; "Sugar 
Chile" Robinson, Aug. 1, and Hor- 
ace Heidt unit, Aug. 8. 

Also on the agenda are Woody 
Herman and Lionel Hampton or«hs. 



CAMPAGNONS, POWELL 
PACTED FOR NX CAP 

The Campagnons de la Chanson, 
Gallic act imported last year by 
Clifford C. Fischer for the Edith 
Piaf show, have been signed for 
Capitol theatre, N. Y. Opening 
date hasn't been set yet. Act is 
slated to return to the U. S. around 
October. 

Other Cap bookings include 
Dick Powell and Dick Jurgeiis 
sometime next month, and Gene 
Krupa, Georgie Price and Betty 
Reilly who'll open around Sept. 2. 

Roy Rogers Rodeo Will 
Spark .'48 Texas Fair 

Dallas, July 20. 

A streamlined, fast-paced rodeo 
will occupy the State Fair arena 
Oct. S to 24. The contract calls 
for a "new, modern and different" 
type of rodeo. Roy Rogers, Repub- 
lic pix Star, and Dale Evans will 
head show. 

The Fair management also an- 
nounced a Barber Shop Quartet 
Day at the Fair set for Oct. 17. 
Under management of the Society 
for the Preservation and Encour- 
agement of Barber Shop" Quartet. 
Singing in America, at least 20 
chapters will send quartets for a 
parade and participation in con- 
te.st. Fifty other organizations 
have completed artongemcnts for 
special, days. 

"ice Cycles of 1948'' Mall be 
spotted on Oct. 9 for two and one- 
half week.s' run. It will be third 
year the elaborate icer has been 
presented in lee Arena of the Fair 
Grounds. 



Plan Circus Museum 

Medina, O., July 20.. 

C. Spencer Chambers, Syracuse, 
N.'Y., nationally known as collec- 
tor ol circus data, plans to pur- 
chase the former home of Capt. M. 
V. Bates, in Seville, O., for use as 
a drcus museum for exhibit of 
thousands of citcus reUcs and .other 
paraphernalia. 

The owner of dwelling, John 
Bauer, had planned to raze it to 
make way for a modem home. If 
the project goes through, this will 
be the'-third circus museum in the 
United States, others being at Saiv 
asota and Dallas. 




Cy Bistros, Fix Houses 
Drop 42? in City Tax Tally 

Chicago, July 20. 

City revenue from 3% amuse- 
ment tax imposed liist January fell 
almost 42% below estimated take. 
Instead of hoped for $1,500,000 for 
six months, report released last 
week showed only $873,887. Big- 
gest drop was in bistro and pix 
house b.o, 

However miscellaneous taxes in- 
creased, major revenue coming 
fi-om licensing of 2,228 jukeboxes. 

Ulmer Into Versailles 
ISakes 3 French Acts 
InaRowatN.Y. Nitery 

The Versailles, N. Y., will have 
a solid French front during the fall 
and winter season. Cafe has pacted 
the Gallic mimic, George Ulmer, 
to open Dec. 15, at $2,000 weekly. 
He'll be preceded by Edith Piaf, 
maldng a return appearance, and 
will be followed by Siizy Solidor, 
also on a repeat date. His stint is 
for six weeksi 

Ulmer, a French act of Danish 
extraction, is one of the top comics 
in France who has has frequently 
appeared in English as well as 
Continental concert and variety 
halls. It's his first trip to America. 

Ulmer and Miss Piaf were signed 
by Clifford C. Fischer, who leaves 
for Europe today (Wed.) on the 
Mauretania to make another sur- 
vey of ContineBtal talent. 



CUFFO ACTS NIXED 
FOR R0BINS(N1 PARTY 

Bill Rdbinson, vet hoofer, was 
honored Monday night (19) as the^ 
No. 1 N. Y. Yankee fan in a cere- 
mony at the Yankee Stadium. The 
Robinson shindig, however, was 
preceded by a stiff tussle at the 
American Guild of Variety Artists 
which ordered Marty Forkins, Rob- 
inson's manager, to pay for any 
acts used in the celebration. 

AGVA reported that Forkins 
asked bookers Beckman & Pransky 
to line up six free acts to put on 
a show in conjunction with the 
ceremonies. AGVA, however, or- 
dered Jthat all. acts be paid, and 
threatened the booking firm and 
Forkins with the loss of franchises 
unless this was done. As a result 
only one act, Two-Tones, harmon- 
ica act, was used. . 

Robinson, prior to the Yankee 
"game with the Detroit Tigers, re- 
ceived gifts from the ofl'icers and 
club members • for his loyalty to 
the team. 



AGVA Program ComiiL May Filibiister 
N. Y. Meet to Clear ML Booking Rows 



t General meeting of members of 
the N. Y. local of American Guild 
of Variety Artists will be held in 



Femme Circus Aerialist 

Hoc IVTnrrnw K<!<»an<« ' Oakwood room of the Capitol 
Has IN arrow escape .^^tej ^ Y.. on Aug. 3. C6nfab 
Chicago, July 20. j yrfil be a general report to the 
Mrs. Ruth Nelson, aerialist with 'membership on national convention 



the Cole Bros. Circus escaped seri- 
ous injury when her husband, Paul, 
brdke a 50-foot fall in Aurora, 111., 



held at the Park Central hotel, 
N. Y., couple of months back. 
Although primary reason for the 



nose. 

Nelson collapsed but was revived 
and went on with trained seal act. 



AGVA OKAYS FIVE-DAY 
HAWAIIAN BENEFIT 



last week. Latter suffered a broken : gathering will be to read proposed 

' constitution and by-laws prior to 
balloting on nominees by mail, 
plenty bf pyroteciiics ■ oii other 
matters aire expected. The AGVA. 
Program : Coittmittee, iricubated 
during the regime of Matt SiielVeyj 
former hatiohal director of union, 
intends grabbing the floor fpr an 
•j explanation of several other matr 
I- ,, - i \ters. Top on the agenda will be 
American G u 1 1 d of Yane^ | ji^giy discussion as to who granted 
Artists has given okay for U. S. ijagj^ gegal, mountain resort booker, 
performers to volunteer services to ^ waiver on the five-mile limit 
Hawaiian Rice Rehet fo? Far East; regulation for housing and boarding 
five day benefit series starting July | ^GVA performers playing these 
25 in Honolulu. Reps from Hono- | su<.j, ^ct on part of the 

lulu are contacting troupers, ofCer- ; ^qvA Committee appointed by 
ing roundtrip plane transport all : parent body. Associated Actors and 
expenses during stay in the Hula ; Artistes of America, has reportedly 
Isles, in return for five free per- caused plenty dissention among 



formances. 

Among tho.se set to participate 
are Benay Venuta, Pied Pipers, 
Page Cavanaugh Trio, Andy Rus- 
sell, King Sisters and Evelyn 
Knight. Florine Baile, Hollywood 
rep of AGVA, will accompany per- 
formers on trek. 

Frank DeVol also will make trip, 



performers and agents, other than 
Segal, who' book them, 

Diss4<lent grdujp does not ap^ 
prove this and otlier Acts of the 
4A's committee. 

Committee is figured to attempt 
to brush off the mountain Contro- 
versy upon grounds that it does not 
belong on agenda of this meeting 
taking with him from here nucleus and may attempt to have com- 



of six musicians, to which he'll add 
18 members of AFM local in Hono- 
lulu to background performers. 



L'ville's 'Teenage Nitery' 
Keeps Kids Out of Mischief 

Louisville, July 20. 

Alan Stephens, WINN disc 
jockey, is originator of local teen- 
age club idea which is clicking at 
Iroquois Gardens, local outdoor 
night spot. Stephens enlisted Jim 
Lounsbniy, WHAS platter spinneE, 
and 'Other newspaper and radio 
people, vyho talked the* . owner of 
club tOj turn it over to teenagers 
•every Tuesday. They called it 
"Teen Tuesday." . Later session 
wias changed to Mondays, and the 
^ub'.s moniker to "Operation Teen- 
Time."' Only soft drinks and hot 
dogs are served and local mer- 
chants are lifting tab for the bus 
transportation for the juves. 

Regular floor show is given for 
the kids and acts from other clubs, 
radio stations and theatres. 

Teen-ager program is one of the 
steps that Louisville is taking to 
combat juvenile delinquency, and 
the' project.has been receiving fa- 
vorable comments from parents 
and civic leaders. 



Blue's Boff Aussie Vande 
Tour Hits Melbourne 

Melbourne, July 6. 

Ben Blue, a terrific hit in Ade- 
laide for the Tivoli loop after a 
sock short Sydney run, bows in 
here next week for a run in vaude 
revue. Dickers are still going on 
to have Blue extend his contract 
until September. 

Kathy Barr and Norman Law- 
rence, stars of "Marinka," which 
wound up a so-so seven weeks' run 
at the 'fivoli here for Dave Martin, 
will go into vaude revue under 
Martin's banner to round out bal- 
ance of contract. 



plainants hold squawks in abeyance 
until after election and then take 
matter before the officers and di- 
rector board. "This won't work, 
according to spokesman spearhead- 
ing Program Committee, who 
claims his group will filibuster 
things imtil given an explanation 
on mountain resorts bookings 



Bela Lugosi'S P.A.'» 

Beta Lugosi, star of chiller pix, 
is being set for a tour of vauders 
by the William Morris agency. 
He'll open at the Broadway-Cap- 
itol, Detroit, Aug. 29, with the 
Olympia, Miami, to follow on Sept. 
2. . 

Other dates are being lined up 
for him contingent upon current 
film conunitments. 




HELENE and HOWARD 

IlKLIt OVICK (illi IVKKK 

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL 

NEW YORK 

Thanks to I.KON LRONIOOFr 
Dir.: MATTY ROSEN. 




WILLIE 
SHORE 

Latin Quarter 
New York 



Baum Ankles Rosen Agcy« 

Martin Baum. who 'headed up 
legit and radio departments of 
Jerry Rosen agency, N. Y., for past 
year, has resigned to become affili- 
ated with Jules Ziegler agency, 
also in N. Y. 

Baum in his new berth becomes 
assistant to head of the agency and 
will lhandle bookings in. all depart- 
ments. 



TOLEaW'S 'WATER FOLLIES' 
Xoledo, O., July 20. 

Sports Arena will get "Water 
Follies of 1948,". which has been 
booked from July 22 to Aug. 1. by 
the Toledo Aquarama Festival. 
Itast year's take from the same 
sliQtr, - given in Scott Park Pool, 
BttMlced all the nther events held 
iif conttetition wifb the fete.. 



SAILING 

JULY 20, 1948 

To Open 

UDO PARIS 



BOBBY 



SHIRCY 



GILLETTE ^ RICHARDS 



Ih America 
DIR.: MARK J. LEDDY 



In Europe 
ALBERT TAVEL 



MARINE 

SULLIVAN 

■. ■ « . 

CUMCNILY 

IjONDON CASINO, CNGUNO. ' 



irgdit««day» July 21, 1948 



Television, Fix Production Slack 
Seen Opening More Houses to Vaude 



VAVBEVILUB 



Talent agencies anticipate an 
increase in straight vaude bookings 
during the coming fall. With top 
names unavailable and with ma- 
jority of name bands failing to pay 
off consistently, agents believe that 
the course of many future vaude- 
ville operations lies in the straight 
act policy. 

• Those houses with such policy 
for years have found that type of 
operation to be profitable, inas- 
much as grosses are fairly con- 
sistent, and any declines are not 
as marked as those dependent on 
names. 

For example, the Capitol, Wash- 
ington, which uses non-name 
shows, has been grossing $20,000 
weekly. The Roxy theatre, N; Y., 
recently completed a long siege of 
non-name shows plus its house pro- 
duction. There are several other 
houses throughout the country 
that- keep running on similar policy 
successfully. 

The majority of these houses, it's 
pointed out, have been running this 
type of show for years. Spending 
a top price of $6,000 and frequently 
less. During that time, they've had 
an opportunity to build policy, so 
that the public expects only aver- 
age entertainment so long as its 
good! 

With five-act bills, houses never 
hit the highs and lows of those us- 
ing expensive acts when available. 
For example, the RKO theatre, 
Boston, has done around $70,000 
with top attractions. However, the 
next week, gross may go below 
$20,000 despite a high-prieed bill. 

The' percenters expect more time 
to open up as consequence of prob- 
able divorcement and decline in 
film production, because of the for- 
eign situation. It's also felt that 
many houses will eventually have 
to buck the competition of televi- 
sion, by providing live entertain- 
ment, one of the things that can- 
not be gotten in the home. 

Agencies feel it would be a cinch 
to open^up additional playing time 
if more attractions became avail- 
able. However, it's felt that it 
would be foolhardy to attempt such 
with names if policy coidd not be 
maintained. 



mmoamK-m 
miommTomGH! 




Audience Participation 
Bcautifui Gifts 
and Sur-Priies! 

BOOKED SOLID 

Available 

AFTER LABOR DAY 

• Dircciloii • . 

CHARLES YATES 
M5 5tli A*... N. r. e. 



Hoagy Carmichael Concert 
Tour Starts Sept. 24 

„ Chicago, July 20. 

Hoagy Carmiehael's one-nighter 
concert tour will open at Butler 
Field House, Indpls,, Sept. 24 
Tour, set by Al Borde, Chi booker, 
will hit large-seater halls and the- 
atres. Pianist-composer will fol- 
low with dates at Milwaukee, South 
Bend, Des Moines and Chicago at 
Civic Opera House. , Group then 
swings east to Toledo. Pittsburgh; 
and Buffalo, winding Ujp-Oct. 10 

Original start was set for Mon- 
treal, but date was cancelled to 
permit Carmichael a breather af- 
ter European date. 

'"■ 

Agents Protest 
Ben Piermont's 
Replacement 

Benny Piermont's replacement 
by Phil Lampkin as chief booker 
for Veterans Hospital Camp shows 
has resulted in a storm of protests 
from vaude bookers and agents. 
Move was objected to on the 
ground that Piermont had been do- 
ing an able job, was careful in his 
selection of talent and knew the 
vaude industry; 

Piermont was notified last week 
by. Louis Simon, heading the 
VHCS setup in New York, that he 
was being replaced by Lampkin as 
of Aug. 4 on the grounds that 
Simon wanted someone more fa- 
miliar with the Veterans Adminis- 
tration and the Army special serv- 
ices setups. Lampkin, who served 
with the Army special services as 
a lieutenantrcolonel and was at one 
time house band leader at the 
Capitol theatre, Washington, was 
felt to have these qualifications. 

Piermont served with USD Camp 
Shows for five years, heading the 
Chicago office before being 
brought to New York to head the 
booking staff. Prior to that he 
was a vaude booker and was with 
film studios in booking capacities. 

Among those ' who objected to 
the dismissal was Hymie Goldstein, 
president of the Associated Agents 
of America, and many vaude 
agents, who wrote a round-robin 
letter of protest to Simon, Abe 
Lastfogel, VHCS president, and 
Lawrence Phillips, member of the 
VHCS board. Various members of 
the bookers' committee, consisting 
of talent inkers of the various cir- 
cuits also sent letters of protest. 

A VHCS spokesman declared 
that Simon, at the time he was 
hired, was given carte-blanche in 
the running of the setup. Conse- 
quently, they could not interfere 
in his handling of personnel, inas- 
much as Simon is solely respon- 
sible for the success or failure of 
VHCS shows. If at the end of a 
reasonable time, there is a break- 
down of VHCS services, then 
Simon's actions could be reviewed 
by the VHCS board. 

Crosby's Aqua Show 

For L.A. Police Fund 

Los Angeles, July 20. 

Crosby Productions will present 
"Aqua Follies," a water spectacle, 
at Soldiers Field, Aug. 27 through 
Sept. 6, with Larry Crosby han^ 
dling production. 

Show, featuring a number of 
swimming headliners and emceed 
by Nan Grey, will be staged as a 
benefit for the Illinois Police Assn. 
Death Fund. ■ 



4S 



GEORGIE KAYE 

Now 4th Week 
PARAMOUNT, NEW YORK 

Direction: GENffiAL ARTISTS CORPORATION 



Soph's Paris Click 

„ , . Paris, July 18. 

Sophie Tucker is at Les Ambas- 
sadeurs, playing to crowded houses. 
ci)medienne and songs are belne 
given terrif reception. 

Ambassadeurs fecently was sold 
to Pierre Louis Guerin, operator of 
the successful Lido. He will close 
former spot for remodeling. Chaz 
Chase IS currently standout at the 
Lido but goes to Cannes for two 
weeks soon, with Charlivels, acro- 
dancing act, substituting. 

Plaster Lifted On 
Clyde Beatty Circus 
When Claim Is Paid 

■ Minneapolis, July 20. 

Winona county sherifl:' attached 
the Clyde Beatty circus, including 
eight elephants,- four camels, 11 
lions, eight tigers, 22 horses, nine 
fiat ears and all'the leiils at Winona, 
Minn., near here, following a suit 
brought by the Olmsted (Minn.) 
County Agricultural Association 
against the Standard Circus Corp., 
the show's owners, for breach of 
contract. After the evening per- 
formance, however, the circus paid 
$300 to the plaintiff and the wit 
of attachment was quashed, per- 
mitting show to appear in Red 
Wing, Minn., the next daiy on 
schedule. The $300 was in settle- 
ment of the suit. 

The Olmsted association charged 
that the circus broke its contract 
to appear at Bochester, Minn., on 
the day that it played, instead, at 
Winona. The contract had pro- 
vided that the auspices was to re- 
ceive 40% of all ticket sales after 
the first 7,000. 



AUTRY RODEO'S MILD 
START AT UTAH FAIR 

Salt Lake City, July 20. 

Gene A-utry's rodeo, which 
opened a fivf day stand at the 
State Fairgrounds yesterday, 
slumped at the b.o. following a 
solid start on the advance sale. As 
of the end of last week top price 
tlx were moving slowly, with the 
main action on general admission. 

Sock reception of the University 
Theatre's "Show Boat" may be re- 
sponsible for the .situation. 



Breen's Camy Tom 

Chicago, July 20. 

Bobby Breen will do an eight- 
week tour with the Heine Shows 
carnival. 

Breen and his brother bought a 
nitery in Canton, O., last week. 



Performers Mobilize to Combat 
'Indecency Charges Vs. Det Niteries 



Receiver Appointed To 
Adjust Chi Nitery Hassle 

Chicago, July 20. 

Judge Elmer Schanckenberg in 
Chi circuit court, last week ap- 
pointed a receiver for the Singers 
Rendezvous, northside bistro. Part- 
ners Ralph Guzzo and Renato Nelli 
are waging battle for control of 
nitery. . 

Leo Bartoline, receiver, will ti'y 
and work out equitable deal. 

Theatre Authority 
Cuts 2SG Melon 
With Charities 

Theatre Authority, at a recent 
meeting, cut up a $25,000 melon for 
the relief funds of the various stage 
unions and theatrical charities. 

Those getting equal slices of it 
are Actors Fund of America, Stage 
Relief Fund, American Guild of Va- 
riety Artists, Screen Actors Guild, 
Episcopal Guild, Jewish Theatrical 
Guild Actors Equity, Chorus Equity, 
Negro Actors Guild, American 
Guild of Musical Artists, American 
Federation of Radio Artists, Au- 
thors League Fund and the League 
of New York Theatres. 



Joe E. Levis has been pacted 
for the Beverly Country Club, New 
Orleans, starting Oct. 7. 

Copsey and Ayres into the Piping 
Rock, Saratoga^ Aug. 3. 



♦ Detroit, July 20. 

Temperament ran riot last week 
as performers and censors clashed 
at a three-day liquor commission 
hearing of charges that entertain* 
ment offered by 19 Detroit irea 
niteries was in bad taste. The ses- 
slons are being held in Lansing, 
and decisions will be handed down 
in the next few weeks. 

Almost 100 witnesses, including 
emcees, dancers, singers and com-* 
ics have made statements in an< 
swer to charges by police censors 
that their performances were 
naughty. Among them were Paul 
Gilbert, Club 509 emcee; Mrs. 
Dorothy Barbero, owner of the 
Bowery and Charlie Carlisle, 
emcee and funnyman who workeff 
for Mrs. Barbero. 

Many of the defendants $ai4 
they were not warned by police 
that anything was amiss with their 
displiiys. They said any complaint 
would have brought immediate 
sapoliolng of objectionable fea- 
tures. • 

Others asserted the police read 
meanings into the language and 
performances which were not 
there. Said one: "It was all in 
their own minds." 

Drive to clean up nitery shows 
was started by Police Commission"' 
er Harry S, Toy in cooperation 
with Liquor Commissioner Harry 
Henderson. All Detroit complaints 
were made by Detroit censors who 
visited 75 places and found fault 
with 14. The other five were out- 
state places, 

Said Cleary: "We do not intend 
to persecute these people. I think 
the testimony will adequately tell 
the story, and enable us ta aAopt 
the proper remedy for protection 
of the public if needed," 



AMERICA'S TOr HEADLINE SINGING GROUP 




A "NATURAL 
FOR 
TELEVISION 

AH Major Networka, 
Khcatrei and Claha, 
V. B. and Canada 

Vmanal DIrectlaa — BD I 
MMW RKO BaUdbiK. KcW Toik M. N. T. 



1 



BOYS 



i 



RCA 
VICTOR 
FAVORITEi 



Clrota •-•S<« 




A Great 
Entertainer! 

■ m . 

Sparkling with 
Refreshing 



AL BERNIE 



Currently 



GLENN'S RENDEZVOUS 



NEWPORT, KY. 



CONCLUDING JULY 23 



"AL BERNIE l%~a fast young comedian who gives out with chatter and song uittii tho 
oudieHco has worn itself out with laughter."-~Rqbcrt C. Harris, Cincinnati Times-Star. 
"AL BERNIE, a comedian of increasing note, plunges into a wonderful takeoff on Walter 
Winchcli, with a Rusiian twist. Bernle is a youngster who writes his own material 
which probably accounts for its freshness and Individuality." 

•— !M«ry Wood, Cincinnati Post. 



maar cmjw kevikws 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



LoS' Angeles, July 13. 
Tony Martin, Vfesson Bros. (2), 
Beatrice Kraft Da^icers (3i, Dic/c 
Stabile's Orch. (16); $3.50 week- 
days, $4 Saturdays. 



; The film colony turned out fov 
this opening, to find out exactly 
■"what made Tony Martin sucli a 
seiisaiional clicl: in London. Thiey 
found out. 

Making his nitery bow in IjOS 
Angeles, Martin convinced even 
his most- dubious colleagues that 
he's a boxoffice draw. The guy has 
an easy delivery and a compelling 
manner. He makes friends before 
he opens his mouth. And he knows 
how to sing. 

Opening night jitters had him at 
the beginning. But his tension 
eased after a . few number?, his 
throat relaxed and he began to 
pour it on. Ringsiders got a view 
of a Martin they didn't expect. Not 
just a singer, but 'a shovraian. He 
sings, he clowns, he does a few 
iniitations — all with an easy grace 
and a smooth line of patter. They 
kept him on for 45 minutes and he 
finally had to beg off, His act is 
carefully worked out and delivered 
in sock fasliion and every number 
is sold effectively, whether it's the 
standby "Beguine" or "Tenement 
Symphony." 

Extent of Martin's click could 
easily have overshadowed the other 
two acts on the bill, but judicious 
booking has kept the layout effec- 
tive. Comedy spot, for example, 
is handled by the Wesson Bros., 
working together again after a long 
period of singling. Zanies tear the 
house down at each show, with 
yockful material delivered with 
razor-sharp timing. There's a run- 
ning gag used to highlight their 
deft impressions of w.k.'s that gets 
more hilarious at each hearing and 
lads have an instinct for dropping 
it in just the right place. One part 
of the routine, a devastating takeoll- 
on the eccentricities of Gorgeous 
Gfeorge; a grunt and groaner in- 
digenous to these parts, that 
reaches new peaks in humor. More 
a matter of auld lang syne than 
anything else is the Charlie Mc- 
Carthy imitation with Gene sup- 
plying the voice and Dick the ges- 
tures. -Routine is one the boys 
broke in with years back and while 
it's still funny, it's greatest effect is- 
a demonstration of the polish and 
pacing they've acquired. .' 

Beatrice Kraft Dancers, two guys 
^ and a gal, suffer by comparison 
with the Jack Cole dancers. . Rou- 
tines are considerably similar to 
those of Cole's troupe, understand- 
able since Miss Kraft was once a 
Cole partner. She's an excellent 
dancer in her own right anfl part- 
ners give her sock backing for the 
excellent routines. She'd do bet- 
teis however, in a spot where Cole 
is unfamiliar; he played here only 
a few "weeks ago. 

Dick Stabile's orch, augmented 
for the occasion, makes with some 
ejttra strings for the showbacking 
and the catgut gets a workout on 
the terp sessions as well. Results 
are very good and ringsiders don't 
Stint when Martin calls for a hand 
for the batoneer. He deserves it. 

Kap. 



course, is the act's decorative 
effect. 

Henny Youngman went into the 
show this week, replacing the 
Slates, who had been scheduled for 
only one week. Kahn. 

(:*H»iUi»hmm^ IS. V. 

(FOLLOW»l») 

Vol- a month, until Aug. 12 when 
Morton Downey, comes in for four 
weeks, followed by Lena Horne 
whose incumbency spans two 
months from Sept. 9-Nqv. 3, and 
then Joe E. Lewis whd takes this 
East 60th. street bistro past the 
New Year's excitement, Frances 
Langford is the guestar. She is 
pertly and expertly framed by a 
variation of the same show which 
surrounded the somewhat extra- 
ordin.'.ry Jerry Lewis & Dean Mar- 
tin and their resouding comedy. 

And a good framework it is 
too, reprising the same imaginative 
and tastefully gowned production 
numbers, a song by Bob Hilliard 
( "May I Hold You in My Arms" ) 
which has since gotten more than 
catisual popular attention, and 
holds over the legmaniac Ray Ma- 
lone, plus others. Malone sustains 
his personal impression with a fine 
brand of hoofing. 

Betty Bonney is the holdover 
pMma, handling her song nmn- 
bers well opposite Ralph Young, 
new juve, wl)o has succeeded 
Warde Donovan. Like Donovan, 
Young is of . personably rangy 
stature although he has t» achieve 
the same authority but that should 
come with his four weeks at this 
stand. 

Gali-Gali is the new subfeature. 
The Egyptian magician, with, his 
chick-chicks; is, of course, a sea- 
soned showman. His fez and native 
North African garb are standard, 
and his good-humored manner of 
getting a couple of audiencei 
stooges to work with him surefire 
and never irritating. 

As fo.' Miss Langford, a hark- 
back to the Variety files is evi- 
dence enough that she's the peren- 
nial ingenue'. Back in '32 When the 
RKO Orpheiim, N. Y„ was play- 
ing vaudeville — as were so many 
other theatres — she was fresh off 
CBS and WOR radio shows, and 
heralded as a Rudy Vallee '*discov- 
ery." (This was in the days of the 
Vallee Varieties on NBC, which 
showcased so-many others destined 
to become household names.). In 
'38 she was at the Broadway Para- 
mount and a "name;" as ^the , ire- 
view mentioned the autograph- 
hounds were clambering 'over the 
rising Par pit for her sig. Back 
at the Par two years later, with 
husband tfon Hall, it was a 1940 
variation of the Mr. & Mrs. routine 
— sort of pioneering, in an acci- 
dental sort of way, what was to be- 
come a postwar vogue — but again 
Miss Langford was the bulwark of 
the aUt despite the masculine bulk 
of her husband. 

Now in a saloon, her first N. Y. 
nitery date. Miss Langford comes 
to bat with a song repertoire that 
proves she can play anywhere. And 
that goes for the London Palladi- 
um and/or Casino, or the Conti- 
nent, in line with the current 
European vogue fcir extending 
lend-lease in a professional sort of 
a way. 

The Copa is easily the most 
sophisticated saloon in the States, 



(AMBASSADOR HOTFX) 

hos Angeles, July 14. 
Frankie Laine, Shep Fields Orch. 
(16); cover $1,50 wecfcdays, $2 Sat' 

urdays. — 

The Ambassador hotel has come 
up with a winner to launch its new 
summer policy. Emphasis for the 
remainder of the season, until the 
return of that hardy perennial 
Freddy Martin, will be on singers 
rather than band.s. First to lop- 
line above a musicrew is Frankie 
Laine and the song stylist merits 
his billing. 

Laine is attracting a new type of 
audience to the room and, if open- 
ing night is any indication, may set 
an allrtime high for the spot. At 
any rate, he's going to be a tough 
attraction to follow. First night 
was the biggest hot season opener 
the Grove has had in some time 
and the indications are that busi- 
ness will continue to be hefty. 

Despite an unexpected wait 
caused by management's de- 
cision to stage only one show 
on opening night, first-night 
ringsiders gave Laine an ova- 
tioni Screams of protest greeted 
his first cHort to bowoff and it was 
45 ininutes before the crowd finally 
permitted a begoff: By that time, 
.Laine had exhausted his rehearsed 
material and, in answer to shouted 
demands, was singing practically 
anything. He has an easy delivery 
and an insinuating style that makes 
for a ready dick. Laine intros 
each number himself and the pat- 
ter is wisely handled. Included in 
the routine are a few of his dis- 
clicks, such as "That's My Desire" 
and. "Shine," and it's all wow 
stuff. It's .a homecoming and a tri- 
umphant one for Laine who proves 
conclusively he's a topnotch at- 
traction, 

Laine works with his pianist, 
Carl Fisher, with the Shep Fields 
crew providing some backing but 
concentrating mostly on the terp- 
ery chores. Fields has surrounded 
himself with 15 good musicians and 
provided them with his shuffle- 
rhythm arrangements. The results 
are extremely pleasing. Two brass 
provide an occasional sharp con- 
trast to the reed and string sec- 
tions which predominate. Added 
fillip of an accordion maintains the 
style Fields wants to dispense and 
it keeps the customers happy. Even 
the Grove's good-sized dance floor 
is kept crowded whenever the band 
is on the stand. Vocals are capably 
handled by Toni Arden and Bob 
Johnstone. Kap. 



routine follows that gives the nng- 
slder a few anxious moments. Dur- 
ing entire 35-minute stint, Leonard 
maintains a casual, polished drive 
with his material and has to beg 

oil- ' . . 

With quartets spoltmg the enter- 
tainment list in several of the local 
bistros, the Morocco comes up with 
the Day Dreamers for the vocal 
sets in the current revue. Songs 
range from "Mighty Lak' a Rose" 
through a spiritual, to a hopped-up 
"Minnie IjOu" and ends with the 
usual dude ranch version of a 
boots-and-saddle epic. Three boys 
and a gal make up the team, and 
coming straight from radio their 
work is a bit too slick to garner the 
plaudits they deserve. Their busi- 
ness away from the mike is forced 
and has little to do with th$ song 
they are warbling. . 

Held over from last show, Dixie 
Roberts, the terpsing dynamo, is 
as energetic as ever. Her work 
comes through better "vvhen dancing 
and singing with the Wanger line. 
Music is handled in usual com- 
petent style by Buddy Clarke and 
his band who also turn in sotne 
solid dance arrangements which 
pack the floor between sets. ' 

Newt. 



Hill Millw's Kivlora 

(FORT LEE, N. J.) 

Joey Gilbert, The OrlaTido."! (5), 
Tony Bavaar, Homo Vincent, Slate 

Bras. (3), with Fay Carroll, Lane; I ifs the Palace of the peripatetic 



Walnui Room, Thi 

(BISMARCK HOTEL) 

Chicayo, July 13. 
Chester Dol-phiri, Richard Gor- 
don, Don McGrane Orch. (10). 
with Holly Wilkins; $2.50 mini- 
mum; $1 couer Saturday. 



Li>oii & Kildic's. ]\. Y. 

Eddie Davis, Harry Prime, 
Jeanne Laivrence, Beverly Arnold, 
Margiterita & Barreira, Litia Wo- 
mura Dancers A3), Art Ma/ner's 
Orch; $3.50 minimum. 



$3.50 minimum. 



■ There's a shortage of really top 
headliners around, and Bill Miller 
is temporarily feeUng the pinch. 
The result is one of his lesser bills 
for both playing and drawing 
value. 

The headliners are Romo Vin- 
cent, ,a rotund comedian with far 
greater ability than his material 
would indicate, and the. standard 
Slate ,Bro^. with their spotty com- 
,edy, The. .show's other act com- 
prises the Qrlandos, (New Acts), a 
■group of kids from acl:oss the seas 
who do standard balancing and 
pyramiding* ' And there are such 
holdovers as hoofer Joey Gilbert, 
Tony . Bavaar, production singer, 
and the line. 

Vincent is a likeable,' personable 
comedian-singer who uses his tre- 
mendous weight as a prop to good 
advantage in his comedy fol-de-rol. 
■He amazes with his agility and 
grace, and it's to his credit that he 
eocks across with material that is 
feometimes' too involved or over-ar- 
ranged for best effect. Give him 
some really boffi stuff .with which to 
work and he'll really be clicking on 
fill gears, because the guy can really 
jsell on personality alone. 

The. Slates are doing some ma- 
terial that has seen better days and 
other material that seems new but 
is hardly a laugh-getter. At the 
j$ame time the freres ace inclined 
to slough building their routines. 
The audience, when caught, wasn't 
Very responsive and that may have 
heen a factor in discouraging their 
pressing, for greater effect. Fay 
CftttolL (Mts. Tteaey ^iHie), of 



payees ' who seek theif fun in 
nocturnal drink & dance spots.; If 
you click at the Copa you can "click 
in Loew's Kremlin— rand ■ points 

east. 

Now blonde-coiffured in attrac- 
tive polka, dot gown which gives 
her girlish waistline full sway and 
display. Miss Langford's- song cav- 
alcade compri.ses "It's a Great 
Day," "It's Magic," "But Not for 
Me," a not too familiar Irving Ber- 
lin excerpt, "Snppertime," which 
he originally fas h i o n e d for 
Ethel Waters (with a fine takeoff on 
that great colored singing star), 
"Honeymoon Is Over" (with 
oblique plugging for ^er Don 
Ameche radio show) and "I Don't 
Know Why I Love You (But I 
Do)." 

Requiring no reminder of her 
radio or film background, the 
Ameche reference is fleeting and 
even the perhaps better known 
Bob Hope ^.fflinity is elided. So is 
the stuff about her wartime enter- 
tainment record, her syndicated 
column, and the like. What comes 
out, instead, is a frank for-face- 
value-only songalog, which she 
sells like cutrate television sets. 
She knows - how to handle the 
mike; her graceful hands in in- 
cidental business thereto; and as 
result holds the room tike the 
Braves are liolding the top of the 
league. * . 

Another returner Is Mike Durso 
and his band, always a competent 
maestro for show- and dansapation. 
Fernando Alvares continues with 
his click Latin dance sets. 

AbtfL 



At beginning of '48 there were 
three dihe-and-dahceries on Ran- 
dolph street. The Latin Quarter, 
where big names drew big crowds 
during war years, folded. in Janu- 
ary. The College Inn, grandpappy 
of all hotel rooms in Chi, shuttered 
early this month. Sole survivor is 
the Walnut Room, which continues, 
but cautiously, with an orch and 
two acts. ■*■ 

Orch opens current bill with Don 
McGrane fronting on violin in a 
well-playedf Gershwin medley. 
Chester Dolphin's acro-jugglery is 
served up with patter that's thread- 
bare at points. Table-holders were 
slow to respond to his warm-up 
gagSi but such biz as whipping a 
wayward Indian club got yocks and 
applause rolling. 

Balancing bit has him steadying 
a bottle on the back of his head 
while he handstands to pick up a 
cocktail glass in his teeth and drink 
its contents. .luggler also gets good 
returns via hoop twirling and ball 
bouncing from headstands. Closer, 
a one-hand stand, .takes him. off to 
okay mitting. 

Richard Gordon's .gestures are 
somewhat broad for a hotel floor, 
tout the hard-working tenor gets the 
lyrips over to good effect. Offing 
after two show tunes and a trio of 
standards, he returns with a brace- 
of Irish songs highly acceptable to 
patrons of this room. 

McGrane orch supplies smooth 
backing. Baxt. 

El Moroeeo, Montri^al 

Morttreal, July 12. 
Jack Leonard, Dixie Roberts, 
Day Dreamers, Buddy Clarke Orch, 
Hal White Trio; ♦ninitnu??i $2. 



It's no secret that July is one of 
the worst months of the year as far 
as nitery biz is concerned. Some 
boites in town are playing to hand- 
ful of people. 

Under these conditions, it's dif- 
ficult for a performer to appear at 
his best. There's sometliing about 
white space that isn't conducive to 
bringing out the best effort. Empty 
seats can't applaud. 

Not so with Eddie Davis, who's 
able to work any show with the 
same vitality as if the ropes were 
up. Each show sees him doing 
his punching. It's a fairly difficult 
trick, especially since Davis is the 
major stockholder in this cafe. 

Under these circumstances, 
Davis is able to pay a little more 
attention to individual customers 
during his turn. He jests about 
and with the various parties in the 
room, and provides a degree of in- 
timacy that's not obtainable in the 
majority of cafes. Certainly, the 
payees have a good time during 
these off moments, and all walk out 
of the trap with a feeUng of get- 
ting their money's worth. 

In addition to his bonifacing and 
entertaining, Davis has gathered a 
colorful collection of newcomers 
on the bill. The show accents nov- 
elty, with the Litia Nomura 
dancers and Marguerita and Bar- 
reira providing the high notes in 
that department. Songs are by 
Beverly Arnold, and Jeanne Law- 
rence does the tap turn. All are 
reviewed under New Acts. Harry 
Prime, the holdover emcee, 
handles the introes well and 
gets applause in his own song 
spot. Art Waner's band show- 
backs. Jose. 



JVoPinandie Itoof* Mont'l 

Mo»tr«ol, July 14. 
■Georgie Gohel, Monica Moore & .. 
Cass Franklin, Trini & Monolo, Neil 
Golden Orch., Peter Barry's Band; 
cover weekdays $1, Saturdays & 
Holidays $1,50 

Three new acts comprise current 
show, They all get oft" to a slow 
start with the lab-lifters but even- 
tually gain momentum to please. 

Trini and Monolo castenet their . 
way loudly through Spanish folk 
dances and classical routines. Much 
stamping, twirling and broad ges- 
turing win ringsider attention. 

Singers Monica Moore and Cass 
Fi'anklin teeoff trickily with a 
sweet version of "Remember," go 
into a jump version of "Alexander's 
Ragtime Band" and just when 
things are going fine, they can't 
resist chilling things with "Donkey 
Serenade." They garner neat ap- 
plause on followup medley and 
'Anything You Can Do." Gals 
have personality, good voices and 
showmanship to sell them for top 
returns. 

In contrast to raucous routines 
of most comics the dry wit of 
Georgie Gobel is a refreshing re- 
lief. Working behind king-sized 
guitar comic gets oft' some very 
good deadpan stories that soon 
have the customers clamoring for 
more. Best is the dialect routine 
on golfers. Follows with a couple 
of hillbilly tunes to solid returns. 

Revue and dance music is capa- 
bly handled by the Neil Golden 
orch, "with Peter Barry's hot 
rhumba group alternating on the 
podium. Newt. 

Fox Leases Alvin, Mpls., 
For Burley Circuit Shows 

Minneapolis, .Tuly 20. 
Minneapolis will have harlcsque 
for at least one more season. Ted 
Mann, head of group owning Alvin, 
has leased it for one year to Charlie 
Fox, who has been operating bur- 
lesque there the past three seasons^ 
The Minnesota Amus. Co, (Para- 
mount) had a lease on the Alvin 
which expires Aug. 31. , In recent 
years they've sublet to, Harry 
Hirsch .nul Harry Katz,, local bur- 
lesque ops, who, in turn, the past 
three vears sublet to Fox. A deal 
for the Minnesota chain to buy 
house from Mann group fell 
through. The Alvin, a oife-time 
legitimate roadshow theatre .and 
later for many years a dramatic 
stock house, was acquired by Mann 
and his associates from the estate 
of the late W. A. Steffes. 



Vive 0'€lock, Miami 

Miami Beach, July 17. 
Beriica Serrano, Jwnmy Hussoji, 
George Roos, Nino Yacovino, Ra- 
jeal's and Peter Herman Orchs; 
minirniLin $1.50. 



Spinning the dial at a happy 
300-odd pouhds; comediatt Jack 
.Leonard clicks, all the way with 
the heavy local and tourist trade 
spot. Maddng his nitery bow here, 
Leonard kicks off with some fast 
patter about how happy is he to be 
in Montreal. Working with a vast 
supply of material and quick on 
the ad-lib, Leonard .knows how to 
localize bis gags without making 
them too obvious. 

Capitalizing on his weight, 
Leonard makes the most out of his 
Jolson Impresh singing "Mammy." 
A modified version of a soft-shoe 



Sam Barken, who operated the 
plush Five O'clock club for years, 
then Sold the spot to a restaurant 
group, has taken over the Blacka- 
moor Room in the heart of the 
Beach, rebuilt it into a smart 
nitery. . 

Located in the heart of the busy 
Beach oceanfront, the room is do- 
ing the best biz in town, though un- 
der current conditions "best" 
would mean just a bit better than 
break-even. Barken hail installed a 
fast moving little show that blends 
Latino talent for the visiting "good 
neighbors" and Americano for. the 
stateside vacationers. Bertica Ser- 
rano, a fave in this area, is on 
hand as topliner and the dynamic 
little Cuban turns in a competent 
sesh . of songs , and hip-weaving in 
the Diosa Costello tradition. Rou- 
tine includes the fast chants with 
the torso twist seshes revealing a 
trim figure; Encores with emcee 
Nino Yacovino in a higli-voltage. 
rumba. 

Comedy spot has Jimmy Husson. 
Gableissh-looking guy offers up an 
assortment of impreshes of the 
show world greats, somfc good and 
some fair: Topper is Gable take- 
olT. Encores with Sid Caesar 
"Smilin' . Jack" routine which Hus- 
son has been doing for some years 
now. ■ 

George Roos is new to this town. 
Handles his song selling in show- 
manly manner, though choice of 
numbers- could stand shuffling. 
However, r'ing.siders give liealthy 
palm reaction. Yacovino, local 
"character' 'e m c e e s in brash, 
hearty f^hion. Musical accomps 
by Peter Herman's unit are okay. 

Lory. 



Saranac Lake 

By Happy Benway 

Saranac Lake, N. Y., July 20. 

Mayor A. B. "Tony" Anderson, 
manager of Pontiac theatre, greet- 
ed President Romula Gallegos of 
Venezuela, who planed in to bed- 
side chat with Col. Mario Vwrgas, 
Venezuelan Chief of Army staff,, 
who's a patient at AltaVista Lodge. 

Len (Loew's) Grotte ordered 
back to bed. 

Walter Romaniks' latest clinic 
report gives him an all-clear and 
go-home OK. 

George Fee. musician, -given all- 
clear to resume work. He's now 
employed at the Trudcau Sana- 
torium for summer. 

Amazing Mr. Ballantine (Carl 
Kessler) pepped up by surprise 
visit from the Lestas and Wilfred 
DuBois. old-time juggler. Lad ex- 
pects discharge soon. 

Harold Wood,, sec-treasurer of 
Neighborhood' Theatre, Richmond, 
Va., vacashing with his frau, Ruth 
Wood, who's progressing nicely. 

John Eaton, who cured here four 
years ago and now radio announcer 
in Scranton,. Pa.,- 'in for anfiual 
checkup and back to work. 

E. C. Grainger, Shea Circuit 
head, accompanied by his wife and 
daughter, shot in to visit Andy 
Grainger. 

"Rube'' Bernstein, former bur- 
lesque producer and now company 
mar>.nger of legits, checked in for 
rest and obsei-vation. 

George Faulkner and frau (Lo- 
retta Munger) in fyom Albany to 
bedside Jim Wotton. . 
■ Harry Jackson, ex-alumnus ana 
now veepee of the NVA in N.Y.G;, 
in for summer fishing vacation and 
checkup. 

Reina Sears and Lorry Doran in 
from N.Y.C. to ogle Ines Groelh- 
ing, who's progressing nicely. They 
will vacash here all summer. 

Forrest (Slim) Glenn elated over 
Improvement and taking course in 
(X-ray) rehabilitation dept. of Study 
& Art Guild. 

(Write to those who «i>e ill.) 



Di Gatanos go into El Rancho, 
Las Vegas, Aug. 4. Pearl Bailey 
follows into that spot Aug, 18. 

Betty Beilly signed for the 
Flamingo, Las Vegas, Aug. 5. 



Weilnesday, July 21, 1948 



Picture Grosses 



LOUISVILLE 

(Continued from page 13) 
wk) Fair $3,500. Last week 
"Buclc Privates" (U) and "South 
Tahiti" (U) (I'eissues), about same. 

Kentucky (Switow) (1,200; 30-40) 
.—"Albuquerque" (Par) and 
"Woman in Wliite" (WB). Mod- 
erate $3,000. Last week, "Love 
from Stranger" (EL) and "Remem- 
ber Mama" (RKO), ditto. 

Mary Anderson (People's) (1,100; 
45-653 — "Romance HigJi Seas" 
(WB) (3d wk). Miid 4,500. Last 
week, perky $6,000. 
! National (Standard) (2,400; 45- 
65)— "Gliost Frankenstein" (U) and 
"Mummy','; Tomb" (U) (reissues), 
Slow $4,000. Last week, "Gung 
Ho" (FC) and "Eagle Squadron" 
(FC) (reissues), excellent: $7,500. 

Bifllto (FA) (3,400; 45-65)— 
"Miracle of Bells" (RKO). Satis- 
factory $15,000. Last week, "Em- 
lierdr Waltz" (Par) (2 wk), fancy 
$11,000. 

• state (Loew's) (3,000; 45-65)- 
"Easter Parade" (M-G). Despite 
Jiot summer, looks terrific $28,000, 
Or tliereabouts. Last week, "On 
Mei-ry Way".(UA) and "Violence 
(Mono), $13,000. 

Strand (FA) (1,000; 45-65)— 
"Furnace Creek" (20th) and 
"Devil's Cargo" (FC). Sturdy 
$6,500. Last week, "Seven Sin- 
ners" (EL) and "Sutter's Gold" 
(EL) (reissues). $5,500. 



Tonr Faces' Port. Ace, 
$9,000; 'Express' $6,500 

Portland, Ore., July 20. 
Big J>iz is holding up well here 
despite the heat this week. Two 
new films "Berlin Express," at 
Orpheum, and "Four Faces West," 
at Broadway are doing well. "Em- 
pi^ror Waltz" is tops among liold- 
over houses. ■ 

. ' Estimates for This. Week 
.Braadwaiy (Parker) (1,832; 50- 
85)— "Four Faces West" (UA) 
"Here Comes Trouble" (UA). Big 
$9;000. Last week. '.'River Lady" 
(U) and "Dear Murderer" (U), good 
$7,600. 

Guild (Parker) (427; 50-85)— 
"River Lady" (U) and "Dear Mur- 
derer" (U) (m.o.). Fair $1,000. Last 
week, "Notorious Qentleman" (UI) 
and "Tawny Pipit" lUI) (4 days), 
$630. 

'Mayfair (Parker) (1,500; 50-85)— 
"Haw Deal" (EL) and "Open 
Secret" (EL). Okay $4,500. Last 
week, "Big City" (M-G) and "My 
Dog Shep" (SG), dim $2,800. 

"Mfisic Box (H-E) (1,000; 50-85)— 
^ort Apache" (RKO) and "Let's 
Live Again" (20th) (m.o.). Good 
$3,500. Last week, "Man In Iron 
Mask" (EL) and "Gentleman After 
Bark" (EL) (reissues). Fair $2,000. 
. ■^Oriental (H-E) (2,000; "50-85)— 
. Emperor Waltz" (Par) and "Big 
lown Scandal" (Par) (2d wk). Day- 
date with Paramount. Big $5,000. 
Last week, torrid $9,500. 
Orpheum (II-E) (1,740; 50-85)— 
Berlin Express" (RKO) and "Dcv- 
Cargo" (Indie). Okay $6;500. 



'Bad Men' Rowdy $19,000, 
Frisco; Island' $21,000 

San Francisco, July 20. ' 
"Easter Parade" shapes as stand- 
stanxa at the big Fox but 
On Island With You" is com- 
paratively as big at the smaller 
Warfield. "Return of Bad Men'' 
also shapes strong at the Golden 
Gate. 'Emperor Waltz" still is 
husky m fourth Paramount ses- 

SiOHi- ,■ V 

Estimates for This Week 
Golden Gate (RKO) {2,844; 65- 
$1.00) — '.'Return of Bad Men" 
(RKO). Nice $19,000 ornear. Last 
^^,*V^'.^^ "Fighting Father Dunne" 
(RKO), $14,500. 

Fox (FWC) (4,651; 60-95)— 
Easter Parade" (M-G). Sock 
$34,000. Last week, "Street With 
No Name" (20th) (2d wk), oke 
$14,500. 

Warfield (FWC) (2,656; 60-85)— 
"On Island Witii You" (M-G). Great 
$21,000. Last week,"WaUflower" 
(WB) and "To The Victor" (WB), 
$14,500. 

Paramount (Par) (2,646; 80-85)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (4th -wk). 
Husky $.14,000. Last week, big 
$18,500. ' 

St. Francis (Par) (1,400; 60-85)— 
"Paradinc Case" (SRO) (5th wk). 
Steady $9,000. Last week, strong 
$10,500. 

Orpheum (Blumenfeld) (2,448; 
55-85)— "Central Park" (U). Dull 
$11,000. Last week, "Lulu Belle" 
(Col), okay $14;500. 

United Artists (Blumenfeld) 
(1,207; 55-85)— "Another Part of 
"Forest" (U) (2d wk). Only $6,500. 
Last week, trim $11,000. 

Staeedoor. (Ackerman) (350; 60- 
85)— "On Approval" (Indie) and 
"Jeannie" (Indie) (reissues). Big 
$4,000 or near. Last week, "Cor- 
ridor of Mirrors" (U) (2d wk), 
$2,700. 

Larkin (Rosener) (400; 90-$1.20) 
—"Henry V" (UA). Fancy $4,500 
or ■ close. Last week, "Over- 
landers" (U) and "The Raider" 
(Indie) (reissues) okaa.v $2,300 at 
15-85C; scale. 

United Nations (FWC) (1,149; 60- 
85)— "Street With No Name" (20th) 
(m.o.) Nice $5,000 or close. Last 
week, "Lost One" (Indie) (3d Wk), 
$3,000. 

Esquire (Blumenfeld) ($955; 55- 
85)— "Central Park" (U). Okay 
$5,500. Last Week, "Gung Ho" 
(FC) and "Eagle Squadron (FC) 
(reissues) $7,800. 

State (Par) (2,133; 60-85)— "Hell- 
zapoppin" (FC) and "Argentine 
Nights" (FC) (reissues). Trim 
$6,500. Last week, "Flowing Gold" 
(WB) and Background to Danger" 
( WB) (reissues), $6,000. 



4? 



n^r.""?"""**'* first two. 

GID, he guaranteed, would be 
bound by the tribunals' decision in 
all cases. v . «. 

Apart from a reference by CEA 
prexy Dennis Walls describing the 
lact-findmg bureau as a "repugnant 
.iiid un-British project," it was not 
discussed. Most of the hour-and- 
a-half session was devoted to indie 
exhibs raising individual issues and 
Rank promising a personal investi- 
gation of their charges of high 
rentals, quota difficulties and 
other restrictions. 

Only forthright criticism came 
from Sir Alexander King, who de- 
clared his deeprooted objection to 
the 45% quota, which he claimed 
could not build a liealthy industry. 
He said he was "dead scared" about 
the future quality of British films 
and complained that Board of 
Trade prexy Harold Wilson was 
compelling British exhibs by law to 
show films that are not boxolTice 
I attractions. In reply. Rank said his 
own circuits were only showing 
1 35% American films at this time, 
I adding that he liopcd Americans 
j would give him equal playing time 
on their circuits. One indie warned 
Rank, nonetheless, that without a 
"healthy' inflow" of American prod- 
uct Rank was heading for bank-, 
ruptcy. " 

CEA, however, is reportedly well 
.satisfied with the trend of events. 
Members feel that the meeting has 
achieved all— or almost all — ^they 
had hoped for. Although there will 
undoubtedly be need for further 
discussions with Rank, they feel 
they are getting somewhere at last. 

Thus has ended what looked as 
though it might develop into a ma- 
jor battle between a giant on one 
hand and a cluster of small exhibs 
on the' other, without loss of honor 
on either side. Rank has made a 
good impression on his fellow ex- 
hibp . and they were generous 
enough to applaud the gestures he 
made, particularly his promise of 
personal investigation in cases of 
individual hardship. 



Variety Bills 



ymm of july n 



Nunii^rttl* In conirrctlon' witli fiiUtt ImlOYr liMlif'ttte 0|H*nlnt (Itty . nf «hnw ' 
wiM'Mier mil or miiir wrrh 

Loiter in tmrentheMR Imliirntii* virciilt: (I) Indnpcadrni t (L) iM) MoMi 

(P) I-nniniount: (R) KKO: (S>. Sloll; (lv> Wnradfi (WK> Wultm Ktailm 



Hoah Deitrich 

: Contimied from paEC 3 ; 



il's 



Last week, "Fort Apache" (RKO) 
and "Let's Live Again" (20th) (2d 
wk), big $7,600. 

'Paramount (H-E) (3,400; 50-85) 
-r Emperor Waltz" (Par) and "Big 
Town Scandal" (Par) (2d wk). Also 
Oriental, (2d wk). Big $11,000. Last 
: week, torrid $17,800. ■ 
. <H-E) (1,200; 50-85)— 

Oklahoma Kid" (WB) and "Ad- 
ventures of Marco Polo" (Indie) 
(reissues) Fair $1,800. Last week, 
^ tuUer^ Brush Man" (Col) and 
,.j^ve From Stranger" (EL) (m.o.) 
(2d wk), $2,500. 

nsF^fJS? ^'"s** (Parker) (895: 50- 
tt'^;:n*i™*«" <*I-G) (2d wk). Okay 
¥>,ow). Last week, terrific $11,000. 

SEATTLE 

^ (Continued from page 12) 

''Vhite" (WB) (3d wk). 

1.5/*'^"!'*°" after ©feat $12,500 
last week. . . ^ ' 

. Orpheum (H-E) (2,600; 45-80)— 
S^^^},f^ P&rk" (U) and "Open 
.^t.";**-' <EL). Sad $6,500. Last 
'..,,r^?"'»"c<^ Seas" (WB) 

ran Waterfront Midnight" (Par) 
^^tt wk-5 days), okay, $4,800. 
■ ^"A T*r (Sterling) (1,350; 45-80) 
• ^^^i" (M-G) and "Ught- 
& "i.:f?^*s*" 'ReP> <3d *k). 
$6700 ' • "'"y 

"tjhf".'",?.'?!!* (H-E) (3,039; 45-80)— 
"wl^^*>,^'*h No Name" (20th) and 
ti 1 SL*^*""^" Trouble" (UA). Solid 
wTi^ .."^'^Jf^*""- "-ast week, "Deep 

Coat'-'rVn ^1?*' "Checkered 

voat (20th), $7,700. 

^*.ftWfel - «"<l "Exposed" 



Rank Vs. CEA 

±S CoutinuM from paf e • si 

for a battle royal and. wheh they 
had their opportunity to challehge 
him on his general policy, • little 
was forthcoming except matters of 
individual concern. 

Sees Bofr B. O. for British Pix 

On the quota problem. Rank re- 
iterated Jiis contention that British 
pictures are now capable of taking 
big money at the boxoffice and 
suggested that their continued suc- 
cess, both here and abroad, might 
eventually lead to the removal of 
all government restrictions and so 
provide lor a free interchange 6f 
product between Britain and the 
U. S. He declared that he bad been 
opposed to all quotas until Holly- 
wood instituted its embargo on 
Britain last year, following impo- 
sition of the 75% tax. Difficulties 
encountered by British exhibitors 
in attempting to operate their the- 
atres without American product, he 
said, evidenced that the industry 
couldn't afford again to be left 
high and dry. . , „, 
Baps Hollywood B's 

Referring to the British Film 
Producers Assn.'s fact-finding bu- 
reau. Rank urged the CEA, and 
BFPA to cooperate lor their mu- 
tual good. He declared the quota 
would still permit ample playing 
time for the best Hollywood prod- 
uct, adding that "few of us will 
complain if we do not see so many 
of the Hollywood les.ser pictures, 
wliich. have brought little money 
to our' boxoffices." , . , 

As for adjustments to be made 
with exhibitors on film rentals. 
Rank proposed an independent 
tribunal be set up, comprising one 
distrib nominated by the complain- 
ing exhibitor, one exhibitor nom- 
inated by the GFD and another ex- 



June, but not held" this year be- 
cause of the change in control. 

Noah Deitrich, executive veepee 
of tlie Hughes Tool Co., and vet- 
eran ■ businessman of Houston, 
Texas, appears an almost certainty 
as one of his' nominees since he 
long has represented Hughes in 
picture deals. 

Hughes bought the Atlas hold- 
ings of 929,020 shares, or 24%, of 
RKO's outstanding common last 
May. Change in membership, of 
course, would reflect the Hughes' 
control and decrease in Atlas' 
st.ike in RKO. Atlas is now out of 
RKO except for option warrants to 
buy 327,812 shares of RKO com- 
mon. 

It is now figured that Hughes' 
nominees will not be available for 
about a week and that proxy state- 
ment will require 10 days to go 
through the SEC. Stockholders, 
thus, would not receive their proxy 
statements of the special meeting 
for at least 30 days from the pres- 
ent time. 



Cleanup Campaign 



Continued from page 39 



of an individual spot could in a 
large measure have an effect upon 
admissions. A campaign was be- 
gun td induce ballroom owners to 
spruce up. Sunnybrook ballroom, 
Pottstown, Pa.> operated for years 
by Ray Hartenstein, which ertipha- 
tically does not come under the 
heading of unattractive spots, in- 
cidentally, is one of those which 
is Spending considerable coin to 
install a lounge in a large alcove 
to improve its attractiveness. A 
booker suggested the idea to Hart» 
enstein and the room he is build- 
ing will sport soft divans, floor 
lamps, etc. .? 

While bookers admit that busi- 
ness this summer has not been 
what they expected in view of pre- 
season sales, they feel that one- 
night operators have since the war 
days depended entirely too much 
on the reputation of a band to lure 
admissions. They have completely 
disregarded such vital items as a 
clean house and supervision of ad- 
missions so that rough clientele are 
barred. They also have in many 
instances reduced rather than ex- 
panded attention to exploitation. 
Some ballrooms go to great lengths 
to keep custonjjers aware of the 
bands they play through all .sorts 
of devices. Others do little, but are 
in the majority. 



NKW VOKK C'lTX 
AlHlMu (I) 

Th(< jViiKicnii.'i 
CtlliUiil (L) !>% 

T.ena Iloi'iu) 
l"airl Wltu'liMl , 

IJiinJUUs 

SKiniitcy Eniiis OiT 
MiiKix Hull (!) -tZ 

llpl-ene ^i- ilowul'd 

Alargar^jt S.antle . 
It 'L'etlcy-Kai'ilos 
■time ]'Vn'<',<<lj 
■e a 1- vnUftt 
i'on>s lie Dallt't 
(tocketres, 
Syiii Ore - 
l*iir»inouiit (1*) 21 
Sam :l>»nifill«« jBti 
,)» atartiml . 
Ueorgic Kiiye 
ha.!K Bros 

itoxv II) :!i 

.faoKlH Mtles 
Vivian Ithiina 
(^ai'ol l.yiino 
The BiMiiseH 
.Arnold ItJiodft 

Mm 11(1 (\V> SS 
(\nii)t itiidfe Ore 
nuilK) iloliaay 

.^tunij) & Stumi)y 

nitoNx 

Ctntuiiii (I) 

Moi'Gy Ifiaton 
('aiftle .Sis 
Anthony & Rogers 

.liiniHU'li. (I> n-i* 

Itennail Hyde 
f;astl(- KlK 
Milt Ko»s 
clavvH'hio 
The ilaywartls 
Antliony' & Ko^ei'S 

.■iTLANTio rrtv 

Ktrol IMrr (I) ' »»■ 

Bohney Glrlg 
Tlieron Troupe 
Roy Doij^rlus 
A,rfio Danu 

Dave Harbour 

II.VT:.XIMOI{B 
Ifirpnilroine (I) 

Horace IJoiilt- lift 
State (I) 



^rol-KIlU His 

.rat'lvifr .ItanilnU 

(Ji'oj'Be ri'i'Cins . 
. Iva^y &■ Kny ■, 

S.-I-S8 
■ G 'i^: M (.'nrroll , 

'liivrry r.aKur 
, tiranrtijja , J'<n']\ln8 

Alarcc'Ui & .Imiis 

r.4»H)KN' ■ .-. 
TntverK (1) SS-M 

Henri FrtJjiPli 

.\lann ife Kotja ,. 

Proi' Fabian ; 

Rnm & Dean 

i Wariis 

rilK'HKit (■*) -.!£ 
ITany Uiihhitt 
llarinonli'titH ' 
HoMM .t l.al*ierre 
4 I'Jvans 

Orifiital «l> 
iCeanan Wrnr. 
.1 A -M jMiili-hacy 
Dorothy Ciatl'e > 
Uenics Sr. Toy Boys 
<;arl SanrtH Ore 
KlJi«.S!l'O.V 
Kway .(«'«> M-t4 
h'roil & .Slcilpre 
Kllylhlil Willie 
Mavy .Stafford 
Hroldns ft Van 
!l)oUy i>jni>roolte 
Franl<le ^i- Kay 

Olyim>l» (l') iil 

IClsa Ha i*on]a 
Kate Alnrtali 
Jtarris A- Aiiiler* 
.lohnny AlorKan 
(''red I'.oSvery 
DoroOiy Ttae 

I'lllliyAltKI'.PHIA 
Carniiiii (I) 'M 
Uojnaine IJab'et'e 
Roy Rogers 
SiinPRons Marino(H 
H0.CKVOK1I 

I'alnve (I) ;tli-9« 
Marvin Tfiminel 
Dan ^Woo(i.s 
Thom^iH Nk'holas. 
IJctty I.ini Holt 
Bob .Vlt-Klroy 
t*a,ul Wallccr Ore 
WASIflK<iTON 
4.'ai>itol (I.) Xl 
Beity .Fane SnJ it'll 
XiRdd r.yona 
Tex Ititter ' 



BBITAIN 



Co 



BTRltllNfillAM 
llippodnime <M) 10 

ToMiiny JiMfihlH 
Klim Rhyder 
A .0 Aatoi- 
Tommy Burk 
OlRa- Vnromi 
Samuel & AFarvelle 
Kt*i(l_ & Wtiuires 
Stan' Ktivaiiifh 

Hippodrome <M> 19 

l^fissy Mortimer 
T) Wttlcofleia Co 
A Shineff Sr. .loanna 
Turner T-.ayloii 

0 "WaiTPii <t .lean 
Gasiou Palmei- 
^va May Wowg 
Cyclo Bro,«i , 

AlhaitibrM Ol) 19 

TrJndei* HI»oiv 
.'I'ojiiiHy 'Cilintipi' 
Ganilon Bros & 

Junnita 
■VVopds & Tari'fitt 

JSeniaiHi's Pig-eons 
]fupst'f*l' ^ Shand 
Jial rolliriH 
.lean .Unrrie 
Jet'i'y Allen S 
i'AKDIirF 
New {H) Ifi 
Thanks for iMtiinory 
KOgav Bergpii 
(TliwriM AlcOarthy 

a n mndu 

Gertltt irllana , 
Ni?)|ie AV.Tllaee 
Kliife SliifUlR 
Ttaiulolf Run on 
O'Farrnll A D'nvers- 
Ji^reddie SatiUorn 
Banibcrg'er & I'ain 
Jlarie T.ioUis(^, Chan 
CHISWHK 
Kmpirn <H> 19 
fJlllip I'oltpr , . 

Moi'ria MowUfy 
('eliH T4pl0n- 
M AniU-y A (Jiorin 
Noj'itian Thpmaa 
3 Kddies 
.(%>oi)er Twi lis 
Vei'onlca AJai-tell 
III<]iUtY 
r;rantl <S> 19 
Robl) VVillon 
it'nUIsoii & .Brpftji" 
miev. & Hfeller , 
Al Nonnau 

J» ntfh & Kva 
Dynamic 4 

Kmplrft (M) 1f» 

jarlt v.visny & jill 
Donftld JVers 
Ron I'arry 
KJcliflvdo & Co 

3 Jolifrf), . 
t)it'k IJenVleraon 

Tladio Forfeiis 
MXHntHY TAieii 
Kiiiiiire (^^) l» 

Nicholas Tiros 
Philipim J^farta 
(icii Noonan 
TofK'anrlU 

Bob Orcy 

CoMinft & Kliiiabelli 

^JraTton His & 
Ja('*iufi« 

iiliAS<iOW 
Kni|>Jr« iSt) 19 

f'i4!cadllly ilayride 
'Sut Jack ley 

4 ITijrr-iram.'js 

1 F;tffokts 
,\rariaiin« T.inooln 
Ja*'k Fratwoifl 

>:«n|»lrr (N> 19 

Kplvfi ih-onPH. 
Krnif- f-otlnffa 

T<imimom 
'A i'ahti\UK(m 
(IfnA PHlton 

Lk w Ih King 



Brewaler. *; r.oliiiEa 
Ann (rj ray Hon 

Kinpire (M) 1ft 

Foro«M Whovvlmat 
Terry Harilt'lt 
Colin RoflH ■ 
.Ijarry Hei-ombe 
TImar flros 
Billy "WellH 

Uione^las .riiivriA 
<nU£ Khevlook 
Ucff Dtu'nley . 

T^tupirn (M) Ift 

Ta }tnh Hnom 
X''rank!e Howard 
Advlcnue & Tjc»lic 

HaTJiflfl ' 
iU:orK(Mi DorJq 
VrvinK Sr. Uirwood 

TENDON 
Hlppn<lrom« <M) 19 
Vi« Oliver 
Ifat Kirku'ood 
'(.•'red ' liUmney 
Aleliiohririb Oro 
Afarilyn lii»rJitower 
iXtlthael Heufiii* 
.fulie Andrews 
■lean GavHon 

rnUailtum (M> ID 

.ln,<;k Benny 
Phil IlarriH 
Mai'y J jiviiig?»(one 
Marilyn AfjiAwell 
Merry Al at"** ; . :vr ' 
li^i-ank Alarlavv* 
Alyrolifi 
Xor Kiddle 
iCiiyG'H .P^'kinftSft 

MANrSIICSTKK 
Iflppodioinf^ (N> 19 
Jack 7)«r{int 
,la(i)c l.iaKu«' 
Audre\v« &■ llarbary 
.fftiikH t!.- WilUamft 
Air Ace» 
Trankie Tfiejiins 
0 Vlvisnne Jrf*ne 

l'fita4'e (M) 19 
Dorothy (inty ro 
Jl(ii'rab Miuevil'-h 
■j (arnionirii TiiafiCalK 
Joyce Ooldtnif 
Mpti 'Tost ( 'o 
J iJilfinpffl & Blanc 
Iris Kiuilcr 
Arthur Itorsley 
Melvillp R' rti'knr 

>>»plr« <M) 19 

a KJiad^a 
ilf>a,rl F.H.IJ#y 
Patil VVinKrave Cfl 
krw T'flvkf r 
l-'red l.ovrdle 
iVl OoUfanfi ,^^0 
Olsen fi' Sra I*ioj) 
I'JIflle . Howw . 
fvoim*! Watts 

lOmptre (.U> 19 
7lf(ti Fred & llo«a 

llal Kwfiili Co 
4 ]Cenivay« 
Moot) Bi"own 
AVrigbt & M«x'ion 
I'llray I.»orolhy 
Alnltiorti^ 4 

Kinpir« <H> IH 

Xauffhiy «irls MS 
Ken WrlKley 
Ala.rla ^^nriiipn 
Tiro &'■ <'nlto 
iJii-k Tboi ijc 
Alorav fJro« it- 
Da vn 
Joy Dexter 
iJrinny As llyron 
Moore &' Jiatton 
Pfinrtv TV'ilUflinfl 

Kniplrc <.\l> 19 

And Ho \y» 0(i On 

Ihsv llotiri 

T A' D Kendfill 

Softy 

A ^' Kpmble 
Peterson Tiros 
f'TpOi'annR 
Jatdi; Kelly <*o 

Klhplr^ 19 

Co'iniry VuuHltm 



tinrry f.cHlor Co 
.Marie l.uivton 
I Mifis i^unda 
.i{i,!ou I'^reda 
Knnyot Ji' .aMarlon . . 
. Wol^trtinmiilim 
liinpo«li>mi« tM) 19 
' lamlUon iil Yiisai 
StTitt. Sandei'8 
Winters & Kieldlng 
-Metilock (S- ATavlowe 
M Ji.oiiise & Chiirles 



IVscinia Mai'lyn 
1.*' Mejul^lRMOIui, BU 
\V0OI> ljKKI<:\ 
lOmplro (N) 11) 
J'JamOiei' ^. t^ftrljl* 
IJajiiborper ft; ram 
Jackie . Llitnier 
Kattilceu Itoody ■ 
Scott I'OHtei' 
llonnle I-e^iUe 
X* i.£a>ncL' ibi Be.t:ty 
Chlkolaa ' 



NEW YOBK CITY 



Cute StiKlet; 
IhnvntAH'ii 

.Mildred Bailey . 
A^■oJl X-ons 
falvin-.Taoiiiaoti • 
Kdnuina llall Oro 

I'wiiaeiilmnii 
l'"* T.an^ford 
i*nil.«ali 
Hetty Honney 
italnh youiiK 
Ray Alalono 
Al Diir.so Oro 
-\lvnr6B Ore 
Dlnmond IIorMnha* 
.lay Ilarshall 
ttrace £r. Nlcoo , ' 
Choral Octet , 
II .Sandler Oro 
Alverea Mera 
Jueni^er Uallet Line 

KIwnr 
Charioteers 
I'aterson & Jaolts'n 
Harold ICln« 
Itetly .Mays Ore 
Jack UopeK Oro 

ICi ChlVA 
Fernanda Crespa 
<:'onue IhiuIs 
ViDtorld Barpelo 
Itlta Zloclho 
Los I'anehoa 

' Ifnvcina-Mndrtd 

li(j« Boeheroa 
TrinI Heyes ' 
II Kantlllana 
Itatiih Font Oro 
.Maohllo Oro 
Hutel lielm'trPlua 
I'Jddie Stone Oro 
Hotel RIKmora 
Richard Illmber. O 
I f arold Nagel Ore 
Hotel CoiDinodoro 
B Uaeburu Ore 

Hotel KdlsoB - 
Ray Soott (i 

No I I'lftll AT* 
Tony Crafg 
I uv/.c,l Wobsier 
Uownov 'iSi. Konvlllo 

PrnUnmt €lub 
Martha Short 
nafha Bodel 
Oscar Wttiaer 
Itivlera 
TTf^nny Toungman 
Jlomo Vincent 
OrlandoB 
Tony Wavaar 
.Toty Ollbort 
t'arol King i. 
Donn Ai'den T^In* 
Hotel Aftor 



l>lclt JurKetis Oro 
r.onny Uerman Or* 
Hotel New Vtirhtt 
Kay Kbcrle Ore 
toe Revue 
.Muriel Pack 
Hotel f*«iiaHylviiiil« 
Sktloh Ileiider.-on O 

Hotel m >rorlU 
.MonconI Ore 
Hetty Georiffe ■ 

Hotel St Recio 
Hal Saunders Oro ' 
t>'ranoea AlRddtiv 
Laszlo & IVplto 
.Milt mtB.1T Oro 
I'eplto Ai'volto Omp 

Hqt«l Tan 
t^tlicont liOpes Qr« 
tJIwrilo lifem . 

Littlii diivi'tw 
laa Km nut ton' or 
WllUe Sltovo 
3 Huolcsters 
Uanny 'Uicuiirdl 
■.\l Morga.n 
Oostello Twins 
Patricia Aditir 
Rlcharda-Adalr Dof 
M li'rleiicttB 
l>ui>l Cainpo Or* 
Bon Vlvnitts 
B nnrlovr. Ore 

I<e ItiibHii. lilc* 

inne odom 4 

Muriel dnlntil' 
Norman I'arls I 
Leon ti Bddi»'» 

lilddio Davis 
Art UTuncr Ore 
M«.i''ita ft Barr«lrs 
Ij jS'oinura. Pcrs 
,T I.(a\vrcn<?e 
Beverly Arnold . 
llarri> rrlmo 
.'Sliepard Lino ° 
Old RoamaalMi ' 
Radio BauKa 
.loe Liil'art* Of 
D'Aqulio. Oro 

Versalllti* - . 
Nancy Uanovan 
Bob Grant .Or* 
Ponehlfo Oro 

Vlllnee Kara 
Hal Graham Ore 
*;linbliy Hoe 
f^ddy Howard 
Hill Dudy 
Uarbara Dnlty 
'.Vions. Bleliat'd 
Piute Pele 

Waldorr-Aatarlii .. 
Wuy liomtiardo O 
MInohs Boi'r Ore 



CHICAGO 



niflCklmnli 

A I 'I'rfcce Orch 
.laciiie Van 
' Hotel Hlsntnrb 
t)on .ftloflrane Orch 
Ulcbai'd Gordon 
Chester Dolphin 
Ifelalns* . 
Andy Klce Jr 
KInK & SSnrlta 
Lola Ameeliee 
.Milte YounK 
Hiti fMianiller Ore 
H Kdicewater Reach 
fjrro Ulsen Ore 
Hol)by May 
Ajidrea Dncrs t 
Hit'AO the Dov 
lietty Gray 
D 0 >' 0 til y H 
; ntincei'a (12) 
Theions (H) 

tL'tiex rnrca 
Danny '£ht^man 



lid 



Mari:iia Klntt 
Ma«e & Karr , 
l.eroy Bros t2) 
M Ootild Oro (10) 
Lane Adfl.nis 
13 ('Iticbta t'olnbo . 
Horothy IJorncn 
Uaneers ('o 

Hotel Sterena 
Benny titrenK Ore 
» tc V Ballard 
John Flanaean 
.lean A.cl«n 
?.l atian dpelman 
.Skatlni; Blvdeara 
BoK Turk 
RebfScia «- Bel Turo 
Doris Donavaii 
I'jlwood t'arl 

Fainter Uaun 
tjtberaco' 
(llinord (Jucst 
M Abbott Uncra. 1* 
iciorlan iSallseli Ore 
Giselle & F jjssyoni' 



Sues for Burns 

Chicago, July 20. 

Milton Shabat filed suit against 
Ambassador East hotel last week 
in Chi circuit court for $250,000. 
He claims that he was severely 
burned March 26, 1947 when a 
portable stove exploded in the 
swank Pump Room. 

Stove was used for heating lood: 



Latin Casino, Philly, 
Cuts Budget for Summer 

Latin Casino, Philadelphia, 
slated to close last Saturday (17) 
will remain open for the balance 
of the summer. 

It will use modestly budgeted 
shows during the hot months. 



License Nix Upheld 

Columbu^, July 20. 
Judge Joseph M. Clifford of 
Franklin County Common Pleas 
Court in Columbus last week (15) 
upheld the Ohio Department of 
Liquor Control in suspending the 
nightclub license of Norman 

iKhoury, Cleveland. 

I License was cancelled last Jan- 

luary because of alleged indescent 

'stage shows. 



48 



nOUSB RBVIKWS 



Weibteaiaer, July 21, 1948 



Vivian BUtine, Cab CaVUmay and 
A Cabaleers, Jackie Miles, Roxy- 
ettes (12), Escorts (12), H. Leo- 
pold Spitalny Chorus ( 25 ) , Zee Re- 
vue vjith Carol Lynne, Arnold 
Shoda, The Bruises (3), Skating 
Line (8), Paul Ash House Orch.; 
*'Street With No Name" mth), 
irevietoed in V^Atasars issue of June 
83, '48. 

As its secoad bill under the new 
Btage-and-iceshow policy, the Roxy 
again offers click entertainment, 
with film singer-actress Vivian 
Blaine, Cab Calloway in a new in- 
dividual act, and comedian Jackie 
Miles as draw. It is unquestionably 
a strong show and, with a word-ot- 
mouth picture like "Street With No 
Name/' can't miss at the b.o. 

The stage and' ice elements of 
the production are well integrated. 
The show oiM^s witii Uie Roxyettes 
doing one of their striking dance 
routines at the front of the stage, 
with the H, Leopold Spitalny group 
on the apron stetge right and left 
providing an effective vocal ac- 
companiment. The ice revue fol- 
lows on the small rink stage rear, 
with Arnold Shoda and then Carol 
Xynne doing e]g>ert solo terp-skat- 
ing turns and the eight ensemble 
skaters alternating. The Bruises, 
minus Freddy Trenkler, who was 
with them for several years before 
becoming a single, close the ice 
portion . of the show with their 
always funny' scrubwoman routine. 

Miss Blaine, repeating her per- 
sonal of last year at the house, 
: makes a nifty impression with four 
skillfully handled songs, the first 
two from pictures in which she ap- 
psared. After a wordy spiel about 
how glad she is to be back, 
she clicks with "Tliat's How I Am," 
does an elai>orate aitongement of 
"It Might As WeU Be Spring," fol- 
lowed by a . rhythm version of 
"Keep Your Eye on Your Best 
Friend" and, after a long thank- 
you speech, closes with "You Made 
Me Iflve You." 

Miles, besides introducing the 
other acts, clicks next with his 
comedy spot. He gets under way 
with several standard jokes, then 
goes into an extended and funny 
bit as a trembly-lip kid who lives 
for the Dick Tracy comics. He fol^ 
lows that with another lengthy one 
(possibly a trifle too lengthy) about 
a wise-guy filmgoer at a Gone 
Autry picture. With a couple of 
minor reservations, : it seems - as 
laughable as anything the comic 
has ever done. 

Calloway and- the C^baleers 
(New Acts) close the show with an 
Infectiously rowdy turn. Having 
shed his band, the singer-batoner is 
now appearing as a individual per- 
former, backed by the four-piece 
rhythm group. ' Hohe. 



phrey Bogart. Lewis wisely keeps 
his material clean for the Capitol 
type of audience although It Is an 
act which lends itself to bluer lines 
in a night spot 

Novelty of the bill is the Simpson 
puppet act which has unusual fea- 
tures for a marionet show. For In- 
stance, one of the puppets Is a 
magician, producing handkerchiefs 
and other items from sleeve and 
from under coat. There is an os- 
rich which lays an egg that hatches 
into a jazz dancing dragon. 

Curtain raiser is the Lane 
and Claire dance team which works 
with the house orch on stage. Act 
features an aero number built 
around the couple trying to read a 
newspaper while they dance. 

Lowe. 



Caiiitpl, Wash. 

Washington, July 18. 
Gov. Jimmie Davis and Band (9) , 
Buddy Lewis, Carl & Faith Simp- 
son, Lane & Claire, Sam Jack 
Kauffman House Orch; "Ruthless" 



Oriental, Chi 

Chicago, July 15. 
■Vaughn Monroe Orc/i with Ziggy 
Talent, Cecel BlcCke, Moon Maids 
(4), Eddie Julian, Earl Hunmiel; 
Jay Lawrence, 3 Sapphires, Dick 
Haymen, "I, Jane Doe" (Rep.). 



A hillbilly band is something un- 
usual on the Capitol stage and for 
a time the audience does not seem 
to know what to make of it. How- 
ever, the sweet corn fed out by 
Jimmie Davis (Gov. of Louisiana 
until a couple of months ago) and 
his boys percolates and permeates. 
By the time , they wind up with Da- 
vis' composition, "You Are My 
Sunshine," all is well and a nice 
hand garnered en route. The Davis 
act has a unique kind of drawing 
power. It is topped by the only 
ex-Governor in U. S. history to 
operate a hillbilly aggregation, and 
its members campaigned with Davis 
when he was out doing sweet talk- 
ing the voters. Aside from that, 
this is the fu'st big time vaude date 
for the band which has been play- 
ing one-night alditorium stands up 
to now. 

As music, it shapes up as one of 
the better sweet nillbilly troupes, 
and Davis shows a warm and 
friendly manner that gets him 
across nicely with the audience. He 
handles the solo vocalizing and 
patter. Latter is friendly stuff 
with considerable reference to be- 
ing Governor of lioutsiana. If the 
act intends to seek out more metro- 
politan vaude dates, the Davis line 
had better be sharpened up. 

Davis sings "New Moon Over My 
Shoulder." "Sunshine." "Old Pair 
of Shoes." and oue or two other 
folksong ballads. Had a smooth 
aggregation whicb seeks results 
through melody rather than rau 
Gous racket. 

Biggest hand when caught went 
to another newcomer to Washing- 
Km. Philadelphia's Buddy Lewis. 
This comic is a fast worket who 
moves quickly through a series of 

?.uickie imitations— both vocal and 
acial. He covers the field from 
Jimmy Durante. Cary Grant. Jim 
Wpr Cajiney and Edward G. Bobin 
*M» to CitiirleB Boyer «nd Hum 



Vaughn Monroe has transferred 
his radio format to the stage and 
unlike many of his radio predeces- 
sors, presents fine vaude fare. While 
essentially show is built around 
the sandpaper voiced maestro, he 
has injected enough contrast for 
the average vaude-f an . ; Bill runs 
long, hovirever, and could be easily 
cut, especially in band numbers 
and vocals depariment, at least 12 
minutes. , 

Signature tunt, "Racing With the 
Moon," tees off show, followed by 
Monroe and Moon Maids, four 
fresh-looking lasses doing nice turn 
on "Melody Time." Maestro then 
solos, "Laroo, Lilli Bolero." Al- 
though payees come to hear Mon- 
roe, he shows good judgment in 
limiting solos to "Laroo," "Blue 
Shadows on the Trail" and his 
bestseller platter, "Ballerina," 
which -would have made a better 
closer than "Bhumba Bumba." 

Large orch comprises 12 brass, 
six violins, and four rhythm. Ar- 
rangements are plenty commercial. 
Fiddles do heavy backing for sing- 
ing stints, Cecel Blake in a white 
knee-length formal, is .abest on 
bounce tune, "Put 'Em in a Box," 
while "It's Magic" is a bit draggy. 
Ziggy Talent, saxist, does two 
comedy tunes and scores with his 
falsetto, trills and comedy antics. 

Eddie Julian, drummer, brings 
down his kettles for some comedy 
with Monroe, and Earl Hummel, 
violinist, seems slightly incongru- 
ous with bowing of Kreisler's 
■'Chine.se Tamborine," but gets 
nice response. Orch follows with 
■'Sabre Dance." 

Jay Lawrence, youngster, does 
nicely in next stanza. While his 
vocal carbons on film and radio 
stars display accuracy, many could 
be eliminated for better pacing. 
Toppers are Clem McCarOiy on 
I.iouis-Walcott bout and Humphrey 
Bogart as a baby sitter.. For encore 
he returns to ape Monroe. 

Dick Haymen, harmonieist, does 
nicely on standards, but gets his 
heaviest response as he brings out 
a Spike Jones contraption, which 
emits smoke and fires pixels, as 
accomp for, "In My Merry Olds- 
mobile." • 

Three Sapphires are hampered 
by adherence to Jack Cole type of 
dancing, which they don't quite 
carry off. Trio had better polish 
current routines or try something 
less exacting. Zabe. 

Olympian Miami 

Miomi, July 17. 
Dufce of Paducah, Steve EiMwis, 
Ric/iord-Adair Dancers, Rudcjilco 
Bro.s'., Walls/ Owennau, £,es Rhode 
Orch; "// Winter Comes" (M-G). 



~ Strand, TX. ¥. 

Count Basie Orch with James 
Rushing, Billie Holiday, Stump and 
Stumpy, 2 Zephyrs; "Key Largo' 
-fWB). reviewed in Variety issue 
of July 7, ^'48. 

This bill has all the earmarks of 
a compromise, but it's the sort of 
compromise that leaves all parties 
replete and satisfied. The jasa cog- 
noscenti have Count Basle's richly 
filigreed tjrpe of dance rhythm and 
Billie Holiday's combustible style 
of torching, while those who like 
their stage fare trimmed with lots 
of lowdown comedy should get 

glenty of kicks out of Stump and 
tuiftpy and the Two Zephyrs. 
An odd booking is the inclusion 
of the two male teams. Fundamen- 
tally, they're each dancing acts, 
and their .styles- of comedy differ 
little. However, iiiey amply serve 
their purpose: their riotous antics 
bring the laughs in big profusion. 

One of the maestro-specialists 
who has kept closely in step with 
changing progressions of the jazz 
idiom, Basie showers his Strand 
audience with an assortment of 
rhythm and melody that makes 
listening - a pleasure. His patterns 
of rhythm, whether rolled off by 
his own wizardry at the ivories or ' 
compounded by his sidemen, have 
a distinctive coloration. That de- 
sign finds itself the core of every- 
thing he does in tlffe way of dansa- 
pation, whether it's a jump tune, 
the blues or a variation on a Latin 
theme. What he offers here is 
basically soUd audience stuff, with 
the standouts from the book being 
"Basie Bongo." ''There'll Be Good 
Bockin' Tonight," with Jimmy 
Bushing pitching the vocal, and a 
boogie-'woogie incident on the 
organ. 

Miss Holiday, who closes the 
proceedings, sets 'em up for a com- 
plete rout with a quick rhythm bit, 
"Them There Eyes," and a ballad, 
"But Beautiful." With the refresh- 
er pair out of the way, the sta- 
tuesque goodlooker really gets 
dovm to business' and shows 'eni 
just what it is tiiat has definitely 
esconced her as queen of the torch- 
ing • stylists. Her flight into .the 
blues by way of "I Love My Man" 
starts '«m percolating out front in 
low flame, and by the time she 
has ended this particular frame 
with the refrain, "I've Got Every- 
thing a Good Man Needs," the 
house is, hers intact. Miss Holiday's 
response to the sustained uproar 
is another fuse-laden number, 
"You're Drivin' Me Crazy-" Again 
the dusky beaut proves she's not 
only a singer's singer but surefire 
at bowling over any type of audi- 
ence that can react to the sultry 
side of the jazz idiom. 

As usual, the routine about the 
Two Zephyrs act that rocks the 
customers to a f are-thee-well is the 
slow-motion fight stemming from 
a dice game. Stump and Stumpy's 
fun kit, which grants no edge to 
their companion team in the way 
of slapsti<»c, ranges from a series 
of film-name mimicries to a mix- 
ture of hard and soft-shoe hoofing 
that leaves 'em almost spent of 
laughter at the act's fadeou i. 

Odec. 



hirruping of "Woody Woodpedcer." 
Singisr uncorks a surprise for 
many seat-holders with his trick 
piping as an itsy-bitsy girl. A red- 
tation and two songs writh moppet 
inflexions take him off to salvos. 

The Harmonicats put plenty 
verve into a semi-classic and two 
uops. Their eight-to-Uie-bar lip- 
ping of "Harmonica Boogie" brings 
first-rate returns. Dispensing with 
orch accompaniment, they sock 
over their trademark, "Peg O' My 
Heart," and sail trough "Cats' 
Polka." Closer has them joining 
Fulton and orch for a community 
sing of "Let Me Call You Sweet- 
heart." Baxt. 



Apollo, IV. Y. 

Freddie Slacfc Orch (15 ) with 
Ijvnn Stevens, June Richmond, 
Bohby Stevens, Eddie Davis Quar- 
tet, Apus & Estrellita with John 
Bunn, George Wiltshire, "Philo 
Vance's Return" (EL), 



In and out package here this 
week, with twjB supporting acts 
nosing out topliner in applause get- 
ting. 

Steve Evans, in "added attrac- 
tion" slot, spills his comedies for 
plenty laughs. Guy's standard 
Polish miner's drunk and laugh- 
compelling bits win appreciation. 
Some of the material could stand 
refurbishing, but guy's mugging 
and delivery click. 

Second of the supporting acts to 
hit the top of applause meter is 
the Bichard- Adair dance group. 
Their imaginative Clyde Beatty 
takeoff shows skillful staging and 
gasp bringing acro>adagio work. 
Short stint, but a lileaser. 

Acro-juggling of the Budenko 
Bros, set swell with the aud. Wally 
Overman scores with chalk-cartoon- 
ing accomiped by patter tliat's weak, 
but sketchings are effective. 

Topliner Duke of Paducah just 
got by. Stuff is not only heavily 
corned, but pitches too many times 
for laughs via humor that should 
have been left in the barn. 

Les Rhode house orch handles 
backgrounding In topnotch style. 

Lory. 



Buxom songstress June Rich- 
mond and Freddie Slack's ofay band 
top current layout at this Harieiu 
spot. Supporting acts, however, are 
rather lustreless with comedy sup- 
plied by Apus & Estrellita, John 
Bunn and George Wiltshire par- 
ticularly poor due primarily to 
badly writlftn 'materiaL Biz on the 
light, side when caught Friday (16). 

Slack has an aggressive combo 
with its overall style, of course, 
built^around the leader's pianistics. 
Crew comprising four rhytm, five 
reed and six brass, open the .show 
with a hot teeoff followed by a 
neat solo by its guitarist of "Flyin' 
Homer" for okay reception. 

Crooner-dancer Bobby Stevens 
warble» a fairish "Prisoner of 
Love." Tune might have been bet- 
ter received had it not been so 
long drawn out. Shifting to terping, 
he does some mild stepping for 
moderate salvos. Eddie lOavis 
quartet is an average small group. 
With sax, drums, piano and. bass, 
the lads handle three torrid tunes 
in a frenzied beat for fair results. 

Ofay songrstress Lynn Stevens, 
who^s easy on the , optics, chirps 
tiiree numbers in a husky delivery. 
Best of the trio is ^Tiimed the 
Tables on Me" while "House of 
Blue Lights" and "Cow Cow 
Boogie" round out her stint an'd 
garner solid applause. 

In closing spot. Miss Bichmond 
wows 'em with "Put 'Em In a Box." 
Comes hack with a comedy number 
about shopping for a girdle set to 
"Cocktails for Two" and "Don't 
Fence Me In." She dramatizes her 
songs with a chummy, friendly 
approach. Also scores with a slick 
version of "Donkey Serenade" and 
a takeoff on operatic arias. Had 
to beg-off. Gilb. 



$1,800,000 Tab 



Continiicd from page 1 - 



drfeago, C%i 

Chicogo, July 16. 
Harmonicots (3), Harry Babbitt, 
Ross & La Pierre, 4 Evans, Jack 
Fulton House Orch (13); "The 
Emperor Wolte" iPar). 

Bing Crosby-Joan Fontaine film 
drew capacity at the opening show, 
with a long queue of waitees tan^ 
ning in the noonday sun. Further 
note of good cheer was added later 
in the day by federal Judge Mi- 
chael Igoe's decision to exempt 
"Waltz" from the JP's two-week 
limitation (see other story). 

Stage bill, with encores trimmed 
because of pic's extra length, tees 
off via .a brace of okay vocals by 
Jack Fulton, new fronter of the 
house- orch. Easy-mannered maes- 
tro, who comes from the staff of 
Station 'WBBM here, impresses 
favorably on his trial run. 

The Four Evans get prime re-' 
suits, contrasting youth and mid- 
dle-age as an added filip to their 
terping. Young' pair opens with 
breezy tap routines, followed by 
the older couple in fhe soft-shoe 
turns of yesteryear. Girl's neat 
aero terping precedes fast routine 
by'^nale pair and sprightly tapping 
by the older femme. Quartet lays 
them down in. umson for a bowoff. 

Ross wins immediate response, 
imitating Heray Busse's trumpet 
style, and clicks with "Sugar 
Blues" a la Clyde McCoy. Twangy 
vocal as Sen. Pappy O'Daniels has 
comic supplying mcidental banjo, 
guitar ahd mouth-harp effects. 
Joined by Miss La Pierre, he 
needles her in panto wliile she 
trills with Gallic accents. Pair 
romm through "St. Louis Blues" 
and offs to choice hand, following a 
Hawaiian bit in which Ross makes 
like a steel guitar and trumpet. 

Harry Babbitt's "Vocals arc well 
received, with top plaudits gohig 
to ''I Keionember Mama" and bis 



to individual stations from 'can- 
celled local programs and- spots 
unquestionably runs into the hun- 
dreds of thousands. 

Overall totals, by networks, for 
the two meetings: 

ABC— 52 hours 10 minutes of 
AM time; 81 hours 15 minutes of 
TV; $92,779 in AM cancellations; 
no TV cancellations; $120i000 in 
operating costs. 

CBS— 52 hours 30 minutes of 
AM time; 72 hours 57 minutes of 
TV; $288,000 in AM cancellations; 
$16,150 in TV rebates; $159,000 in 
operating costs. 

DuMont~63 hours 55 minutes of 
TV time; $55,000 in operating 
costs, including cancellations. 

Mutual— 62 hours 45 minutes of 
AM time; $145,000 in commercial 
cancellations; $55,000 in operating 
costs. 

NBC— 50 hours 3 minutes of AM 
time; 91 hours 42 minutes of TV; 
$600,000 in commercial cancella- 
tions, including TV rebates; $300,- 
000 in operating costs for AM and 
TV. 



Gravy Train Derailed 



; CAntjanedl tron page 1 . 



New Acts 



CAB CAUiOWAT AMD fflBS €il|l< 
OLEEICSM) 

Songrs.' 
12 Mitts. 

Boxy, N. y. , , ■ ,, 

Cab Calloway, a band name for 
years, is virtually doing a single 
act, with a four-piece rhythm 
group backgrounding. Always a 
rambunctious personality, he now 
has even more scope and capital- 
izes on it to provide a solid enter- 
tainment spot. He's all over the 
stage, singing, clowning and hold^ 
ing the audience throughout. It's 
an impressive first appearance, in- 
dicating the act should be a nat- 
ural for either vaude or nitery. In 
contrast to his al fresco work, 
Calloway wears, tails— the orthodox 
kind^ not at all zooty---and looks 
well in them. 

As caught for the dinner-hour 
show opening day (14), Calloway 
uiu four numbers, "Everybody 
Eats When He Comes to My 
House,'' a raucous parody of "Na* 
ture Boy," a comedy version "Ma- 
nana" and as a sock finale the in- 
evitable "St. James Infirmary." 
The rhythm unit comprises piano, 
trumpet, bass fiddle and traps. 
Also, plenty okay. Hobe. 



THE ORLANDOS (5) 

Acrobatics 

9 Mins. 

Riviera. Ft. Lee. N. J. 

The Orlandos are a bunch o£ 
kids — ^four boys and- a girl — who , 
are making their first appearance- 
in America at the Biviera. They're 
an unusual cafe, act in the sense 
that one might l@ve expected them 
as the opener on a family-time 
vaude bill, not as a cafe tum. 

They're effective with all the 
standard stunts thou^ ilieir speed 
veils a lot of defects and a void in 
sharpness. They get over on youth 
and speed alone. All are flaxen 
blondes, which also gives them a 
particularly appealing effect. 

There aren't many cafes around 
where the Orlandos can play, but 
they can play circuses and carni- 
vals because of the family -time 
type of appeal they have. Plus the 
nabe vauders, of course; if there 
are any left. Kahn, 



out that kind of coin. While there 
isn't likely to be any reductions tMs 
season, it's believed this will be 
the last year for inflated rales. 

One contributing factor to reve- 
nue decline is the bad weather 
breaks over the weekends. There 
have been very few fully clear 
Saturdays and Sundays- this season 
with the result that the income 
possibilities have t>e^ drastically 
reduced. 

However, not all spots are dis- 
playing distress signals. The top 
N. Y- state resorts such as Gros- 
singers. Femdale, and Nevele 
Country Club, Ellemdlle, and the 
Concord, Kiamesha Xake, continue 
to do consistently good business. 
Most are plodding on an even 
break wliile a few are deep in the 
xed. 



UTIA NOMURA DANCERS (3) 
10 Mins. 

Leon & Eddie's, N. ¥. 

The act by Litia NFormura daa-' 
cers (girl and two boys) is ob- 
viously patterned along the lines 
established by Jack Cole and Bea- 
trice Kraft. Fbcponents of East In- 
dian terping are ornately co^umed, ; 
and present a picturesque appear- 
ance. 

However, they've still to show 
any new dance ideas in the Orien- 
tal terps- They proceed along an 
already established path doing the 
same type of work as their prede- 
cessors. As far as execution and 
routining are concerned, 'they've 
still to acquire much, but in present 
state of development, act can fill 
spots in cafe production numbers.- 



BIARGUEBITA Sf KMWBiKA 

Dance • ■ 
10 Mine. 

Leon ic VjMk^s. W. X. 

Marguerita and Barreira, Latin 
song and terping, have an essen- 
tially gmtd idea that can make 
them a workable team in cafes and 
vaude. 

The male uses good set of pipes 
in the singing passages to accomp 
the usual Latin steps. Act's em- 
phasis is placed upon the shoeing- 
the-marc takeoff, an essentially 
cute idea that needs sharps eiUt- 
mg. Lopping off several minutes 
of that sequence would x»rovide 
greater punch. Their dance work is 
generally okay, with a few revi- 
sions needed for greater effective- 
■ Jose. 



JEANNE LAWRENCE! 

Taps'' 
7 Mins. 

Lean & Eddie's, N. Y. 

Jeanne Lawrence, according to 
boniface Eddie Davis, was in the 
Leon & Eddie's line about a year 
ago, and since then has been ap- 
plying herself to the developmeat 
of her tap abilities. She apparently 
has made good progress, a good set 
of routines indicating the interven- 
ing time has been well-spent, 

Miss Iiawrence is a pert looker, 
nicely costumed and shows ability 
in the tap direction. She has still 
to acquire the pedal glibness af 
some of her contemporaries, and 
needs more work on her spins, but 
shows signs of working out. 

Jose, 



Bobby GUIette and Shirley Bicb^ 
ards, dance team, sailed on the De 
Grasse yesterday ,Tues.) for « stint 
at the Clua» Ltdo, Paris. 




BROADWAY 



EqK»inadid Theatre Looks Doomed 
h Tideid, Craft Umuis RecaO Waives 



The Experimental Theatre is 
m^uently through. The various 
' talent and craft unions, whose con- 
cessions have made its operation 
iMKoble for two seasons, are with- 
^^i^i^ their waivers. Notice of 
the- union move is contained: in 
a letter submitted to the various 
unions in the Fact, Finding Com- 
Bdttee of ET for approvaL It will 
nroljably be forwarded next weefc; 
to ET and its parent, the American 
JIational Theatre & Academy. 

fbe text of the letter, prepared 
by Oliver Saylor, business agent of 
the Assn. of Theatrical Agents and 
Mimagers, was approved by the 
heads of Theatrical Protective 
UnioB No. 1 (stagehands), an affili-. 
ate of the International Alliance of 
^eatrieal Employees,, as well as 
Xtseal 802 of the American Federar 
of Musicians, the Amefican 
GoiW sHr Musical Artists and others. 
The council of Actors Equity Assn. 
considered it yesterday (Tues.) but 
MA no formal action. 

The Dramatists Guild, whose 
contract with Equity was the basis 
of ET, had not been notified of the 
letter yesterday, but it was indi- 
cated that the playwrights' organi- 
sdfw has been c&ssatisfied with 
the operation and had agreed only 
reluctantly at a recent meeting to 
eontinue the setup another season. 
In particular, Guild leaders have 
felt that the ET hasn't been suf- 
ficiently "experimental" and they 
don't like some of the terms given 
authors^ particularly relating to 
ffint sales of ET-produced plays. 

Bobert Breen,: exeentive-seGre- 
tahr of ANTA, hiid not seen the 
mtion letter . yesterday and said 
tiiat'pending his receipt of it he 
cnitfd not discuss the situation in 
detail. He conceded that the un- 
ions' attitude apparently dooms 
IT, but declared that the Invita- 
tional Series, which presented 
.new scripts last season for an av- 
enge of oi4sr $3Q&, will probabJ^ 
be expanded. 

Commercial An^le Peeve 

As indicated in Saylor's letter, 
the ATAM and the other unions 
are burned at ET's use as a "tryout 
theatre" instead of as a strictly 
, VQiDrCommercial project, as "origi- 
ns intended." Not only were 
"*«apper Next to God," "Hope Is 9 
TOmg With Feathers" and "Ballet 
Ballads" transferred to Btoadway 
"JJ^commercral runs (on which 
ANTA received all the profits and 
we union regulaticms were raodi- 
»eo), hut in the case of the craft 
eroups they resented what they re- 
dded as unwarranted blame for 
mgh production costs and unfair 
IwWic critidsra. 



Bickers Fihn Release 
for 'Strange Bedfellows' 

Pbihp A. Waxman, producer of 
"Stnmge Bedfellows," at the Mo- 
Wsco, N.y., is sfiU dickering for re- 
«ase of a film version of the 
Horence Hyerson-Colin Clements 
comedy. He intends making the 
picture after the play's road tour 
season. Identity of the com- 
pany with which he's negottaUng 
we distribution isn't disclosed, 
waxman returned from' Hollywood 
«a Week and will ga fa^ck again 
«w>n for more confabs 
fc®^^^' rights to "Bedfellows" 
«»ve Just been sold ta Kateiina 
recently produced 
•dit^ Yesterday" in Athens. Bound 
*OJtion of the play wiU be Usued in 
SL"^ Samuel French, pub- 
"«h«-agent for the authors. 

Booth Kin In "Mcnaserie" 
•n»..t . Keene, N. H., July 2a. 
Beatrice Booth Colin£ giekt- 
^ddaughter of the tSrkgK, 
of Am»5?'*'?^ ^'""t^' ^as the role 
whfph 2"^* ™. I'G^sa Menagerie," 
lE,"I«"« at the Keene Summer 
«»tPe next Tuesday (20> for four 

tM^d' Alf«fA ^"'"^y ^""^ 

^^^^ vao^e perform- 
Kvin? t.^ "80 and now are 
»frs fw„„*^?"«1«®n>«nt here. 



Lieblmgs Eye Paris 

Agents William Liebling and 
Audrey Wood (Mrs. Lieblhig), who 
went to England for the premiere 
there of "Glass Menagerie," with 
Helen Hayes, are spending a few 
days in Paris to look over shows 
and talent. "Menagerie" opens iu 
London at the Haymarket next 
Wednesday (28). They attended 
the tryout opening of the Ten- 
nessee Williams play last week m 
Brighton. Miss Wood agents the 
author. 

Couple are due back in the U. S. 
early in August. ' 

Wildberg-I^kon Toach' 
For Londoo to Avoid 
U.S. Cost, Tax Headaches 

Due to a reshuffling of plans, 
"The Golden Touch," new musical 
by Bud Burtson and Allan Sher- 
man, wiU pref m in England ui- 
stead of New York. John Wildberg, 
who controls rights to musical, wiQ 
launch it across the pond in asso- 
ciation with Jaefe Helton, London 
producer. Deal was set last week 
before Hyltoa departed for Britain. 
Duo are currently partnered in 
London productioa of "Anna 
Lucasta." 

' Wildberg had planned it to star 
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, 
nitery and vaude comics. Deal fell 
through, however, when it was esti- 
mated production here would cost 
$230,000. Producers believe they 
can do it in London for half that 
amount. Although nobbdy as yet 
has been lined up for cast, it is ex- 
pected to comprise both British 
and II.S.. talent. 

''Touch" is slated to preem in 
Manchester around Xmas and fol- 
low into His Majesty's. London, in 
February, If it clicks there it may 
be imported intact to U.S. for 
Broadway or a duplicate American 
company formed for XJ.S. Jun. By 
first doing the Show in England 
the producers hope to avoid the 
present uncertainties of the U.S. 
tax situation relating to theatrical 
financing. ^ 

SHUMLIN STUDIES 
NEW EPHRON SCRIPT 

Herman Shumlin has recoved 
the completed script of Phoebe and 
Henry Ephron's dramatization of 
the William Manners book, "Father 
and the Angels." If he likes it he 
intends putting the play into early 
production. The Ephrons, under 
contract at Warners, won't come 
East unless and unUl the play is 
ready for rehearsal. 

Shumlin has dropped his option 
on "The Loud Bed Patrick," Buth 
McKenney's dramatization of "er 
reminiscent book about her father, 

Nixes Yesterday' Adapting 

Ken Englund, who has partnered 
with Lou Levy for the production 
of legit shows and films, turned 
down an offer to do the screen 
adaptation of "Bom Yesterday" 
so he could remain east. He's now 
in New Hampshire, collaborating 
with Vernon Duke and Ogden 
Nash on an untitled musical for 
presentation on Broadway this fall 
It winter. Levy sailed Friday (16) 
for England with the Andrews 
Sisters, but is due back m mid- 

'^^^Lew-Englund productions have 
also slated for Broadway pvcsen- 
tetion a straight play. "Little Wo- 
man" and a South American 
Musical, "Amor," both to be writ- 
ten by Englund. The Idea IS 0 do 
subsequent screen versions of the 
productions. 





6 SiWS 
II 




r 

With Broadway in a severe 
seasonal slump, two-for-ones are 
hypoing six shows as much as 
$4,000-$5,000 a week apiece and 
are credited with keeping the pro- 
ductions alight It amounts to a 
major comeback for (me of the 
perennial gimmicks of show busi- 
ness. ■ ■■; . 

AH six of the presentations us- 
ing "twofers" (as the exchange 
premiums have come to he known 
in the trade) are hits. They are 
"Angels in the Wings," at the 
Coronet? "Bom Yesterday," at the 
Lyceum; "Command Decisi6n," at 
the Fulton; "Strange Bedfellows," 
at the Morosco; "The Heiress," 
the Biltmore, and double-bill "The 
Respectful Prostitute" and "The 
Happy Journey," at the Cort. In 
the case of "Bom Yesterday," the 
bargain device has * been used 
sparingly, chiefly as an experi- 
ment, but the other^five manage- 
ments frankly credit it with sup- 
plying the vital b.o. margin for 
their shows. 

Cheryl Crawford wanted to use 
"twofers" as a shot-in-the-arm for 
'Brigadoon," but was nixed by 
Billy Bose, owner of the Ziegfeld, 
N. Y., where the Alan Jay Lemer- 
Frederick Loewe musical has been 
playing since March, 1947. Ac- 
cording to Rose, he won't allow 
his "$2,000,000 loUypop to be used 
as 'a bargain basement as long as 
I have it." The show is scheduled 
to close July 31, but will tour in 
the fall. Miss Crawford'& new 
musical production, "Loive Life" 
(Contitiued on page 50) 

StfflAwsdtCbke 
Of Arbitrator b 
ATAM Pay Hike 

An arbitrator has still not been 
selected by the Assn. of Theatrical 
Agents and Managers and the 
League of N. Y. Theatres to settle 
the union's request for a pay in- 
crease for business and company 
managers and pressagents. Both 
groups are listing various possibili- 
ties for the assignment. It's figured 
there's no hurry, however, as any 
new scale won't be effective any- 
way until Labor Day. 

Although the present contract 
extends until September, 1949, a 
clause permits the union to ask for 
an increase at the end of the first 
year. One odd angle of the present 
situation is that several ATAM 
members, representing the pro- 
ducers, participated in the League's 
recent negotiations with Equity, at 
times joining in arguments against 
the actor union's demand.* 



ATS^uild '48-^49 Season 
Hits lOG Advance in Pbila. 

Philadelphia, JiUy 20. 
Seat sales for the American The- 
atre Society-Theatre Guild's 1948- 
49 season promises to be big. Lewis 
D. Cook, in charge of the local of- 
fice, says the advance has reached 
$10,000 in mid-July, a figure not 
attained last year until late in Oc- 
tober. Cook attributes Philly's 
acute interest in the Guild to the 
calibre of the plays given last 
season. 

The subscription season last 
year brought the buyers such items 
as "Streetcar Named Desire" "The 
Medium" and "The Telephone," 
"Carousel," "The Winslow Boy" 
"You Never Can Tell" and "Lady 
Windermere's Fan." 

Odd thing about the heavy ad- 
vance is that the Guild's coming 
season is largely promises, put out 
in the prospectus issued early in 
the Spring. Only definite offering 
is the N. Y. company of "Allegro," 
due here in October. Nevertheless, 
the local Guild office is working 
virtually 12 hours a day trymg to 
keep up With the rush. 



New Epty-Leagne Pact Marked 
Ry Several Concesdcws ta Ufflon 



T-H Weapon 

One of the "counter-pro- 
posals" of the League of N. Y. 
Theatres in its recent negoti- 
ations with Equity called for 
making the existing code "con- . 
form" to the Taft-Hartley law. 
The union balked, arguing that ' 
T-H regulations do not apply. 

Under the T-H act, a union 
may not expel or suspend a 
member except for non-pay- 
ment of dues (or initiation 
fees), Expulsicm or suspen- 
sion (or threat jDf it> is 
E^t^'s strongest disciplinary 
weapon against its members, 
and without it the organization 
would presumably have diffi- 
culty enforcing its regidaUons. 



3 Press Agents HamBe 
Own Photograiiliy To 
Bamboo Sliowi 

Newest wrinlde in legit pub- 
licity is for press agents to do 
their own piiotograpby for shows. 
Three agents are now dding it. 
They are Harry Forwood, agent for 
Oscar Serlin for the. incoming 
"Life with Mother;" Tom Kilpat- 
rick, representing Brock Pember- 
ton on "Harvey," and Bernard Si- 
mon, ballying "Strange Bedfel- 
lows" for Philip Aw Waxman. 

Besides reducing costs, the new 
practice makes it easier for the 
agent to grab pictures of all the 
publicity - exploitable happenings 
around a show, both backstage and 
at the homes of the actors. With 
his own camera and a supj^y of 
flashbulbs available,, an agent cao 
snap pictures of any notable back- 
stage visitors at the play, or any 
newsworthy people in the lobby 
during intermissions. Or he can 
visit the star's home for infiprmal 
pictures at parties, etc. 

Cost of the films, flashbulbs, de- 
veloping and printing is paid bj? 
the producer, but is still figured 
to be less than the expense of hav- 
ing commercial photographers; 
who charge $5 per negative, plus 
$1 per print. In addition, of 
course, the commercial photog 
isn't as likely to be readily avail- 
able for sudden occasions. 

Scene pictures, requiring elabo- 
rate and expensive equipment as 
weU as long experience and special 
skUl, cannot be done by the press 
agent. Professional outfits such 
as Yandamm, Graphic House and 
Lucas & Pritchard are generally 
used for these assignments.' 

Forwood was the first agent to 
take his own publicity photos. Al- 
ready a camera enthusiast, be 
started taking . pictures backstage 
during the Chicago engagement of 
"Life with Father," when show 
people travelling between New 
York and the Coast would stop off 
to attend the play and visit the 
actors' dressing rooms. Simon 
took up the practice because he, 
too, is a camera fan. Kilpatrick, 
on the other hantf; is a profes- 
sional, having his own photograpby 
business In addition to his press- 
agentry. 



^ The new agreement reached last 
week by Equity and the League of 
N.Y. Theatres represents a marked 
advance for the union. Although 
the terms are a compromise be- 
tween the actors' and producers' 
origuial demaqds, they contain a 
number of new concessions tO' the 
players' organization. The 
agers succeeded only in tossing 
out or modifying some of the ac- 
tor proposals. 

Verbal agreement was reached 
last Wednesday (14), after weeks of 
negotiations, some of which were, 
heated and. in one case- involving 
blows. Terms of the accord ar« 
being put into written form by Re- 
becca ' Brownstein, attorney for 
Equity, and Milton Weir, repre>- 
senting the League, The task, will 
probably be conipIettMt within a 
we^ or so, after which, if no fur- 
ther disagreement arises, the oonr 
tract win be signed. The deal,- 
covering theatrical production in 
New Yorit and on the road, be- 
comes effective Aug. 15 and runs 
twa jreaxs^ The Equity- council ap- 
proved the pact yesterday (Tues.). 

Salaries under the new code are 
upped from $60 to $95 in New- 
York and from $65 to $30 on the 
road. Pay for rehearsals rises 
from $25 to $40 a week. The ac- 
tors had demanded $75 pay in New 
York and $100 on the road, with 
a rehearsal rate of $50 a week. The 
managers first offered a $& pa3{ 
raise and $2.50 higher rehearsal 
rate, later raising the salary flg^zv 
to a straight $10 boost. A new 
clause in the pact is the provisiiait 
for an automatie eost-of-li\^Qt 
raise if the Bureau of Labtnr iudeat 
is higher at the of the first 
year. 

Minimums for stage managers 
were put at $150 for a straight play 
in New York and $175 on the road, 
and $200 for a. musical in New 
York and $225 on the road. Tbe 
producers agreed to hire one asi* 
sistant stage manager for straight 
plays, at a minimum of $75 in Nevr 
York and $100 on- the road; and 
two assistant stage managers for 
musicals, at $100 minimum in New 
York and $125 on the road. Eq^ity 
dropped its demand that stage 
managers not be r^qjsitred to under- 
study. The union also withdrew its 
(Continued on page 51) 



BOB LEWIS TO STAGE 
'45 MINUTES' REVIVAL 

A revival of the old George M. 
Cohan musical, "45 Minutes From 
Broadway," is being readied for a 
fall opening by Mickey Baron. 
Allen Boretz is working on script 
at his Chatham (N.Y.) summer re- 
treat, with Robert Lewis, who will 
stage. . 

Max Gordon, who was interest- 
ed in "45 Minutes," wiU not be 
associated. Mary Jane Walsh will 
have the femme lead. 



Harding Ordered to Best 
Alfred Harding, of the staff of 

Equity, was taken ill yesterday 

(Tues.) with a recurrence of an ear 

infectiom 
He's been ordered to take an 

extended rest. 



London 'Shoes' 
SetbyHybon 

London rights to "High Button 
Shoes" have been acquired \t$ Jactc 
Hylton, who plans to have the mu- 
sical comedy ready for Noyembet 
presentation in the West End. Deal 
is reported to call for an advance 
of $25,000, plus 12% of the gross 
and 25% of the profits. A'greement 
was set Monday (19> with the 
Broadway producers, Monte Proser 
and Joseph Kipness. Hylton re- 
turned Friday (16) to London, afr 
ter a. brief trip to the U. S. to 
dicker for therrights. 

The London edition of the show 
will probably be cast there, with 
a few leads possibly recruited in 
America. One highlight of the 
show, the Mack Sennett ballet, may 
be dropped, however, as Olsen and 
Johnson are reported to have done 
a similar number in their own 
show there recently. Kipness, cur- 
rently readying "That's the "ncket," 
the new Philip and Jules :^stein- 
Harold Rome musical, may go to 
London for the "Shoes" preem, but 
would return immediately to New 
York, 



HUBBABB i& 'BOGEB' 

Los Angeles, July 20. 
John Hubbard will play the male 
lead in "Roger the Sixth," 
legiter by Joseph Carole, probably 
with Margaret Lindsay as femme 
topper. 

Play will open in San Francisco 
with Broadway aspirations. Wil- 
liam Fender is producing and Bal 
Walker directing. Several fOra 
names are bankrolling. 



50 



LKCilTIlllATK 



Wednesday, July 21, 1941t 



Jack Pulaski 



Continued' ttw PMC 7 ; 



ti-anscends the average attitude on 
ivhat m^kes a show click ji- flop. 
He appraised any attraction, 
whether legit or any other type of 
show, with the boxoffice treasur- 
er's complete mathematical ken. 
Jack knew more about "ice," ticket- 
handling, boxoffice manipulation 
.and the. like than did iiiany so- 
called theatre impresario who fre- 
quently found the leakage and the 
brealtage the difference between a 
healthy profit and just getting by. 

When Sime started the Di-ama 
CiviUcs Boxseore 25 years ago, it 
■was Jack who policed it. It was for 



VABiETy, which says in part that 
'Whatever there is will be printed 
without regard to whose name is 
mentioned,' Sime decided that 
most of U»e drama reviews in the 
daily newspapers were mere aca- 
demic cream puiTs which never ex- 
pressed an opinion. Sime decided 
to rate the critics on a, percentage 
basis as baseball teams are. Ever 
since, there has been a hiie and 
cry over the .value of the box-office 
rating of critics, some claiming it 
was more of a distinction to be in 
the cellar than in top place, be- 
cause the box-office should not be 



that reason that he personally re- | ., gauge lor dramatic criticism. But 
fused to join the N. Y. Drama I ^^^^ Pulaski achieved their 
Critics Circle. Jack's addiction to I jpurposes. The percentage of "no 
the ; credo of b.o., and the New, , ^pj^jon^.. reviews has steadily 
"York reviewers' resistance — even i (i^,indled 
now— ;to the idea of making them itj.aUstin 
call a yes or no on a legit opening - , , . . * . 'l, ..... 
caused him to remain consistently "Pulaslu is a steadfast -believer 
the Ion', wolf at openings. ; in realism m judgmg. the theatre. 

Piilaski's tough looking counten- 'What good is art without the box 



aTic6 wis the result of a football 
accident in his youth with an 
brainge <N. J.) team. At the Uni- 
ver.slty of Pennsylvania, he was a 
crack track man. One legend was 
that he suffered the broken nose 
as a professional boxer, and Jack 
didn't dissuade the idea, since it 
was especially convenient in the 



Juke Bows to ibee' 

One of Jack jPulaski's pet 
aversions wa? jukeboxes, wliich 
he considered enemies of con- 
versation and social relaxation. 
The one in the Roxy bar and 
grill, adjacent to the Vabiety 
office in West 46th street, par- 
ticularly annoyed him during 
his visits there. 

As a gesture to ibee owners 
turned off the jukebox in the 
place last Friday (16), when 
tliey learned of liis death. An 
"Out of Order" sign was placed 
on'the instrument, and if was 
kept out of operation until 
after the funeral Monday ( 19 ) . 



Joe Williains on 'Ibee' 

Among the wide press en- 
couiums, perhaps ' what Joe 
Williams, in the N. Y. Worid- 
■ Telegram, Monday (19), Jiad 
to say sums up everything. 
Williams wrote: 

"Everybody Around the 
tracks mourns the death of 
Jack Pulaski, Variety's voter- . 
an drammer critic, A real 
solid gent, Old John was." 



tough prohibition days when he 
was on the night prowl. At the U. 
of P. he specialized in economics 
and accountancyi Underneath the 
"toughness" «>f course, as his inti- 
mates knew, Jack was a softie and 
a sentimentalist. 

Jack's segue from A. C. to 
Variety was detoured by a stint 
on the old N. v Evening Mail as a 
sr jrts writer, covering baseball 
and also doing a column on the 
fights under the nom-de-sports 
page Of Left Jab. To the end' Jack 
eoveied the major fights for 
Variety and was a familiar figure 
at almost every other major sports 
event. For less than a year he 
r-anaged Variety's Chicago office 
until succeeded by Jack Lait, now 
editor of the N. Y. Mirror. 

Ihee was one of the eight staf- I 
fevs to whom Sime left blocks of i 
23 and '50 sharet. when he died in j 



office?' he says. 'People have to 
eat.' For all the ills which beset 
the theatre he has a unique solu- 
tion: 'Put on good shows.i How 
to solve the ticket distribution 
problem? 'Don't put on hits,' says 
Mr. Pulaski. ... 

"He- has; had any number of 
feuds, professional and personal. 
His name does not appear on^ the 
i first-night press list of the Shu- 
berts, with whom Variety has had 
more than one quarrel, but Pulaski 
i.<i always present in an aisle seat 
at the Shubert openings. How he 
obtains the tickets is his own 
secret. ... 

"Jack Pulaski is noted for his 
language. Much of .4t is couched 
in the slang of Variety, terse and 
to the point, and much is couched 
in words tliat, to say tlie least, are 
strong. Those words are not said, 
however,' witli any flippancy but 
with an earthiness that is to be ad- 
mired. Carl Sandburg would call 
them poetry as much as profanity. 
Pulaski's jet black hair, 180 pounds 
of' weight, broad shoulders and 
about 5 teet 10 inches of height 
make his words respected. 

"Pulaski and Charles McLendon, 
city editor of The Herald Tribune, 
took f junket once to Fort Worth, 
Texas; Pulaski made himself com'* 
fortable in a Port Worth hotel din- 
ing room and talked along as he 
satisfied his thirst. Word got 
around Fort Worth that a Broad- 
wayite, the real thing in person, 
.was in town. The intrigued Texans 
'paraded into the dining room in 
batches, formed a semicircle 
around Pulaski and listened to his 
language witli awe for several 
hours. Fort Worth never had any- 
thing like it before or since. 

L'Afraire Joe Laurie * 
"Pulaski and his wife, Mrs, Lil^ 
lion Pulaski, whom he married 



tor of The Associated Press, from 
perhaps fatal bums when her dress 
caught fire from a carelessly 
thrown match. But he was at his 
typewriter as usual the- next morn- 
ing and wrote his review of 'The 
American Way' with one finger. 

"Pulaski has always threatened 
to write a book about his experi- 
ences. But as with most news- 
paper men, excepting foreign 
correspondents, he has yet to put 
on paper: 'Chapter 1, Page 1.- " 



Fhifly Dell In 
hremature Fold 



hflde Stnff^-iegit 



1933, said stock to become, their 

complete property 'upon reaching | thirty years ago in Atlantic City, 
50. I once lived at the Hotel Whitby 

'.i'lie d..ilies have ihade mention where numerous other theatrical 



o£ Pulaski's sentimental manage- 
ment of the details attendant to 
the annual pilgrimages around 
Sept. 22, when many show people 
sojourn to Salem Fields cemetary, 
. pay homage to Sime. This 
year marks th,e 15th such anni- 
versary and it will be the first Jack 
will not arrange. Abel. 



Jack Gould's 'Profile' 

Jack Gould', on Feb, 19, 1939 
a profi' on Jack Pulaski in 
N. Y. Times labeled "Ibee 
■Mugg." Here are some excerpts 
"During ■ intermissions at the 



did 
the 
the 



folk had homes too. After cover- 
ing a fight and making the nightly 
I round of Broadway' oases, Pulaski 
I would come home in the ' morning 
} with one desire — ^to sleep in peace. 
The neighbors concocted the idea 
of hiring a sour German band to 
play under Pulaski's window. A 
stream of vivid expletives would 
pour forth from the Pulaski apart- 
ment and the neiglibors would lis- 
ten reverently. Then would come 
a shoe or odd book, hurled with 
supreme force. Pulaski complaine^d 
to the hotel' management and the 
police, but the German band re: 



prertiieres, .when fluff, floff and /appeared until the joke was worn 

thin. Pulasld was never sure who 
was responsible. Suspicion rests 
on Joe Laurie, Jr., whose barking 
dog finally drove Jack out of the 
Whitby. 

"Regardless of where or when, 
pulaski is always himself. One 
sunimer night a few years ago 
there was a foriifial opening: and 
Broolis Atkinson puzzled over suit- 
able garb for the occasion. He de- 
cided on neatly pressed white 
trousers. As Mr, Atldnson walked 
down the aisle a voice boomed out 
across the theatre- 'Hey, Brooksie, 
how flo you like them white 
pants?' ■ Never . white trousers 
again, Sa.vs Mr. Atkinson. , 
"Like Richard Maney, the mad 
Irishman, who could put lipget to 
shame in compiling a Th&aurus, 
Pulaski belongs to the old Broad- 
way school which always shows up 
at the office no matter how hectic 
last night was or jittet^ this morni- 
Ing is. His fingers were badljr 
burned while saving Erin; O'Brien- 
Moore, the wife of one Of his close 



how - doooo " yoooo -\ideoo prevail. 
Ibee (pronounced eye-b) takes his 
stand on the curbstone and views 
the proceedings with an impartial 
eye, the meanwhile exchanging 
confidences with experienced folk 
like himself who know the house 
will be for rent after Saturday 
night. Once stationed at his stand, 
.feet parted like a fighter to balance- 
•his weight, he is not apt .to move 
.■until his cigaret starts to singe the 
fore-knuckle of his index finger. 
A rookie policeman, new to Broad- 
way, suggested at one . time that 
Ibee move along because of con- 
gestion at an opening. The second 
time the cop made his request |bee 
turned around. "Scram," Ibee said, 
his eyes glowering from under the, 
, stiff brim of his dark brown fedora. 
.The rookie went away. ... 

"As a reviewer, Jack had to 
adopt a four-letter signature for 
his reviews in conformance with a 
tradition that none should be 
longer than that of Sime. That's 
why it is mugg and not mug, too 



Beifkdllag over the platform of friends, Mark Barrqn, drama edi- 



Philadelphia, July 20. 
Robin Hood Dell, summer home 
of the Philadelphia Orchestra and 
one of the nation's top al fresco 
concert spots, ended its 1948 sea- 
son Saturday because of lack of 
funds. 

The Dell had played only four 
weeks of a scheduled seven-week 
summer 'season. The sudden termi- 
nation left musicians and concert 
artists holding the bag for the can- 
celled three weeks. Dimitri Mi- 
tropoulos, Minneapolis Symphony 
conductor, who has guided the Dell 
destinies for the last four seasons, 
quit in a huff Saturday night after 
the final concert. 

Mitropoulos spilled the beans 
Friday night, when he announced 
from the podium that the "fare- 
well concert" was due the follow- 
ing evening. Tlie Dell manage- 
ment had planned to make a for- 
mal announcement to the Sunday 
papers and just fold its tents. 

Indications that all was4iot well 
at the 'Dell were revealed exclu- 
sively in Variety two weeks; ago, 
when it was disclosed that attend- 
ance was far below that of previous 
seasons. Henry E. Gerstley, presi- 
dent of Dell- corporation, in a re- 
view of .the organization's trouble 
stated that $15,000 was needed to 
run this week and a total of $35,000 
would have to be forthcoming to 
close out the season. 

The Dell management waited 
hopefully at the telephones after 
tlie closing story broke prema- 
turely.- They got many expressions 
of sympathy, Gerstley said, but no 
checks. 

Dell musicians, many of M'hom 
had given up vacations and other 
posts, were hardest hit by the clos- 
ing. The Dell payroll for conduc- 
tor and symphony ensemble runs 
about $10,000 a week. 

Gerfitley, outlining, the Dell's 
parlous finances, said that the 
Friends of the Dell (a ({roup of 
people who pay $50 each for the 
privilege' of a reserved seat at 
every concert) had raised $40,000 
before the start of the season; 
$10^000 of this sum, however, went 
to pay last year's deficit. 

The Dell was budgeted to get 
through the season on $150,000. 
The pre-season sale of coupon 
books amounted to $48,000, which 
was $24,000 less than last year. 
Attendance for the first three 
weeks of season was 50,000 — 17,000 
below last year. 

Top draws at the symphony sta- 
dium were .lose Iturbi and Lauritz 
Melchior and the perennial Sig- 
mund Romberg. The three stars 
drew capacity mobs of 12,000 and 
more. But attendance at the 
straight symphonic programs was 
woeful. For example, a crowd of 
only 1,400 heard Mitropoulos give 
the cancellation tipofl' and, even 
after the announced closing, a 
niere..2.000 showed up for the final 
program. 

Cancellation of the 1948 season 
was the only means of preserving 
the Dell, which could never liqui- 
date a $35,000 deficit once ui- 
.curred, Gerstley declared. Hold- 
ers of coupon books were asked to 
retain them and use the tickets 
next year. 



Teams representing six show business groups have a Softball league, 
with games a couple of afternoons a week in Central Pafik, N.Y. Out- 
fits, in their current order in the league, are the Hickoi-y Logs, repre- 
senting the restaurant in West 47th street; Herald Tribune (mostly 
frbirt the composing room); Ben Yost's Vikings; Blue Notes, members, 
of a Negro band; "Command Decision," representing the play at the, 
Fulton, N,Y.; Actors Exchange, and Local 802 of the musicians' union. 
There was also a team from the cast of "Mister Roberts," but the 
show's management ordered it to disband when several players were 
injured and missed performances at the Alvin, N Y. 

Games are generally played more or less for laughs, although there's 
always a paid umpire (the players put up $5 and recruit one of the 
Central Park characters for the assignment). In most cases the cost of 
uniforms and equipment is put up by tlie show management, non- 
playing members, etc. Typical examples of how the games go wei-e 
two tilts last week. In one, the Herald Trib team scored 14 runs in 
the first inning against "Command Decision" and finally won out 14-10. 
In the other, "Command Decision" was leading the Hickory Logs by 
the score of 6-3. But tlie "CD" pitcher, James Whitmore, had to leave 
for a radio rehearsal and the Logs scored the winning four runs in 
the ninth inning. 

Louis Calhem, star of "The Play's the Thing," at the Booth, is tlie 
self-appointed "Happy Chandler" of the league, although his show isn't 
represented by a team. He attends most games and issues decisions in 
disputes. 

"Joy to the World," a moderate hit of last season, is an example of 
how a promoter may get a half interest in someone else's pending pro- 
duction without actually investing his own money. ■ • 
When John Houseman came cast to do the show he had only $35,000 
of the $65,000 budget. William R. Katzell, co-presenter with Lee Sabin- 
son of "Plnian's Rainbow," offered to supply the necessary $35,000 for 
an equal partnership, and Houseman, faced with the prospect of aban-^ 
doning the project, had to accept. 

Katzell borrowed the $30,000, using a stock of textiles as security, 
then persuaded friends in the garment industry to invest $30,000 in the 
play. He was thus reimbursed for his buy and repaid his' loan. As 
limited partners, those'who had invested the $30,000 were entitled to 
a one-for-two share of the profits. As co-producer, Katzell split the. 
producer's half of the net^ 

In numerous instances those who bring in substantial backing for. 
productions receive a share of the profits (frequently 10%) as com- • 
mission, but it's unusual for anyone to get a co-producer's slice on tiiat 
basis. ■ . ; ■ 



■ Salary of Beatrice Straight as femme lead in "The Heiress," at the 
Biltmore, N. Y., was incorrectly reported last week as $300. Correct 
figure is $350. - Patricia Collinge, co-starred with Basil Rathbone, gets 
$575. Rathbone, on a guarantee-and-percentage arrangement, has. been 
asked by the management to accept $1,200 instead of $1,500 guarantee, 
with the percentage continuing to apply when the gross tops $12,000. 
Wendy Hiller, who preceded Miss Straight in the title part, was also 
on a guarantee-and-percentage basis. ' 



Dramatic rights to David Broekman's autobiographical book, "Shoe- 
string Symphony," are held by Alfred Fischer, who was associated 
with the Theatre Guild last season in a revival of Shaw's "You Never 
Can Tell." Fischer has informed Broekman that he intends producing 
"Symphony" jointly with Alfred de liagre, Jr., but contracts for such 
a deal have not been signed. ' 



Twofers' Hypo B'way 



Cjuitlmied from page- 49 ; 



culated to bolster attendance reg- 
ularly and to iieedie it particulaiF- 
ly at slack periods, r 

All "tWoftirs" must be tedeemed 
at the taeatre by 7r45 the night 
of performance and 1:45 prior to 
matinees, thus giving the full price 
patrons access to the b.o. just be- 
fore curtain time. And, to avoid 
antagonizing the regular trade,' 
holders of "twofers" are normally 
seated in tlie less desirable sec- 
tions of the house, particularly 
not immediately adjacent to of- 
ficial-rate playgoers. Even with 
these precautions,^ some of the 
r 1. i.. . , bad aspects of cut-rating remain. 

°A .general b.o. But as^long as it provides the op- 
erating margin for their shows, 
managements will continue to use 
the device. 

All iwo-for-one distribution is 
handled through one outlet, the 
Simplex Ticket & Printing Co. 
Tliis firm keeps; its exact inethods 
and the identities of its clients 
secret, but a check of the bbxolfice 
returns of the i>astebbards^ in- ', 
dicates that circulation Is chiefly 
through the personnel offices of 
large industrial enterprises in the 
surrounding boroughs. 

In general, "twofer" patrons ap- 
pear to be people who don't 
normally go to the theatre, fre- 
quently upstairs trade. Mostly 
they're those who can't afford 
legit prices. And, although a few 
may be permanently spoiled as 
regular b.o.-scale patrons, othei'S 
may be introduced tb the theatre 
and gradually become fairly steady 
playgoers. 

Of course, the onlis^ thing novel 
about the present splurge of "two- 
fers" is the extensive scale on 
which it is being used. Tliat is 
merely a reflection of the severity 
of the current b.o. slump. Under 
normal conditions (if there are any 
such in show business) the various 
kinds of cutrate glmniieks are 
used only in isolated situations. 
Years ago, when Leblang's oper- 
ated as. a cutrate ticket agency, 
the practice of bargaining a show 
was common. In those days many 
a New York swaiit with limited 
finances carried on a "Leblang's 
romance." 



by Kurt Weill and Lemer, is 
booked into another theatre, tlie 
46th Street, for Oct. 7. 

During the final weeks of "Love 
or Money" at the Henry Miller, 
I N. Y.. several people associated 
! with the F. Hugh Herbert (iffmedy 
suggested that "twofers" be used 
to bolster business and possibly 
extend the run. but producer 
Barnard Straus vetoed it. The bar- 
gain premiums were used for 
"Ballet Ballads," at the Music Box, 
N, Y., but didn't boost trade 
enough to save tlie show. They 
also failed to keep "Me and Mol- 
ly" running at the Belasco, N. Y. 
in the 

slump. But the gimmick was 
credited with extending tlie stay 
of 'Deep Are The Roots" by 
about 12 weeks several seasons 
ago. 

Admitted Drawbacks 

There are admitted drawbacks 
to the use of "twofers." Besides 
Rose's feeling tliat they tend to 
cheapen the theatre and the sliow, 
there's always the possibility that 
a playgoer who. has forked over 
the advertised price of $4.80 apiece 
for his tickets may be outraged 
to learn that others have paid 
only $2.80 (the full Federal tax 
is payable on the cut-price.ducats). 

In addition, some of the two-for- 
one patrons may not be new bu.si- 
ness, but people who might other- 
wise, have paid the regular scale. 
Also, if the "twofers" aren't care- 
fully controlled, the bargain trade 
may occasionally buy out the 
house for a performance and pre- 
vent full-price patrons from ob- 
taining seats. Finally, there's the 
possibility that a public educated 
to cutrate tickets may never be 
willihg to pay the standard scale. 

Managements that are using the 
"twofesrs" are aware of these 
angles and do their best to mini- 
mize them, though it's obviously 
impossible to avoid occasional 
slipup and the results are bound 
to be beyond computation. The 
distribution of the premium paste- 
boards is carefully regulated by 
the boxoffice staff so that not too 
many are out at any one time and 
no single periownattce is swamped. 
At the same time, enough are citf- 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



UECITIMATK 



51 



Chi Improves; 'Shoes -Foy SRO 
38G;john 126, 'Annie Nice 27G 



Chicago, July 20. 
' Boxoffice legit take here last 
week was much better, that is with 
the exception of "For Love of 
Money," which closed at the Sel- 
wyn Sunday (18). Play got fair no- 
tices, but just didn't catch on. 
"High Button Shoes," with Eddie 
Toy, Jr., still has the "no seats left" 
sign up, and "Annie Get Your 
Gun" perked after a faiulty start. 
Critics gave the nod to the BilHe 
Worth replacement of Joan Ed- 
wards. "John Loves Mary" jumped 
lip along with, the rest." 

"Oklahoma!" will reopen the Er- 
Janger, which has been closed for 
remodeling, on Aug. 2 for five 
weeks, after which "Mr. Roberts" 

't&lC6S OVGF. 

Ruth Gordon has promised her 
new play, "Leading Lady" to the 
Shuberts to light the Harris or Sel- 
wyh Sept. 14 or thereabouts. 
Estimates for Last Week 

"Annie Get Your Gun", Shu- 
bert (2d week), (2,100; $4.94). Nice 
$27,000 for second stanza. 

•Tor Love or Money," Selwyn 
(3rd week) (1,000; $3.71). Broke up 
here Jul^ 18 after disastrous $5,- 
000. 

"High Button Shoes," Great 
Northern (9th week) (1,500; $6.18). 
Week after week sellout $38,000; 
advance up to $150,000. 

"John Loves Mary", Harris (23rd 
week) (1,000; $3.71). Okay at $12,- 
000. 



Current Road Shows 

(July 19-31) 

"Annie Get Your CSun"— Shu- 
bert, Chi. (19-31). 

"Blackouts of 1948"— El Capitan, 
L. A. (19-31). . 

"Carousel"— Aud., Oakland (19- 
24); Biltmore, L. A. (26-31). 

"For Love .or Money"-^Selwyn, 
Chi. (19-24). 

"High Button Shoes"— Gt. North- 
ern, Chi. (19-31). 

"John Loves Mary"— Harris, Chi. 
(19-31). 

"Magdalena" — Aud., L.A. (26- 
31). 

"Oklahoma!"— Nat'l, Wash. (12- 
24). 

"Oklahoma!"— Aud,, Sacramento 
(19-31). 

"Private Lives"— Biltmore, L. A. 
(19-24); MetropoUtan, Seattle (26- 
31). 

"Sweethearts" — CurraOf Frisco 
(26-31). 

"Winsloir Bo*" — Geary, Frisco 
(19-31). 



'OEAJ' SOCK $30,000 
DfREniRNTOD.C. 

Washington, July 20. 

National theatre hit a sock $30,- 
000 last week for the umpteenth 
return (first week) Of "Oklahoma!" 
at $4.20 top. 

"Oklahoma!" is booked in for the 
final three weeks, before the Na- 
tional folds as a legit house and 
swings over to picture policy after 
necessary alterations. 

Meanwhile, Washingtonians are 
hoping forva miracle in the tug-of- 
war between the theatre and Equity 
over the house's "White Only" pol- 
'icy. Only a settlement of some 
kind can save bigtime . legit for 
Washington. ' 



Joan Edwards Ails, 
Out of Chi 'Annie' 

Chicago, July 20. . 

Joan Edwards, lead in the tour-, 
ing company of "Annie Get Your 
Gun" withdrew from the show last 
week bemuse of a broken blood 
vessel 'in her vocal chords. She 
has been replaced temporarily by 
BilUe Worth. Miss Edwards had 
the role for less than two weeks, 
breaking fn shortly before the 
Chi opening, July 5. She's remain- 
ing here for medical treatment. 

Musical, which played 18 weeks 
earlier this year, has had a .lean 
take so far. Miss WOrth has' had 
a singing and dancing role in the 
show for the past season.- Pm- 
ducers Richard Rodgers and Oscar 
Hammerstein, II, are meanwhile 
reported seeking a name singer 
to take the title part permanently. 

Jed Harris m HVood 
To Cast for Sartre Play 

; Hollywood, July 20. 

Jed HarQs planed in' last week, 
reportedly to cast the leads in a 
Jean-Paul Sartre play he's ready- 
ing for production on Broadway 
this fall. Understood he wants 
Paul Lukas for the show. This is 
not "Les Main Sales" ("Dirty 
Hands"), also by the French dra- 
matist, which Harris will probably 
stage this season for Jean Dal- 
rymple. Title of the new play Isn't 
disclosed, but Harris is understood 
planning to produce it on his ovm, 
not in association virith Fred Finkle* 
faoffe, with whom he presented 
"The Heiress" on Broadway. Har- 
ins plans to revive "The Green Bay 
Tree" as a solo effort during the 
1949-50 season. 

Finklehoff e also arrived bere by 
plane over the weekend, but not 
on business. 



'Jubilee' in 3G Bow 
At St Louis Al Fresco 

St. Louis, July 20. 
The Cole Porter-Moss Hart musi- 
cal, "Jubilee," teed off a seven- 
night run in the Municipal Theatre 
Assn.'s al fresco playhouse in 
Forest Park Monday (19) before a 
mob of 8,500 with a gross of ap- 
proximately $3,000. Rain up to cur- 
tain time held down the crowd. 
Last act was played in a drizzle. 
The piece was previously presented 
here in the open-air ampliitheatre 
in 1945. 

Helen Raymond and comic Wil- 
liam Lynn clicked in the lead roles, 
New faces who scored are the 
-Canadian blonde looker. Gale Sher- 
wood; Benjamin F. Miller and Dick 
Martin in singing parts. Outstand- 
ers in support were Pittman Corry, 
Edwin Stefle, Bemice Aledon and 
Norman Young. Watson Barratt, 
scenic designeri contributed some 
eye-fllling sets. 

Rudolf Friml's "White Eagle," 
with the opening performance 
washed away by a cloudburst, 
wound up its stand Sunday (18), It 
was a split verdict from the critics, 
but the show attracted 50,000 
payees who laid an estimated $4i;- 
000 on the line. 



'Sweethearts' NSG 26iG 
In Finale Wk. at LA. 

Los Angeles, July 20. 

"Sweethearts," third offering of 
the L.A. Civic Light Opera sea- 
son, pulled out of town Saturday 
night (17) after racking lip a four- 
week take of $146,600, only me- 
dium, Bobby Clark starrer began 
sliding in the final two frames, con- 
cluding stanza registering only 
$26,500. House stays dark for a 
week, then rekindles July 26 with 
the world premiere of "Magda- 
lena," final Civic offering of the 
season and slated as a Theatre 
Guild attraction for the fall sea- 
son in New Y6rk. 

Also finaling last week was "The 
Merry Widow," first of the season's 
presentations at the Greek theatre. 
Two-week take was a below-hopes 
$68,500, 

Newcomers this week include 
"The Vagabond King," which 
started last night as the Greek 
I theatre's second, and "Cupid 
Thumbs His Nose," which world 
preems tomorrow (21) at the 
Coronet. 

Estimates for Last Week 
"Blackouts of 1948," El Capitan 
(317th wk) (1,142; $2.40), Back in 
that $17,000. groove. 

"Lend an Ear," Las Palmas (5th 
wk) (388; $3.60). SRO $0,300. 

"Private Lives," Biltmorie (2d 
wk) (1,636; $4.20). Up $1,000 tO 
$25,500. 

"Separate Rooms," New Beaux 
Arts (9th wk) (560; $3). Up to 
$4,300. 

"Sweethearts," Philharmonic 
Aud (4th wk) (2,670; $4.20). 
Slumped to $26,500, considerably 
below expectations, for $146,60io 
on four frames. 

"The Merry Widow," Greek 
Theatre (2d wk) (4,419; $3.60). 
Bounced up to $36,000 but two- 
week total of $68,500 under hopes, 



B way Still Awaik Toorist Influx 
To Weather Blah Biz; 17 Shows On 
Lbt; Meiman iUbsence ISps 'Anme' 



Estimates Are Net 

Legit gross estimates of 
Broadway and the road are net; 
that is, minus the 20% Feder- 
al and Swhere there is such) 
local tax. That is the amount 
on which theatre, authort actor 
and other percentages are fig- 
ured. ' . i 

The parenthetic admission- 
top price includes the U. S. 
amusement and any local tax, 
however. 



Hurok Claim Deferred 

Claim of Sol Hurok and ceveral 
other backers against the produ- 
cers of "Billion OoUar Baby" for 
alleged mismanagement and ac- 
counting of receipts has been in- 
definitely deferred by consent of 
both sides. 

Reason given Is the serious iU- 
nesB of co-producer Oliver &nitfa, 
who is also out of the country at 
^sent. 



In 2d Frisco Week 

San Francisco, July 20. 
"The Winslow Boy" chalked up 
husky $15;500 for its second 
week at the Geary (1,550; $3.60). 

Sweethearts," third Civic Light 
Opera production, with Bobby 
Clark, Avhich opened Monday (19) 
at the Gurran (1,776; $4.20), showed 
an advance of. $15,000 above rcgu 
lar subscriptions for its three' 
week booking. 



'Desert Sons' Neat 28G 
In 7 Shows at Indpls. 

Indianapolis. July 20. 

"Desert Song," curtain-raiser in 
1948 "Stars Under the Stars" series 
at Butler Bowl, took handsome 
$28,000 at $2.55 top in seven per- 
formances July 10-17 despite 
threating weather and one per- 
formance washed out. Extra per- 
formance was added Saturday (17) 
to make up for night lost. Show 
was produced by Alonzo Price and 
conducted by Charles- Hedley, with 
Robert Shafer, Virginia Card, Wil- 
liam SuUy, Phyllis Wilcox and 
Dennis Carroll in leads. 

Production of "Merry Widow," 
featurhig Victoria Sherry and 
Charles Percell, week of July 25, 
will follow set of three concerts 
this Stanza by IndianapoUs summer 
symphony orchestra under direc- 
tion of Fabien Sevitzky. First con- 
cert, all-Gershwin, Sunday 08), 
drew 4,731, season's top to date 
in paid admissiona 

L^vUle Symph In 

Auditorium Switch 

Louisville, July 20. 

Louisville Philharmonic Sym- 
phony concerts will be held this 
year in Columbia auditorium, after 
long-term use of Memorial aud. 
Between $10,000 and $20,000 wiU 
be spent improving the aud. be- 
fore the season opens in October. 
Size of the orch Will be reduced 
from 68 to SO, making personnel 
completely professional.. Stage 
will be enlarged, and boxes wiU be 
instaUed on the main flwr. When 
completed, it will seat about 1300, 
about half the capacity of Me- 
morial. , 

Concerts by Cincinnati Symph 
will continue to be held at Memo 
rial, where the capacity will ac-^ 
commodate the membership of the 
Cindnnati Symph Society. 

New manager of the symph is 
John Woolford, succeeding James 
Bagby, who resigned in April alt- 
er serving only a short tune. 



Equity-League 

i Continaed from mse 49 s 



demand of immunity for Equity 
deputies in show casts. 

Arbitration Clause Same 
Despite efforts of the producers 
to revise the arbitration clause, it 
remains the same, while disputes 
over pay, interpretation of rules, 
etc., also are unchanged. Actors 
will hereafter, get an annual vaca- 
tion of one week with minimum 
pay and, in case of illness of a star 
forcing the suspension of a show, 
the other actors get $7.50 per can- 
celled performance for first week 
and pro-rata pay for additional 
time missed. Equity dropped its 
demand for a six-day week on the 
road, as in New York, 

Another innovation is the rule 
that clothes must be furnished to 
actors making less than $175 a 
week (as always, costumes must be 
furnished to . all actors, and all 
clothes and costumes to femme 
players). The management must 
give 24 hours notice for taking 
pictures and a week's notice for 
benefits (benefits will be permitted 
only on a secret ballot of the cast 
bivolved). Final week's rehearsals 
(except the final day), may not be 
more than 12 hours per da.". Casts 
laying oS Christmas and Lenten 
weeks out 6f town must be paid 
minimum salaries. 

Chorus Equity gets the same 
minimums and rehearsal coin as 
the actors. Understudies must be 
selected virithin two weeks after the 
opening, but the union dropped its 
demand for the employment of a 
"swing couple" (general under- 
istudy pair), for each musical show. 
A joint Equity-League committee 
will be set up to consider a few 
minor matters sUll open. 

In the absence of Paul DuUzell, 
recently resigned executive-secre- 
tary, and Paul Turner, senior coun- 
sel. Equity's chief negotiators were 
Miss Brownstein, Ralph Bellamy 
and Philip Loeb, Principal spokes- 
m^n for the League were Weir, 
executive-secretary James F. Heu- 
ly and Brock Pemberton. 



Beniie Selieman named assistant 
to Ken Later of the William Morris 
Agency legit dept. 



'OKLAJ' SOCK 47G 
IN SACRAMENTO AUD. 

Sacramento, July 20. 

Touring company of ."Okla- 
homa!" grossed a bulging $47,000 
last week in -the 4,444-seat Sacra« 
mento auditorium. 

It contuiues this week, with pros- 
pects for another torrid gate. 

Added Strawhats 

The following summer theatres, 
not previously listed, will operate 
this season. Equity - franchised 
spots are designated (E.) and non- 
Equity (N.). This brings the total 
number of strawhats to 213 so far. 

CANADA 
Midland, Ont: Midland summer 
theatre; Jack Blockland. (N.) 

Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum 
theatre; Stanley Bell. (N.) 

COLORADO 
Aspen: Aspen players; Wheeler 
opera house. (N.). 

MASSACHUSETTS 
Martha's Vineyard: Rice play- 
house; Franklin Trask. (E.) . 

MtCBIGAN 

Adrian: Lenawee players; Dot^ 
othy Chemuck. (N.) 

NEW HAMPSHIRE . 
Swanzey: Potash Bowl theatre 
(N,). 

Windham: Windham playhouse 

(N.). 

NEW JERSEY 

Atlantic City: Convention Hall; 
David Lowe. (E.) 
Deal: Conservatory theatre (N.) 
Princeton: University players; 
Murray theatre; John Capsls. ( N. ) 

NEW YORK 
Clinton Hollow: Clinton Hollow 
playhouse. (N.) 

Garden City, L.I.i Adelphl Col- 
lege little theatre; Martin Magner. 
(N.) ■ , 

Germantown: Sail Loft theatre; 
Edward L. Carroll, Lester Law- 
rence, Walter L. NeaL (N.) 
Highland: Gotham players. (N.) 
Lens Beach: Crest theatre. (.N.) 
Oneida: Oneida Castle play- 
house (N.) . 

Pittsford: Pittsford summer thea- 
tre; Lloyd Hubbard, John Tuttle, 
Wilford Scott, William Andia. (N.) 

Rockaway Park, L. I.: Rockaway 
summer theatre; Lawrence Win- 
ters. (E.) 

Syracuse: Syracuse Univ. sum- 
mer theatre. (N.). 

WatUns Glen: Watkins Glen 
theatre. (N.) 

OHIO 

Granville: Denison Vni^. sum- 
mer theatre; Prof. Edward A. 
Wright, Paul E. Randall. (N.) 
Madison: Rabit Run theatre. (N.) 

RHODE ISLAND 
Windham: Windham playhouse. 

VERMONT 
Putney: Putney School theatre. 

(N.). 

TEXAS 

Houston: Summertime light op- 
era. (E.) 

WASHINGTON 
Lake Watbington, Bellevue: Sur- 
rey Playbam; Milo Ryan. (N.) 



t The doldrums continued on 
(Broadway last week, with many 
I New Yorkers vacationing or week- 
ending out of town. There was only 
a trickle of the seasonal tourist - 
trade in evidence. So far, visitors 
appear to be either patronizing the 
top smashes or shopping carefully . 
for cheaper-priced seats at the 
long-run shows. 

Attendance was especially oft 
early in the week but improved 
somewhat over the weekend,: when 
cloudy weather discouraged poten- 
tial resort-going. There were no 
closings, 17 shows remaining on 
the boards. Business continues 
spotty. 

Estimates for This Week 
"Ansel in the Wings," Coronet 
(32d wk) (R-998; $4.80). Intfanate 
revue recently posted provisional 
closing notice, but has been hold- 
on in prospects of business upturn; 
Up to about $13,000. 

"Annie Get Tour Gun," Imperial 
(114th wk) (M-1,472; $6.60). Smasb 
musical stayer still feeling the gen- 
eral slump and absence of Ethel 
Merman as b.o. draw; off a bit 
more to $24,000; Hay Middleton 
leaves the cast July 31. . 

"Bom Yesterday," Lyceum (128tli 
wk) (C-993; $4.80). Topical comedy 
is another with provisional notica 
up, but still getting by; approxi- 
mately $11,300; 

"Brigadoon," Ziegfeld (71st wk) 
(M-1,628; $4.80). Attendance was 
up a bit, particularly late in week; 
$20,000 claimed; due t» elOM 
July 31, after 581 performances; ' 
will tour in the fall. 

"Command Decision," Fulton 
(31st wk) (D-968; $4.80). Weekend 
lift, brought the gross to about 
$12,500. Paul McGrath leaves the 
cast July 31, with replacement 
still not set. 

"Finian'at Rainbow," 46th Street 
(7&th wkt (M-1,319; $6). Another 
longrrun musical comedy holding 
on; about $21,000. 

"Harvey." 48th St.- (195th wk) 
(C-g02; $4.20). Getting around 
$8,000 steadily. 

"High Button Shoes," Shubert 
^3m wk)JM-l,387; $6). Phil Silvers 
on two-week vacation, with Joey 
Faye subbing and Jack Diamond 
taking over latter's part; approxi- 
mately $35,000. 

"How^, Mr. lee," Center (4th 
wk) (R-2,994;$2.88). Skating show 
back to .nine-performance sched- 
ule, with $50,000 take for the week. • 
. "Inside U.S. A.," Century (11th 
wk) (R-1,670; $6). With return of 
Beatrice LilUe after illness, man- ' 
agement has set Paula Lawrence 
as star's understudy; gross up to 
$44,000 for full week. 

"Mike Mine ManHattan," Broad- 
hurst (27th wk) (R-1,160; $6). An- 
other intimate revue that has been 
feeling the prevailing decline; . 
held to $24,000. 

"Mister Roberts," Alvin (22d wk) 
(CD-1,357; $4.80). One of the two 
smashes that draw capacity at aU 
performances; $34,500 as usual. 

"Strance BedfeOows," Morosco 
(27th wk) (C-935; $4:80), Costume 
comedy is another one holding 
on and hoping for a general up- 
turn; trifle better at ^7,500; J^an 
Tetzel replaced by Neva Patterson 
this week. 

"Streetcar Named Desire," Bar- 
rymore (33d wk) (D-1,064; $4.80). 
The other regular capacity draw, 
with the number of standees the 
only variation; $27,500; regular 
leads back this week. 

"The Heiress," Biltmore (42d 
wk) (D-920; $4.20). Eased to ach 
proximately $9,500. 

"The Respectful Prostitute," and 
"The Happy Joorney,^' Cort (18th 
wk) (01,064; $4.20). Double-bill 
still has a slight margin and ia 
holding on $8,000. 

REVIVAL 
"The Play's the Thine," Booth 
(12th wk) (CD-712; $4.80). Molnar 
comedy cUmbed. a little; $9,000; to 
recess next Wednesday (28) for en- 
gagement at Central City, Colo.^ 
and resume here Aug. 23. 



Loi^hair Shorts 



Joseph Wagner, conductor of 
Duluth Symphony Orchestra, is 
now under National Concert & 
Artists Corp. management . 
Claudio Arran has cancelled his 
scheduled tour of South Africa 
until next summer, and will vaca- 
tion for six weeks in Mexico in- 
stead . . . Ann Ayars, N. Y. City 
Opera Co. soprano, is flying to 
Scotland tomorrow (Thurs.) to 
appear at Edinburgh Festival. Will 
do six performances as Zerlina in 
"Don Giovanni." 



'Carousel' Torrid 33G 
In 10 Shows, Port., Ore. 

Portland, Ore., July 20. 

"Carousel," at the Mayfair here 
last week played to near capacity 
business. First legit to appear here 
in more than two months and the 
first in more than a year to show 
for more than four days, musical 
had a terrific advance. 

Did $33,000, with 1,500 ^::sbs 
scaled at $4.20 top. Show did seven 
night performances and three 
matinees. 



S2 



LKGITIMATB 



Strawhat Reviews 



The Vroneli Have a 
fiord for It 

Ridgefield, Conn., July 15. 

Ali'xandPi' KlrUinrid ami Curl .l.iii:'il>s I'l'O' 
'..fliii'tUm ol' oometl.v ill llu'fte t**-ta b.v ■ Hugei*: 

IiVn-iUniuid. Ail.'iDlPd fiimi Die Icn'Ticli liy 
. John (lorstail anil .Tanies I.<>i". Dlrw'toil liy 

Klr|ilaii<lf setting. WHIUitiV nw'i Jfa" 

E<'l£(ii't. At I'tiaaefleia (C«nn;) Summev 

tJiOMive. 

I-.eilei>t . . . . . . .. . . . . . i . ,Weii<U'l) Pliilliira 

Barbru'in. i v ..... . . .KeiuifJtU Forbo.s 

I'llttirel. . . . , . . . , ,. ..Itlcluiril Monnlian 

dneliii. .JuiiP (.'oiiuiton 

l*vallflv, . . . ... .Alaw MaHtcvs 

^'lla;miIlP^. ... . ...... ;j. . .. . . .ISriiest Kowan 

JU. IjaVflUey. . . iHobevt KmhaciU 

Jf. I.imy Joftatlinn Harris 

Calu-ieJ Car! Simlit 

T.(»prros.>. . . . . . i . . i /V* . .■ ..Dick I-s I'ojT 

line Bvavard IMlsHis -Ail.lllis 



Rowan is amusing, if soraevvlial un- 
directed, as an absent-minded 
professor. 

If there is anything funny about 
a black market tlie Messrs. Ferdi- 
nand, Gerstad and Lee liave 
labored to uneartli it. Doul. . 



All 



of 



Since it ran for three years in 
Paris, Ridgefield bills this importa- 
tion as a "comedy sensation," and 
playgoers attending the American 
premiere here found it not. un- 
iunny. It was mostly unappetizing 
fun, however, since the protag- 
onists are a group of youngsters 
operating a blackmarket in con- 
nection with tlieir Studies at a 
boarding school in northern 
France. Money changes easily for 
a time among the cynical youths, 
•and their pockets are stuffed with 
nylons, meat points, American 
cigarets and chewing gum. 

A female instructor is sent by 
the Ministry of Education to lend 
a firm hand to the academy, whose 
student;; liave exceeded all bounds 
of honor, discipline and manners. 
Since. she is blonde and quite love-. 
■ ly, the . comedy soon wallows in 
. callow romance, and wholesale re- 
forms are accomplished. Tlie 
youths who swaggered throu.ah 
much of the evening as a would^ 
'be-posse of Dead End kids dissolve 
Into so many Rover Boys as the 
curtain falls. 

All this has been translated from 
the French of Roger Ferdinand, 
adapted for tlie U. S. A. by John 
Gerstad and .Tames l!!.ee. and 
blithely mounted by Alexander 
Kirkland. 

The authors do not brood about 
their urchins, and punishment is 
not their purpose as they look 
■back .-upon an economy that 
flourished in France, though not 
,in France alone. Tliey permit a 
live, pig to cross the stage at one 
convulsing point, and they adorn 
their youths in whiskers to set off 
a classroom. ■ uproar. The culprits, 
even travel by such sobriquets as 
Bing, Errol and »Bogey. 
■ " Phyllis Adams plays the school 
mistress with great repose and has 
varying support from S cast of 
youths and elders. Carl Specht has 
a certain sullen appeal as the ring- 
leader' of the youthful mob and 
plays with as much conviction as is 
possible. Jonathan Harris and 
Robert Emhardt, with the privilege 
'ortheir years perhaps, assume be^r 
wildering disguise as two conf 
founded parents, and E r n e s/t 



Olil rri<*u«l 

. 'Moilier'^s :,. 

New Milford, Conn., July 18, 

I^ouls Towimenrt proiUiolion oi: coineUy iti 
Uirue acts <l!our arfihe.^f) i>j* Tli.oJniis .W. 
I'liilipst. JVpaliirt'n Gordaa I'elprs, (.'ole jNTc- 
iia.u'ghTI,n. DIrPt'tetl. by Frt'il Stewart r st'<ili- 
ery, John Mittits. Opened til 'J'lu»atre-in-tliF- 
liStle, Nrw.. MtlfoM,- Conn.. July, II, 
ton., 

' ■" Oorrioit Pelor^i 

; ,*, . .f :(ile- M('l.aui;Iilin 
■. ; .Wdiiioiltl Comte 
. , . . . . Jlililrpd ilullsoii 

.,(., .,..aioi-Ja VVUHs 
.... . ; .,,;'Brut-s* ritrlis*le 

, . . . . i . . . . . Joe ftlavo.i:'. 

. -I'eter J.iKavii 
iNaiu'y fttociir 
,.. .\\'i!liaai Jlobpviwin. 
....... ^ . . .<ii^l (IHi)iii 

. . . . . l.t"'.**trt l liittiifiTil 



J''raiilc AIi'NfiiV. ^. . . . . 
Suaun M'.:Xeil...j.., 
Walter (.Iruliain. . . . , 

l.ncy (lialiini 

Kiliia McNeil. , . . . , 
George Merrick. . . . . 

Bon Blfllniii. . . . . 

Claude Mf.Neil, , 

CJertrudo Ai-butliuot.. 
Hugo Krintvley ...... 

Misa Robbinfi. ....... 

at. LeiglituR. 




MetviDeRukk 

Playlnq Kcnntbunkpori Thi* Wt«k 

..•at. 

SIR JOHN FLETCHER 

■ 'In 

"O, MISTRESS MINE" 

Starring EDITH ATWATER 
Mgi. nt&k wtn 

Sanii laiMing. New York 



To give this strawhat embryo the 
benefit of the doubt, it can be filed 
in the "maybe" category, the ma.ior 
element of uncertainty, revolving 
around a combination of rewriting, 
new faces in the cast and general 
production expansion. While it is 
ackowledged that the script in its 
present form does contain enter- 
taining ingredients, the sum total 
is far from Broadway timber as of 
now. In'any event, the sample ex- 
hibited rates further treatment as 
against the alternative of putting 
it back in the trunk immediately, 
- Author has taken a whirl at farce, 
satire and straight comedy in his- 
attempt to storm the laugh citadels 
of the audience. It's a multiple 
assignment that doesn't reach the 
peak in any one of those depart- 
ments, but there's a good founda- 
tion for such a combination. Laughs 
come from situations and lines that 
could be enhanced with skillful 
bolstering. 

, Story is built around the effect 
on an average American family 
when an eight-year-old member of 
the tribe becomes a Whiz Kid prod- 
igy. Moppet goes on a national 
program and becomes a sensation. 
Amusing situation turns up when 
the parents try to trace where the 
kid got his brainpower, and suspi- 
cion points to the possibility of an 
alliance between the motlier and a 
former admirer who has since be- 
come a famous scientist. Latter, 
who acts as counselor on the quiz 
program, organizes a company to 
market a television formula the 
young mental giant has doped, out. 
The boy's parents are members of 
the corporation, which seems to 
give the professor the right to move 
in on them bag and baggage to con- 
duct experiments. 

Smitten by puppy love for a girl 
quizzer on the program, the expe- 
rience- causes the lad's mind to 
wander, he gets dumped off the air 
and he can't remember the all- 
important formula they've been 
working on. Through a farcical 
situation, the puppy Jove angle is 
straightened out, the kid becomes 
a genius again, the formula is re- 
stored — and the supposed romance 
between the mother and the prof 
turns out to be imaginary. 

Although lacking Broadway lus- 
tre, cast gives a good strawhat ac- 
count of itself. Gordon Peters and 
Cele McLaughlin play the parents 
competently and get generally good 
support from balance of troupe. 
Joe Marosz does a good comedy 
scene in reporting an oft'stage pan- 
cake-making bit in sports-an- 
nouncer fashion. 

Direction is better than satisfac- 
tory, and same goes for the single 
set, a living room. Bone. 

How Bright ilic Moon 

Philadelphia, July 14. 

■ Bryn HawT Co^ege Sunmier Tbealre pro- 
(lucttoii of coniedy, iu tlivee ticlH by Janiea 
F. : Adams, .fr. . At Bryn Alaiyr Cyllese, 
opeiiinB July ly, .'4.S, for tbree day.s. 



WyJiiesday, July 21, 1940 



THE PROFESSIONAL 
CHILDREN'S SCHOOL. INC. 
I860 Broadway, Ntw York 23, N. Y. 
Ciitaring Ut Thiily-fHth Year 
Ca«*ducational acadtmic achool for 
profntionally omployod ttudonti, alto 
for thou in urioui training in th* the- 
atro, music, dancing «nd alliod arit, 
. FiM Gradt iKrovgh High Sthool. 
CarroipeqdotK* cowrtM for tfiot» on 
th* Mad at no tXfta coit. 

Tuilioit, liMlttding r«gi«tra>ion, $32S 
(poi'^ uhoet y*at). Houn, 10 A.M. to 
2'P,M. OfwrgtM undor chartar of Now 
York iMtd «f Rogontt. 



Author of "How Bright the 
Moon" is a graduate of nearby 
Haverford College but is now 
studying drama at Columbia. He 
has some pronounced gifts,, and 
may conceivably write a good play 
one day, but this one is not it. 

Story concerns a young femme 
artist who becomes confused — in 
fact, slightly balmy — trying to ad- 
,1ust painting and love. Action 
all takes place in her studio-apart- 
ment, and most of the characters 
belong to the arty set. The second 
act is best of the three, with com^ 
edy strongly accented. In fact, this 
central part of James F. Adams' 
play has moments of actual hilar- 
ity. Unfortunately, the earlier por- 
tions of the play drag, and the last 
act is a decided letdown. 

Cast quite admittedly does not 
help the young playwright a great 
deal although there are » number 
of willing and one or two promis- 
ing performers In this summer the- 
atre group. Those on the distafi' 
side appear to stand out over their 
male rival^. Sandol Stoddard does 



a neat job as the sorely-harassed 
young painter whose unpredictable 
friends, acquaintances and ad- 
mirers keep her studio in a state 
of constant turmoil. Marjorie Low, 
as a Billie Burkeish type of flighty 
woman, is excellent, Jervis Mc- 
Meciian has what must be called 
the ronlantic lead, and John Mel' 
calf is the guy who wooed but lost 
the lady-artist. 

On the whole the author is more 
successful with his general charac- 
terizations than with hi.s dialog, 
wliich is spotty and sometimes al' 
most laughably stilted and unreal. 
Direction is often faulty, too. 
Single setting is more than usually 
eft'cctivo for this tjTpe of summer 
production. 

Br.vn Mawr College Summer 
theatre, whose. first season this is, 
has Agatha Christie's ' Ten Little 
Indians" skedded for this week 
(21). Group expects to try a couple 
of other novelties later. Waters. 



A Fr«>o Hand 

Fitchburg, Mass., July 15. 

ritiy i>jii|iifti'((in pfO'.bK'il"" of comeily In 
three acts (tiYe scene.s»,by Melvin Fi'tiak 
anrt Normau Panaiiui. X''eiiturea T.arr.v 
Parks, J"oan yjorrin)^ and Cameron ATitcbell.' 
S^tasecl by i.oreii Clajfe: sieitliiffi Marriu 
Keiss. Oiienecl aC i.ake ' Whaloni. MasH., 
.Inly IS. '4S; Ifl.Sij lop. . 

Oeliver.v Boy,,,........., Jo.<?cph Xa»Tv 

Mrs. Hoyt. . . . . . .I.-iabel Price: 

Jlni Sto!;ep. . ............... .l,**lnntl HiirriM 

Julie. Muriloclv. ...,J(>an Tiorrlng 

.feffrey Miirdoelt, , , , ......l.arrv l-'iU'lv« 

.T. B. Murdoch, Sr. Ii'ranii )..voii 

.Mr. •Prltcbnrd. . . . . .Ituilolph Juclice Watson 

Mabt Taylor. Kirk Brown 

rfili.v ^iae Taylor. Vera. Tatilni 

Colonel Pen Sutherlaaa. .Cumeron Mirchell 
Bishop Harlsness.. . ..... . .Harry E. LowcU 

Larry- Parks, of "Jolson Story" 
fame, came ' back to work for his 
old boss, Guy Palmerton. on the 
Lake Whalom stage last week, 
where he made one of his first pro- 
fessional appearances 10 years ago. 
Current vehicle, the preem of "A 
Free Hand," is authored by Melvin 
Frank and Norman Panama, Holly- 
wood scripters. ; 

Excellent performances by the 
entire cast, especially Parks, in 
what is an ambitious production 
for a stock outfit, saves the show. 
It's another triangle yarn, strictly 
on the blue side; 

Parks has the role of a business- 
man on the verge of losing his 
wife (filmite Joan Lorring) because 
she believes he is not social-con- 
scious enough. Cameron Mitchell, 
also of Hollywood, is the third 
member of the triangle. 

Wordy lines frequently slow' the 
pace but top handling by the per- 
formers, as well as competent 
staging and a fine flthysical layout, 
are compensating factors. 

Members of the supporting cast 
who contribute in no small meas- 
ure are Isabel' Price, Frank Lyon, 
Joseph Nash, Leland Harris, Ru- 
dolph Justii^e yratson, Kirk Brown, 
Vera Tatum and Harry E. Lowell. 

Show moves to Worcester audi- 
torium, also operated by Palmer- 
ton, this week,^ : LoWc. 



Play out of Town 



All You jRfe4>d Is One 
Ciiood llroak 

Hollywood, July 17. 

.Actors' T.nb production or drama In onp 
act, liy Arnold 'ftlanofC. StaH'cd by John 
Kerry and J. Kdward Broinlu'rH. Sets by 
I..CS Marzolf. OiieMcd .Tuly '48. at Lab 
WorU-shoii, ■)loll.\~ivoOdr SSilO too. 
Aiartln S, Rothnian. . . . . .... . . . ..Tolin Berry 

CliarliP ijhiinen Itii.fkln 

Ooi'don. ...J, Edwai'H Bromlipcf? 

Wtllie the Hackle...... I'hilip Wt, J'ine 

Hockfloisli frank Ittchanjn 

HJeejiy I>akc .y.im fte.^nic'li 

Jlplon Marianne I.oi-is 

Beriny; Nxtmbfirs ................... J<]d Ma x 

MiSi ,. Rotlmiaft .., ...... .Lwlola Wcndorrt 

Mr. jRothman. , ......... .... Itubfo Wpnllorir 

nny ;Bothnvauv . ^ . , , , ..lOIailoro finr 
Bianp.'. .' .... ... . ....... .... .Marjorie; E^clKon 

llorry. . . . ....... . .. . . .. :- — . . . . . .Jcase OKrr 

Ham .I^avid Jt'rpKf'o 

ralrorta of Jack's J'lacp. . ..liollta "Roillns, 
Joyce oris,. Maralia BrmnlicrK' 

Professor Ames... .....Mack Wiillania 

Uoaiiital Clerk. . , . ... . . . . .... , .I'cter Brocco 

BSck in 1940, "Break" appeared 
in Story Mag, Since then, author 
Arnold Manoff has been consider- 
ing making a play of it. The cur- 
rent production is the result. Done 
as a one-acter, "Break" stretches 
over a 75-minute period that packs 
a series of wallops. , It is not in-' 
tended as light entertainment, but 
it has plenty of laughs to help it 
along the way, and the overall ef- 
fect is good. As an experimental 
production it ranks high. Judicious 
decisions on converting it into a 
conventional three-acter should 
give it a good chance as legit fare 
but the social significance over- 
tones make it a doubtful entry for 
films. 

In one respect, there's a strong 
resemblance, between Manoff Mar- 
tin S, Rothman and Elmer Rice's 
Georgina AUerton. Each is addict- 
ed to day-dreaming. Manoff's pro- 
tagonist, however, has a more 
squalid background from which he 
seeks to escape. 

Play starts off with Rothman in 
the clink, and wondering why. 
Then, in flashback, he narrates and 
acts his preceding 24 Jiours. 
"Break" takes the poverty-stricken 
Bronx boy through a day of frus- 



6 way Ahead of Last Summer 

Despite general belief, the present boxoffice calm on Bi-oadway 
is not abnormally severe for this period of the season. According 
to a check of Varie'i'Y b.o. estimates, the current -pace is a trifle 
ahead of. the corresponding period of last season, both in total- 
grosses and in number of productions on tiie boards. Figures for 
the 1947-4a season indicate that business continued to decrease 
through June and July, and did not show an upturn until August, 
when the annual influ.'c of vacationing tourists began arriving in 
volume. 

'f he following are the comparitive figures for this and last 
season: : ■ 



Number of Shows Current 

Total Number of Playing Weeks of 

All Shows liuiing Season So Far 
Total Gi'o.ss of All Shows Last Week 
Total Gross of All Shows During 

Season So Far .................. 



Season 
1948-49 
17 

160 
$358,800 



Season 
1947-4S 
20 

154 
$350,500 



$3,307,600 $3,030,000 



'Sundown Beach' to Boston 



Boston, July 20. 

Oh the strength of the reviews 
in the Boston papers and its $8,400 
capacity gross last week -at the 
North Shore strawhat; at Marble- 
head, the' Actors' Studio produce 
tion of Bessie Breuer's "Sundown 
Beach" has been booked for a two- 
week engagement at the Shubcrt 
theatre here, starting Monday (26). 
Show is already slated for Broad- 
way presentation. 

The Boston date will be pre- 
sented by .Tohn L. Washburn, who 
operates the Marblehead strawhat- 
ter, with Louis J. Singer in line to 
present the show on Broadway i-n 
the' fall. Elia Kazan, who runs the 
Actors' Studio in New York with 
Robert Lewis and Cheryl Crawford, 
has staged "Sundown Beach." He's 
commuting by plane from New 
York, to tune up the play; he's 
readying the direction of Miss 
Crawford's production on the new 
Kurt Weill-Alan Jay Lerner mu- 
sical, "Love Life." 



Ferrer's 'Aunt' Snarl 
Olney, Md., July 20. 
Local barn group ran into a 
snarl past week after touting an 
"eKclusive engagement"' of Jose 
Ferrer in "Charley's Aunt," role 
which star revived on Broadway in 
1940. After giving tlie nod to the 
engagement, owners yanked i-ights 
when Ernest Martin, wlio is ready- 
ing a musical version of the comedy 
to star Ray Bolger, protested. . A 
"250 mile", clause was invoked, and 
since Olney is about 230 miles 
from Broadway, it had no out. 
Irony is that Richard Skinner, 
Olney producer, was largely re- 
sponsible for Broadway revival of 
"Charley's Aunt," which he pro- 
duced. 

Ferrer is substituting "Impor- 
tance of being Earnest," "which he 
will produce and star in week of 
■July 27. His performance in 
"Twentieth Century," with Eugenie 
Leontovltch, past week,' chalked Up 
up a hefty $8,000 for seven per- 
formances. Supporting Ferrer in 
the Wilde opus will be Viola 
Roache and Phylis Hill, who be- 
came Mrs. Ferrer a fortnight ago. 
Sidney Blackiner is currently re- 
enacting his Broadway role in 
"Chicken Every Sunday," with 
Mary Orr. 

Also on the Olney agenda are 
Elisabeth Bergner in "Escape Me 
Never," week of Aug. 3, Mary Bo- 
land in "Meet .the Wife," wbek of 
Aug. 10, and Edward Everett ITor- 
ton in "Springtime for Henry," 
week -of Aug. 17. 



ButT Hazloft's Preem Obstacles 

Buffalo, July 20. 
Boulevard Playhouse, local straw- 
halter, ran into difficulties which 
postponed the premiere perform- 
ance last week. This was second 



setback, original opening skedded 
for preceding week having been 
prevented because of delay in elec- 
trical installations. 

Playgoers who turned up at open- 
ing found the preem banned by 
town authorities pending building 
inspection and permit issuance. 

Rochester, N. ¥., Tryout 
Rochester, N.Y., July 20. 
The Pittsford summer theatre, in 
suburban Rochester, is tiying out 
a new play, "Absence Makes the 
Heart," by John Tuttle, opening 
July 29. It will play through 
Aug. 7. 

This is the third season for the 
non-Equity strawhat company, un- 
der the management of Tuttle, 
Lloyd Hubbard and Wilfofd* Scott. 

Fitchburg: Tryout 
Fitchburgj Mass., July 20. 

"Solid Mahogany," a new .play 
by Helen Hunter, is pencilled for 
tryout at Guy Palmerton's Lake 
Whalom playhouse here some time 
during August. 

Next week tlie strawhatter pre- 
sents Kay Francis in "The Last of 
Mrs. Cheyney," to be followed July 
26 by Jackie Cooper in "Room 
Service" and Aug. 2 Bert Wheeler 
in the new musical, "Without 
Rhyme or Reason." v 

Coast Strawhat Casualty 

■ - Hollywood, July 20. 
The first strawhat casualty in this 
area is the Repertory thcati-e at 
Newport. , 

More or less a cooperative ven- 
ture with some 30 thesps and writ- 
ers, theatre was slated to open 
Monday (19) with "Ladies in Re- 
tirement," but folded instead. 



'Show Boat' 35G Advance 

Salt Lake City, July 20. 

The University theatre teed off 
with "Show Boat" as the first per- 
formance of its summer' festival, 
and seems to be headed for a load 
of black ink. 

With a nut of 70G, advance sales 
after two performances hit the $35,- 
000 mark. 



tration, loneliness and flights of 
fancy. Each incident serves only 
to convince him that he's right-^ 
that all you need is one good break. 

Co-directed by John Berry and 
J. Edward Bromberg, "Break" 
maintains the Lab tradition, even 
in workshop efforts, of a good cast;. 
Berry himself essays the lead and 
turns in a standout performance 
in a grueling part that requires his 
presence on stage without letup. 
Its a perfect portrayal of a "lost 
generation" kid hammered down 
by depression and disgust but 
grimly determined that his "break" 
lies with the stars or the numbers 
on a tote board rather than with 
any effort toward employment. 

Every one of the smaller roles is 
well handled, standouts including 
Sluraen Ruskin as a grocer; Brom- 
berg as a gambling druggist; Ed 
Max as a runner for the policy 
racket; Laiola Wendorff and Ruben | 
Wendorff as the hero's parents; 
Marjorie NeLson, Mack Williams, 
Peter Brocco and David Fresco. 

Les" Marzolf's settings have cap- 
tijred the squalor, odor and clamor 
of a Bronx tenement street and of 
the bankrupt stores that serve as 
tenement foundations. Kap: 



PARAMSE 

Two unusual New Jersey sacri- 
fices. Exclusive Estate Section. 
Ideal for entertaining. Beautiful 
views. Only 1 hour from New 
York. Would also make ideal 
year round company rest or 
vacation homes. Can purchase 
completely furnished including 
limousine. 

THE VILLAGE 
REALTY ASSOCIATES 

Stal* Highway No. 32 
Basking Ridge, N. J. 
Phon* Sarnardsviil* t-1212 ot 1213 



Perfect Connecticut Home 
FOR SALE 

IVi ncreiv, 6 minute!) tiillrotui n1»II»i>> 
4H mliiule ronitniitlnii:, R rnoinn. 9 
li»tli«, ternicc, nuntlock, mdrniUd 
liarbiir, dr<-il»l wutvr rifjrlitii, biiiitliiir; 
riK'illtlcfi, h<>Hiiilril yrt rimrenlrnt. Mm 
J;»«, VnMoty, IM 46th St., New 
Votk 18. 



SAMUEL FRENCH 

Play, Brokers and 
Anthors' Represenlative* 

S" West ^.ttli Slrrel. Noir Jfo* . 
loss ftaiMwt Blvd., Hallfwoad W. 



Wednesday, July 21, 194S 



LITERATI 



53 



Literati 



stone's 9log »n Barl Warren i wood to gander the studio silua 
Prentice-Hall, hopping on the ] tion for the N. Y. Telegraph 
Kepublican bandwagon business- 1 Bill Slocum. radio and mag writ 



wise, will be out with a biog o£ the 
GOP's vice-presidential nominee 
Earl Warren on Aug. 16, less than 
two months after the California 
governor was nominated. It will 
be penned by If ving ' Stone, who 
recently did a- piece on Warren for 
Life mag. 

P-H speed with this book will 
break the record the outfit set last 
spring in getting its s.vniposium of 
experts on the Kinsey Report out 
ahead of all competitors. P-H pub- 
relations chief Ken Giniger closed 
the deal with Stone via telephone 
July 6 and the author will have his 
manuscript completed by Aug. 1. 
Giniger is slated to meet Stone iji 
Chicago this week, and they will 
then travel to Sacramento to get 
Warren's official okay. Giniger will 
Stay on the Coast until after Labor 
Day to set up an ad-publicity cam- 
paign on the book, tying in Cali- 
fornia Republican organizations. 

Giniger, incidentally, has .lust 
sold his first book. It's a story with 
pictures about the Univ. of Vir- 
ginia, his alma mater, titled "Mr. 
Jefferson's University." Tome will 
be published by Oliver Darrell, 
Inc., New York firm, in late fall. 



Harry Mjirtin's Sendoff 

Stage, radio row, civic, sports 
and labor circles "played" to SRO 
at the swank Memphis Town House 
on Wednesday (14) in honor of 
Harry Martin, president of the 
American Newspaper Guild and 
amusements editor of the Commer- 
cial Appeal here, in one of the 
south's top parties. 

Martin, who also served as 
Variety correspondent for many 
years along the Memphis beat, left 
to handle a hieb-rahking post with 
the State Department as Labor In- 
formation Specialist and Advisor 
to the ECA, FoUdwing last minute 
briefing in D. Ci, the ANG prexy 
will sail for Europe and will head- 
quarter Ip Paris. 



Eire Bans Three Maes 
Three English magazines, Picture 
Po.tt, Men Only and Lilliput, have 
been banned from Eire by the lat- 
est decree o£ the Eire Censorship 
of Publications Board. Official 
reason for the banning of Picture 
Post is that it recently advocated 
nirth control. LlUlput and Men 
Only got the blue pencil on the 
ground that recent issues have been 
indecent or obscene. 

The Bell, only Irish highbrow 
literary monthly, has folded due 
to lack of funds. Editor Peadar 
O'Donnell says . fold is only tem- 
porary and it will resume in fall. 
O'Donnell has just complete a new 
novel, provisionally titled "A 
Neighbour Woman," due for London 
publication by Jonathan Cape later 
this year. 



er, has just sold a piece to Coronet 
on BYank Pape, famous Chi cop. 
Robert Pirosh's textbook, 
Writmg tor the Screen," will be 
published in autumn by the W. W! 
Sanders Co. 

Harold Baron, formerly with 
This Week and Crowell Publi.shing, 
new feature editor for Today's 
Woman mae 

Michael Kraike turned his latest 
novel, "Sensual Messiah," over to 
Messner, Inc., publishers of his 
"The Prodigal Days." 

Russ Beggs, co-author of the 
"Willie Piper" radio series, has 
sold a short story to Colliers, his 
first mag fiction piece. 

Hambla Bauer, freelance mag 
scribe, returned to her Miami 
Beach hoiw after a month'!; .<it.av 
in town gathering material for a 
fashion 'yarn. 

Author Dale Carnegie and N. Y. 
World-Telegram art editor Emily 
Genauer among , those who sailed 
from New York on the De Grasse 
yesterday (Tues.). 

Joseph I. Richman has dissolved 
his Seiden-Richman A.ssociates to 
open his own publicity office. He's 
a former Washington Star reporter 
and also worked on the' Griffin 
fPa.) Daily News and Savannah- 
Evening Press. 

John Whitcomb's page in Cos- 
mopolitan is a magazine first 
wherein an artist gets solo spotting 
to talent-scout new faces. His first 
selection is Debbie Reynolds, a 
model, of Westport, Conn. Pat 
Burrafie, td Texas, and Doris Beyne, 
of New Jersey, will follow. 

Margot Gayle, radio writer and 
editor of the Radio Writers Guild's, 
monthly "Script Writer," is turn- 
ing much of her attention these 
days to penning mag pieces. Has 
major article in the current issue 
of Madamoiselle's Living and has' 
pieces coming up in This Week, 
Coronet »nd MeCall's. 



come close to the $1,000,000 mark 
Film winds up its fifth week today 
'Wed.) with about ¥742,000 gross 
to its credit. 

"Walti!" has been running ahead 
of "Remember Mama," previous 
high Hall grosser for the year, and 
i-s certain of beating the "Mama" 
figure if it goes seven weeks. 

As with "Mama," the Cro.sby- 
Fontainc picture had the benefit of 
a holiday. Its run .took in July 4 
weekend while former was playing 
at the Music . Hall during Easter 
Week; "Waltz,'* however, had the 
benefit of five shows per day only 
one day during July 4 weekend 
while "Mama" had five shows daily 
setup for^even days during Easter 
Week. 

"Waltz" has run in high gear 
despite the torrid weather, the 
-fourth week ending last Wednesday 
(iSr being the first that it has 
dipped below $151,000. Picture did 
$144,000 in fourth session. This 
will be the third film to tUn six 
weeks at the Halli both '^Paradine 
Case" and "Mama" going six stan- 
zas. ' 

The Hall management has come 
to look on the summer period as 
one of its strongest stretches, get- 
ting a big share of out-of-town 
visitors. "Waltz" has been match- 
ing its big Music Hall business- in 
representative key cities over the 
country* being No. 1 grosser for 
three weeks , in succession in 
Variety's weekly boxoffiiee survey 



SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK 



ElisE. DilUng Loses Round One 
Elizabeth Dilltng lost the first 
round in her suit again.st O. John 
Rogge, former special assistant 
attorney general in charge of sedi- 
tion trials, for $500,000 libel dam- 
ages. 

Judge Michael Igoe, Chi federal 
district court, ruled that 122 of 184 
questions prepped by Mrs. Dilling 
were immaterial. She is suing, 
charging that Rog^e permitted 
publication in magazines and news- 
papers of secret report on her. 
Kogge denies the charges. 



lOOG Red Label Suit vs. Hearst 

: Ira Latimer, head of the Chicago 
Civil Liberties Committee, has filed, 
suit in Chi supe'riorcourt asking 
for $100,000 from the Chicago 
Herald-American claiming that he 
was labeled a.s "pro-communist" 
and had tieups with the under- 
.world. 

Latimer said that signed articles 
In the July 12 and 13 l.ssues of the 
Hearst paper had libeled him and 
-jvere a direct reJHilt of his protest- 
ing against civil rights violations of 
sorcalied "gangsters." 



B'nai B'rith's ADL Book Club 

The Anti-Defamation League of 
B'nai B'rith will launch the ADL 
Book Club this fall among its 300,- 
000 .members. Both fiction and non- 
fiction titles will be selected from 
the field of social relations writing. 
Members wil' be required to pur- 
chase at lea.>,t four books a vear. 

Harold Schiif is in charge of the 
project for the League. 



CHATTER 

Seymour Stern winding up his 
book on the life of David Wark 
Griffith. 

. Charles Samuels in Hollywood 
to round up material for Motion 
Picture mag. 

. David Low, British caricaturist, 
in Hollywood to limn film notables 
for Life mag. 
Leo JVIishkin beading tot Holly< 



Sing's Year Again 

SB Continncd from miKe 1 bss 

he was champ without a battle, 
since none of the Swedish star's 
pix were released during the 12 
months. This year, with "Empeiror 
Waltz" first and "Rio" third, 
Cro-sby seems fairly certain of a 
walkawa.y. Especially inasmuch as 
Miss Beigman's "Arch of Triumph" 
proved her drawing power in- 
capable of surmounting a film 
Which the public accepted only 
half-heartedly. 

Lana Turner will definitely 
prove no slouch, either, when the 
year is averaged out. Between 
"Homecoming" and "Timberlane," 
she rates a top spot. However, in 
both she was subsidiary to a top 
male star— Clark Gable and Spen- 
cer Tracy, respectively-^who must 
be counted as providing a large 
part of the draft. 

As far as companies are con- 
cerned, Metro and Paramount ap- 
pear certain to be the league lead- 
ers for top grossers. That's ihe 
same as last year and the year be- 
fore. They're going to get a good 
run, however, from 20th-Fox this 
stanza. While that company has 
had nothing in the sensational cate- 
gory, such .as "Emperor" or "Pa"- 
rade." it has had a succession of 
liighly succes.sful films in the 
profitable $2,500,000 to $4,000,000 
class. By sheer weight of the 
number of such pix 26th has re- 
leased this year,: Metro and' Par 
may find themselves with tough 
competition. 

Among the films which may be 
expected to wind up as important 
money-getters in 1948, but well be- 
hind the league leaders, are "State 
of the Union" (M-G), "Bishop's 
Wife" iRKO-Goldwyn), "Miracle of 
the Bells" iRKO-Lasky), "Fort 
Apache" (RKO - Argosy). "Mr. : 
Blandings" (SRO), "Captain From ! 
Castile" (20th), "Gentleman's i 
Agreement" i20th), "Give My Re- i 



Dfsfc«rs Woald fi«iti 



ContiMnA ftttni pace. 1 i 



men have had sizable incomes com- 
pletely wiped out by the recording 
ban and, since many major radio- 
programs have been shifted to 
California, they have been reduced 
to club jobs for a lining (see sep- 
arate story on page 40). As a re- 
sult, dtsk execs' assert they would 
have, no troubI» at all cotraling a 
sufficient number of exceUest mu'^ 
sicians for their recording needs, 
openly or sub rosa. 

Would Contract Musicians 
Almost from the start of the. disk 
ban, disk '«cecutives have thought 
of the idea of how, under the terms' 
of the Taft-Hartley Act, they could 
secure musicians. One plan de» 
veloped was to place under contract 
a sufficient number of musicians to 
staff whatever bands might be 
needed to background name sing- 
ers. This idea was based on the 
fact that the majority of sales dur- 
ing the past few years were pyr- 
amided by these topflight singers. 
They outsell name bands.- Such a 
plan obviously could not apply to 
those bands. But then, opine the 
diskmen, they have sufficient back- 
logs of old recordings made by a 
majority of the top-name maestroK 
existing today/ and^ these could, 
serve for some time. It could apply 
to backgrounding singers, however, 
and it's felt that if a musician 
could be guaranteed a certain 
amount weekly, whether he worked 
or not, the best tooters could be 
obtained. And after recent inter- 
views, disk execs have no doubt 
that the plan is feasible. 

Major recording companies, in- 
cluding those who were most active 
before last ,1an. 1 in stashing away 
material are reaching the bottom 
of the barrel of acceptable melo- 
dies to market. 

Meanwhile, the smaller di.sk com- 
panies are recording with musicians 
and make no bones about it. If 
things continue as they are', there 
isn't: much question that the indies 
will take the play away from the 
majors even more than they did 
most of last year and this. And. as 
the majors describe it. they're not 
going to sit by and allow Petrillo 
and the AFM to destroy a bu.si- 
ness that reaches into the billion 
dollar class. 



Pro Grid Wary 



Continued from tiagfe 1 



gards to Broadway" i20th),"Sit , 
ting Pretty" (20th) and "Northside ; posal the station would buy 350 
777" i20th). : reserved seats for each Rocket 



game. If more than 12,3.^0 re- 
served seats were sold for any1>ne 
game, the extras would be deducted 



Bing May Waltz Nearly 

Million Into Music Hall jiVW^'he' station s 'block.' 1^12^560 

After registering the biggest first !^"« ^old, the station wouid re-, 
three weeks of business' of any pic- j 



ture to play Radio City Music Hall 
this year, "Emperor Waltz" already 
seems certain of being the bigge.st 
gro.sser of 1948 to date with nearly 
$865,000 assured for first six weeks. 
If the picture goes seven weeks, 
as now seems likely, the Bing 



ceive free rights to that game. I 
In any contract signed the Rock- : 
ets in addition want SOCp of all j 
revenue from spots at the opening 
and close of each game. 

Capt. Bill Eddy of WBKB met 
with Rockets officials Friday il6) 
to di.scu.ss the proposals, but no 



Crosby-Joan Fontaine starrer may (agreement was reached. 



-»♦♦■♦♦♦♦»♦*♦♦♦»* By Frank Scully -»♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦ 

Chien, Wyo., July X%. 
Seems I talked too soon about Tina's future being all behind hen 
We may see her again as a proud mother of prized poodleis after all. 
\n fact, 1 may have an infringement suit on my hands from the pro^ 
ducers of "The Emperor Waltz'' because it looks at this moment as if 
her life is imitating their art. ,1 hope, however, that Charles Brackctt 
and Billy Wilder, don't try to take credit for acts of nature, too. 

Having extolled Tina as the perfect poodle, I had no idea that the 
owners of the wonder 'dogs which star in "The Emperor Waltz" would 
not only agree with me but would try to talk me into giving Tina one 
more try at motherhood. 

They agreed that our dog would make the perfect candidate for vice- 
president, and being a female would garner the women's vote as well. 
But they argued that Her place is really in the kennel and that her 
pei-fect eyes and her beautiful brown coatj which has withstood nine 
years of hard living among authors, should toot be alldwed to ptmitfsta 
this world. 

Her weakness for dachshunds they passed off as no monS serious than 
the weakness of young dukes for Gaiety girls. When 1 poiated out ; 
that they were confusing. Tina'*, sex with Fala's, %\\ty amended the 
comparison to "something as trtviat as a graa'diriother'js admiration for 
Mickey Booney," 

As to Tina's yen for stealing chickens, they pointed out-that this was 
not really a weakness because poodles belong to 'the water spaniel 
family. In fact, they are retrievers. The British, who don't really know 
French poodles, have classified them as non-sporting. They probably 
think the word comes from pood, which is Russian for 3fi pounds 
avoirdupois which, in turn, is about how much a poodle w^ghs. The 
British, in fact, look on any dog remote from beagles as likely to be as 
lacking In hunting, instinct as greyhounds. Greyhounds', being' ftoman, 
are defective in their sense of scent. That's Why Mussolini always 
surrounded himself wi^ greyhounds. 

But Tina can retrieve anything from a lost baseball to » scared 
rabbit. I saw her confused only once. She was cha«ing a rabbit across 
the desert and he disappeared in a gopher hole. %e went nearly crazy 
trying to figure out how he could have disappeared in thin air. 
Shaviar An Expression of Sorrow 
Even that roasted turkey .she "retrieved" to the scandal of the Scully 
Circus was brought home in recognizable condition. Had we been 
Egyptians we mi^t have been so shamed by the scandal as to have her 
cOBsidered de«d after that. We: might have shaved ourselves, as they 
did, as an expression of moumbig. But being Christians' (i»; dogs) we 
merely chose to hide the scandal in. the closet. 

There'r a wdl^tablished belief that all dogs are deseentled from 
wolves, but this could not be true in Tina's case because her eyes are 
circular and as soft as a gazelle^, while theirs skre oblique. Moreover, 
wolves- howl, while Tina is as silent as- a canoe, never barking exoept 
when strangers stop to admire Bedside Manor at night— ^an adndtable 
and wholly understandable thing for dogs and people to do. 

Cuvier held the view that the dog is the most complete and moittt 
useful conquest man has made, but had he lived to meet Tlna lie would 
have reversed his findings. Man is the most complete conquest the dog 
has made, and 'Tina is responsible for it, We live in the expectation 
that one day she may even train our children to emulate her good 
manners. ' . 

Though she has had 24 puppies, she hasn't given birth to so much as 
a runt in four years. Every highclass poodle has soiq^t to Sire her, 
but to no avail. It wa»- because all this seemed a part of her glorious 
past that we sotigbt to pass off 9 three>month old brown poodle on her 
as her own. 

Oh, Sure, Blame It On Picturest 

Tina and her sublimated puppy were getting along splendidly until 
"The Emperor Waltz" came along and all Its romantic dogtalk stirred 
old familiar feelings. In fact, it got so we had to leave Tina at home 
when taking a walk along the boulevards. Her old interest in dachs- 
hunds was reviving. * 

We took Candy in Tina's stead. Mme. Scully was dreaming that 
vsuch a .smart pup ought to be trained, and maiybe she, too, could be- 
come a Hollywood career-girl and earn $25,000 a year. After all, 
poodles we're most successful as circus dogs before mongrels like But- 
tons and Crosby moved in. 

One day Mme. Scully went into a watchmaker's to pick up the time, 
while I took an elevator to visit a doctor on a floor above. Two dow- 
agers crowded in on me. One of them began exclaiming, "Where's that 
brown poodle? I saw it come in this building!" 

I told her the dog and her mistress had stopped in at the watch- 
maker's on the main floor. 

When the elevator reached the second floor, they leaped out and 
scurried down the steps, lest they lose their quarry. 

Mme. Scully reported to me later that the two women crashed into 
the little shop and exclaimed "There's' the poodle!" 

They talked nothing but poodles. It seems also that when the people 
who have poodles get together they act quite human. But meet really 
a doggy person and you realize that you are an outsider, even if you 
have had dogs all your life. 

Even Does Have Aeents 

The human retrievers had all sorts of propositions for Candy. They 
recommended particularly a kennel owned by Mrs. Hiestand, mistress 
of Odette and King Cole, the dog stars of "Xhe Emperor Waltz." 

Mrs. Hiestand's latest, a silver poodle, they explained, was starting 
a career in pictures that day. She belon'ged to the Tourmaline family. 

"Tourmaline!" Mme. Scully cried, "why my older poodle is Tour- 
maline Palatine! This little one's father, oh, excuse nie, this puppy's 
sire is a Tourmaline,- too. Her full name is Tourmaline Candide." 

"What's her dam's 'name'?" they demahded, . ■ • 

"Oh, I don't know," said Mme. Scully. "Her mother came from 
Sweden." ■•■ 

"Oh, that countess?" .: ., . : , : 

"Yes," said Mme. Scully, "that countess." 

By now they were climbing family pedigree trees, and the countess' 
family name wasn't half as important as the poodle's. All agreed it 
was the countess who came from Sweden with four or five poodles, 
and that one of tlxem was Candy's dam; 

Well, within 24 hours as the grapevine winds, the mistress of Scheh- 
erazade and Louie (nee Odette and King Colei, the poodles that steal 
the show from Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine in "The Emperor Waltz," ; 
was making a social call at Bedside Manor. She was calling Oii our 
Tina. 

She introduced herself as Mrs. Herbert H. Hiestand and her com-- 
paiiion as Astron Silver Star, a silver^colored poodle, rare it not unique - 
in dogdom. The poodle was named after Astron, the brightest star in 
the constellation and certainly looked too beautiful for anything lower 
than a chai.se lounge at the palace of Versailles. 

That day, it seems. Silver had been signed to go into "Every Girl 
Should Marry" with Gary Grant. Silver's admiration for old shaggy- 
dog Tina set her mistress to wondering. 

She made a quick checkup and reported with surprise that Tina 
was by no means beyond puppies. In fact if we rushed her oCt imme- 
diately she might have a litter in 62 days. She offered to inject Tina 
with hormones, calcium and other aides to the enceinte, 

I'll let you know later how it all turns out. As mistress of the sire 
Mrs. Hiestand gets the choice puppy of the litter. The others belong 
to Tina. 

All this, of course, is dependent on whether a dachshund didn't get 
there first. 



54 



Wednesday, July 21, 1948 



Broadway 



Rosario tt Antonio to Bdenos 
Aires Saturday (17) for concert en- 
gagements. 

Janet Blair slated to audition to^ 
morrow (Thurs.) for the lead in the 
new Harold Rome musical, "That's 
the Ticket." 

Paul Hollister, RKO publicity 
chief, resting and baking out a bad 
arm at a Nevada desert resort; re- 
turns after three weeks. 

Joey Adams awarded a citation 
from the American Cancer Society 
for raising $200,000 for the Damon 
Runyon Memorial Fund. 

•The Dan Terans (ex-Majestic 
Records, now with Wire Recording 
Corp.) celebrate their 18th anni- 
versary next Monday (26). 

Lois Butler, p.a.'ing at the 
Gotham In her Eagle Lion starrer, 
"Mickey," also due for similar 
stints in out-of-town preems of 
the film. 

Irving Berlm back to Bermuda 
this weekend, having hopped back 
to Broadway for a quick o.o. His 
family will remain there another 
fortnight. 

George Feinberg, president of 
Dazian's, who goes to Holly\vood 
Saturday, announces that Charles 
Schloss has rejoined Dazian's in its 
theatrical division, 

Hal Cooper and Pat Michaels, 
assistant directors of the Dock 
Street theatre in Charleston, S. C, 
in New York for a onceover of cur- 
rent Broadway legiters. 

Sonja Henie planed out of New 
York Sunday (18) for Paris and 
London. She said she was planning 
to look into the possibility of tak- 
ing her ice show abroad, 

Joe Cotten's wife, Lenore, sailed 
last week to join the actor in Eng- 
land, He's in Alfred Hitchcock's 
"Under Capricorn," which started 
shooting in London Monday (19). 

Al Sherman, former Columbia 
p.a. and tradepaper writer, now a 
Washington film consultant, named 
by' Veterans of Foreign Wars to 
handle all their 16m equipment 
purchases. 

Tommy Lyman is continuing his 
rep of rarely being seen while his 
intimates are well, but as soon as 
he hears of their illness, he's the 
first to send books, flowers, fruit, 
•l0tters/ come in person for a pri- 
vate songalog, etc. I 

Spencer Tracy, scheduled to 
wind his role in Metro's "Edward, 
My Son'' in London the first week 
in August, sails from England Aug. 
14. He'll be accompanied by Metro 
studio publicity chief Howard 
Striclding and Mrs. Strickling. 

■Jack Forrester former film pro- 
ducer, planed to Paris yesterday 
(Tues.) en route to Calcutta and 
other Far East capitftls in connec- 
tion with aif international financ- 
ing pool. ■ 

Lee Mortimer, the Mirror's night 
club reporter, tendered a testi- 
monial at Lou Walters' Latin Quar- 
ter last night (Tues.) In connection 
with Ziff-Davis' publication of 
"New York Confidential" written 
In collaboration with Jack Lait, 
one-time Variety mugg and now 
editor of the Mirror. 



in Westport. Mrs, Root is playing 
Florence Reed role at New Hope. 

Phil Bourneuf and Chester Strai- 
ten up to Mountainhome in Por 
conos to rehearse with Jean Parker 
under Bob Champiain's direction 
for "By Candlelight," next Play- 
house opus. Star not due hi until 
Sun. (25), 



Paris 



By Maxime de Beix 

(Zi Blvd. Montpamasse) • 

Monlque Pillet-Will back from 
U.S. extolling American hospitality. 

Opera ballet prepping a ; U.S. 
and Canadian tour in September. 

The Howard Stricklings here 
with Clark Gable, who found Deau- 
ville winterish. , „, , 

The Colstons, currently with ice 
show at Palais de Glase, doubling 
into Club Lido. 

Rupert Allen giving party to 
meet his grandmother, Mrs. Chris- 
topher Beck, of St. Louis. 

Felix Marouani arranging Salle 
Plcyel concerts for Duke Ellington, 
witli Kav Davis and Ray Mance. 

The Harry Fosters to Cannes 
after he and Bill Morris had a 
good long talk with Yves Montand 

Sir Alfred Duff Cooper, former 
British Ambassador in Paris, .be- 
coming prexy of a new French 
picture company. 

John B. Nathan back from Swe- 
den, Where Paramount rep, Carl P. 
York, resigned, with sales manager 
Paul Slovm, 26 years with Par, 
promotied to spot. 



Plnladelphia 



after 



By Jerry Gaghan 
Gregor Pistigorsky, cellist, teach- 
ing music at Tanglewood. 

Pulitzer Prize Novelist James A. 
Michener is house hunting in Bucks 
County. 

Life mag doing picture layout on 
the "Amazing A's," having camera- 
man with team for last two weeks. 

Bankruptcy sale of the Cabin, 
noted Philly late spot (backed 
partly with Palumbo coin) is set 
for July 27. 

Izzy Hirst, burlesque operator, 
and Betty Palmer, former star on 
his circuit, married here In magis- 
trate's court. 

Director George Stevens is in 
town visiting long-time friend Al 
Simmons, to view the crucial 
Athletics-Cleveland series. 

Chris Howard and Jerry War- 
ren, local radio producers, are 
backing Canada Lee in an opus 
called "The Reluctant Virgin," due 
for Cleveland tryout. Will make it 
a Broadway musical, if it clicks. 

Three of the "Tap Roots" visit- 
ors in town were greatly interested 
in the Convention, but by a coin- 
cidence none will vote in Novem-i 
ber. Boris Karloff is not a citizen. 
Richard Long is not 21 and .Tulie 
London wanted Eisenhower and 
now doesn't care who- wins. 



Tommy Sampson orch begins a 
tour of Germany Aug. 2, 

Second of the Arts Theatre Club 
classical season was Shaw's "Too 
True to be Good," July 13. 

Frederick Brisson back from the 
continent July 18 for five more 
days in London before heading for 
home. 

Peter Ustinov to Italy on loca- 
tion hunt for background fllmiza- 
tion of Eric Linklater's "PMvate 
Angelo." 

Margaret Lockwood has now 
definitely contracted to star in 
"Elizabeth of Austria," to be made 
in Austria by WiUie Forst for J. 
Arthur Rank. 

Johnny Denis and his Ranchers, 
who are hitting the jackpot with 
their London Label records, booked 
by the BBC for a new series be- 
ginning Julyr 26. 

Vocalist Dick James has signed 
to record solo with Decca and Lon- 
don Label. He'll be featured with 
the Cyril Stapleton Orchestra, Am- 
brose, and Felix King, 

Alec Guiness, who drew atten- 
tion for his Fagin in "Oliver 
Twist," is to enact eight different 
roles in forthcoming Ealing Studios 
prodpction, "Kind Hearts and Cor- 
onets." ' 

Pearl Bailey, accompanied by 
her pianist Ray Tunia, made such a 
hit at Empire, Glasgow, she was 
held over for another week before 
moving on to Newcastle* for one 
week. 

Gainsborough's- new film family 
—the Huggetts starring Jack 
Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Susan 
Shaw, Petula Clark and Jane Hyl- 
ton — are to take the BBC air in 
October for q 12-week radio series. 

Helen Hayes -and her daughter, 
Mary MacArthur. and Penelope 
March, daughter of actor Fredric 
March, among those invited to 
meet King George and Queen 
Elizabeth at a Buckingham Palace 
garden party tomorrow (Thursday). 

Sophie Tucker opens her tour 
for Harold Fielding on July 25 at 
the Opera House, Blackpool, and 
will then visit Dundee, Glasgow, 
Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle, 
Bournemouth and Sheffield. An- 
other series of dates are how being 
fixed. 

Joseph Cotten, here for filming 
of "Under Capricorn" opposite 
Ingrid Bergman, will stay On to 
star in Carol Reed's next, "The 
Third Man," making the first David 
Selznick exchange star to fulfill 
new pact with Sir Alexander 
Korda. 



office, planed to London 
mulling deals for Gaiety. 

Brendan Smith Productions 
inked for strawhat season at But- 
lin's Holiday Camp at Mosney. 

N. Y. Daily News' Kate Cameron 
gandering .Irish countryside and 
then on to Scotland and London. 

Andre Morell here from London 
for role in revival of Denis John- 
ston's "Moon in the Yellow River." 

Johnny Quinn, oldest clown in 
British Isles, on road again for 
season with Reco's Circus; he's 80. 

John Coulter planed in from To- 
ronto for first night of his play 
The Drums Are Out" at the Ab- 
bey. 

Baritone Michael O'Higgins to 
London to wax for Decca. He's 
also readying tour of England and 
Ireland. 

Director John Farrow here from 
N. Y. for 4-week vacation with 
wife, Maureen O'SuUivan, who was 
born in KiUiney. 

Tenor John Feeney, hack on va^ 
cation from U.S., is touring Ire- 
land to record folk songs and mu- 
sic for NBC networks. 

Former Abbey-ite Maureen De- 
lany niiulling offer from Bristol Old 
Vic Co. for role in Sean O'Casey's 
"Plough and the Stars." 

Eugene O'Neill has nixed Pat 
O'Connor's plan to present "The 
Iceman Cometh" in London; O'Con- 
nor did it here recently with, cast 
that was mostly amateur. 

Dublin Films, whose first effort, 
"My Hands Are Clay," premiered 
to lukewarm reception recently, has 
started work on a semi-documen- 
tary of the Eire capital, provision- 
ally titled "Dublin's Fair City." 

Touring exhibs operating 16m 
setups have formed a 16m Film 
Development Assn. as a protective 
group. Principal aims are to secure 
removal of entertainment tax on 
their shows which pay tax at the 
same rate as regular cinema halls. 



San Francisco 



Bucks County/ Pa. 

Elsie and Dick Morris up from 
Philly for ' weekend with the Ben 
Sriyders. 

Frank Hellers back from bus- 
man's holiday junket to Mass. and 
Conn, strawhatters. 

Miriam Howell in for weekend 
at Jack Kirklands; ditto Gloria 
Safier at Anne Kaufman's. 

Garson and Michael Kanin in 
with Ruth Gordon to catch "Years 
Ago" Sat. (17) at New Hope. 

Ed Chodorov in scouting Nancy 
Franklin, who played ingenue lead 
at Playhouse last week in "Years 
Ago." 

George S. Kaufman back at Holi- 
cong farm after, week in Connectir 
cut working with Edna Ferber on 
new play. 

Moss Hart safi he's a recluse un- 
til he .finishes his new comedy. 
Ditto Budd Schulberg at his Aque- 
tong home. 

Don Hedges, New Hope.architect 
who drew plans -for local playhouse, 
designed new studio for Prince 
film Center. 

Pat Hurley, free lance writer, 
working on houseboat in N6w Hope 
for privacy, while clan romps at 
Solebury home. 

Thornton Wilder and Carol Stone 
causing Playhouse to dust oil its 
SRO sign week ahead for current 
stanza of "Skin of Our Teeth." 

Les Zimmerman and Lawton 
Carver in Sun. (18) for confab with 
Jon Gnagy about. benefit al fresco 
art exhibit in New Hope Aug. 28. 

■Mitchell Argus, Playhouse thesp, 
juarrying Katharine Thompson of 
• New Hope, member of technical 
crew, tomorrow (22). Couple met 
at Carnegie Tech drama school. 

Betty Field in to stay with John 
Roots and to catch "Skin of Our 
Xeetb," which she is slated to play 



By Ted Friend 

Herman Wobber off to Denver. 

Fred Astaire planning terp 
school for Sutter Street. ' 

Frankie Laine set for Venetian 
Room of the Fairmont, Sept. 21. 

Doris Day to make personals 
with "Romance On the High Seas." 

Mitzi Green into Tahoe Biltmore 
Wednesday (21) with Erail Cole- 
man orch. 

Variety Club shindig to honor .„ 
Bob O'Donnell of Interstate Cir- ^PSi'": 
cult, August 5. 

Don Freeman, New York Times 
artist, in to illustrate William 
Saroyan's newest tome. 

Xavier Cugat into Peacock Court 
of the Mark Hopkins, July 27, with 
Carl Brisson set to follow. 

Irving M. Levin shuttling be- 
tween Frisco and L .A. with his 
production of "Inner Sanctum" un- 
derway. 



By Emil Maas 

Ralph Benatzky in town for short 
visit. 

Max Ermers, author, back after 
10-year exile. 

Robert Binder, 58, solo dancer of 
State Opera, a suicide. 

Repairs on roof of Burg theatre, 
badly bombed, completed. 

Arthur Rodzinski inked for Oc- 
tober concert in Konzerthaus, 

Magda (Jabory, Hungarian so- 
prano, inked for State Opera. 

Helena Braun, of State Opera, 
inked for N. Y. Met in January. 

Opera singer Josef Witt inked 
as director of Tyrolean Film Co. 

Richard Teschner, 69, died. His 
unique puppet show is to be con- 
tinued. 

Walt Disney's "Snow White and 
Seven Dwarfs" in successful run at 



By Eric GontlclE 

„ , , . Night club biz hasn't 

Robert Blum here as delegate of good this Winter. 
French Society of Authors and ' " ' 



Washington, D.C. 

By Florence S. Lowe 

Carter Barron, Loew topper 
here, recuperating from a knee op- 
eration. 

Music publisher Elliott Shapiro 
a recent visitor to Music Division 
of Library of Congress. 

Lex Barker, new film "Tarzan," 
has accepted an invitation from 
local juve civic club for a p.a. in 
September. 

Manor & Mignon, terp team who 
kept running into revolutions dur- 
ing their recent Latin American 
tour, are at Shoreham Terrace. 

Jack Corry orch, which played 
Glen Echo amusement park for 
years, current nightly attraction on 
the Potomac River boat cruises. 

Todd Duncan concerting tonight 
(21) at Watergate, al brecco stand 
of National Symphony, which is in 
the black for first time in years. 

Maj. Ralph Roberts, formerly of 
cast of "Long Voyage Home," here 
on a three month active duty stint, 
assigned to Adj. General's Office. 

Summer slump shuttering two 
night spots, the very plush Palla- 
dian Room in the Shoreham hotel 
and Raleigh hotel's Pall Mall 
Room. 

Choregrapher Charles Weidman 
a guest at American U summer 
dance school, which is under direc- 
tion of Evelyn Davis, teacher of 
many Broadway terpers. 



been so 



Hollywood 



Zachary Scott laid up with laryn- 
gitis. 

Andy Russell to Honolulu for a 

David Niven sails ..for England 
July 29. 

Martha Scott laid up^ with throat 
ailment. 

Frank Whitbeck reeuping fi«ont 
surgery. 

Lamar Trotti hospitalized for a 
checkup. 

Martha Scott to Denver for sum< 
mer stock, . 

Richard Dixes celebrated their 
14th wedding anni. 

Francis Bateman recoveting 
from appendectomy. 

Al Lichtman home after three 
weeks in the hospital. 

Deanna Durbin paid $85^000 for 
the Jimmy McHugh home. 

James R. Grainger to Dallas on 
a tour of Republic exchanges. 

William : Demarest . emceeing the 
third annual Police Show at Red- 
lands. 

Vic Kirk, elected prexy of the 
Univet Club at Universal-Interna- 
tional. 

Rear Admiral Lawrence T. Du- 
bose gandering production at 
Paramount. 

Jean Hersholt back from Europe, 
where he was luiighted by the King: 
of Denmark. * ■ 

June Duprez obtained an annul- 
ment of her marriage to Charles 
Boone Smith: 

Kenny Baker in from Dallas 
where he appeared with the Star- 
light Opera Co. 

Claudette Colbert made a two- 
minute short for the St. John's 
Hospital Guild. 

Paulette Goddard in from N. Y. 
to begin work in Paramount's "A 
Mask for Lucretia." « 

Charles Carpenter in from N. Y. 
for Technicolor huddles with Dr, 
Herbei-t T . Kalmus. 

Victor Fleming interrupted his 
Canadian vacation to check final 
dubbing of "Joan of Arc." 

Jeff Donnell motored in from 
Maine for one picture, after which 
she will resume strawhattiog. 

Mike Todd negotiating with Para- 
mount for loan of Mary Hatcher 
for his forthcoming musical, "As 
the Girls Go." 

Billy Gilbert huddling with the 
San Clemente Chamber of Com- 
merce for the establishment of a 
Little Theatre for character actors 
only. 

Mrs. Pete Ermatmger, wife of 
the Biltmore theatre manager and 
former musical corned]^ ballerina, 
recovering 'from a delicate brain 
operation. 



Chicago 



By Larry SoUoway 

Colonial Inn, huge casino in 
Hallandale up for sale. 

Old Frolics club, 1,000 scaler in 
Miami, may be reopened as a-danc- 
ery again. 

Kitty Davis, who sold club here 
and headed for Los Angeles, notify- 
ing friends her new operation in 
that city will open this week. 

New. show at Clover Club fea- 
tures songstress Margaret Phelan, 
Roland & Peirce, with Jay Jayson 
and Aurora Roche dancers held 
over. - 

George Hoover, Paramount the- 
atres head- here, chairman of en- 
tertainment committee for Ameri- 
can Legion convention due in Oc- 
tober. 

Contracts given out by Wometco 
chain for construction of new tele- 
vision studios for their video sta- 
tion, only "one -thus far okayed by 
FCC for this area. Rash of ads by 
set distributors in local papers an- 
nouncing "coming of television" by 
fall. 



Composers. 

Elena Nikolaidi, of State Opera, 
signed six months' contract for ap- 
pearances in U. S. 

Renaissance theatre finally closed 
with no prospective , new licensee. 
Deficit was $40,000. 

Tony Fara (Anthony Scozzaf ava) 
of Brooklyn named station manager 
of Blue Danube Network at Salz- 
burg. 

First role Emil Jannings in Salz- 
vurg theatre will be in "Fuhrmann 
Henschel." Likely will be next 
year. 

American Information Center 
has produced a nine-minute educa- 
tional film, showing how U. S. helps 
Austria. An Austrian company was 
in charge, with Robert Stolz con- 
tributing music. 



Dublin 



By Maxwell Sweeney 

Sadlers' Wells Ballet Co. here for 
season at Gaiety. 

Bay Jellett named conductor of 
Gaiety theatre orch. 

Producer Hilton Edwards in 
Paris gandering plays. 

B. T. Britten named new Irish 
manager for 20th-Fox. 

Radio Eireann offering $100 prize 
plus royalties for origiqal play by 
Irish writer. 

William Scully, Universal sales 
chief, planed in for visit to rela- 
tives in Galway. 

Unda GibbSt Of H,M. lennentiParry, 



Life With Father" <WB) doing 
fine in New Zcalond. 

William Osborne, Monogram 
foreign manager, due in. 

Cleave Shepherd, SRO Aussie 
g.m., in New Zealand on biz trip. 

"Mourning Becomes • Electra" 
(RKO) doing okay at Princess, 
Melbourne, 

"The Winslow Boy" doing well 
at Minerva, Sydney, for Whitehall 
Productions. 

Douglas Lotherington, RKO gen- 
eral sales manager, is leaving for a 
U. S. visit July 10. 

Maurice Casey appointed U-I rep 
in Manila. Father is Dan Casey, 
U-I's Aussie general sales mana- 
ger. , 

"T-Men" (EL) has been given 
censor s okay for Aussie. Pic will 
be distributed by British Empire 
ijilms. 

Father Sydney McEwan has 
been a very big concert success 
for the Australian BroadcasUng 
Commission. 

Paramount will have its show- 
wmdow in Adelaide at the 1,500- 
seater Civic. House Is in the 
Greater Union loop. 

Mayne I^nton, in association 
witn J. c. Williamson, is running 
a series of matinees at the Royal, 
Sydney, of "Julius Caesar." - 

Garnet Carroll and Sir Ben Ful- 
ler, in association with Whitehall 
Productions, will present "The 
Guinea fig" in Melbourne shortly. 
Cast will be headed by John Skyes, 
Kathleen Robinson and Blchafd 



W. C. Hoffman, Sarasota night- 
club op, in on talent quest. 

Lois Butler press-partied Tues- 
day (13\ after preview of "Mickey." 

Variety Club drew record crowd 
of 250 , members at annual golf 
outing. 

Fort^ Dearborn Players offering 
"Joan of Lorraine" at 11th St, 
theatre. 

John Montague agenting "Okla- 
homa!" which returns Aug; 2 to 
Erlanger theatre. 

Femme grunt-and-groaners will 
be added to the wrestling card at 
Marigold Gardens. 

Bonnie Marilyn Lear, daughter 
of radio emcee Les Lears, weds 
John E. Stoltz July 31. 

John Krafcism, owner of the 
Apollo and Cornell theatres, and 
frau celebrating their 25th wed- 
ding anni. 

Actress Irene Rich in to present 
awards to winners of Lovely Moth- 
ers contest-promotion of "I Re- 
member Mama." : 

Conrad Nagel flying back to 
Coast for a pic date, following 
close of "For Love or Money." 
(18). Diana- Herbert also returns to 
Hollywood, while Vicki Cummings 
goes to New York. Al Spink, press 
rep, heads for Baltimore where he 
joins John Mears on "Born, Yester- 
day." 



Westport, Conn. 

By Humphrey Doulens 

Paulette Goddard a so}o visitor 
at Country Playhouse. 

Russel and Anna Crouse have 
rented a farm at Wilton. . 

Mrs. Lawrence Tibbett reeuping 
from injuries in auto accident. 

Fritz Reiner to Ravinia near 
Chicago for summer concerts. 

The Brock Pembertons have 
rented Raymond Gram SwhigS' 
house. , 

Grant Mitchell appears next 
week at Ridgefleld in "The Late 
George Apley." ^ 

Hazel Scott, Ballet theatre, Ro- 
chester Philharmonic and Martp 
Braggiotti announced for Norwalk 
Community Concerts series. 

John O'Shaughnessy staging pre- 
view of Sean O'Casey's "Red Roses 
for Me" at Lucille Lortel's "White 
Barn" here July 25. Al Tamann 
will be associated with Miss Lortei 
i& its Broadway production. 



We4ln««1»y, July 21, 1948- 




JACK PULASKl I months ago, her last appearances 

Jack Pulaskii dean of Variety I being with Louis Joiivet's com- 
staffers, 38 years With this paper, ' 
died of a cerebral hemorrhage 
Julv 17 in New York at the age of 



a partner with Jack Josscy and 
Kroger Babb in the Hygienic film, 
"Mom and Dad. " 



MARRIAGES 

Mardell Guber to Arinand Baum, 



65. Survived by wife, Lillion; three 
brothers and two sisters. 
Details on Page 2. 



tlie widow of Marcel Schwob 
S'rehch satirist, who died in 1905 
Mmc. Moreno made her stage 
debut with the Comedie Francaise 
■ «>W * i4ivr V Ciri rr>' 1890, and had successively been 

«riiiorv. w^^Linc i'pii.r (14 "ttive in French legit and screen 
William Nicholas bellg, 84, v,,.„rtiif.|inns lioht iin In timp of 

pioneer of the motion picture in- Spafl" ^° ""^^ " 

rnm- month, ^fter he h?d I" addition to her Parisian tri- 
^^"^'-''^^';nr.TH'?°fniiJ^^ tHhnt^^^ She had also made tours 

?„^'-"" n/^Mn? Li PW.,rP ! «f Europe and South America and 

V5 ^"^aT^LJL ,,^ir= n? st'-o-red in motion pictures notably, 

Arts and Sciences tor his years of | „j gexe Faible, ' She had also 



panv in Paris in the title role of 
"La Folle De Chaillot," satirical 

play by Jean Giraudoux. She was 1 George Washington hospital Wash- 



Survived bv wife, daughter and ' <^'"'-'aSO, July 18 He's Chi man- 
son Charles. Jr., theatre manager \ ag^r ot Advanced Music, 
of Berea, Ohio. i Mary MacDonald to Boy Cato, 

. ' Kansas City, June 15. He's nfian- 

vvAi TPB « H Awtrivc '' "Scr of the Warwick Theatre, K. C. 
WALTER S. HAWKINS : upj^n Grayeo to Spike Jones, 
Walter S. .Hawkins, 78, retired 1 Beverly Hills, July 18. He's thjt 



actor-singer and once leading man I bandleader; bride is vocalist with 
for Lillian Russell, died July 18 in | band. 



Service to the film business. 



appeared with the late Sarah Bern- 



A showman from his early days. Kf^f' 

as a magician and minstrel on the 

stage, Selig entered the motion ™,.„« 
picture industry in its infancy as I ALFtR W. IKWIN ^ 

aninventorof numerous appliances] »v alter vv. irwin. bi, r^ew j..r.^ 
for the projection of films. In this attorney and foi nier film exec, died 
endeavoV he became involved in a Y°?'!v ^"'y 

number of lawsuits with Thomas husband of the former Anita Wil- 



ington, D. C, following a three- 
month illness. He had resided in 
Washington since 1939. 

A native of Stoneham, Mass., he 
was a gradiiat* of Harvard, where 
he directed the glee club as a stu- 
dent. He went to Broadway in 1895 
and became associated with Mont- 
gomery & Stone in tlieir produc- 
tions. He was a member of the 
Lambs Club. 
Wife and sister survive, 



Edison between 1900 and 1907 

Leaving his native town, Chicago, 
Mi^here he had been born in 1864, 
Selig moved to California in 1906 



son, sister of Mrs. William Ran- 
dolph Hear-st, who survives him. 

Born in Pittsburgh, Irwin was 
graduated from Univ. of Pennsyl- 



WILLIAM GRAY 

William Gray, 58. owner and 
operator of an amusement park at 
' Ferguson, St. Louis, for , many 
years, died in that city,' July* 11. 

Gray was active in Republican 
politics and twice was defeated as 
Congressional candidate in his dis' 
trict. : . ■ 



and produced his first important vania^ He organ^^^^^^^^ 



feature film, "The Count of Monte 
Cristo," which was made the next 
year, chiefly on a rooftop in down- 
town Los Angeles. At that time 
Hollywood consisted of suburban 
homes, surrounded by citrus 
orchards and jSelds of oats. 

In 1910 he sent a troupe to Okla- 
homa to make a picture of wild 
western life and there he dis- 
covered Tom Mix, whom he turned 
into' an- actor in t'Ratich Life in 
the Great Southwest." In 1912 he 
produced "The Coming of Colum- 
bus." using the three caravels. 



Lubin - Selig-Essenay Co. and was 
later veepee of Famous Players- 
Lasky. Also prominent in forma- 
tion of the National Assn. of" the 
Motion Picture Industry and chair- 
man of its exec committee .for four 
years. This group, in 1922, was 
merged with the Motion Picture 
Producers and Distributors' of 
America, then headed by Will H. 
Hays. 



FRANK D. SHEAN 
Frank D. Shean, 57, general man- 
ager of Casino Park at Virginia 



Santa Maria, Pinta and Nina, left ^each .and of the A^ri^^^^^^^ 



over from the Chicago World's 
Fair of 1893. This picture was the 
: first color feature in the film in- 
dustry. The film was sent to Paris 
to be tinted by hand and won him 
a medal from Pope Pius X. 

Among other "finsts" in his 
career, Selig produced the first 



Norfolk, died July 15 in latter city. 
He suffered a stroke about a week 
previously while addresising a Vir- 
ginia Beach' civic club. 

Shean long active in showbusi- 
ness, was a native of New York 
city, and had lived' at Virginia 
Beach for eight years. Among his 



cliflhanger, ""The Adventures o£ promotions were rtiidw-ay conces- 
Kathlyn." starring Kathlyn Wil- s">ns at the Chicago Century of 



liams. As his serials expanded to 
cover iungle stories, he required 
a cast of wild animals, so. he eistab- 
lished his own mehageiie, which 



Progress, the Cleveland Exposition, 
the Golden Gate Kxpositn^, the 
New York World Fafr, the Brussels, 
Belgium 1935 Fair and a number 



continued as the Selig Zoo until of otliers in Europe, Africa and the 
1940 when the growth, of Los United States. 



MRS. JANE CONNOR HOT 
Mrs. Jane Connor Hoy, retired ac- 
tress and widow of Harrison Hqy, 
actor, died at her home in Hud- 
son, N. Y., July 12. She and her 
husband had appeared together in 
many legits until her retirement 
in 1936, when she became editor 
of The Call Board, publication of 
the Catholic Actors Guild. 
Survived by three sisters. 



. Ruth Morris to Perry Bitter, New 
York, recently. Bride is in the 
publicity office of the William Mor- 
ris agency. ■ 

Ruth Lamansky to George War- 
ren, Chicago, July IBi Btlde is 
daughter of Sam Lamansky, busi- 
ness agent for Film £xcl|ange Em- 
ployees union in Chi. 

Jean Marshall to John H. Auer, 
Beverly Hills, July 18. Hote a pro- 
ducer-director at Republic. 

Gladys Nuncie to Harold W. 
Thompson, New York, July 17. 
Bride is with Monognm Interna- 
tional's homeoffice staff. 

Mrs. Vinnie Pearson DeCasasns 
to Robert (Bob) O'DonneU, New 
Orleans, July 15. He's veepse.and 
general manager of ttafe Interstate 
Theatres, Texas, _ . 

Doris Wilk to Alfred Palca, 
Scarsdale. N. Y., July 18. Bride is 
the daughter of Jake WUk, Wamer 
Bros, ei^m studio lep. 



J. BROOKE WILKINSON 

J. Brooke Wilkinson, 78, secre- 
tary of the British board of film 
censors'since its inception in 1913, 
died in London July 1-5. He was 
also secretary of the Kinema Man- 
ufa.cturers Assn. and a prominent 
worker in tlie British industry's 
Benevolent Fund. 
. Successor is expected to 
named this week., 



be 



Anucles caused it to close. 

Outstanding among the Selig 
productioh.S; was "The Spoilers," 



BARNEY DOBINSKY 

, , , , ^ ^^^^ Barney Dubinsky, theatre owner 

v'Mch.is still notable in Hollywood I from Missouri and Xansas, died 



ROY S. CLEMENTS 
Roy S. Clements, 71, director of 
silent films, died July 15 in Holly- 
wood. 

He entered the motion picture 
business in 1915, serving at vari- 
ous times with Gssanay and Uni- 
versal Pictures. At one time he was 
president of the Motion Picture 
Directors Assn. 



annals for the rough-and-tumble 
fieht between Dustin Farnum and 
Tom Santschi. Whenever two male 
huskies put on a screen battle to- 
d.'i.v. the oldtimers will sa,v: "You 
oiighta seen Farnum and Santschi. 
That was the McCoy." 

In later years Selig backed 
numerous .scientific expeditions, 
sending film crews to various parts 
of the world, including Africa, the 
Tinner Amazon, the Philippines, 
China. Korea and India. 

Although he retired from nro- 
duction a long time ago, Selig 
maintiiined his connecton with- the 
fihn industry through the story 
properties he had acquired over a 
span of years. Some of them are 
still available. 

, His wife, Mary Pinkham Selig, 
was at his bedside when he died. 



July 18 in Tucson where he lived 
for the past nine years. Dubinsky 
was a large shareholder in the Du-< 
binsky Bros, picture house cliai;i 
and was the youngest of three 
brothers wlio traveled from 1906 to 
1915 with the Dubinsky Bros, tent 
show. 

The units served as stepping 
stone for the late Jeanne Eagels at 
the start of her career. Dubinsky 
generally took juvenile or light 
comedy roles in his traveling shows 
and was well known as a thespian 
in such territory. 

Survived by wife. . 



EMILY MORTIMER 

Emily Mortimer retired actress, 
died in New York, July 12. She 
h^d appeared in many Broadway 
productions until she retired in 
1916, her last engagements being 
with Cohan & Harris legits. 

Survived by husband, Karl 
Weixelbaum, former musical direc- 
tor of Broadway musicals. 



BESSIE CLAYTON 

Bessie Clayton Cooner. former 
vaude headliner, died in Long 
Branch, N. J., July 16. As Bessie 
Clayton she had been featured 
in many productions at Weber & 
Fields Music Hall, N. Y.. and in 
several editions of "Ziegfeld Fol- 
. lie.s.". 

A native of Philadelphia, she 
made her debut in N. Y. in Charles 
Hoyt's "A Trip to Chinatown." 
After some vaude appearances she 
'joined the company of Joe Weber, 
and Lew Fields and appeared in 
their productions until their music 
hall -was razed. She subsequently 
appeared with them in their Jubi- 
lee Revue, which had a long run 
at the old Broadway theatre. N. Y., 
before embarking on a two-year 
. road tour. Between productions' 
she toiu-ed Europe and Australia 
for a series of dance recitals. Her 
final staec appearance was in 1924* 
in a recital in California. 

While with W & F she met and 
married Juliart Mitchell, stager of 
their shows and later with Florenz 
Zieefeld as director of "Ziegfeld 
Follies." After Mitchell's death in 
1924 she married Bert Cooper, who 
died in 1946. • 

She leaves a daughter, Mrs. 
Andrew Allison, former wife of 
Roger Pryor. actor, and a grand- 
daughter, .Priscllla Mitchell Pryor, 
with whom She lived at Long 
Branch. 



HARRY T. DIXON 
Harry T. Dixon, 55, former man- 
ager ot Academy theatre, Buffalo, 
died in that city last week of a 
heart ailment. 

Dixon was branch manager for 
BKO for 15 years and was past 
prexy of Film Board of Trade, also 
former director of Vnriety Club of 
Buffalo. He had managed several 
film theatres there including the 
Rivoli. Star. Globe, Variety and 
Central Park. Prior to that he 
operated a talent agency. 

Survived by wife, a son and 
daughter. 

GREAT ZACCHINI 

Ildebrando iPapa) Zacchini, 79, 
originator of the human cannon 
ball act bearing his name, died in 
Tampa, Fla.. July 17. 

As a circus proprietor in Europe 
in the early '20s, .he conceived his 
plan of shooting humans from a 
cannon. His seven sons developed 
it into one of the greatest thrillers 
in the amu.sement field. . i 

He came to Tampa frohi Barce- | 
lona, Spain, in 1932. , . ; 



CLARA HESS 

Clara Hess. 68, retired actress; 
who in private life was Mrs. Clara 
Hess Sello, died in New York, July 
15. Prior to her retirement in 1906 
she had appeared in legit produc- 
tions, mostly musicomedy. 



Btf^ of Trade Prea^ 

Contlnacd frnm page 1 SSS 

ally owning or controlling studio 
facilities. As a matter of fact, 
space is now going- beggings 

Government's taking oVer the 
picture business in England has 
been rumored at various times ever 
since the present labor regime took 
office. Several U. S, industry of- 
ficials reported on their return 
from England as far back as last 
summer, even before the 75% ad. 
valorem tax was imposed, that the 
move loomed new. It was gener* 
ally believed that J. Arthur Rank 
would be placed in general super- 
vision of the industry because of 
his present position at the top of 
British production, distribution 
and exhibition. 

Move has been ppposed Vigor- 
ously, however) by many Britisb in- 
dustryites, chief among whom has 
been Tom O'Brien, .general secre- 
tary of the National Assn. of Kine- 
matograph Theatrical Employees. 
O'Brien attempted to fight the na- 
tionalization plan on the assump- 
tion that it would consolidate- the 
industry to the extent that many 
indie producers would be forced 
out of the- running: That, in turn, 
would mean less work for industry 
employees. 

Teddington studios were re- 
opened several months ago to the 
accompaniment o£ considerable 
fanfare. Warners announced at the 
time that the facilities, including 
two fairly small studios, were to 
be available to all British indie 
producers- wanting to rent space. 
Company, however, was not in- 
terested in using' Teddington for 
any British-made features of its 
own. Since then, only two indie 
producers have used the studios 



Gangster PIx 

;. continued (rotn p.^!;« 1 ass 

Boxy has 20th-Fox's "Street With . 
No Name," the Criterion has 
Eagle Lion's "Caaoa City" and the 
Victoria has El's "Raw Deal." 

Influx of the prison and gang- - 
ster niellers is no conscious coh- 
travention of the MPAA rules, but 
rather. evidence of tiie-fact that a. 
segment of "the .pitbi;ic has dis-> 
tinct preference for this type prod- 
uct and will undoubtedly continue.! 
to get it, no matter what adverse » 
effect it has on the industry from 
a public relations viewpoint, John- 
ston office's edict to tone down the a 
rough staff; was a public relations; 
effort to appease a large' number 
of groups that were squawking last 
winter that the Hollywood output 
was encouraging, impressionable < 
juves to copy the violence it pic- 
tured. ' 

EL. which spawned two of the* 
present Broadway crop, isn't a 
member of ttie MPAA, although Us 
films carry the seal of approval of 
the MPAA's Production Code Ad- 
ministration. Also, many of the 
films in the recent crop of gang- 
sterism and hardboiled meller werc " 
already in the works conjsiderably'r 
before - the Association's edict was « 
handed down. 

It is not likely, however, that th« 
cycles of such films will ever bo', 
eliminated. Inasmuch as the pub^ 
lie demand does exist, . if the big; 
MPAA member companies won't 
make 'em, the indies will. That's 
especially true In that they can be 
turned out at low cost and are vir- 
tually guaranteed a profit. 

Current crop,- however, are by 
no means all cheapics. Among the ' 
pix With - overtones of violence,, 
presently are Warner Bros.' "Key 
Largo," Republic's "Train to Aloa* 
traa"; RKO's "Guns of Hate," 
"Twisted Road'" and "Race Street"; 
Paramount's "Waterfront at Mid- 
night" and "So Evil My Love," and 
United Artists' "Pitfall." In addi- 
tion, there's the usual- crop from 
Monogram and other indies: 

Also in full cycle. now are the 
big^westerns. They sport plenty of 
violence, too, of course; but of ^- 
sort that's accepted by even the- 
most' squeamLsh critics of the in- 
dustry as in the American tradi- 
tion. Broadway had three of 
them last week. Current are "Fort- 
Apache" (RKO) at the Capitol and 
"Fury of Furnace Creek" (20th) 
at the Globe, while "In Old Los 
Angeles" (Rep) closed Friday (16) 
at the Gotham. Others In this 
genre are "Silver River" (WB), 
"Red River" (UA) and "Coroner 
Creek" (Col). 



sister. 



Sumved by husband, son and a ^j^, , „f i„tgrest in 

them, Warners decided to close up 
shop. Last film turned out there 
was I n d e pe n d «s n t Sovereign's 
"Silent Dust," produced by N. A. 
Bronsten, 



MRS. JEAN C. COMERFORD 
Mrs. Jean Cowgill Comcrford, 
77, former actress and writer, died 
at Palo Alto, Cal., July 15. After 
an early career as an actress slie 
turned to writing and had authored 
many mag articles. . 

Survived by daughter and a 
sister. 



HENRY C. McKlBBIN 
Henry Courtland McKibbin, 
scenic artist who designed sets for 
Ziegfeld Follies and N. Y. Hippo- 
drome, Baltimore, Md., and Atlan- 
tic City, N. J., died in Mobile, Ala., 
July 14. 

Two sisters, a niece and several 
nephews survive. 

DOLLY STERLING 

Dolly Sterling, song.stress for 
past 10 .vears at the 606 Club, Chi- 
cago, died in that city July 17. 

Survived by mother: and two sis- 
ters.. 



Saratoga 

Continued from pace . 1 



Mrs, ELLA MAE ANDERSON 
.- Mrs. Ella Mae Anderson, former 
circus performer and mother of 
Eddie (Rochester) Anderson, sepia 
comic on the Jack Benny radio 
show, died in Lds Angeles, July 18. 

Mrs. Ander.son had done a tight- 
wire act with circuses until injuries 
in a fall compelled retirement. Her 
husband, Ed Anderson, had toured 
With rain.strel shows. . 

Survived by 'four sons and a 
daughter. 

CHARLES G. DECKMAN 
MME. MARGUERITE MORENO Cliarles G. Deekman. Sr., part- 
Mmc. Marguerite Moreno. 77, ner and traveling rep for Hygienic 
noted French actress, died at her ; Production.s, Inc., died at his^ sum- 
home in southern France. July 14. mcr home in Ontario, July 14. 
She had been active until a few A native of Cleveland, he was 



BIRTHS 

Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm Bullock, 
daughter, Santa Monica, July 12. 
Father is a cameraman at Para- 
mount. 

Mr. and Mrs. Helmut Dahtine, 
son* Hollywood, July 17. Father is 
film actor. 

Mr. and Mrs. Myer Freyman, 
son, July 6, Washington, D. C. 
Mother, Evelyn Freyman, is radio 
actress and prexy of local Ameri- 
can Federation of Radio Artists. 
Also producer for Olney strawhat- 
ter, Maryland. • 

Mr. and Mrs. James Russell, son 
Hollywood, July 15. Father is chief 
of transportation at Enterprise. 

Mr. and Mrs. Don Dillaway, 
daughter,. Burbank, Calif., July 15. 
Father is a film talent scout. 

Mr. and, Mrs. James Daniel 
Thompson, son, New York, July 
15. Mother is Peggy Conklin, 

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Collins, 
daughter, Hollywood, July 16. 
Mother is exec secretary of the 



legiter "Hold It," which is slated- 
to reopen at the Warner the* 
atre, N. Y. Outhwaite's is still utt? 
certain of its plans although deals 
are in the- works for Myron Cohen 
and a line. 

The only show that will resemble- 
the lush nitery displays that Sara-* 
toga visitors expect will be at 
Piping Rock. Nat Harris^ operator 
of the Harem, N. Y., will be in 
charge of the night club branch of' 
this establishment. This spot will 
play Kay Thompson and the Wil- 
liams Bros., Joe - B. Lewis, Copsey 
and Ayres and a 16-girl line. ^ 

There's always the chance that 
the okay may come at the last 
minute just as has been the cus* 
torn in former years; . : 



£M1L EIT^X 

Emil Eitel, 83, president of the 
Bismarck Hotel Corp., which oper- 
ates Bismarck hotel. Old Heidelberg 
bistro, and Eitel restaurant, died in 

Chicago, July 18. „ ^ 

Survived by four brothers and j Edward Smali organization, 
two sisters. ] Mr. and Mrs. Dave Jonas, daugh- 

ter. New York, July 8. Father is 

Son, 5. of Harry Takiff, assistant : with the Matty Rosen agency, 
to Columbia Pictures exec-veepeC i Mr. and Mrs. George Ornstein, 
Jack Cohn; drowned last Week ! son, in Switzerland, July 14. Father 
while .swimming at a Maine chil- i is speciid representative of^ United 
dren's camp. * ' 



Kettering, Staff 



l.Coatiaued from page 44 

Bob Price, booker in the same sec* 
tion. 

Agency, which started in 1934 i|i 
Kansas City, once had 22 peoplw- 
in the Chicago office and large 
staffs in Hollywood and New York. 
Staff is down to three in HoUy^- 
wood, mainly concerned with film 
contracts. L. A. Frederick, co- 
founder of agency, has not been 
active with it since the war, devot- 
ing most of his time to real estate 
ventures. However, Fredericks 
opened new Coast - offices last 
month. Chi of fice, which did heavy 
band bookings, is now down to staff 
of four — Tommy Carlyn, Ray Pearl, 
Don Reed and George Winslow. 

B. W. Frederick said that Chi 
office would be under his direction. 



Artists in Italy: moth^^^^^^^^ that a new general manager 

IS niece of Mary PlClcfOrd. (,.n„lfl hn annnintoH in fh«. tlSiet 

Mr. and Mi-s. Bob Thomas, I appointed m tne new 



Daughter, .seven. Of Frank Prince, I,,,, "V,.„""",^^^^^^^^ Tiilv 19 week or so. He also said that the 

f„*'r„yAn^?.?,*S.l%'"""'*'' ^*i^' m™rpicture editor oVee"<=y r"'** '"'^ ^ 

in Los Angeles, July 9, Associated Press. 'pactment. 




tuesday ey^ning n.b.c. 

sponsored by 

philip morris cigarettes 

soon to be seen In 

''WORDS AND MUSIC 
for metro-goldwyn-ma/er 

featured on 
musicraft records 

personal i:nanagement 
CARLOS GASTEL 



press relations 

GENE HOWARD - VIRGINIA WKKS 




RADIO 



VIDEO 



MUSIC 




-a 
-1- 

■, «>■'• 




Published Weekly jit 1E4 West Uth Street, New York 19, N. T., by Variety,. Inc. Annual aubacrtptlon, 410. Sincl* CQplep, II ce«il«. 
tSaterea . «ii nei-ona cMmi matter SQCsUber 2% 19I>S>; at ths JPpat On'ice at New Yorltt intaci (b* aet •! Hsnjbi 1» UW. 

cfonriHGQ'r. tan. mr TARtEry, inc. am:. Ricim BESisBviBD 



VOL. 171 No. 8 



NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1948 



PRICE 25 CENTS 



SELL THEATRE VIDEO LIKE R 

Miami Boites Talking Big Coin 




For Top Acts Again Come Winter 



By lAERY SOLLOWAY 

Miami Beach, July, 27. 
Local niteries are again girding 
for another highly competitive 
winter season, and top cafe names, 
who come liere season after sea- 
son to rake in those astronomical 
salaries, can look to another har- 
vest. 

Those sky high bids have' al- 
ready taken in. Sophie Tucker and 
Tony Martin for the Beachcomber, 
with Danny ThomaSi Dean Martin 
& Jerry Lewis, Joe E. Lewis, the 
Kitz Bios., Milton Berle, Hilde- 
garde, Kay Thompson and others 
in the top draw brackets mulling 
offers from the new Copa (which 
has Hildegarde set, as well as 
Berle, if available) and the 'Com- 
ber. The Latin Quarter and the 
CJlover Club also, have their check- 
books open for "names." 
J Toughest struggle will be be- 
tween the new Copacabana and 
across the street (and expected to 
be completely rebuilt) the Beach- 
comber. The pair are the payoff 
bellwethers for the area. If the 
others must remain in the going, 
they'll have to come up, as in 
(Continued on Page 102) 



More Y&R Clients 
On TV Than Radio 
But AM Gets Coin 

Hollywood. July 27. 

Sigard Larmon, pre^ of Young 
Se Rubicam, had a birthday last 
■Wednesday (211, but instead of 
receiving, lieg ave, completely re- 
versing the natal custom. His 
gifts were in the form of vice- 
presidendes', which he conferred 
on Walter Bunker, head of his Hoi- 
iwood' radio and television opera- 
tion, and Don Barr, manager of 
advertising service. Coast office 
had been without a veepee since 
Tom Lewis departed. 

An enthusiast of TV, Larmon 
disclosed that Y&R will have 
more clients using tele than radio 
next fall. However, the volume in- 
take will be all in radio's faVor. 
To Larmon, however, it does show 
a definite trend toward the new 
Sight medium. He remarked that 
he is recommending tele. to all the 
firm's clients just so "they can get 
their feet wet." Y & R's total 
billing will be the highest in the 
company's history* he declared, al- 
though radio billing Will be slight- 
ly oil. 



Rooney Dickers Tinian' 

Mickey Rooney is reported nego- 
tiating for the film rights to 
"Finian's R^nbow," with the idea 
of producing it independently as a 
starring vehicle for himself. He'd 
also use his father Joe Yule, in the 
same part he's currently playing in 
the Broadway stage production. 

The prospective price for the 
screen rights to the E. Y. Harburg- 
Burton Lane musical comedy, now 
in its Sl.vt week at the 46th Street, 
N. Y., isn't known. . 



Golden Jubilee 
Not Hypoing N.Y., 
But Lions Help 

New York City's Golden, Jubilee, 
so far, has failed to excite the N. Y. 
hotel and amusement industry as 
a terrific magnet for visitors. Nor 
has the small-scale world's fair, 
first event of which, the Interna- 
tional Air Exposition, gets under 
way Saturday (31). so far brought 
in an appreciable number of 
visitors. The out-of-towners may 
start coming in after the Lions 
Club's convention leaves tomorrow 
(Thurs.), but few reservations have 
come in. The Lions are proving a 
general b.o. hypo. (Details on Page 
95). • 

Showmen believe that the lineup 
as presented by the Mayor's Com- 
mittee pales too deeply in compari- 
son with the 1939-40 World's Fair, 
to attract nationwide attention on 
(Continued on page 98) 



U.S. Touts Yank Travel 
In Europe; Spending Seen 
Aid to Recovery Setup 

Washington, July 27. 

Uncle Sam is building up to be-' 
come the No. 1 tout for foreign 
travel by Americans — particularly 
European travel. Idea is that the 
more (American tourists spend 
abroad, the less will have to be 
handed out to foreign government 
via Marshall plan coin. 

Present estimates are that if the 
wovld stays at peace between now 
and the end of 1951, American 
(Continued on page 18) 






By HERB GOLDEN 

With virtually the entire film in- 
dustry casting about for a way of 
breaking into the television act. 
Paramount may have come up with 
the strongest solution yet by a 
major distributing company for 
landing it on the profit side of the 
TV picture. Par's interest in the 
field, it has been learned, is to de- 
velop a video distribution company 
to parallel its film distribution ac- 
tivities. 

Recent experimentation by Par 
with . large-screen television of 
sports and other special events in 
its . Times Square showcase,: the 
Paramount theatre, il a vehearsal 
for what the company feels is a 
logical place fr- =' in the video 
picture of the in, le. Par's aim is 
to buy up national— and perhaps 
even international — ^theatre tele- 
vision rights to major events. It 
would tlien peddle these rights to 
individual theatres, just as it now 
does with film. 

It is too early, of course,' to de- 
termine the details of transmission 
and sales policy, but the general 
picture of what Par is aiming to 
do has become clearly limned in 
the past few months, according to 
insiders. Company has a fully- 
staffed organization to sell films 
and it feels there is no reason why 
it can't sell to the same exhibs 
. (Continued on page 97) 



Ed Sullivan Denies 'Pressure'; 
WiH Abide by Any 4A s W Scafe 



Olympics B. a NSG 

London, July 27. 

Boxoffiice for the Olympic games 
has been slow to d^te> Half of 
the 2,250,000 tickets available are 
reported unsold. 

Total take to date is .^1,600,000. 



ThatAnti-ASCAP 
Decision Affects 
All of Show Biz 



While both the American Society 
of Composers, Authors & Publish- 
ers and the picture interests are 
masterminding that tough anti- 
ASCAP decision by Judge Vincent 
L. Leibell in N. Y. federal court 
last week, the Society has been 
holding strategy meetings ever 
since. There was one yesterday 
(Tues.) and two last week by the 
board members in N. Y. 

Sum and substance is the need 
anew for a potent legal name front 
to supplement (Charles) Schwartz 
& (Louis) Frohlich and their house 
(Continued «n page 92) 



You Can't Top A Refrigerator 



:By HAL, BLOCK; 



Who in . Hooper's name ever 
thought we'd see the day when all 
the work and wit that go to make 
up the Fred Allen program would 
be surpassed by a refrigei-ator, a 
set of dishes, some silverware and 
a Persian Lamb jacket? But that is 
exactly wliat has happened and it's 
very easy to .explain. Who can 
laugh when they're listening for 
a phone call? ^ 

It all stai-ted with "Truth or 
Consequences." I don't know wheth- 
er Duz does everything but it sure 
started something. They weren't 
just content with playfully bash- 
ling people's heads in, sending hap- 
less youths around the world by 
pogo stick, and slyly pushing con- 
testants into a cement mixer. 
They had to start a Hush contest 
Now everything in radio is hush 
but the contests. On "Quick As A 
Flash" they gave away as much 
as $20,000; on "Stop the Music" 



they gave away bonds, furs, trail- 
ers, houses; on CBS' Saturday 
night musical quiz show the firirt 
•week they gave away $1,000 in 
travelers' checks,- a trip to Paris 
and a ICaiser-Frazer car. On "Bride 
and Groom" they give away, every- 
thing but the details of the honey- 
moon. One sponsor had to cancel 
his program at the end of the first 
week. Unwittingly he gave away 
his factory. 

On "Take It Or Leave It" which 
was the first giveaway show, they 
had to up the ante considerably. 
No one would even give his right 
name for $64. The stream of prizes 
keeps mounting. In a popularity 
contest in a certain kindergarten 
Santa Claus ran a' poor third to 
Ralph Edwards and Bert Parks. 

It's gotten so that these contests 
have loused up our daily life. The 
other day a soldier came back from 
(Continued on page 18) 



♦ The Associated Actors & Art- 
istes of America's television ne- 
gotiating committee's gander inta 
the talent-buying nractices of Ed 
Sullivan's "Toast of the ToW 
show on CBS-TV started yfisterday 
with the interuogatloB (rf tli^ W, Y. 
Daily News cblumnt^t - 

Sullivan declared that as soon. M 
a sustaining scale is established tifs 
television, he and CBS will pay W»e 
stipulated amount, but meanwhile* 
he believed he was paying the 
highest sustaining rate in videp. 
Until an official scale is adopted by 
the unions, he'll continue to jpajr' 
acts at the rate of $50, $75 aigid 
$100 for an appearaii(!& TAl^nt 
b'Jdget for the layout, 8CCovdiAgi« 
Sullivan, is $1,350.- i> 

Sullivan, simultaneously, denied 
that he had been pressuring acts to 
appear on "Toast." He declared 
that performers were at liberty to'^ 
accept or reject his oilers, and lie 
(Continued on page. 12) 

Report 'Scriptleggiiig' 
Of U.$. Acts' Material 
To British Comedians 

Comedians are asking talent 
agencies to run down the rumor 
that an American performer is 
currently in England selling Brit- 
ish comics the entire acts of lead- 
ing U. S. comediaAs. StoiT has 
been brought back frpm abroad 
that the performer, who occasion- 
ally did some writing himself, is 
peddling transcripts of current 
American acts as new material. 

It's alleged that he already has 
sold several entire routines and is 
having contacts mail him disks and 
transcripts of airshows as wcU as 
cafe and vaude acts. 

U. S. acts, of course, fear that, 
their material will be dated before 
they even open abroad. Complaints 
have already been received by the 
William Morris agency, which re* 
quested the Harry Foster agency 
of London to investigate. 



Paley Personally After 
Berle for CBS Vaudeo 

Negotiations are on for Milton 
Berle to take over a CBS vaudeo 
show in the fall. Bill Paley, CBS 
board chairman, is personally 
handling negotiations for the net- 
work, with the William Morris 
agency. 

CBS became excited about 
Berle's video po.^sibilities through 
(Continued on page 98) 



3rd ANNUAL. 

RADIO and TELEVISION PREVIEW 



(1948^49 SEASON) 



Start* on Pa^e 2& 



MCmiilES 



Wednesflar, July 28, 194S 



OAer UmoBs AAnit Oriy Oni^ 
ChaoceoflUnioHWithSAGNix 



Prosviects of a merger of the As- 
sociated Actors & Artistes of 
America affiliates into "one big 
union" have largely glimmered as 
A result of th^ Screen ■ Actors 
Guild fSix of the idea last weelc. 
Heads of some of the other mem- 
ber unions still favor consolida- 
tion, but admit, that there's now 
only an outside chance, of putting 
It through. 

With word of the SAG action 
Btill the talk of perfocmeir ex- 
ecuUve circles in New York, the 
council of Equity will hold a 
special meeting tomorrow morning 
<Thurs.) to consider the "one big 
tmion" proposal. There is admit- 
tedly divided sentiment on the 
subject within the legit organiza- 
tion and, particularly after the 
SAG veto, the Equity council is 
not expected to take a strong 
stand in favor of the proposition. 
It may aven join SAG in condemn- 
ing unification. 

The American Federation of 
^adio Artists, which is probably 
hotter for "one big union" than- 
any of the other 4A's affiliates, 
may not take any formal action 
until its annual convention, start- 
ing Aug. 26, in Boston. However, 
regardless of whaf the other uni- 
ons may have done meanwhile, the 
broadcaster outfit is likely to re- 
iterate its emphati,c approval of 
tlie consolidation principle, and 
may even demand ^ » ' showdown 
on it. . 

According to AFRA ofAcials, 
the reasons advanced by the SAG 
board for tossing out the proposal 
are silly. They intimate that AFRA 
may demand that the matter be 
submitted to the SAG membership 
and predict that, if that is done, 
the.v will appear to dispute the 
SAG board arguments and ad- 
vocate adoption of the "one big 
union" plan. 

K'SAG sticks to its no-merger 
(Continued on page 24) : 



Prospects Good for Jolie 
To Play Himself in Sequel 

r Hollywood, July 27. 
Prospects are good that Al 
Jolson will portray himself when 
sequel to "Jolson Story" rolls Sept. 
15 at Columbia, tarry Parks still 
has an outside chance at the role, 
but Jolie is a strong contender 
«ince pic covers period of his life 
considerably after close of the ini- 
tial pic. 

Technicolor production is budg- 
*ted between $1,500,OOG-$2,000,000 
s — about one-third to one-half of 
cost of the .original, which 'cost 
around $3,000,000. Shortcuts 
learned in lensing "Story" are- 
credited with permitting lowered 
budget. 

Screenplay for Sidney Buchman 
production is completed. 

Mason Into Ent's Pic, 
Originally for Ginger 

Hollywood, July 27. 

British actor James Ma.son, 
sought hy most major studios since 
arriving in the U. S. last year, gave 
the nod this week to Enterprise 
for his first American film. He 
has inked a one-picture pact for 
"Wild Calendar"' and checks in at 
the Ent lot this week to start work. 

Mason was prevented from sign- 
ing with any American company 
earlier because of lengthy litiga- 
tion over his contract with personal 
representative David E. Bose, 
which was only recently decided in 
the actor's favor. 

"Calendar" is adapted Jrom a 
Xibby Block novel which Ent pre- 
viously had 'slotted as a Ginger 
Bogers starrer. Barbara Bel 
Geddes and Robert Byati are to cov 
star with Mason. Some location 
shots have already been made for 
the film, which wUl be released by 
Metro under its recent pact with' 



2il Chorus of R'wGod 
Commie Probe to Be 
Sung in D. C. Sliortly 

Washington, July 27. 
The House un-American Activi- 
ties Comjnittee will resume its Hol- 
lywood hearings late this summer 
in Washington, it was learned here. 
The public hearings will call be- 
fore the Committee those witnesses 
who were subpoeitaed last October 
but who failed to go on the stand 
before Rep. J. Parnell Thomas 
suddenly adjourned his committee. 
In addition, other writers and 
actors are also expected to be 
called. 

Thus about the end of August, 
or early in September, Washington 
may have another Hollywood 
splash which might bring to the 
stand here such names as Larry 
Parks, Clifford Odets, Waldo Salt, 
Charles Chaplin, and others. These 
were among those Hep. Thomas 
named as likely witnesses last fell. 

Since the contempt convictions 
of the "unfriendly 10" is being ap- 
pealed in the U. S. Court of Ap- 
peals, it is likely that some of the 
witnesses will refuse to answer 
questions, creating a second round 
of contempt citations in Congress 
and a second round of Federal 
court trials. . . 



KORDA-RATOFF 50-50 
ON 'LADY BROOKES' 

"Case of Lady Brookes," which 
goes into production in Rome next 
week, is being made in a partner- 
ship deal between Sir Alexander 
Korda and Gregory Ratoff. Latter 
is said to hold a releasing pact 
with 20th-Fox for distribution at 
the film in the western hemisphere. 
Korda holds all other world distri- 
bution rights. 

Exteriors only will be shot in 
Rome. Interioi-s will ba filmed in 
Korda's studios in England. Part 
of Ratoff's deal with 20th calls for 
the services of Pe^y Cummins, 
who arrived in New York Monday 
(26) and planes out Friday (30) to 
start work in the film in Rome. 

Myrna Loy, who will co-star with 
Miss Cummins, is already in Italy 
having costume fittings. Her hus- 
band, Gene Markey, who wrote the 
screenplay, is likewise over there. 
Ratofif, who. will direct as well as 
produce, and Richard Greene, who 
will appear in the film, are also in 
Italy. 



Kreisler's Vatican Visit 

Rome, July 21. 

Bernie Kreisler, one-time shorts 
sales manager for Universal, had a 
12-minute private audience with 
Pope Pius XII here recently dis- 
cussing motion pictures and tele- 
vision in particular. 

Kreisler has been on a 17-coun- 
try tour of Europe doing film re- 
.(search for Harvard University. He 
expects to return to the U. S, in 
'I«t»^ptember« • 



Allvine Sets Dewey's 
Films-Tele Campign 

Use of films in Governor Thomas 
E. Dewey's forthcoming campaign 
for the presidency will be concen- 
trated on new.sreels, 16m and tele- 
vision, according to Glen Allvine. 
Allvine, former New 'York press 
chief for the Motion Picture Assn. 
of America, is in charge of film 
activities for Dewey. 

Allvine accompanied the gover- 
nor on most of his pre-nomination 
campaign tours, during which 
much footage was shot. This is 
now being edited into two' ver- 
sions. One will be in 16m for use 
by clubs and for campaign meet- 
ings. The other will he edited into 
shorter subjects for TV use. 

No special events are planned 
for the newsreel men, Allvine said, 
with plenty of worthwhile footage 
assured from just the governor's 
normal activities. - For instance, 
Allvine pointed out, lensers were 
up to the Dewey farm at Pawling, 
N. 'Y,, four tUnes last week. They 
covered such news as Harold Stas- 
sen's- visit one day and General 
Eisenhower's the next. 

Allvine, since his departure from 
the MPAA, has been serving- as di- 
rector of the motion picture divi- 
sion of the- State Dept. of Com- 
merce; He recently produced a 
picture, now in the lab, for the 
tourist bureau, Called "New York, 
the 'Vacation Empire," it plugs the 
winter sports facilities available in 
the northern part of- the state. He 
winds up shortly in this post to 
concentrate on the Dewey cam- 
paign.. ■ 




318th Week! 

KEN MURRAY'S 

"BLACKOUTS OF 1948' 
El C^pitan Theatrej HoNywpgd, Cal. 

All-time long run record in the 
legilimate theatre. 

"BILL AND COO*' 

: Now in National ReleaM 



biclades Maay 
FromSbwBk 



Philadelphia, July 27'. 

Entertainment world, radio and 
literati figures loom larger on the 
Progressive Party rollcall than 
with their GOP and Democratic 
opposition. 

Such Broadway personalities as 
"Yip" Harburg, Herman Shumlin, 
Lillian HeUman, Olin Downes, Paul 
Draper, Lee Sabinson, Morton 
Gould, Sam Wanamaker, Michael 
Loring, Norman Corwin, Helen 
Tamiris, Morris Carnovsky and 
Mary Welch were in evidence at 
the party sessions and functions, 
held valuable posts on committees 
and were contributing factors -to 
convei^tion and campaign. 

No little part of the convention 
spirit stemmed from a campaign 
song-book, which listed among its 
composers ^and lyricists Harburg, 
Alan boma'x and Woody Guthrie. 
Several of the numbers were dis- 
tinct favorites with the convention 
crowds. 

Led by Loring and Peter Seeger, 
the convention meetings rocked' to 
numbers like "I've a Ballot, A 
Magic Little Ballot" (Harburg- 
Agar ) , "The Same Merry-Go- 
Round" iGlaser-Wolff ), a -real 
audience-participation stirrer with 
whistle effects, "Friendly Henry," 
(Harburg-Agar), and "The Wal- 
lace-Taylor Train" (Guthrie). 

Hirshey Kaye, who has been con- 
nected with several Broadway and 
Broadway-bound musicals, led the 
orchestra, which was of. dance 
band format, instead of the brass 
band ensembles favored by the 
previous meetings. - 

Double-Take Anthem 

For some reason which per- 
plexed newspapermen and radio 
commentators, the convention 
always sang both verses of "The 
Star Spangled Banner." General 
(Continued (HI page 20) ' 



Bill Monis Talking Up 
Sir HaiTy Lauder Biopic 

If and when Sir Harry Lauder 
makes a final "farewell appear- 
ance" in the U. S., it will not be as 
a performer but as technical ad- 
viser and supervisor on a film biog- 
raphy based on his career. William 
Morris, Jr., head of the agency 
bearing his name, planed into 
New York last Thursday (22) 
from an extensive European o.o. 
He huddled with Lauder at the 
Scotch comedian's estate outside of 
Edinburgh. 

Mrs. Emma Morris, 7S-year-old 
widow of the agency's founder, 
who planed to attend Sophie 
Tucker's opening at the London 
Casino — part of- a tradition that 
somebody from the Morris family 
attend -a Tucker premiere- in Eng- 
land— clippered back to the U. S. 
with her son. She immediately 
flew out to their summer home at 
Camp Intermission, Saranac Lake, 
N. Y. 



Antics. Feehg Sparks Locarno 
Hn Fete; Natiooil^ Tabs Over 



Hutton's London Date 

Negoti«jgons.arein.ihe works.for 
Betty Hutton to pl^y the Palla" 
dium, LondoHi some time this 
summer. 

Details are' being handled by 
WiUiam Morris ageocy. 



Pix^Rttc&iandPr^ 
Kudosed for Terrific 
M os/Freedom Train' 

Film industry, radio and the 
press have been tremendous factors 
in helping punch across the mes- 
sage borne by the Freedom Train, 
according to J. Edward Shugrue, 
national director for the American 
Heritage Foundation, sponsors of 
the train's 13-month nationwide 
tour through some .307 cities. He 
pointed out in New York Monday 
(26) that more than 10,009 theatres 
have booked the "pre-Rededication 
Week" trailer and a one-reel docu- 
mentaryi "Our ■ American Herit- 
age/' in advance of the train's 
visit. 

Support from radio has been ex- 
cellent, Shugrue declared, All the 
top air shows have cooperated and 
on the basis of statistics compiled 
for the six-month ending last April, 
the Foundation received an actual 
monthly coverage of better than 
145,000,000 listener impressions. 
An impression, incidentally, equals 
One message heard once by one 
listener. 

The one-reel documentary was 
planned and produced by a na- 
tional committee of film execs with 
Dore Schai-y actually holding the 
production reins. Joseph Gotten 
narrated. In addition the commit- 
tee prepared posters and worked 
out lobby displays. Some 1,000 
prints of the documentary were 
distributed to west coast theatres 
alone. And of these S50 prints con- 
tained additional footage in which 
Tyrone Power explains the Foun- 
dation's objectives. National Screen 
has been distributing all prints 
cuffo. 

Film industry's aid was particu- 
larly helpful in making the Foun- 
dation's recent program in Chicago 
its most successful stand to date. 
General chairman of the Rede'dica- 
tion Committee there was John 
Balaban (& Katz). Besides showing 
the documentary and trailer, the- 
atres also offered use of their 
stages to the Foundation. 

Each of the newsreels have cov- 
ered the train three times, hitting 
a 70,000,000 audience weekly. Both 
the daily press and trade papers, 
Shugrue stated, have been of ines- 
timable value to the Foundation 
through their widespread coverage 
of the train's tour. The three media 
have admirably supplemented the 
Foundation's drive to make people 
more conscious of their heritage of 
freedom and their responsibilities 
as citizens. 



By DOROTHY HOLLOW AY 

Locarno, July 20. 

International film festivals, 
which several European cities have 
latched on to since the war's end to; 
snag tourist trade, have complete- 
ly missed , the boat in their func- 
tion of cementing goodwill among 
the various countries represented. 
Primary reason, as evidenced at 
the conclave which wound up here 
last week, is the hostility borne 
against the U. S. and British in- 
dustries by film toppers in other 
European countries. 

Behind the poorly-hidden hatred 
and illwill is believed to be the 
nationalistic feeling ■ among most 
European filraites. They . view with, 
alarm the British and American 
pix, which snag most of the play- 
ing time in their countries. That 
feeling has been demonstrated on 
the top governmental level, of 
course, by the series of restrictions 
levied against U. S. pix in most 
countries. 

Hollywood's Double Peeve 

Story going the rounds here is 
tliat the Hollywood boys were still 
burned because Maurice Cheva- 
lier's "Silence Is Golden" won first 
pface-at the Brussels Film Festival 
.last year although the event was 
95% underwritten by U.S. coin.. 
The local lights were also sore be- 
cause Tyrone Power, vacationing in ■ 
Rome, cancelled a skedded appear- 
ance at the Locarno Festival. "Cap- 
tain from Castile," starring Power 
was one of the U.S. film entries 
and Power's photo was hoisted in 
every bistro in town in anticipation 
of his arrival. 

Open show of ill-will toward 
Hollywood was apparently recipro- 
I cated since U.S. industry toppers 
st,ayed away in droves. George 
C-uity, now at the American Lega- 
tion in Berne, and Fayette W. 
AUport, European representative 
of the Motion Picture Assn. of 
America, were the only gov- 
ernment reps listed among the 
200 delegates. The half-dozen top 
Hollywood studios were repped 
through their European offices and 
maintained fancy exhibits at the 
Festival headquarters. ■ 

Local administration had several 
gripes against American and Brit- , 
ish film moguls; feeling that both 
countries shipped over second-rate 
pix for the smaller show at 
Locarno. They pointed out that 
many ot these entries already had 
been exhibited in Euroue, while 
(Continued on page 24) 



Venice F3m Festival 

Kow Set for Aug. 2 

Rome, ,ruly 20. 

Venice Film Festival postponed 
to Aug. 18. British Film Pro- 
ducers' Assn. revealed that the 
London Mayor will attend as well 
as actors disguised as Lord Byron. 
Robert Browning, John Ruskin and 
other British artists who lived in 
Venice. BFPA will present five 
films including "Hamlet," "Oliver 
Twist," "Red Shoes," "Winslow 
Boy" and "Lost illusion." 

France announces four films, 
"L'Aigle a Deux Tetes," "La Ba- 
taille de I'Eau Lourde," "Dedee 
d'Anvers" and "Paysans Noire," 
will be shown. . U. S. and Italian 
entries not picked yet. However, 
all producing countries will be 
representeij^ excepting Russia 
which plans no participjition. 

Festival lasts until Sept. 2. 



Command Pix Showing 
Set for Nov. 29, London 

London, July 20. 

Royal Command Film Perf«mnr 
ance is being held this year Nov. 
29, the Metro Empire, Leicester 
Square, again being used. In ac- 
cordance with precedent, which 
provides for British and American 
films on alternate years, a British 
picture will be chosen. . 

It is understood tiiat this year's 
selection will be "Scott of the Ant- 
arctic," an Saling production star* 
ring John Mills and Derek BoBtU 
Final decision will be> made by 
Trade Benevolent Fund selection 
committee in a few- weeks. 



Vetlnpin Makes 22d 
Producer on Metro Lot 

Hollywood. July 27. 
Louis B. Mayer has upped Vol- 
demar Vetluguin from the edi- 
torial board to a producership at 
Metro, handing him the produc- 
tion reins on Marcia Davenport's 
"East Side, West Side." This 
makes a total of 22 producers on 
the lot when Dore Schary arrives 
for his executive post on Aug. 9. 
Isobel Lennert screenplayed "East 
side." . 

Mayer also named Kenneth 
MacKenna supervisor of the studio 
story department. He will sei-ve 
executive editoi-ial assistant to 
Mayer and Schary. 



Rank^s Wynne May Make 
His First Visit to the U.S. 

Sydney Wynne, ad-publicity 
chief for the J. Arthur Rank Or- 
ganization in England, is planning 
his first visit to the U. S. some time 
next month. Wynne expects to 
come over from England in com- 
pany with Jock Lawrence, ad- 
publicity, veepee of the Rank Or- 
ganization in this country. 

Lawrence has been in London 
for some time huddling with Brit- 
ish officials of the company. 



Save Saranac Funi Jnc 

Albany, July 27. 
Following through- on its plans 
to maintain tl*e 'Will "Rogers Me- 
morial Fund, the film industry has 
ineorporated as the "Save the Will 
Roger.3 Memorial Hospital, Inc., to 
function henceforth as the fund- 
raising organization for the drive. 
Hospital is located in Saranac, 
N. Y. 

Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin & 
Krim drew up the incorporation 
papers. ' 



VcJncgJay, July 28, 194S 



'PICtlMBS 



BUDGET COTS TILT FlLMPROFiTS 

H(»ne-Office as Morak-St^^ 



THAT FILM B. O. HABIT 

If the high cost of living climbs still another notch, the spend- 
ing dollar , f 01' amusements will be further minimized. If scarce 
products betome plentiful— legitimately or under-the-counter — 
it must inevitably cut into the budget for other luxuries. There's 
that old vicious cycle again. 

. Film-going is technically a luxury. As is any form of enter- 
tainment. Where' the picture business enjoyed an extraordinary 
advantage in a mass, cash business was in the habitual patronage 
by the family once or twice (or more) a weelc. Under that 
habitual impact some 60,000,000 or more film theatre admist 
sions were sold week in, week out throughout the United States. 
It was a great habit. The family loyed it; the pictlire business 
thrived on it. • , 

Came the postwar evolution of economic standards, axid thus 
did the luxury of habitual indulgence in a popular American 
custom of "let's take in a movie tonight" become a costly item 
that provoked strong economic reappraisal. It came at an un- 
fortuitous time when other household items became available. 
Film production standards dropped, and the public suddenly 
exercised a sense of discrimination which has now pyramided 
into open resistance, to a greater or less degree, depending on 
the community. • 

On Broadway, this past Friday night, with the humidity high 
and a particular deluxer's airconditioning off due to the labor 
walkout, a couple of young men exited from the theatre and 
openly told the doorman, "You have a nerver. to charge $1.50 for 
this. Sure it's a good picture, but it's worth only $1. And I'm not 
even referring to the fact your cooling plant wasn't w'orking and 
you didn't advise the public." It was not a rowdy talking. It was 
an honest statement of fact, by a young man who has an aver- 
age white-collar jdb, who enjoyed the show, but felt it his privi- 
lege to let the theatre know in a frank and by no means surly 
manner just what at least one vox pop thought. 

It's something to think about. When a couple of admissions 
to a downtown cinema kick a big hole iri a $5 bill, it may be all 
right for the gross of that particular theatre, at that particular 
time — providing, of course, that enough customers kick in those 
$1,25, $1.50 and $1.80 admissions. What it does to the less-potent 
films in the adjacent picture houses— theatres undoubtedly 
affiliated with or having/some affinity to the more fortun§ite at- 
traction — is obvious. 

The vicious cycle of h.c.l., of course, has more than a reasonable 
counterpart in the picture business. The base costs have mounted 
to such disproportionate degree, while the ceiling has been com- 
ing down, that the job is to keep both from meeting. If 
the chasm between the two ever meets it'll be an atomic catas- 
trophe indeed. Right there, in that in-between avenue, lies the 
solution. The aperture is still plenty big, indicating the margin 
of profit between cost and Income is still there. If mayhaps not 
as high, wide and handsome as in those lush war years. 

Therein perhaps is the key. Since '41 we have become so con- 
ditioned to every-weekend-rlike-New Year's Eve business that it is 
difficult to visualize the status quo. Actually, -while business is 
sliding there are still some very fancy grosses extant. Business 
may have fallen off from out-of-this-world to being just pretty- 
durn-good. Even as of now we still talk of grosses "approaching" 
prewar levels — "approaching" mind you. True, costs are far in 
excess of prewar levels, and there is the rub. 

There have, been some in Hollywood .who have long been com- 
mitted to the credo that "the only thing labor understands is lay- 
offs." Conservative heads resisted that philosophy. Now it has 
come to pass. Readjustments are not only in order— they're 
necessary. Conditions compel it. . 

Show business, of course, is still far from a penny-ante busi- 
ness. It has blossomed from nickelodeons into billions.. Perhaps 
It has gone too far from its humble Woolworth-scale standards, 
and perhaps this weaning away of the Woolworth-type trade is 
one of the causes of the current-day effects. 

Readjustments must take cognizance of all components in the 
present readjustment program. As the standards improve, the 
economic factors mount. If they have pyramided too far out of 
reach there must be stock-taking T>n all sides. Ahel. - 



Revise J Charge-Off Schedules on Pix 
To Fiahe Net Profits Look Better 



Universal and some other com- 
panies are reportedly revising their 
film amortiaation procedures, as a 
.result of the decline in income 
from Britain, in order to give a 
more favorable net profit picture 
in tlveir fmancial statements. In- 
stead of charging off the entire 
cost of a film against U. S. income, 
as lia.s been the practice, they are 
charging off only the ratio that can 
be expcoted to be grossed in this 
country. 

The remainder is started in 
amortization as the film .goes into 
release in each country. Form-, 
stance, if a picture costs $1,000,000 
to make, the whole $1,000,000 is not 
to" be charged off when the pic goes 
into U. S. release. Since only, per- 
haps, 60' 0 of the total revenue may 
be expected from this country, only 
(Continued on page 20) 



Jackson Too Tompous' 
For H'wood Producers? 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Strained relationship between 
Judge Stephen S. Jackson and 
.some of the Hollywood studio top- 
pers with whom ho dealt is said to 
be back of the decision to switch 
liim from the staff of the Produc- 
tion Code Administration here to 
the New. York office of the Motion 
Picture Assn. of America. MPAA 
prexy Eric Johnston di.scloaed over 
the weekend tliat Jackson would 
take over a new post as legal ad- 
viser in New York, 

Jackson, former juvenile court 
jurist in New York, joined the 
MPAA in April, 1947, and shortly 
thereafter became chief assistant 
(Continued on page i:^ 




BUT WONT S 

Major film companie.s' profits, 
which slumped dismally during the 
pa-st six months, should take a 
sharp turn upwards next year. 
That's the optimistic belief of in- 
dustry officials, predicated on tlie 
theory that most of the economy 
measures instituted last year or 
now in the works haven't yet had a 
chance to show in the profit state- 
ments. 

(Er^c Johnston, in a press inter- 
view in Hollywood Monday (26), 
echoed the opinion of company 
fiscal execs in New York, quoted 
here, that profits would go up as 
less expensive films went into 
amortization. See Johnston story 
herewith). 

With very few exceptions, mo.st 
films now being released were 
turned out during the period of 
peak production costs. Despite the 
fact that film 'rentals remained 
fairly constant and the boxoffice 
suffered only a slight dip, the net 
result was a dip in profits over 
peak earning years because of tlie 
amortization of top-cost pictures. 
As soon as those films are released 
that were produced after produc- 
tion costs were trimmed, conse- 
quently, the earnings should swing 
upwards. 

That the sales departments are 
holding their own is demonstrated 
by Metro. Breakdown of operating 
revenues by the majors into thea- 
tre receipts, film rentals, etc., has 
(Continued on page 17) 

GriniefTs Bid 
For Yates' Stock 

Efforts are being made by a syn- 
dicate of film and financial men, 
headed by Jacques Griniefif, to buy 
out Herbert J. Yates' intesest in 
Republic, Grinieff, New York for- 
eign film importer-exporter, sailed 
for Europe last Friday (23) to meet 
Yates, who is now there. ■ 

There has been no indication of 
Whether the Rep prexy and prin- 
cipal stockhoraer could be inter- 
ested in parting with the company 
which he had been largely instru- 
mental in building. Another group 
tried to buy him out last May, re- 
sulting in a strong statement by 
,Yates that he had no intention of 
selling. 

However, reports in New York 
banking and financial circles are 
(Continued on page 20) 



Hotfoot 

Washington, July 27.. 

Small subsequent-run house 
here has developed a new way 
of improving summer business 
—-business for one of its side- 
lines, that is. 

During the middle of each 
afternoon and evening session, 
the airconditioning is turned 
oil. As the shooting gallery gets 
hotter, the patrons get thirs-" 
tier. Result is a big upturn in 
the take of the "Colce" ma- 
chines at the rear of the audi- 
torium. 



M-GJOthfiorrow 
Vs. Frozen Coin 
For British Prod. 



Metro and 20th-Fox liave re- 
ceived the okay of the Bank of 
England for production loans 
against iuture earnings in England. 
These lire the first such loans of 
this type, made under the Anglo- 
U. S. films agreement of . last 
Match. . ' 

Advances, which were approved 
for mucli smaller amounts than 
Metro and 20th requested, are 
nevertheless permitting the two 
companies to start production in 
England- without waiting for 
blocked currency to pile .up. As 
and when this frozen income ac- 
crues, it will be used to pay off 
the loans. 

Loan of £200,000 ($800,000) was 
(Continued on page 24* 



Percenters Cry Blues 

» . Hollywood, July 27. 

Hollywood's 10%ers are singing 
the economy blues, with the 
agency business off more than 50%; 
and still dropping. Talent agents 
predict that conditions won't im- 
prove until next January. 

Television is expected to pro- 
vide work for some of the fihn 
thesps in the lower-salary brack- 
ets, but not for the top money- 
makers. 



National Boxoffice Survey 

Milder Weather Boosts Biz — 'Parade/ 'Waltz,' 
'Largo,' 'Street,' 'Affair,' 'Melody' Top Six 

gest hit in months for this com- 
edy team, limited showing this 
week is pusiiing it into seventh 
position. A & C horrific com- 
edy is pacing mild Buffalo With a 
great week, is solid in five Los 
Angeles houses and fancy in Cin- 
cinnati second "v^eek. 

Eighth place goes to "On^Island 
With You" (M-G), with uniformly 
solid rettirns, "Blahdings Dream 
House'" (SRQ) also is perking to 
wind up ninth. : 

"So Evil My Love" (Par) and 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) are 
best of runner-up pictures. • 

Beisides "A. & C. Meet Frank- 
ensteihi" "My Love" and "Mel- 
ody Time," ^most prohiising new- 
comers appcaii td be VTap Roots" 
(U) and "Beyond Glory" (Par). 
Former is hottest item in Phila- 
delphia although in second week, 
„ , ... . preem there heading initial batch 

is finishing fourth with Foreign | ^j- bookings. "Glory" is big Min- 
Affair" (Par) in fifth slot. Latter : j,eapolis winner this frame, 
is bearing out. its initial promise Distinctly disappointing in 
shown at N.Y. Paramount with tnost spots currently is "Deep 



Break in the heat wave in many 
sections of country is being re- 
flected by stronger all-round biz 
in many key cities covered by 
Variety. Two champ money- 
makers of recent weeks continue 
iit pace the field, With "Easter 
Parade" (M-G) edging into first 
position. It is supplanting "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par), which has 
headed the procession for several 
sessions. 

Not far behhid "Waltz" is "Key 
Largo'; (WB), which promises 
even greater things once it gets 
around the keys. Still spotted in 
only a few cities (total of six), it 
is going great guns. Outstanding, 
of course, is the N.Y, showing at 
the Strand with smash $80,000 
in second stanza after all-time 
high of $95,000 first week. 
"Street With No Name" (20th) 



solid to brisk returns, "Melody 
Time" (RKO), With skillful han- 
dling, is managing to cop sixth 
coin. 

"Abbott - Costello Meet Frank- 
enstein" (U), which tees oft in 
N.Y. this week, is proving the big- 



Waters" (20th). In same category 
is "Dream Girl" (Par) though 
nice in Providence, "Feudin', 
Fusiin' '■ (U) shapes lively in De- 
troit and Cleveland. 
(Complete Boxoffice Reports on 
Pages 8-9 ) 



Ned K. Depinet, BKO exec v.p., 
was reported definitely slated this 
week to be upped to president.- He 
would have complete oharg of the 
sales and distribution end of the 
company. 

Howard Hughes, who rcccntljF 
bought control of BKO, was wide^ 
reported planning to take over- 
himself the studio production reinsi, 
However, there was considerable 
doubt in many quarters that the 
millionaire industrialist would 
choose to tie himself down to the 
daily desk work entailed in being 
a st\jdio. topper. 

While there was no official in* 
dication of the upper echelon 
changes that might be expected at 
RKO following the resignation of 
prexy N. Peter RathVOtt last AVeek, 
it was learned from top sources, 
that Hughes was highly impressed 
with Depinet during their recent 
week-long meeting on the Coast 
and had tendered him the presi- . 
dency, It is reported that Depinet, 
who presently has no contract witb 
(Continued on page # ■. 



Report Jerry Wald Wants 
Out on His WB Contract; 
Claims Authority Curbed 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Possibility of Jerry Wald seeking 
out from his producer pact' witlu 
Warner Bros, looms as result of a 
studio denial on Monday (26). that 
Wald was dickering with Fritz 
Lang, to direct "Narrow Escape." 

Wald had spoken to Lang this 
past weelcend and reportedly felt it 
witliin his province as a producer 
to conduct such negotiations with 
an outside director to handle a 
Wald pic. Obviously, Warners 
didn't Uiink so. 

Wald conferred today (27> wttln 
his lawyer, Dave 'pannenbaum, and 
(Continued on page 17) 




Trade Marli no^llstered 
FOUNDBID BT SIMie StLVBRMAM 
PnbUiihed Weekly by VAtumTY, Int. 

Sid Silverman, President 
Ut west iCth St.. New York 19, N- T. 
Ilonywoiid Si 
6311 Yuoon Street 
WiiBliIiiKton 4 
1292 Nutlon.al FrosB nulldlng 
Glii<!aft;o 1 
MO No. MloliiKtin Ave. 
J.onfl4tii WC^ 
« St, Martin's PK, Trafalgar Sa. 



SUBSCniPTION 

Annual. . , . . .$10 Ii'oroign MI 

Slnglo Copies .....2S Cents 



Vol. 171 



No. 8 



INDEX 

Bills 97 

Chatter , , . . .... ,103 

Film Reviews 15 

House Reviews . , . , . . .... 98 

Inside Pictures 20 

Inside Radio 86 

International 12 

Legitimate , . , 99 

Literati . . , 18 

Music . .,, 88' 

New Acts . . 98 

Night Club Reviews , . . . .' 96 

Obituaries . . , , , . . . . ... 97 

Orchestras . - ... ......... 88 

Pictures ,.. 2 

Radio , 25 

Radio Reviews .......... 84 

Records .... ...... , .... . 90 

Frank Scully X8 

Television 25 

Vaudeville ....... . . . .... 94 



U\n.\ VAIilEXS 

(Published In llDllywood by 
Daily Variety, Ltd.) 
$ts « Tear— 120 ITorolBB 



PldUBES 



Wednesday, July 28, 



Hughes Eff kiency Experts is RKO 
i Saddle; Veer From Costly Prods. 



! , IToUyWOod, , Tilly 27. 

' TtKO will iioove away from multi- 
jnillion dollar films, concentrating 
on mociost-budgeters, under the 
triumvirate named by owner How- 
ard Hughes last week as an interim 
committee to run the affairs of the 
studio. Cost'conscfous tendency by 
BKOf was tipped oft by Hughes' 
choice- ')! the trio to operate the 
lot. Ona is an efficiency engineer 
«nd the other a former cost ac- 
countant. 

Third member of the group, Sid 
Bogell, is an. RKO vet, having 
served as studio manager >ince 
1,936. Bicioiell Lockhart comes to 
the committee from the Hughes' 
iln'ancial'-industrial empire, where 
he servad as an efficiency engi- 
neer. C. J. Tevlin, the other com- 
mitteeman, formerly manages of 
the' Qeneral Service (Benedict 
Bogeaus) studio, is a cost account- 
ant and a financial and eiliGiency 
expert. 

' JBconomies continued at tlie stu- 
dio as Ave story- analysts were 
Hiven notice of layoff next Friday 
(30). Department of eight is now 
reduced to three, with indications 
that others may go later. 
• Tevlin is imderstood to have 
turvoyed the assets of RKO for 
IKighes, leading to the latter's pur- 
. 4e{tase of controlling interest in the 
compatny, Tevlin and Lockbart 
have, besn masterminding the re- 
cent economy moves on the lot and 
will temporarily handle the busi- 
ness reins, while Rogell will be in 
charge of actual production. 
. Modest A's 

PlanB now being formulated by 
the group call for production of 
six modest-budget A's and four or 
five B's by the end of the year, 
liot is under no pressure for pro- 
duction, since there is an adequate 
liacklog of important pictures to 
keep the distribution and theatre 
machinery of the company oper- 
ating for months to -come. 

Meantime! Rogell is going over 
story "properties owned by the stu- 
dio to determine which best may 
be made on modest budgets. An- 
nouncement of titles is expected by 
the end of this week. 

One series which is certain to be 
continued is the "Bad Man" pix, 
which are proven moneymakers. 
Broducer Jack Gross is assigning 
writers next week for the next in 
the series, which is due for Sept. 1 
lensing. Other pix will be slated 
to roll shortly thereafter. 

New studio governing committee 
t Continued on page 17) 



CSU Asks Unions 

T© Boycott Films 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Charges that the motion picture 
industry is operating under an 
open shop policy are contained in 
an open letter mailed by four 
locals of the Conference of Studio 
Unions to aU Central Labor Coun- 
cils and Bitikling Trade Councils in 
the U. S. 

The^letter implies a national 
boycott against films. 



Zdtli's Ortrigbt 
BuyofKorda'sZ 
V»Fr(^e»CdH 



In addition to the 14 Sir Alex- 
ander Korda films which 20th-Fox 
/s committed to distribute between 
now and 1931, company has bought 
two of the Brjtish producer's pic- 
tures outright for U. S, release. 
They are "Mine Own Executioner" 
and "Man About the House," first 
of which goes into distribution 
here this .summer. 

Outright buys of pix not covered 
under the original contract will 
permit 20th to make still further 
use of the British currency it ex- 
pects to havfe frozen under the 
Anglo-U. S. films agreement. Terms 
of that deal provide that income 
from pix which are Americans- 
owned, despite having been Brit- 
ish made, goes completely into the 
coffers of the . company which owns 
them. "Executioner" and "House" 
fall into this category. 

Income from British-made films 
which are British-owned, such' as 
the other Korda films 20th will 
distribute and the J. Arthur Rank 
pix handled by Universal and 
Eagle Lion, goes into the American 
dollar pool. This is added to the 
$17,000,000 yearly guaranteed from 
(Continued on page 20) 



Indie Ohio Exbib Files 
3506 Suit Vs. Schines 

Columbus, O., July 27. 

■ Emerson W. Long, Cadiz, O., to- 
day (27) filed a $350,000 triple dam- 
age suit in Columbus federal dis" 
trict court against the Schine the- 
atre circuit. Plaintiff charges that 

vbecau.se of the buying power ex- 
erted by Schine. his Memorial th 
atre. Mount Vernon, O., was unable 
to lic^ense first run films in the 
period from Jan. 1, 1935, through 
Jan. 1, 1941. ' 

Suit also charges that Schine re- 
opened his Lyric as soon as Long 
commenced operating the Memo- 
rial and later attempted to get the 
Memorial lease from the theatre 
lessor in an effort to close the 
house. 



EL, UA and Rep Branch 
MgTs. Resign, Reshuffled 

Resignations of three branch 
mariagers from as many film com- 
panies last week resulted in a ma- 
jor shuffle of exchange personnel. 
In Cleveland both Eagle Lion's 
Mark Goldman and United Artists' 
Harris Dudelson stepped out, while 
Bepublic's James E. Hobbs tossed 
Jn the towel in Atlanta. Mean- 
while, Dudelson has been men- 
tioned as moving to Cincinnati as 
EL manager here. 

William J. Heineman, EL vee- 
pee in charge of distribution, 
named Robert R. Richardson, for- 
mer RKO salesman, to replace 
Goldman. Succeeding Dudelson is 
William M. "BiU" Levy who 
switched to the lake ciiy from UA's 
homeoffiice staff. From 1945 to 
1947 he was the company's foreign 
division manager in Europe and 
the Near Ea.st. Republic appointed 
Merritt Davis as its new Atlanta 
p.m. effective next Mondity (2). 



FRD BRISSON BACK 
FROM EUROPEAN TRIP 

Indie producer Frederick Bris- 
son, head of Independent Artists, 
is scheduled to return from a 
seven-w«ek trip to Europe tomor- 
row (Thursday) for huddles with 
RKO homeoffice toppers on the 
forthcoming release of the outfit's 
initial production, "The Velvet 
Touch." 

Brisson took the first print of the 
film with him, He also set up of- 
fices and installed sales personnel 
for his firm in London and Paris 
and worked out arrangements for 
the lesing of the "King of Dia- 
monds," biofllm of the late Barney 
Barnato, in Europe. Brisson also 
scouted Denmark for a suitable 
actor to portray his father. Carl, 
in the projected biopic of the 
niterystar. ; 



C. C. Mcskcwitz Due 
Baek From Culver City 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Metro veepee^treasurer Charles 
C. Moskowitz is scheduled to re- 
turn to the homeoffice Thursday 
(29) after several weeks at the 
M-G studios. 

Moskowitz went out to the Coast 
in company with J. Robert RubliJ, 
veepee and general counsel, to help 
set up the deal whereby Core' 
Schary takes over as second in 
command on the Metro lot. Duo 
also put into effect a number of 
new economy measures at the; stU-< 
dio, after which Rubin returned to 
New york but Moskowitz remained 
in Hollywood to follow through on 
the cost-cutting campaign. 

Leo Woos Jobson 

Hollywood, .Tuly 27. 
. ' Nunnally Johnson, whose pro- 
ducer-writer contract with Uni- 
versal-International expires Oct. 1, 
may move into Metro after that 
date. 

Decision will be made when 
Dore Schary returns from his va- 
cation Aug. 9. 



Depinet lipping 

sss Continued from page l s: 

RKO, was offered a five-year 
termer by the new owner. 

Reports that Depinet would get 
the top post, which flew through 
the homeoffice sales and distribu- 
tion departments at the end of last 
week, vvere greeted gleefully. 
Wholesale firings at the studio, fol- 
lowing resignation of production 
chief Dore Schary early this month, 
had seriously impaired homeoffice 
morale with much of the personnel. 
Feeling is that the sales and dis- 
tribution execs have -a "protecting 
guardian' in Depinet against any 
widespread turnover. Depinet has 
been a lop RKO exec for almost 
20 years and much of the organiza- 
tion was built up under his com- 
mand. 

Rathvon and Harry Gold's Status 

Rath von 's resignation, acted 
upon in routine fashion by the 
board of directors, meeting in New 
York last Frid.'iy (23), was not un- 
expected. He had made repeated 
efl'orts himself to get a syndicate 
together to buy control of the com- 
pany from Floyd Odium's Atlas 
Corp., but had been unsuccessful. 
He originally said, : however, that 
he • hoped to stay under the hew 
owner. 

Rathvon, in resigning, gave up 
a contract that had. more than a 
year to run at $2,0Q0 a week. No 
indication was ^ven of the amount 
paid by Hughes in settlement of 
the pact. Rathvon won't officially 
be out until the new boa:fd is 
elected at the annual stockholders' 
meeting of the company Aug. 31. 

One of the questions that has the 
trade wondering is where Harry L. 
Gold will fit into the RKO picture. 
Gold, former division chief foi- 
United Artists, has been working 
for the past two years as sales chief 
on Hughes' "The Outlaw." He has 
been variously rumored as going 
into an exec sales post at RKO. 

It was reliably leamed from the 
Coast, however, that Hughes' in- 
tention is to continue Gold in 
charge of selling the pix that 
Hughes made as an indie producer. 
"Outlaw" is far from hiaving played 
off if peace can be made on censor- 
ship problems with the Motion Pic- 
ture Assn. of America and the 
Catholic Legion of Decency. In 
addition, comnutted to United Art- 
ists but as yet unreleased are 
Hughes' "Mad Wednesday" and 
"Vendetta.': The only uncertainty 
would be if Hughes succeeded in 
efforts to buy back his commit- 
ments to UA and turns the pix over 
to RKO tor release. 

Rathvon came into the RKO set- 
up in 1939 via the Odium owner- 
ship. He had been a v p. of Atlas 
Corp. His original^ tie was as 
chairman of the executive commit- 
tee and director while RKO was in 
77b. . He. became prexy in 1942. 



PRICE CUT ON KID FILM 
AB.O.HYPOONB'WAY 

Another test of whether a cut 
in admission prices will boost the- 
atre gros.scs was instituted on 
Broadway last week, when Brandt.s' 
Gotham^set up a special rate of 
35c for children under 12 during 
the run of the current "Mickey," 
Eagle Lion production. Kids here- 
tofore, had been subject to the 
theatre's minimum 70c admission 
tab. 

Film did a fine $10,000 for its 
first week elided last Friday (23) 
and is sighting a neat $7,500 for 
the current second round. House 
trimmed its price to lure more 
juve trade, for which the pic is 
especially grooved; whether the re- 
duced rate sticks depends on box- 
office performance during the re- 
mairfder of. the run. 

CJotham^s move' fpUows similar 
price-cutting maneuvers initiated 
.by various Broadway filmeries re- 
cently 'in an' effort to bolster a fal- 
tering faoxoffice. 



Britain's Method of 

to I%[ Resented by hfe 



Europe to N. 

Frederick Brisson 
Bonnie Cashin 
Howard S. Cullman 
Duke Ellington 
Rory GramurescH 
William Goetz 
Robert Goldstein 
Edwin Knopf 
Dr. Harry Martin ' 
W. Stewart McDonald 
Luella O. Parsons 
Giles PJayfair 
Jack Robbins 
Samuel Schneider 

1 .. ;■. ■ •{ »'•/ . 11* J IK S . . 



Niven Sailing to Txtndon 
For ^Scarlet Pimperner 

David Niven arrives in New York 
tomorrow (Thurs.) from the Coast 
and is scheduled to .sail for Eng- 
land the same day on the Britannic. 
His Swedish bride of six months is 
accompanying the actor as are his 
two children, David, Jr., six, and 
James, three. 

Niven just finished "Enchant- 
ment" for Goldwyn in Hollywood. 
While in Britain he'll appear in 
"Scarlet Pimpernel," a remake for 
Goldwyn and Sir Alexander Korda. 

Us Sales Acceitf 
On fetfish Fihs 
For Big U. S. Keys 

In a switch from its previous 
practice, Universal henceforth will 
aim its ad-publicity campaigns on 
all J. Arthur Rank pictures it re- 
leases in the U. S. strictly at the 
key city markets, leaving the 
smalle^r towns to pick up the bally- 
hoo via word-of'-mouth. 

That decision was arrived at in 
London last week by U ad-pub 
chief Maurice Bergman in huddles 
with Rank officials. Bergman, who 
returned to the U. S. via plane last 
Wednesday (21) declared that both 
U and Rank execs have realized 
that the best market for British 
pictures lies in the big cities, which 
have a "great number of people 
who are natural customers for 
British films." Hence, he said. U , 
will spend less money I'n plugging 
the Rank product but hopes to get 
better results by spending in a 
more selective way. 

Because that , market is there, 
Berman declared, U will no longer 
try to conceal the fact that a pic- 
ture was made in England. "The 
word 'British,' " he noted, "holds a 
certain amount of prestige for 
those people and we'll .sell our 
British films on that ba.sis. If a 
Rank film has a long rijn in a Brit- 
(Continued on page 17) 

TOLAND STRESSES BRIT. 
LACK OF TECHNICIANS 

Even with government-financing 
of indie producers in Egland, as 
proposed by Board of Trade prexy 
Harold Wilson last week, British 
studios will not be able to turn out 
a sufficient number of films to 
meet the. new 45% quota because 
of a lack of technicians. That's the 
opinion of ace Hollywood camera- 
man Gregg Toland, who recently 
returned to the Coast from Eng- 
land, where he shot backgrounds 
for Samuel Goldwyn's "Take Three 
Tenses." 

Toland expressed high praise for 
the ability of the Briti.sh tech- 
nicians, but said he thought it 
would require considerable time 
before there are enough of them 
to meet any such upsurge in pro- 
duction as is proposed by Wilson 
and J. Arthur Rank. He suggested 
that the British might profitably 
employ some of the Hollywood 
technicians now out of jobs, if the 
economics could be worked out. 

Lenser declared that an insuf- 
ficient number of top technical 
people had been developed be- 
cause of the u-regularities of Brit- 
ish filmmaking in the past. He said 
there hadn't been enough pictures 
made to hold the employees and 
they thus kept drifting off to 
steadier jobs in other industries. A 
similar situation might hit Holly- 
wood, he pointed out, under pres- 
ent uneven filming schedules on 
the major lots. 



London, July 27. 
The government announced 
today (Tuesday) that it would, 
introduce at.tlie fall session of 
Parliament, opening Sept. 13, 
lesislation ito provide $2Q,. 
000,000 }n finaacial aid Iq. in- 
dependent pEOdnceirs, as out- 
lined by Board of Trade prexy 
Harold Wilson last week. 



N. Y. to Europe 

Sherman Ewing • 
Jacob Gerstein 
Dan Golenpaul 
Mrs. Benny Goodman 
David Niven 
Norman Pett 
Carmel Snow 
Harry Stockwell 
Carol Wandemuin 
Grant Wbjrtocfc 



London, . July 27i' 

Method to be used by the gov- 
ernment in doling out the $20,- 
000,000 in aid it has promi.sed to 
them is very mach resented by 
indie producers — not so much .so, 
however, that they all aren't .<;tand- 
ing in line for the coin. Fact that 
the financial help will come to 
them via a distributor as a middle- 
man is what is rankling. They feel 
it implies they can't be trusted 
with the money. 

As a matter of fact, that's exactly 
how much of the film and financial 
field here does feel. It isn't so 
much a reflection on the personal 
integrity of the indies, but a doubt 
that the government can do any- 
thing but lose much of the $20,'. 
000.000. Pew people see any rea- 
son that the Treasury should be 
able to make a go of indie finan- 
cing when professional moneylend- 
ers cannot. 

Producers voiced their resent- 
ment of the distributor middleman 
method of passing, out the coin at 
a .sej^sion today (Tuesday). They 
don't see why. the government 
doesn't fully indicate its faith by 
giving them the financing directly 
rather than handing it to a dis^ 
tributor, who will act as a watch- 
dog over their use of it. 

Plan, as outlined by Board of 
Trade prexy Harold Wilson to the 
House of Commons last Thursday 
122), has been received with mixed 
feelings from the trade and finan- 
cial experts. To some it means. the 
logical carrying out of promises 
made by Wilson to the indies last 
winter. To others, it is another 
move toward nationalization of the 
entire industry. 

Generally, it is regarded, how- 
ever, as a move into which Wilson 
was forced secondarily by his 
promise to the producers, but pri-' 
raarily as a means of making good 
on the 45% quota law which he 
was instrumental in pushing 
through. There's no hope of exhibs 
having enough Briti.sh-made prod- 
uct to occupy 45% of their screen 
time without what can be provided 
by the indies, so Wilson's giving 
them all possible aid. 

Leading independents like .Sir 
Alexander Korda ai|d Herbert Wil- 
cox regard the plan as the logical 
outcome of the 45% quota, and 
consider that the method of pro- 
viding the cash direct to the dis- 
tributor in.stead of the producer 
will provide the necessary control 
(Continued on page 22) 



N. Y. to L. A. 

Robert Alton 
Val Arms 
Scott Brady 
Charles Fredericks 
Bob Gillham 
Leland Hayward 
George Jessel 
'.John Joseph 
Guy Madison 
Alexander Markcy ■ 
Audio. Murphy 
Richard F. Walsh 
Lou Walters : 

L. A. to N. Y. 

William Bendix 
Charles Bickford 
George Brown 
Joe E. Brown 
Peggy Cjimmins . 
Roy del Ruth. . 
Dick Dorso 
Bill Foy 

Sidney Franklin 
Rudolf Friml 
Thomas Gomez 
Jerry Hoffman 
Jack Holt 
• Joe Kaufman 
Albert Lewin 
Frank Loei^er. 
Charles C. Moskowitz 
James Nasser 
Ella Raines 
Henry C. Rogers 
William Selwyn 
Joseph Sistcom . 
Gail Storm 
Don Wilson 



Vediiegday, July 28, 1948 



nCTITIEES 



PEAK NUMBER OF SALES DRIVES 



RKO-^Gldwyn s Roadshow Prices For 
Joan' Subject of Trade Conjectnre 



other distributors see RKO f 
and Samuel Goldwyn with an ex- ( 
ceedingly tough " battle on their 
hands if they go through with 
plans to roadshow Sierra Pictures' 
'■Joan of Arc." Feeling is that the 
days of upped admission pix are 
over and the only chance of the 
policy's being successful is if the 
ingfid Bergmin starrer is sucli a 
hoi b.o. number that theatre opera- 
toes are virtually forced into play- 
ing it. 

Kxhib opposition to the in- 
crv-ased tarifl' started immediately 
after Goldwyn introduced "Best 
Years of Our Lives" esrly last year 
and snowballed Into almost unbeat- 
able oppo.sition as four other pro- 
diiceis followed suit. Exhibitors 
objected so strenuously to being 
forced into raising their admission 
fee that they refused to give play- 
dates lo the films in many cases, 
and Metro and 20th-Fox had to 
give up plans for roadshowing 
"CJreen Dolphin Street" and "Gap- 
tain from Castile," respectively. 

James A. Mulvey, Goldwyn 
prexy, who went to the Coast last 
week to close the "Joan" deal, also 
huddled while there on the Gold- 
wyn organization handling Mont' 
erey's "Bed River/' which will be 
released by United Artists. On this 
one, however, there's no thought 
of roadshowing and the Goldwyn 
skafT in the east would act mei-ely 
AS a producer's representative. 

"Red River," a $2,800,000 western 
produced and directed by Howard 
Hawks, is in the hands of Motion 
Picture Investors, financial syndi- 
cate which put up the second 
money and completion bond.' Mul- 
vey confabbed on handling it with 
Dan O'Shea, MPI topper, who is 
also v.p. of David O. Selznick's 
enterprises. 

Holding uip the deal, it is under- 
stood, is Mulvey's demand for Z% 
of the gross as a supervision fee, 
the same as he is getting on "Joan." 
(Continued on page 20) 



Eyssell, For Time Being 
Anyway, Still Concerned 
Witl^ Film-Buying for MH 

Film buying for Radio City 
Music Hall, N. Y., will remain in 
the hands of prexy Gus Eyssell for 
the time being, despite recent pro- 
motions and additions to his staff. 
Eyssell's aim, as his aides get fur- 
ther seasoning, is to gradually turn 
over his responsibilities to Russell 
V. Downing and Jack F. Dailey. 

Downing, who has been associ- 
ated with the Hall as treasurer 
since 1933, shortly after it opened, 
and later as v.p., is slated for top 
spot. Dailey, ^ho joined the staff 
in 1946 as administrative assistant, 
was upped last week to the newly- 
created post of manager of opera- 

Eyssell, who recently had added 
to his duties as managing director 
•of the Music Hall the executive 
managership of all of the Rocke- 
feller Center buildings, expects 
nevertheless to continue to keep a 
sharp eye on the theatre. While 
all other duties may eventually be 
turned over to Downing and 
Dailey, he will continue to be con- 
sulted on choice of product for the 
, house. He's presently doubling be- 
tween an office in the RCA Bldg. 
from which he directs Rockefeller 
Center activities and his old Mtisic 
Hall office, to which he repairs 
when the day's other duties arc 
finished/. , ^ , 

In addition to the promotioft of 
Dailev Eyssell announced last 
week' the appointment of 27-year- 
old Charles B. Hacker as Dailey s 
successor as administrative assist- 
ant Hacker is district manager of 
the' Standard Theatres Manage- 
ment. Milwaukee. He became 
manager of the Fox, Milwaukee, 
at the age of 19 and later of the 
Palace theatre there. _ 

CLli-rent lineup at the Ha calls 
for Metro's "Date With Judy aftei 
the current "Emperor Waltz. 
That will be followed by BKO s 
'•Good Sam" and then Metro's 
"Julia Misbehaves." 



ASCAP Theatre Rates 

Average U/ S. theatre, "with 
a 500-seatei*capacity, will save 
$02.50 yearly in performance 
rights formerly paid to the 
American Society of Compos- 
ers, Authors and Publishers 
if the court decision last week 
ruling illegal collection of such 
fees from theatres is upheld. 

Following are the new 
ASGAP rates, which took ef- 
fect last February, and the 
cost to theatres with varying 
capa.city : 

KiHp per 
Seat 



Theatres 

m seats Jt 
under 

seatn ;....< 

8(10 lo ittm 

. seats' r . . 
1,50(1 seals Sc 



lOo 



Yearly CoBt 

f49.no & under 
jqa.BO to ■?99.S8 
$162 (0 J303.81 

$3911. 7S ana up 



ASCAP Decision 
Splits Exhibitors 
On Fee Legality 

Judge Vincent L. Leibell's rul- 
ing last week in the case against 
the American Society of .Compos^ 
ers, Authors and Publishers has 
split the industry into two separate 
camps over the question of whether 
the decision renders ASCAP's the- 
atre performance' fees illegal. 
ASCAP board, meanwhile, after 
three special sessions on the situa- 
tion, has taken no official action, 
'preferring to delay a decision . on 
appeal pending further study and 
discussion. 

Independent Theatre Owners of 
America, which won the decision, 
claims the judge ruled everything 
ASCAP has done in relationship 
to film exhibition is illegal. ITOA, 
consequently, has instructed its 
members to stop .paying ASCAP 
fees. Opinion was pointed up by 
Allied States chief counsel Abram 
F. Myers, who declared that "under 
the ruling, tlie copyright owners 
will be compelled to license the 
public performing rights to the mo- 
tion picture- producers and the lat- 
ter will convey those rights to ex- 
hibitors in film contracts." 

On the other side of the fence 
are ASCAP legalites and officials 
of the Thedtre Owners of Amer- 
(Cotttinued on page 20) 



27 SCRIBES ON 21 PIX 
WORKING AT WARNERS 

„ Hollywood, July 27; 

Writing mill at Warners has 
taken on a new burst of speed with 
27 writers working oh 21 future 
productions and two Currently be- 
fore the lenses. 

Doubling up on. screenplays are 
Phoebe and Henry Ephron^ on 
'Career Girl"; Philip and Julius 
Epstein Jjji "As We Are Today"; 
John Jennings and Harriet Frank, 
.Tr., on "Candy Kid Levela," and 
Ben Roberts and Ivan Goff on "Into 
the Night." 

Writing solo are Zachary Gold, 
"Blowing Wild"; Richard Brooks, 
' Flamingo Road"; Charles Hoff- 
man, "Charge It, My Love"; Harry 
Kurnitz, "Happy Time"; Winston 
Miller, '.'The Big Break"; Jack 
Rose, ''Miss Richmond Takes 
Grant"; Oscar Saul,. "The Cantor 
Story"; Charles Tedford, "High- 
land Games"; John Twist, "Colo- 
rado Bound"; Irving W^iUaee, 
"Classmates"; Marion Hargrove, 
"Something's Got to Give"; John 
M. Lucas, "Serenade," and Gibson 
Scott Fox, "No Common Clay." 

In addition, Russell Hughes, 
Edna Anhalt, Edmund North and 
William Sackheim arc working on 
untitled stories while Martin 
Rackin' is doing a polish job on 
"Fighter Squadron" and Ayn Rand 
is doing likewise on "The Foun- 
taihhead." 






mmi ON PIX 



Forthcoming selling season in 
the film industry, which tees off 
next month for most companies 
with announcement of the new sea- 
son's product, will probably see 
more sales drives in force than any 
previous year in the industry's his- 
tory. Whether they'll be as suc- 
cessful for distributors as most of 
them have been in the past, how- 
ever, is another question. 

Company sales chiefs explain 
the drives as attempts to get the 
maximum number of playdates for 
new pictures. As such, they point 
out,, the situation is no different 
than in previous years. Fact that 
so many of the distribs have 
hopped on the .system this year, 
howeve", is believed to indicate 
the cunent faltering condition of 
the nation's boxoffice. With pro- 
duction costs still up, the majors 
need as quick returns on their new 
product as it's possible to get. 

In th\ past, the provision of the 
usual bonuses for salesmen, plus 
the special pitches made to exhibi- 
tors oh an"old ^customer" basis, 
was usually successful in rounding 
up' those extra dates. New season 
this year, though, finds the first 
run market glutted with product, 
with the result that exhibs have 
plenty ol new pictures from whicn 
to choose. In addition, the com- 
petition engendered by the very- 
fact that so many of the majors 
are going in for drives in the near 
future will tend to cut. down the 
number of available extra dates 
for each. 

To date. Universal has a drive 
scheduled to honor sales veepce 
William J. Scully for the month of 
(Continued on page 17) . 



Distribs Veerii^i 
More to Flat Deals 



Switch from percentage deals to 
flat rentals, long predicted in the 
film industry, is now an accom- 
plished fact. Several major dis- 
tributors, it's been learned, have 
been cutting back on percentage 
sales in as many situations as feas- 
ible in another effort to compen- 
sate for dwindling grosses. 

Most of the switch to date has 
taken place in small towns and 
subsequent run situations in the 
ke;' cities, where the amount of 
business done remains fairly con- 
sistent. It's believed extremely 
unlikely ' that the switch, will ever 
be - carried over into key city first 
run spots, both because of the 
difficulty in ascertaining what kind 
of business each picture Will do 
and the necessity for using those 
first run situations as a measuring 
gauge to determine what the flat 
rental is to be' for the smaller 
theatres;. 

New distributor move is looked 
on in tlie trade - as one definitdly 
geared to current boxoffice condi- 
(Continued on page 97) 



Pare Lorentz Reclaiming 
Some Old RKO Footage 

Documentary producer IJfire Lo- 
rentz trained out to the Coast 
Thursday ( 20) to take into custody 
from RKO tlie footage of "Name, 
Age andtOccupatlon," uncompleted 
film which he started several 
years ago. 

Footage was awarded to Lorentz 
in a. recent court decision against 
the company. Lensing on "Name" 
wag closed down by the late 
Charles W, Koerner, then RKO pro- 
duction chier, on the assumption 
that Lorentz was spending too 
much money on it. Producer de- 
clared he'd try to salvage as much 
of the footage as possible for an- 
other feature. Since Dudley 
Digges and one other of the prin- 
cipals have since died, however, ho 
declared the task would be a diffi- 
cult one. 

Lorentz plans to remain on the 
Coast until the jend of August. 



'Anti-Rai^' PoEcy Said to Be 
Stagnating Sales Dept. Personnel 



What, No Dishes? 

With exhibs filing and win- 
ning anti-trust suits against 
the majors on almost all Ironls 
in the past few years, attorney 
for one company said in New 
York this week he expected 
any day to find the foUovving 
ad in the papers: 

"For sale^poor theatre, but 
with good cause of action 
against major companies. Sell 
outright or on percentage of 
damages." 



MsSOPix 
Cost Same As 
24 Last Year 



Thirty "A'' pictures scheduled 
for production by 20th- Fox during 
the forthcoming season will- cost 
practically the same as the 24 films 
turned out by the company during 
the current -year, despite the 20% 
boost in number. Fact that they'll 
have equal star values to the 1948 
product and other factors rating 
them top playing time indicates 
that 20th, for one, is well on the 
way to licking the drastic problem 
of upped production cost's. < 

Cost reduction effected by 20th 
at its studios was outlined to stock- 
holders at their annual meet in 
M4y by prexy Spyros P. Skouras. 
He declared at* the time that 'the 
films, now in production will cost 
one-third less on an average than 
the films turned out during the 
peak period immediately following 
the vfar. Conjpany relisased 18 films 
in 1947 at an average budget of 
$2,300,000 each, he said. In 1948, 
20th is turning out 24 films at an 
average cost of $1,900,000. Those 
now in production 'for. release' nex.t 
year, and, included in the 30 an-' 
nounced last week, will cost only 
about $1,600,000 each. 

Announcement of 20th's new 
season product was made" by 
Skouras last week at a meet of the 
Canadian sales staff in Toronto. 
Included among the 30 are five 
pictures to be made abroad, ,which 
will give 20th a (ihance to ^t to 
(Conttnued'on page 20) 



TRANS-LUX'S 6 ADDED 
HOUSES UPS CHAIN TO 14 

Long contemplating an expan- 
sion move, the Trans-Lux Corp. 
stepped out last week to acquire 
six houses in the New York metro- 
politan area, bringing its holdings 
up to 14 theatres in all.. The cir-- 
cuit's prexy, William M. Girden, on 
Friday (23) announced the take- 
over of- three houses on i^ew York's 
east side whose total rentals and 
cash consideration approximated 
$1,600,000 while earlier in the 
week the- same chain bought two 
theatres in Westchester County, 
N. Y>, as well as one in the Bronx. 
Br^x. . 

Houses included in Tran.s-Lux's 
east side purchase are the 900-seat 
Colony, 2,300-seat Monroe and the 
45Q-scat Granada. In addition the 
chain bought the- l',000rseat Em- 
bassy at Dobbs Ferry, N. Y., from 
Greenfield & Fromme as well as 
picking up the Hastings, at Hast- 
ings-on-the-Hudson, and the Crest, 
in the Bronx. 

Trans-Lux's sudden activity in 
the real estate -field was clarified 
by company veepee Norman W. 
Elson, who said that his firm had 
such moves in mind for a number 
of years. He expressed confidence 
that the time is now ripe to carry 
them out. However, he added that 
although the circuit has other deals 
imminent, there's smalt likelihood 
that the company will do any 
building until costruction costs 
building until construction costs 
both in New York and Washington. 



"Anti-raiding" policies of the 
major companies are privately said 
by some sales execs to be a basic 
reason for too few "new faces" be- 
ing developed cufrently in distri- 
bution. Capable younger men, it is 
said, are not being given a chance 
to show their ability because no 
major will hire an employee away 
from another. 

The new for "new faces" theme, 
long a topic of popular trade dis- 
cussion as applied to Hollywood 
stars and recently much talked-of 
in reference to production execs, 
is now getting plenty of attention 
in distribution circles, too. It is' 
part of the casting about by all. in 
the industry for the reason behind 
the current soggy state of the b.o. 

Same set of execs in the same 
jobs for anywhere up to 20 or 25 
years is causing a lethargy that's 
reflected in a lack of einthusiasm ■ 
all the way down the line, It is said. 
Result is a dearth of new ideas and 
of punch to put them across that 
is vital to any branch of show busi- 
ness. 

Putting their finger on the "antj- 
raiding" policy followed by all 
majors, some execs say it causes 
younger men to get holed up In 
the same job for so long that their 
talents are lost sight of and they 
never develop. On the other hand, 
the same execs do not advocate any 
wild raiding, saying it would cause 
chaos in the industry. Their feel- 
»ns is, however, that any distrib 
which has a job opening suitable 
as an advancement for another 
company's employee, shouldn't hies- 
itate to offer it to him. 

What happens now, they say, is 
that when a spot is made available 
by dearth or retirement or any 
other reason, companies are forced 
(CBntihued on page 22) 

Small Would Shift 
His B's Elsewhere If 
20th Doesn't Wantlm 

Should 20thrFox darry through its 
plan for dropping low-budgeters 
by indie producers from its release 
slate, Edward Small will turn to 
making his share of the films for 
other distribs,. he said in New York 
this week, Producer declared he'd 
continue with his schedule of 16 
pictured in the next 12 to 14 
monthit whether pir- not FOx picked 
up his oi>tion. 

Feeling the market is too soft to 
absorb the B's, 20th, in announc- 
ing its production plans for next 
year, dropped mention of the in- 
dies. The only outsiders whose 
product the distrib will definitely 
continue to handle are Nat Holt 
and Edward Alperson. 

Small said that if 20tH did not 
choose to distribute any niore of 
his p!x after the first half-dozen, to 
which it is definitely committed, 
there would be little trouble in 
switching their release to another 
company, with the current demand 
for indie product. He has other 
pix cuiarently being distributed by 
Columbia, Eagle LJion and tlnited 
Artists.' High quantity of produc- 
tion he feels is vital in order to as- 
sure 'himself of profits via averag- 
ing out any 'possible losing pic- 
tures. ■ ■ ■ ■ 

Producer plans to be in New 
York about three more weeks, 
when he'll leave for the Coa'st to 
ready his next UA production, 
."Leathfr Stocking Tales." He just 
finished shooting on "Indian 
Scout." The films go to UA under 
a two-picture agreement made 
some months ago but just signed 
In New Yorfe last year. 



Pickford Wins 'Venus' 

Suit From La Cava 

- Losi Angeles, July 27. 

Gregory. LaCava lost his breach- 
of-contract suit for $1,653,750 
against Mary Pickford in L. A. 
superior court. Judge Elmer W. 
Heald ruled the plaintiff was not 
entitled to any damages. 

LaCava claimed he had an oral 
agreement with Miss Pickford tc 
produce "One Touch of 'Venus." 



W^lnesd^, July 2S, 194S 



i: 





CENTURY-FOX 



. . . the company with more} 1 
"Scoreboard" for the! ^ 



as its n 




^7efegday, July 28, 



Boxoffice 




first half of '48* presents 
great attractioii • • • 




Wii 

m 
m 



0 



Vednegday, July 28, l<m 



BiglHx Ups LA; MC. Frank stein 
Loud Island' Lush 5SG, 'Canon 
Bangup 39G, 'Af air' Uvely at 38G 



Los Angeles, July 27. 

Local fiistruns, with few execu- 
tions, are perking up this -week 
with several strong, new entries 
setting a fast . pace. "Abbott-Cos- 
tello Meet Frankenstein" is attract- 
ing solid $46,000 in dve theatres, 
with plenty of added juve trade; 
Off to a good start is "On Island 
With You," which Is sighting nifty 
$55,000 in three situations. 

"Canon City," in five houses, 
looks sturdy $39,000. "Foreign Af- 
fair" will hit excellent $38,000 in 
two ParatBount theatres, being 
very big in Hollywood and normal 
in downtown spot, "Lulu Belle" is 
scant $15,000 for two spots. "Key 
Largo" jdiapes stout $49,000 in 
three locations while "Deep Wa- 
ters" kiolcs! medium $34,000 for 
five, both second weeks. 

EtUmates for This Week , 

Belmont (FWC) (1,532; 60-$l)— 
♦Canon City" (EL) and "Lady at 
Midnl^t" (EL). Good $5,000. Last 
week, "Ruthless" (EL) and "Shed 
No Tears" (EL) (2d wk-5 days), 
$1,400. 

Beverly Hills Music Hall (G&S- 
BlumenMd) (826; 65-$l)-— "Com- 
mandos Strike at Dawn" (Col) and 
"Invadeis" (Col) (reissues). Just 
• $3,000 or over. Last week, "Next 
Time We Love" (Indie) and "My 
Man Godfrey" (Indie) (reissues), 
$3 200 

Carthay Circle (FWC) (1,518; 60- 
$1)— "Deep Waters" (20th) and 
••Checkered Coat" (20th) (2d wk). 
Slow $3,500. Last week, mild 
$6,600. 

Chinese (Grauman-WC) (2,048: 
«0-$l)---"Deep Waters" (20tfa) and 
"Checkered Coat" (20th) (2d wk). 
Down to $8,000. Last week, nice 
$13,500. 

Culver (FWC) (1,145; 6041)— 
"Canon City" (EL) and "l.ady at 
Midnight" (EL). (3«od $5.00. Last 
week, "Huthless" (EL) and "Shed 
No Teats" (EL) (2d wk-S days), 
$1,800.. 

Downtown (WB) (1,800; 60-$l)— 
"Key Laigo" (WB) and "Music 
Man" (Mtonb) (2d wk). Stout $18,- 
000. Last week, socko $25,000. 

Downtown Music Hall (Blumen- 
feld) (872; • 60-$l) — "Commandos" 
(Col) and "Invaders". (Col) (re- 
issues). Fair $7,000. Last week. 
"Next Time Love" (Indie) and 
"Godfrey" (Indie) (reissues), small 
$5,400. 

Egyptian (FWC) (1,538; 60^1)— 
"Island With You" (M-G). Brisk 
$14,000. Last week, "Summer Holi- 
day" (M-«) and "Big City" (M-G) 
(2d wk), light $6,800. 

EI Bey (FWC) (861: 60-$l) — 
"Canon City" (EL) and "Lady Mid- 
night" (EL). Good $4,500. Last 
week, "Ruthless" (KL) and "Shed 
No Teats" (EL) {2d V?k-5 days), 
$2,000. 

Esciuire (Rosener) (685; 85-$L20) 
■ —"Dreams Money Can Buj'" (Xadie) 
(2d wk) and "Girl of Canal" (Indie) 
(2d wk). Nice $2,500. Last week, 
$4,000. 

Four SUr (UA-WC) (900; eO-$l) 
—"Search" (M-G> (4th wk). Steady 
$4,500. Last week, pleasing S4,700. 

GuBd (FWC) (968; 60-$l) — 
i'-Abbott and CosteUo Meet Ftanl^- 
enstein" (U) and 'TCing of Olym- 
pics" (UA). Solid $6,000. Last 
week, "Man-Eater Kumaon" (U) 
and "Guns Hate" (RKO) (10 days). 
$3 400. 

Hawaii (G&S-BIumenfcId) (1,106; 
60-.$l) — "Commandos" .(Col) and 
"Invaders" (Col) (reissues). About 
$3,000. Last week, "Next Time 
Love" (Indie) and "Godfrey" 
(Indie) (reissues), $2,900. 

Hollywood (WB) (2,756: (S0-$1}— 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Music 
Man" (Mono) (2d wk). Smooth $17,- 
' 000. Last week, great $22,100. 

Hollywood Mqsic Hail (Blumen- 
feld) (475; 60-K)— "Ctommandos" 
(Col) and "Invaders" (Col) (re- 
issues).' Mild $2,500. Last week, 
"Next Time Love" (Indie) and 
"Godfrey" (Indie) (reissues), only 
$2 too ' 

iris" (FWC) (828; 60-85)— "Meet 
Frankenstein" (U) and "King 
Olympics" (UA). Bright $5,500: 
Last week, "Man-Eatar" (U) and 
f'Guns Hate" (RKO) (10 days), 
modest $3,800. 

LaoHl (Rosener) (890; 85) — "Die 
Fledermaus" (Indie) (4th wk). Oke 
$2,000. Last week, $2,400. 

Loew's State (Loews-WC) (2,404; 
; 60-$l)-^"Deep Waters" (20th) and 
"Checkered Coat" (20th) (2d wk). 
Down to thin $12,000. Last week, 
pleasing $22,500. 

Los Aneeles (D'town-WC) (2,097; 
60r$l)— 'On Island" (M-G). Stout 
$27,000, Last week, "Summer 
Holiday": (M-G) and "Big City" 
(M-G) (2d wk), mild $11,500. 

Loyida (FWC) (1,248; 60-$l> — 
"Dee|t Waters" (BSth) and "Check- 



ered Coat" (20th) (2d wk). Pleas- 
ant $6;000. Last week, good $8,900. 

OTphenni (D'town-WC) (2,210; 
60-$l)— "Canon City" (EL) and 
"Lady at Midnight" (EL). Big 
$20,000. Last week, "Ruthless" 
(EL) and "Shed No Tears" (Et,) (2d 
wk-5 days), mild $4,900. 

Tantaees (Pan) (2,812; 60-$l) — 
"Lulu Belle" (Col) and "Rusty 
Leads Way" (Col). Dim $7,000. 
Last week, "Fighting Father 
Dunne" (RKO) and "Strawberry 
Roan" (Col), slight $10,600. 

Paramount (F&M) (3,398; 60-$l) 
—"Foreign Affair" (Par) and "Big 
Town Scandal" (Par). Good $20,000 
but not big. Last week, "Dream 
Girl" (Par) and "Secret Service In- 
vestigator" (Rep) (2d wk), slim 
$11,500. 

Paramount Hollywood (F&M) 
(1,451; 60-$l) — "Foreign Affair" 
(Par). Strong $18,000. Last week, 
"Dream Girl" (Par) (2d wk), light 
$7,800. 

RKO HUlstteet (RKO) (2,890; 60- 
80)— "Lulu Belle" (0>1) and 
"Rusty" (Oil). Scant $8,000. Last 
week, "Father Ihinne" (RKO) and 
"Strawbeny Boan" (Col), fair 
$17,300. 

Bits (FWC) (1.370; 60-$l)— "Meet 
Frankenstein" (U) and "King 
Olympics" (UA). Bright $8,500. 
Last week, "Man-Eater" (U) and 
"Guns Hate" (RKO) (10 days), 
thin $6,200. 

Studio Ci^ (FWC) (880; 60-$l)— 
"Meet Frankenstein" (U) and 
"King ■ Olympics" (UA). Brisk 
$6,000. Last week, "Man-Eater" 
(U) and "(Suns Hate" (RKO) (10 
days), light $4,400. 

United Aitiais (UA) (2,100; 60- 
$1)— "Meet Frankenstein" (U) and 
"King Olym^cs" (UA). Great 
$20,000. Last week. "Man-Eater" 
(U) and "Guns Hate" (RKO) (10 
days), good $15,400. 

Uptown (FWC) (1,719; 60-$l) — 
"Deep Waters" (20th) and "Check- 
ered Coat" mm (2d wk). Mild 
$4^0. Last week, oke $8,200. 

T«K1W (FWC) (885; 60-85) — 
"Canon City" (EL) and "Lady at 
Miftaight" (EL). Stordy $6,000 or 
dose. Last week, "Ruthless" (EL) 
and ';Shed Ifo Tears" (£L) (2d wk- 
S days), $2,100. 

Wilshire (FWO (2,296; 60^1) — 
"On Island" (M-G). Smart $14,000. 
Last week, "Summer Holiday" 
(M-G) and "Big aty" (M-G) (2d 
wk), $6,600. ^ 

Wattan <WB) (2,300; 60-$l) — 
"Key Laigo" (WB) and "Music 
Man" (Mono) (2d wk). Fine $14,- 
000. Last week, big $20,400. 



'Street' $17,000, lelody' 
16Ci, Both Fme in Prov. 

Providence, July 27. 

Blue skies and lower takes all 
around. Majestic's "Street With 
No Name" is topping the list of 
new ones, with "Melody Time" also 
nice. Second week of "Easter 
Parade" is neat at Loew's State. 
Estimates for This Week 

Albee (RKO) (2,200; 44t65) — 
"Melody Time" (RKO) and "Mys- 
tery in Mexico" (RKO). Nice 
$16,000. Last week, "Return of 
Bad Men" (RKO) and "Bill and 
Coo" (RKO), $15,500. 

Carlton (Fay) (1,400; 44-«5) 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"For You I Die" (WB) (2d run). 
So-so $4,000. Last week, "All My 
Sons" (U) and "King of Gamblers" 
(Reo) (2d run), fair $3,500; 

Fay's (Fay) (1,400; 44-65)— "Man- 
Eater of Kumaon" (U) and "Stage 
Struck" (Rep). Fair $5,000. Last 
week, "Flowing Gold" (WB) and 
"God's Country and Woman" (WB) 
(reissues); $4,500. ■ 

Majestic (Fay) (2,200; 44-65) — 
"Street No Name" (20th> and 
"Checkered Coat" (20th). Fine 
$17,000. Last week, "Romance 
On High Seas" (WB) and "For You 
I Die" (WB), good $15,000. 

State (Loew) (3,200; 44-65) — 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (2d wk). 
Very nice $15,500. First was sock 
$22,000. 

Strand (Silverman) (2,200; 44-65) 
—"Coroner Creek" (Col) and "Port 
Said" (Col). Opened Monday (26). 
Last week, "Dream Girl" (Par) and 
"Big Town " Scandal" (Par), trim 
$12,000. 



'Melody' Tuneful 
M in Wash. 

Washington, July 27. 
The moppet trade is saving the 
mid-sector from the usual summer 
doldrums, mth ■Vne- youngsters 
dragging their parents to "Melody 
Time" at RKO Keith's and to "Give 
My Regards to Broadway" at 
Loew's Capitol. Actual draw at lat- 
ter is mainly the stage show, star- 
ring Tex Ritter and his horse. 
Holdovers of two musicals, "Em- 
lieror's Waltz" at the Warner and 
"Easter Parade" at Loew's Palace, 
look fsdily steady. 

Es^tUnates for Hds Week' 
Capitol (Loew's) (2.434; 44-80)— 
"Ee^urds to Broadway" (20Ui) plus 
Tex Ritter and his horse flipping 
stageshow. Wg $28,000. Last week, 
"Rnthless" (EL) with vaude, only 
$18,000, below expectations. 

ColtBtliU (Loew's) (1,263; 44-70) 
—"island With You" (H-G) (2d 
(Continued dn page 22) 



Weadier.C^ n%;1hreaffl' 
DnHlliOII), Itoots' Smash 24G,2li 



'MairBFbk$22,0()0,NewIlubAce; 
?ara(le'Hot34G,'HoiKe'%Bothld 



niiladelphia, July 27. 

Perfect weather, which lured 
thousands away to shore resorts, 
is.slou^bing'bi/ this week. In ad- 
dition, there were such other 
drains on the customer pot^tial 
as ' the pennant-bent Atliletics 
(packing Sbibe Park daily) and the 
Wallace conventioa which lured 
other capacity throngs to the ball 
park and Convention hall. 

'Tap Roots" at the Goldman, 
and "Easter Parade" continue to 
be standout, latter in third stanza 
at MastbauHi. 'Tap Boots" at 
night week^d shows had lines, 
and will stiU be big on initial 
holdover session. "Dream Girl" 
turned out to be a nightmare for 
the Stanley. "Deep Waters" also 
did little at the Fox. 

Estimates for This Week 

Aldine (WB) (1,303; 50-94) — 
"Smart Woman" (Mono). Yanked 
after four days and replaced by 
'TntermeESffl" (UA) (reissue). Sad 
$S,000. Last week, "Mitn of Evil" 
(UA), $3,000. 

Arcadia (S&S (700; 50-94) — 
"Romance High Seas" (WB). Less 
than expected at $5,000. Last 
week. "On Meity Way" " (UA), 
strong $6,200. 

Boyd (WB) (2,350; 50-94)— "Par- 
adine Case" (SRO) (4th wk). Nice: 
$16,000. Last week, $18,800. 

Earle (WB) (2,700; 50-94) — 
"River Lady" (U). Sunk without 
trace at $14,000. Last week, "Un- 
conquered" (Par), $15,500. 

Fox (20th) (2,250; 50-94)— "Deep 
Waters"- (20th). Running very 
still at $19,000. Last week, "Street 
No Name" (20th) (3d wk), okay 
$16,000. 

Goldman (Goldman) (1,000; 50- 
94)— 'Tap Roots" (U>. Hottest 
tiling in town, with sock ^000 



this round. Last week, $36,000, 
somtional for this spot. 

Kailton (Goldman) (1.000; 50- 
94)— "Beriin Express" (RKO) (2d 
wk). Trim $10,500. Last week, 
streamlined $15';000. 

Keith's (Goldman) (1,300; 50-94) 
— 'Island With* You" (M-G). Fair 
$6,000 or near. Last week, "Let- 
ter Unknown Woman" (U), $5,000. 

Fix (Cummins) 500; 50-94) — 
"Lady from Shanghai" (CoU. 
Good $6,000. Last week. "Haw 
Deal" (EL), $5,500. 

Mastbanm <WB) (4JS60;j50-94)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (3d wkh 
Fme $25,000. Last week, great, 
$32,500. 

Stanley (WB) (2,950; 50-94) — 
"Dieam Girl" '(Par). No- dream at 
$14,000. Last week, "Emperor 
Waltz" (Par) (5th wk), fancy 

$15,2(X). y 

Stanton (WB) (1,475; 50-94) — 
"Flowing Gold8 (WB) and "God's 
Country and Woman" (WB) ^(reis- 
sues). sum $8.500.. Last week, 
"Are You With IV (U), $9,000. 

H^Ra£oaiaii9sUp 
Unmderhoof 15€,Baho 

Baltimore, July 27. 

Biz continues offish here with 
spotty returns. Best of current list 
are "Deep Waterfs," doing fairly 
well at New, and "Romance of 
High Seas" is nicely spotted at 
Stanley. Strang Stage support from 
Horace Heidfs radio winners is 
lifting "Tfaunderhoof to okay 
Hippodrome session. 

Estimates for This Week 

Century (Loew's — UA) (3,000; 
20-60)— "Easter Parade" (M-G) (3d 
wk) Maintaining nice pace at $14,- 
(Continued on page 22) 



Key City Grosses 

Estimated Total Gross 
This Week $2,687,700 

(Based on 21 cities, 199 

theofres, chiefly first ruiis^^in- 

eluding N. Y.) 

Total Gross Same Week 

Last Year $2,815,250 

{Based on 21 cities, 197 

theatres). ; 



Despite Det. Heat 

Detroit, July 27. 

When good pictures and stout 
promotion can't lure patrons in 
then the summer dog days are here, 
That's the setup this week. Of new 
pix, "Romance On The High Seas'' 
will ring the bell, with holdover 
"Street.With No Name" also strong, 
"Mr. Blandings" teed off in fancy 
style and is solid. "Emperor Walte'' 
in 4th week still looks sturdy. Most 
of others are weak. 

Estimates for This Week 

Adams (Balaban) (1,740; 70-95)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (2d wk). 
Very good $15,000 compared. to 
stout $17,000 openerw 

Art Cinema (Marten) (459; 60-90) 
—"The Brothers" (Indie) and "Hol- 
iday Camp" (U). Average $3,000. 
Last week, ."Iilagic Bow" (Indie) 
and "Years Between" (Ibdie). $3.- 
500. 

Broadway-Capitol (Uidted De- 
troit) (3.300; 70-95)-^"Intermeczo" 
(Indie) and "Betrayed'* (Indie) (re- 
issues): Fair $10,000. Last week, 
"On Merry Way" (UA) and "Best 
Man Wins" (Col), $6,000 in 4 days, 
and yanked. 

Downtown (Balaban) (2,863; 70- 
95)— "Jassy" (U) and "Are, You 
With It" (U). Very sliib $5,000. 
Last week. "Seven ^nners" (EL) 
and "Sutter's GolA" (EL) (reissues). 
Fair $7,000. 

Fox (Fox-Michigan) (5,100; 70-95) 
—"Street With No Name" (20th) 
and "Adventures Silverado" (Rep) 
(2d wk). Lively $27,000 after solid 
$40,000 first stanza. 

Michiean (U-D) (4,089; 70-95) — 
"Romance of Hi^ Seas" (WB) and 
"Big Punch" (WB). Big $28,000. 
Last week, "On island With You" 
(M-G) and "Speed To Spare" (Par) 
(2d wk). Very good $18,000. 

FalDis-State (U-D) (2,716; 70-95) 
—"Mr. Blimdings Dream House" 
(RKO). Stout $26,000. Last week, 
"nmmeT Creek"- (Col) and "Frendi 
ve" (Mono) (2d wk), surprising 

United Artists (U-D) (2,976; 70- 
95)— 'Emperor -Waltz" (Par) and 
Waterfront Midnight" (Par) (40i 
wk). Strong $14,000 after good 
$16,000 in third week. 



AlCSIIASH $23,000, 

BUFF.; m m m 

Buffalo, July 27. 
"Abbott-Costello Meet Franken- 
stein" is standout here this week, 
with smash session at Lafayette. 
So Evil Jly Love" is a bit disap- 
pamtuig pi Buffalo, but "Return of 
Bad Men" will land nice coin at 
the CJentury, 

Esiinafes for l^is.Week 
..J**!?*'* (Shea) r3,5(H); 40-70)— 

So Evil My Love" (Par) and "Big 
I?^^^^^ " I^fe go«! 

$1/ 500. Last week, "Romance on 
High Seas" (WB) and "Blonde Ice" 
(FC), $14,000. 

S?** I-akes (Shea) (3.400; 40-70) 
— Eastern Parade" (M-G) (2d wk). 
StOl nice at SIS.OOO. Last week, 
great $23,509. wees. 
„ Hipp (Shea) (2.109; 40-70)— 
^^^'^^ (reissue) and 

'Devil's Cargo^' (Par). Trim $10,- 
TOO. Last week, "Street With No 
JJame^- (20th) and "Madonna of 
l>«ert" (Rep) (m o ), about same. 

Tcck (Shea) (1,400; 40-70)— "The 
Search" IM-G). Oke 85,000. Last 
week hmperor Waltz" (Par) 
(m.o.), $4,000. 

..AK?.*^^'i/^^i^?s"> <3.000; 40-70)— 
Abbott-Costello Meet Franken- 
stein" (U) and "Blondie's Reward" 
(Col) Terrific $23,000. Last week, 
cloijed for alterations. 
nnn''*J!'ni?,?**\?2'.<20th Cent.) (3,- 

?S^r?>°"'''Jr,^^^*"™ «f Bad Men" 
(RKO) and "French Leave" (Indie), 
Nice $16,000 or near. Last week. 

snd Mermaids" (RKO) and 
"Fabulous Ttsaa" (Bep), iUjm. 



Boston, July 27. 
With holdovers at three major 
houses and second-run of "Emperor ' 
Waltz" at two smaller houses hk 
has levelled off after last week's 
fine mid-surnmer take. "A Foreign 
Affair" at Met Is only newcomer 
with real drawing power. "Bland- 
ings Builds Dream House" and 
"Easter Parade" are both strong in 
second stanza. 

Estimates for This Week 
Astor (Jaycocks) (1,300; 40-80)-. 
"San Francisco" (M-G) (reissue) 
Fair $4,300. Last week, "Coroner 
Greek". (Col) and "Kings Olympics" 
(UA), sUm $3,000 for third week 

Boston (RKO) (3,200; 40-80) -^ 
"Furnace Creek" (20th) and "Jigsi 
Maggie in Society" (Mono), fflei 
$19,000. Last week, "Fighting 
Father Dunne" (RKO) and "Arizona- 
Ranger" (RKO), fair $16,000. .. 

Exeter (Indie) (1,000; 45-75) — 
"Take My Life" (EL) and "Great 
WaMx" (M-G) (reissue). Average 
$3,600. Last week, "Holiday Camp" 
(U) and "Clouds Over Europe" 
(Indie) $3,000. 

Fenway (MP) (1,373; 40-80 — 
"Emperar Waltz" (Par) and "Big 
Town Scandal" (Par). Nice $7,500 
for second run. Last week, "Deep 
Waters" (20th) and "Jinx Money" 
(Mono) (2d vriO. $4,000. 

Memorial (RKO) (3.000; 40-80)— 
''Mr. Blandings Builds Dream 
House" (SRO) and "Madonna De- 
sert" (Rep). Strong $20,000 after 
solid $24,000 first week. 

MetropoUtan (MP) (4,367; 40-80) 
-"A FoF»gn Affair" (Par) and 
Shaggy" (Par). Neat $22,000. Last 
week. "Romance High Seas" (WB) 
and "Checkered Coat" (20th). dis- 
appointing $14,500. Dr. I. Q. on 
Bfianday ni^ts as added draw. 
Orpheom (Loew) (3,000; 4C"8e)— 
Easter Parade" (M-G). Solid $20,- 
000 after terrific $32,000 first week. 

PanuMunt (MP) (1,700; 40-80)— 
"IBmperor Waltz" (Par) and "Big 
Town Scandal" (Par). Fine $11,000. 
Last weelE. "Deep Waters" (20th) 
and "Jinz Money" (Mono) (2d wk), 
$10,500. ' 

SUte' (L6ew) (3,500; 40-80) — . 
"Easter Parade" a£-G). <]h>od $14,- 
000 after fii» 138.000 fii^. 

Pitt Cooler, Biz Hotten 
larso'Lo«l24€,lkise' 
Sotkll8G,1lelo4y'14e 

* Pittsburgh, July 27. ■ 
Cooler weather is brining a gen^ 
eral boost here; and top-Sight pix 
aren't hurting. Looks like "Key 
Largo" will be easy leader at 
Stanley, and a sure-shot to hold ' 
over. Others moving smartly into 
the win column will be "Melody 
Time" at Warner and "Mr. Bland* 
ings Dream House" at Penn. Otiy 
softie among newcomers is "lettM" ■ 
From An Unknown Woman" at 
Hanis. "Puller Brush atan" still 
going strong in second week at 
Senator and fourth downtown, real 
surprises of summer here. 
Estiaoates for 'Ihis Week 
FnHon (Shea) (1,700; 44-76)— 
"Street No Name" {20th) (3d wk). 
Holds only four days, decision to 
pull Wednesday (28) In favor of 
"Anotlmr Part of Forest" (V\ com- 
ing after mild weekend biz. Looks 
like $3,000 or less. Last week, fine 
$8,500. 

Hards (Harris) C2.200; 44-76>— 
Letter Unknown Woman" <IJ) 
They're not @)lng for this tear- 
jerker, lucky to get $9,000. Last 
week "to Central Park" (U), about 
same."' 

Peui (Loew'S-pA) (3.300; 44-76) 
—"Mr. Blandings Dream House 
(SRO). Doing all right at $18,000. 
but just a little disappointing. 
Last week, second of "Emperor 
Waltz" (Par), bag $17,500. 

Kilz (Loew's) (800; 44-763— "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) (m o. I Bing 
Crosby starrer holding up nicely in 
third week downtown at $4,000 « 
this sukaU-seater. Last week, Uutd 
downtcrvm session for "Island With 
You" (M-G), droopy $2,000. 

Soutwr (Harris) (1.750; 44-76)-- 
"FuUer Brush Man" (Col) (2d wk). 
Holdover here hut actually fourth 
week dovmtoWQ- R«S Sfcelton 
comedy is one of .the summer's top 
clicks. Terrific $4,500 on top ot 
$5,500 last week. 

Stanley (WB) (3,800; 44-76)— 
"Key Largo" (WB). Biggest thuig 
this house has had in months, socko 
$24,000, or close, and cinch to stay. 
Last week '«ream Girl" (Par*, « 
dud at $9,000. 

Warner (WB) (2,000; 44-76)— 
"Melody Time" (RKO). Walt Dis- 
ney's latest a solid smash here wiUi 
$14,000, maybe more, and may hola. 
last week, "Four Fapes We^ 

(UA). $8.soa. 



WeJmi gday, July 28,. 1948 



Key Largo' Pac<!s Chi Stnu|^-Pk 
Bills, Fancy $30,000; 'Street'-Wpi 
Tall fiOaW^ts Same iB 2d 



. . Chicago, July 27. 

Gnicago and Oriental are racing 
neck and neck to reach the $60,000 
}nark this weeli. However, Chicago 
maWng the best showing since it is 
on second week of "Emperor 
Waltz" and the Harmonicats top- 
ping the stagfcshow. Oriental has 
'-Street With No Name" and Kee- 
nan Wynn heading stagebill. 
; ^ Elsewhere biz is spotty, but the 
State-Lake looks fancy $30,000 or 
better for "Key Largo" to top 
Btraight-filmers. Outside of "Waltz," 
EKO-Palace leads the second-week 
array with fine $18,000 for "I Re- 
member Mama." Grand also looks 
nifty $11,000 for second week of 
reissue combo of "Four Feathers" 
and "Drum-s." 

"Paradinc Case" at the Woods is 
holding up solidly in third week 
;with $20,000. • ■ 

Estimates for' This Week 

Apollo (B&K) (1,400; 50-98)— 
"Man in Iron. Mask" (UA) and 
"Gentleman After Dark" (UA) (re- 
issues). Lean $8,000. Last week, 
"Deep Waters" (20th) (2d wk), 
same. 

Chicago (B&K) (3,900; 50-98)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (2d wk) 
with Harmonicats heading stage- 
show. Regal $60,000. LaSt week, 
wow $70,000. 

Garriok (B&K) (900; 50-85)— 
"Black Arrow" (Col) and "Adven- 
ture in Silverado" (Gol) '(2d wk). 
Excellent $10,000. Last week, 
$12,000. 

Grand (RKO) (1,500; 50-98)— 
"Four Feathers" (UA) and "Drums" 
(UA) (reissues) (2d wk). Smart 
$11,000. Last week, $16,000. 

Oriental (Fssaness) (3,400; 50-98) 
—"Street With No Name" (20th) 
, with Keenan Wynn heading stage. 
Lusty $60,000. Last week, "I, Jane 
Doe" (Rep) with Vaughn Monroe 
orch on stage, ditto. 

Palace (RKO) (2,500; 50-98)— 
"Remember Mama" (RKO) (2d Wk). 
Fine $18,000. Last week, big 
$26,000. 

Koosevelt (B&K) (1,500; 50-98)— 
"Mickey" (EL) (2d vfk). Thin 
$7;500. Last week, good $9,500. 

State-Lake (B&K) (2,700; 50-98) 
—"Key Largo" (WB). Lusty $30,000 
or over. East week, "Romance High 
Seas" (WB) (2d wk), $11,000. 

UnHed Artists (B&K) (1,700; 50- 
981— "On Merry Way" (UA) (2d 
wk). Mild $10,000. Last week, 
$15,500. 

, Weeds (Essaness) (1,073; 98)— 
"Paradine Case" (SRO) (3d wk). 
Sharp $20,000. Last week, $27,000. 

World (Indie) (587; 77)— "King's 
Jester" (Indie). Neat $3,500. Last 
week, "Bill and Coo" (Rep) and 
"Cage Nightingales" (Indie) {4th 
Wk), fat $2,500. 

rVHlE OFF; 'STIM' 

mm AT uv^ 

Louisville, July .27. 

After almost a week of rainy 
weather, summer heat has returned 
and finds downtown "houses dovira 
somewhat f r o m the improved 
grosses of last week. Leading the 
van is still "Easter Parade" at the 
State. "Street With No Name" at 
the Rialto looks okay, while "Big 
Punch" at the Mary Anderson is on 
the bright side. _„ . „ . 
Estimates for This Week 

Brown (Fourth Avenue) (1,200; 
45-65)— "Miracle of Bells" (RKO) 
(m.o.). Fairish $4,080. Last week, 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (3r wk), 
medium $3,500. 

Kentucky (Switow) (1,200; 30-40) 
—"Silver River" (WB) and "Tar- 
zan Mermaids" (RKO). Moderate 
$3,000. Last week, "Albuquerque" 
(Par) and "Woman In White" (WB), 

about same. ,^ r , s n 

Mary Aaderson (People's) (1,100; 
45-65^"Big Punch" (WB). -$7^; 
Last week, "Romance mgb Seas 
(WB) (3d wk), $4,500. 
* National (Standard) 45-65) 
—"Foreign Correspondent (IndJe) 
and "Trade Winds" (Indie) (reis- 
sues). Mildish $4,000 Last week 
"Ghost Frankenstein" (U) and 
"Mummy's Tomb" (U) (reissues), 

^•R?alto (FA) (3.400: «f5)- 
"StiPGt No Name" (20th) and 
.-Sweet Genevieve'- (mh). Mild 
$12 000. Last week, "Miracle of 
Bells" (RKO), $15,00a 

State (Loew's) (3.000; 45-65) — 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (2d wk). 
Satisfactory $16,000. Last week, 

''"s"&Wa.OOO; 45-65)-"Fur- 
nace Creek" (20th) and "Devil's 
Carlo" FC) (2d wk). Medium $5,- 
000 after fii-st week's Sturdy $6,500. 



Estimated Total Grosv ' 
Last Week ; . . . ... $590,500 

(Basea on 16 theatres) 

Last Year . .$696,000 

(Basea on l!l theatres) 



wummm grosses 



Break in Heat UpsK.C.; 



Cincy Fast, Tarade' Leads 
At $22,000, W $15,000, 
T€udin"9G,leledy'16G 

Cincinnati, July 27. 
Warm weather biz bulge is ex- 
panding this round. "Easter 
Parade" is topping the town in 
smash stride. Of three other new 
bills, "Melody Time" and "So Evil 
My Love" are on the solid side. 
"Feudin', Fussin"' also is lively. 
Holdovers are fronted by "Abbott 
and CoStello Meet Frankenstein," 
which was terrific and near Keith's 
all-time high. 

Estimates for This Week 
Albee. (RKO) (3,100; 50-75) — 
"Melody Time"' (RKO). Hot $16,000 
or better. Theatre front flashily 
dressed. Last week, "Street. With 
No Name" (20th), hotsy $18,000. 

Capitol (RKO) (2,000; 50-75) — 
TEaster Parade" (M-G). Socko $22,- 
000. Holds, Last week, "Island 
With You" (M-G) (3d wk), all right 
$8,000. 

Grand (RKO) (1,400; 50-75) — 
"Feudin', Fussin'" (U). Lively $9,- 
000. Aided by "Superman" (Col) 
serial. Last week, "Wallflower" 
(Wb) and "Big Punch" (WB) okay 
$7,500. 

Keith's (City Inv.) (1,542; 50-75) 
—"Abbott and Costello Meet 
Frankenstein" (U) (2d wk). RolUck- 
ing $12,500 on heels of colossal 
$20,000 preem for second spot on 
houses's modern fo.o. listings. Holds' 
a third. 

Lyric (RKP) (1,400; 50-75) — 
"Street With No Name" (20th) 
(m;0.). Pleasing $6,500. Last week, 
"Trail of Vigilantes" (FC) and 
"Badlands of ©akota" (FC) (re- 
issues), isdrish $5,500. 

Palace (KKO) (2,600; 50-75)— "So 
Evil My Love" (Par). Sturdy $15,- 
000 or near. Last week, "Romance 
mgh Seas" (WB), great $16,000. 

Shubert (RKO) (2,100; 50-75) — 
"High Seas" (WB) (m.o ). Bounding 
$7,000, Last week, "Emperor 
waltz" (Par) (m.o.), $6,500. 



'Seas' Steady at $14,000 

Kansas City, July 27. 
"Melody Time" at Orpheumhas 
the lead for one of the bigger 
weeks at this RKO house. Film 
is In behind heavy bally, with ex- 
tra boxoffice pull for kids Via 
"Superman" serial at mats. Great 
week and sure holdover looms. 
Best of town likewise is strong. 
"Romance on High Seas" looks 
nice at "Paramount and "Easter 
Parade" is headed for hangup 
$15,000 in second week at Mid- 
land. Weather turned unseasonal- 
ly cool, and stimulated trade all 
around. 

Estimates for This Week 
Esqtare (Fox Midwest) (820; 45- 
65)— "Broadway" (FC) and "Flame 
of New Orleans" (FC) (reissues). 
So-so $3,500. Last week, "In Old 
Los Angeles" (Rep) and "Timber 
Trail" (Rep), $3,000 in 6 days. 

Midland (Loew's) (3,570; 45^65) 
-"Easter Parade" (2d wk) (M-G). 
Solid $15,000. Last week, with six 
shows daily, rolled up neat $28,- 
000, one of biggest weeks house 
ever had with single feature at 
regular scale. ' 

Or^eiun (RKO) (1,900; 45-65)— 
"Melody Time" (BKO) and "My.s- 
tery in Mexico" (BKO). Crack 
$16,000, best here in weeks. Will 
go a second. Last week, "Return 
of Bad Men" (RKO) and "Song 
of Heart" (Mono), nice $11,000. . 

Pazamoimt (Par) (1,900; 45-65)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB). Get- 
ting play on Jack Carson name, 
.steady $14,000. Last week, . "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) (3rd- wk), fine 
$9,000. 

IKoixy (Durwood) (900; ^S-es)— 
^'Mr. Reckless" (Par) and "Water- 
front at Midnight" (Par). Slightly 
over average at $4,000. Last week, 
"Shaggy" (Par) and "Big Town 
Scandal" (Par), $4,500. 

Tower - Vptown - Fairway (Fox- 
Midwest) (2,100, 2,043, 700; 45-65) 
—"Deep Waters" (20th).. Okay 
$16,000 or less in eight days. Last 
week, "Another Part Forest" (U), 
slow $7,000 in 5 days. 



largo'^ Smash $80,000 2d Week 
After Record$95,000Preem;SockBally 
Ai^ 'Babe Rrih'; B'way H^-Jiterally 



lARGO' TAKES KEY TO 
SEATTLE, LODD $16,000 

Seattle, July 27. 
Outstanding this week is "Key 
Largo" at Orpheum with socko 
session. "Tarzan and Mermaids" 
at Palonter and "Arch of Tri- 
umph" at Fifth Avenue also shape 
solid. 

Estimates for This Week 

Blue Mouse (H-E) (800; 45-80)— 
"Central Park" (U) and "Open 
Secret" (EL) (m.o.). Good $4,000. 
Last week, third of, "Romance 
High Seas" (WB) and "Waterfront 
Midnight" (Par), $3,000. 

Fifth Avenue (H-E) (2,349; 45- 
80)— "Arch of Triumph" (UA) and 
"Smart Woman" (Mono). Solid 
$10,000. I..ast week, "Letter Un- 
known Woman" (U) and "Are You 
With It" (U), slow, $5,800. 

Music Box (H-E) (850; 45-80) — 
"Deep Waters" (20th) and "Wom- 
an in White.*" (WB) (4th wk). 
Good $3)500. Last week. $3,800. 

Music Hall (H-E) .(2,200; 45^)— 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) and f'Wom- 
an in White" (WB) (4th wk). Stout 
$7,000 after grand $10,000 last 
week. Big ads on holdover are 
helping. 

Orpheum (H-E) (2,600; 45-80)— 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Fabulous 
Joe" (UA). Sockeroo $16,000 or 
better. Last week, "Central Park" 
(Par) and "Open Secret" (EL), thin 
$6,700. 

Palomar (Sterling) (1.350; 45-80) 
— "Tarzan Mermaids" (RKO) and 
"King of BandiU" (Mono). Sturdy 
$8,000. Last week, "On Island" 
(M-G) and "Lightning in Forest" 
(Rep) (3d Wk), nice $5,300: 

Koosevelt (Sterling) (800; 45-80) 
— "Glmg Ho" (FC) and "Eagle 
Squadron" (FC) ' (reissues). Okay 
$4,000., Last week, "The Pirate" 
(M-G) and "Exposed" (Rep), $3,300 
for fifth downtown week. 

Paramount (H-E) (3,039; 45-80)— 
"Street No Name" (20th) and 
"Here Comes Trouble' (UA) (2d 
wk). Fair $5,000 in 6 days. Last 
week,, nice $11,000. 



laiSe'SiaOOeTDp 
NewStLooHn 



St. Louis, July 27. 

After five weeks of daily rain, 
ranging from showers to cloud- 
bursts with accompanying high 
humidity the skies have cleared, 
the temperature is down but biz 
is still spotty. "Key Largo" looks 
easily stnuigest newcomer. "Easter 
Parade," a b.a. after a socko first 
week, wUl get top coin this session 
Others are mosUy on mild side. 
Estimates for This Week 

Ambassador (F&M) (3.000; 50-75) 
—"Another Part Forest" (U) and 
"Casbah" (U). Mild $15,000. Last 
week, "FuUer Brush Man" (Col) 
and "Trapped Ibty Boston- Blackie" 
(Col), (2d w^), big $12,000. 

Fox (F&M) (5,000; 50-75)— "Key 
Largo" (WB) and "The Checkered 
Coat" (20th). Nice $19,000 or'over. 
Last week, "Dude Goes West" 
(Mono) and "Smart Woman" 
(Mono), $1|,000. 

Loew's (Loew) (3.172; 50-75)— 
"Easter Parade" (MrG) (2d wk). 
Solid $22/)00 after sOCkO $30,000, 
first stanza. 

Mljssoiiri (F&M) (3,500; 50-75) 
"Psjtler Brush Man" (Col) and 
"Fort Apache*: (RKO) (m.o.). Trim 
$14,000. Last week, "Romance High 
Seas" (WB) and "Fort Apache" 
(RKO) {m.o.) (2d wk), $6,000. 

Orpbeiun (Loew) (2,000; 50-75)— 
"Sign of Ram" (Col) and "Police 
Reporter" (SG). Fair $8,000. Last 
week, "On Island with You" (M-6) 
and "Murdef- in Reverse" (Ind.) 
(m.o.) (2d wk), neat $6,000. 

St. Louis (F&M) (4,000; 50-60)— 
"Blood and Sand" (20th) and 
"Wafte Up Screaming" (20th) (re- 
issues). Oke $9,000. Last week. "SI- 
ver River" (WB) and "Fury at Fur- 
nace Creek" (20th) (2d run), $6,000. 

Shubert (Ind) (1,500; 40-60)— "I, 
Jane Doe" (Rep) and "Gallant 
Legion" (Rep). Smart $6,000. Last 
week, ''Emperor Waltz" (Par), and 
"Shaggy" (Par) (m.o.) (2d wk), 
solid $5,000. 



Estimates Are Net 

Film gross estimates as; re^ 
ported herewith from the vari- 
ous key cities, are net, te., 
without the 20% tax. Distribu- 
tors share on net take, wJien 
playing .,p»eentage, hence the 
estimatea figures are net in- 
come. 

The parenthetic admission 
prices, however, as in d ic at e d, 
include the U. S. amHsemcait 
.tax. 



Heavy rainfall three times in the 
last seven days is enabling Broad- 
way firstruns to make a very 
healthy shpwirig this week. Relief 
from sweltering heat, until yester- 
day (Tues.), not only kept many 
people in town but also helped de- 
luxers ride out the strike of air- 
conditioning enguaeers. Only RKO 
and Loew houses still being pick- 
eted up to presstime yesterday 
(Tues.). AH other spots came to an 
agreement with the union last . Fri- 
day (23) night after aircondition- 
ing was off only from the opening 
that day through' Friday afternoon, 
strike having started that day. 

Rain in afternoon Friday and 
opening of theatre exit doors 
helped overcome lack of refrigera- 
tion, keeping refunds down to a 
minimum. Return of humid 
weather yesterday was taking an 
increasing toll at RKO and Loew 
spots. 

Top newcomers shape to be 
'Babe Ruth Story," at Astor, and 
"So Evil My liOve" at Rivoli. 
Former^did a resounding opening 
day's trade of $9,000 yesteiday 
(Tues.) after gala preem for bene- 
fit of Babe Ruth Foundation Mon- 
day (26) night. Babe Ruth opus has 
benefit of heavy bally, an excellent 
campaign and radio plus TV cover- 
age at preem, with Mayor O'Dviryer, 
who had made Monday "Babe Ruth 
Day" in attendance along with the 
home-nm champ himself. 

"My Love" is getting a solid 
$37,000 in first week at RivoU vrith 
last Wednesday (21) night's per- 
formances being added revenue for 
session,' Fine array of reviews 
were used to plug the film via spe- 
cial display ads. "Deep Waters" 
looks shallow $14,000 at Globe, and 
stays only five days past first Week^ 
"Four Faces West"- coming in 
Aug. 3. 

"Money Madness" and "Blonde 
Ice" wiU land bandbox Rialto big 
$11,(M)0, sensational lobby giving 
combo added boost. 

"Key Largo" plus Count Basic 
band and Billie Holiday ' heading 
stage show, which hit all-time -high 
of $95,000 opening week, still is 
smash at $80,000 or close in initial 
holdover stanza at the Strand. 

Roxy, with "Street No Name" 
and ice show plus Cab Calloway, 
Vivian Blaine, Jackie MUes on- 
stage, continues big in second 
round at $92,000 or near. "Em- 
peror Waltz" shapes soUd $124,000 
in sixth session, at Music Hall, 
holding a seventh. 

"Foreign Affair," with Jo Staf- 
ford and Sam Donahue band top- 
ping stagebill, looks good $60,000 
for fourth ff-ame at Paramount, 
holding a fifth. "Easter Parade" 
also is holding up nicely at $42,000 
for fourth round, espeaally in view 
of pickets and alrconditioning be- 
ing out 

"Abbott-Costello Meet Franken-^ 
stein" tees off today (Wed.) at Cri- 
terion, after three solid weeks with 
"Canon City," final wilting because 
Loew oi>eration was without its 
alrconditioning. 

Capitol brings in "On Island 
With You" and "Stop Music" ra- 
dio show tomorrow (Thurs.) after 
■five highly profitable weeks with 
"Fort Apache" and stageshow 
topped by Lena Home. Final 
round was $54,000, okay. 
, Estimates for This Week 
Astor (City Inv.) (1,300; 80-$1.80) 
' Babe Ruth Story" (Mono). 
Opened Monday (26) with elaborate 
world preem bally at special bene- 
fit, upped price showing. First full 
day open to public yesterday 
(Tues.) hit near smash $9,000. At 
opening day's pace should break 
house record. In ahead, finar 4 
days of 9th week for "Melody 
Time" (RKO) was $6,000 after 
okay $12,000 eight stanzia. 

.Capitol (Loew's) (4,820; 80-$1.50) 
— "JPt. Apache" (RKO) plus Lena 
Home, Sklnuay Ennis orch head- 
ing stageshow (5th-final wk), Down 
to ^54,000 after nice $60,000 for 
fourth, house not being helped any 
by having no air-conditioning. 
"Island With You" (M-G) and "Stopr 
Music" radio show on stage opens 
tomorrow (Thurs.). 

Criterion (Loew's) (1,700; 70- 
$1.85) — "Abbott-Costello Meet 
Farankenstein" (U). Opens today 
(Wed.). Third week of "Canon 
City" (EL) ending last (Tues.) night 
was off to $15,000 after fine $20,- 
000 for second, heat with no cool- 
ing plant hurting. 

Globe (Brandt) (1,500; 90-$1.50) 
—"Deep Waters" (20th). Strictly 
very shallow at $14,000; stays only 
5 days past first week, "Four Faces 
West" (UA) opening Aug. 3. In 
ahead, second week of "Furnace 
Creek" (20th) mild $7,500. 
Gotham (Brandt) (900; 70-$1.20) 



— ^'Mickey" (EL) plus personal by 
Lois Butler, new star of film (2d- 
final wk). StiU okay at $7,500 after 
sturdy $10,000 opener. 

Mayfair (Brandt) (1,736; 90-$1.80) 
—"Time of Life" (UA) (9th wk). 
Down to $10,000 after $11,000 for 
eighth frame. Stays until Aug. 4 
when "Return of Bad Men" (RKO) • 
opens. . 

Palace (BKO) (1,700; 40-95)— 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Fighting Father Dunne" (RKO) 
(2d runs). Despite being picketed 
by air-conditioning engineers, looks 
to climb to rousing $13,000, best 
here in some time. Last week,; 
"River Lady" (U) and "Letter Un- 
known Woman" (U), nice $11,000, 
Paramount (Par) (3,664; 55- 
$1.50)— "Foreign Affair" (Par) with 
Jo Stafford, Sam Donahue orch 
topping stagebill (5th-final wk). Off 
a bit at $60,000 but still oke for 
fourth session ended last (Tues.) 
night; third was $70,000. "Beyond 
Glory" (Par) opens Aug. 4. 

Radio City Music Hall (Rocke- 
fellers) (5,945; 80-$2.40) — "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) with stageshow 
(6th wk). Continues solidly at 
$124,000 this round after $129,500 
for fifth. Stays a seventh, with over 
$980,000 total gross likely for seven 
weeks, highest for any film here 
this year. "Date With Judy" (M-G) 
opens Aug. 5'. 

Bialio (Mage) (594; 44-99)-— 
"Money Madness" (FC) and 
"Blonde Ice" (FC). Started last 
Saturday (24) with sock biz, and 
looks to wind up first week with 
$11,000, great for this combo. 
Holds, naturally. Last week, 
"Drums" (FC) (reissue 2d wk-8 
days), big $9,500. « 

RUroU (UAT-Par) (2,092; 60- 
$1.25)— "So Evil My Love" (Par). 
Teed off last Wednesday (21) night 
and looks very big $37,000 or near 
in week ending today (Wed.), July 
21 night business being included. 
In ahead, third week (Wi days) of 
"Crusades" (Par) (reissue) was 
$12,000. 

Roxy (20th) (5,886; 80-$1.80)— 
"Street No Name" (20lh) with Cab 
Calloway, Jackie Miles, Vivian 
BlaiiCe and iceshow with. Carol 
Lynne on stage (3d wk). Still in 
chips with $92,000 or less, rugged, 
after smash $116,000 opener albeit 
a bit below.hopes. Getting $1.80 on 
weekends is big help. 

State (Loew's) (3,450; 80-$1.50)— 
"Easter Parade" (M-G) (5th wk). 
Continues in fine fashion at $42,000 
or close in fourth stanza ended last 
(Tues.) night alter sockeroo $55,000 
for third. Stays on indef , milder 
weather a break with aircondition 
engineers picketing. 

Strand (WB) (2.756; 76-$! .75)— 
"Key Lar7o" (WB) and stagebill 
topped by Count Basie orch, Billie 
Holiday. Initial holdover session 
looks to hit terrific $80,000 or close 
after soaring to all-time house 
record here at $95,000 on first 
week, way over expectancy. Using 
six stageshows Sunday and five 
Saturclay opening week, making 
this virtually an 18-hour operation 
these days. Biggest thing here in 
years. 

Victoria (City Inv.) (720; 70- 
$1.50)— "Raw Deal" (EL) (3d wk). 
Third frame ending today (Wed.) 
is down to okay $9,000 after 
$11,000 for second. Stays over until 
end of week, with house shutter- 
ing Aug. 1 for facelifting and en- 
larging capacity. Reopening not set 
until this fall. 

Winter Garden (UA) (1,312; 55- 
$1.25) — "Man-Eater of Kumaon" 
(U) (4th-final wk). X>'ourth round 
ending today (Wed.) looks only 
$7,000 or less after okay $10,000 
for third week. Hou.se brings in 
pair of second-runs, "Killers" (U) 
and "Brute Force" (U), tomorrow , 
(Thurs.). , 



OMMA UHS YARADE,' 
$15^00; 'NOOSE' lit 

Omaha, July 27. 

Smart summer bookings will 
keep things humming this week. 
Paramount is way out in front 
with "Easter Parade" and smash 
total. Plenty of newspaper space 
and radio hookups let town know 
the film was here. "Noose Hangs 
High" looks next best at Orpheum. 
Estimates for This Week 

Paramount (Tristates) (2,800; 
16-65) — "Easter Parade" (M-G). 
Sock $15,500, top shelf trade. Last 
week, "Romance High Seas" (WB), 
$10,500. 

Orpheum (Tristates) (3,000; 16- 
65)— "Noose Hangs High" (EL) and 
"Enchanted Valley" (EL). Healthy 
$11,000. Last week, "Man From 
(Continued on page 22) 



VednegJay, Jul y 28, l,94j' 





as New York critics follow their 
— .,.»;'Etnperor Waltz" and "Foreign Affair" 

raves with high praise for ... . 

paramoim:1TH1RDJ!W^^ 




From First Out-Of- 
Town Dates 

It's topping Para- 
mount's previous top- 
suspense drama of 1948 
in Atlantic City and 
Cincinnati. 



- BOOK .''THfflUciC CITY"-FR^^' 



WedncBday, July 28, 1948 








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Un^tded French Setup Real Bar 
To Yank Cos. Producing in France 



- ■ Paris, July 20. + 

American producers on visits 
here are displaying interest in con-> 
ditlons prevailing at local studios, 
which they feel might be used to 
]6etter advantage than at present. 

Production costs and facilities in 
France are such: that American 
producers might be tempted to 
shift part of'their operations over 
here. However, apart from the 
restrictions on exchange, which 
malce it hard for them to retain 
profit on their local productions, 
they find political and labor condi- 
tions unsettled. They have learned 
that shooting schedules are not, 
kept; and this might make produc- 
tion extremely costly; It is under- 
stood that local producerfs, when 
running overtime, allow for it in 
their budgets. 

But a U, S. producer, with a 
star set a definite period of time 
over here would find his troubles 
doubled if a local pic was delayed 
as is often the case here. This 
might inean a total loss. ' 

Until the French agree to allow 
Americans to bring money and 
talent, but alscf management in 
their studios, there won't be much 
percentage in going to production 
here. . 

Currently, there are about 24 
pix rolling in France which is a 
vast improvement over a few 
months back. But of these about a 
third are locatiog work or produced 
strictly in the provinces so as to 
avoid Paris Special t difficulties. 
The Butte Chaumont studios have 
not been reopened. 

The Locarno festival gave the 
French three inentions; script of 
"Vie en Hose>V camera work in 
black dnd white, "Chartreuse de 
Parme" and femme acting, Maria 
Casares in "Chartreuse de Parme." 
"White Fury," made in England, 
also won the colored camera prize. 
America got prizes for direction 
(John Ford) and male acting, Vic- 
tor Mature while "Berlin, Zero" 
(Italian) was adjudged the best film 
shown., • : 



Tarzan's Nip Click 

Tokyo, July 20. 

Hizzoner the Emperor will 
have to learn to swing from a 
tree if he's to keep up with the 
postwar object of traditional 
Jap hero-worship. The new 
god-^at least if the boxoffice 
is a criterion — is that old 
Hollywood stalwart, Tarzan. 

Motion Picture Export Assn. 
reports that Metro's "Tamn's 
Secret Treasui-e," which re- 
cently played lirstrun in four 
cities here, annihilated all for- 
mer film records. In a six- 
theatre day-and-date Tokyo 
preem it amassed total playing 
time of 129 days with an audi- 
ence of 790,000. It ran S3 days 
firstrun in Kyoto to 295,000 
people, 105 days in- Osaka to 
384,000 stubholders and 84 
days in Kobe to lOStOOO people. 



Geneva Unveils Frencli 
Revue Albeit damblii^ 
Proves More Exciting 

Geneva,. July 20. 

The Kursaal casino, combo, 
gambling and revue showplace 
here, debuted its "Revue 1948" last 
week (16), with the town's Ameri- 
can colony and plenty of English- 
speaking rubbernecks helping biz. 

Show is a pale carbon copy: of 
the Folies Bergere of Paris but 
rates as better than average enter< 
tainment considering Geneva's 
120,000 population. Production is 
typically French in style and con- 
ception but is 'a far cry from the 
Parisian spectacles. For example, 
the revue sports only a single nude 
and that a beefy female exhibited 
well back in the stage shadows. 
Terpsing could stand a lot of im- 
provement and a healthy injection 
of female pulchritude. There is a 
24-gal chorus and with two excep- 
tions aU of them would have a 
tough time landing a job in a good 
Manhattan nitery. • 

The entertainment is divided 
Into 18 tableaux and three ' acts 
separated by 25-minute intermis- 
sions. 

Comedy sketches, starring Paul- 
ine Carton (so-called Swiss Marie 
Dressier), and comic Henri Lauriac 
get most kudos from the crowd 
though their fast patter is rough 
on -the: Anglaises, The most Ameri- 
can sketch parodies the "new 
look," and was also well received, 
while the nearest thing to bur- 
lesque 'is provided, by French 
funnyman Gus Trejan In a skit 
called "Mad Desire." 

Highpoint and finale of the show 
is a Genevoise version of the 
French can-can. The gals went 
over big with the locals' but their 
performance need cause no worries 
to their Parisian dompetition. 



Postwar Salzburg 
Festival Looking For 
Biggest Crowd to Date 

Vienna, July 20. 
Fourth postwar Salzburg Festi- 
val, which opens July .28 with the 
Gluck opera, "Orpheus "and Eury- 
dice" in the Rocky Arena, and 
closes Aug. 31, with "Hlveryman" 
in Cathedral Square', is ' slated to 
draw the biggest attendance since 
the war stopped. Last 'year's figure 
of 80,000 viiSitors likely will be 
topped, with 100,000 expected. 

Baton wielders will include 
Arthur Bodzinski, "Wilbelm Furt- 
wahglep; John Barbirolli, Herbert 
Karajan, Joseph Krips 'and Ferenc 
Fricsay (Hungar^ian). 

.City of Salzburg is • the birth- 
place of Mozart and two ''of his 
operas will be given, "II Seraglio" 
and "Figaro." Furtwangler will 
conduct Beethoven's "Fidelio." 
Fricsay will direct .a- new Swiss 
opera by Frank Martin called 
"Magic Drink;" wliich has its 
preem Aiig. i5. 

The drama end will have Grill- 
parzer's "Des Meeres und der Liebe 
Wellen.." Helene Thimig, widow of 
Max Beinhardt, who helped make 
the festivals famous, is again stag- 
ing "Everyman," and playing in it. 
Attila Horbiger has the title role. 

Besides the influx of the music- 
loving Austrians themselves, a good 
share of the crowd wilt be made up 
of American and other Allied mili- 
tary and civilian occupation per- 
sonnel in Austria and Germany. 
Every available . bed in town is 
taken' for the festival period. U, S. 
army rest center at Mondsee, 20 
miles from here, is being lused for 
overflow billeting. : 

Salzburg Festival has been cele- 
brated since 1842, with a Mozart 
memorial program, but , festivals 
on the contemporary scale got. un- 
derway soon after .World War I. 
Prime movers were Reinhardt, 
Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Rich- 
ard Strauss. 



Paris Runaround 

"f Borrah Minevilch— . 

Paris, July 21. 

Gladys Lloyd Robinson UVIrs, 
Ed. G.) off to Switzerland after 
having won Paris by a tech (ni- 
color) knockout with her art 
show. She never touched a brush 
until a year ago. 

Irving Allen awaiting Franchot 
Tone and Charlie Laughton for 
the pic, "Eiffel Towel" to be shot 
here. 

Georges Carpentier, admittuig 
5!>, says the next heavyweight 
winner will still be Joe Louis. 
.»Crust of living cost note: $3 for 
a good melon , . . in July . . * but 
the price of a good maid 90c, per 
day, or 25c. by the hour. 

Thrill of the week: Mistinguett 
(she's 82) and Sophie Tucker 
making mad violent physical fun 
"dancing" at the Lido. 

A little Berlitz would make Yves 
Montand as big in the V. S. as 
Chevalier. 

Harry Foster's lovely new wife. 

Llgyds here will give you "plen- 
ty to one" there'll be a new "first 
lady" comes November. 

If the Marshall plan took the 
same holidays they do here, we'd 
get that 33Mi% cut automatically. 
Five shutdown days this week. 

Sol Kaplan's ("Alice in Wonder- 
land") wife, Fran Ileflin, (Van 
Ileflin's sister) in "Glass Men- 
agerie" (London) with Helen 
flayes. 

Suzy Solidor reopens her Club 
de I'Opera Sept. 10, until she re- 
turns to the Versailles, N, Y., next 
Jan. 20. 

Anatole Litvak and Edward G. 
Robinson off to Deauville (Tasino 
to pay their "dues." 

Columbia Records (U. S.) 
grabbed Richard Josef Inger (the 
Palestine Chaliapin) ' for a flock 
of records. , ' 

The 20 top French film stars, 
including Annabella, got only 
smattering applause at the Eiffel 
Tower charity event sponsored by 
the President of France, but judg- 
ing by the thunderous greetings 
given Charles Boyer, Hedy La- 
marr and Ingrid Bergman, as weU 
as Rita Hayworth and Eddie Rob- 
inson, it takes an American filni 
to make a European star. 

Louella Parsons - and Charles 
Boyer doing a radio shot to U. S. 

Lana Turner and Bob Topping 
off to Cannes. 

Oscar Ilammerstein's dau^ter 
at Sophie Tucker's opening' at lies 
Ambassadeurs. 

Duke Ellington and Pearl Bail- 
ey's concerts at Salle Pleyel. 

Darryl Zanuck, wife and daugh- 
ter having a wonderful time. 

Cynda Glenn seriously going to 
work this time. 

George Jessel had them roaring 
at the American Club luncheon. 



Tivoli (Aussie) Chief j;o london 
Melbourne, July 27. 

David N. Martin, managing di- 
rector of TivoU circuit, together 
with Mrs. Martin, planed out July 
22 for England for a three -month 
stay to survey British acts and 
shows for importation to Australia. 

There's a possibility that he may 
make a quick trip to the U. S. 
following his English stay. 



Naples Festival Stalled 

, London, July 20. 
Gino Arbib, of J. H. Interna- 
tional Agency, back from the Con- 
tinent, states that the International 
Festival which was to have been 
held in Naples from July 15 to 
August 1 has been postponed tem- 
porarily. He stated, that all the art- 
ists and bands of Geraldo- and 
Lopez who have been booked for 
the occasion had cooperated by 
relinquishing their arrangements. 

'Lady' in London Preem 

London, July 20. 

"Written for a- Lady,*' comedy- 
drama of racial and social prej- 
udices, opened Wednesday (14) at 
the Garrick. 

The theme seems improbable 
and, ■ despite splendid ." perform- 
ances, particularly that of Clif- 
ford Mollison, the play's appeal 
seems limited. 



Ed Sullivan 

Continued from page 1 



Fear Govt. Control of Radio In 
So. Africa; New Regime Picks Pets 



Tom OUtiei Due Over 

London, July 27. 

Tom O'Brien, a labor leader in 
Parliament and head of National 
Assn. of Theatrical and Cinemato- 
graph Employees, is gomg to at- 
tend the lATSE national conven- 
tion being held in Cleveland. 

He sails from here Aug. -7, 

Argentine Signs More 
Foreign Stars, With O.S., 
British Players Sought 

Buenos Aires, July 20. 

Considerable ballyhoo is being 
done h.ere as a result of the His- 
pano-American Movie Congress in 
Madrid, Spain, having declared the 
Argentina Sono Film picture, "Dies 
se lo Pague," the best picture sub- 
mitted to the contest, and Luis 
Cesar Amadori, the best Argentine 
director. Film stars Arturo de 
Cordova with ZuUy Moreno. 

Trend by local studios to sign up 
foreign talent seems to be spread- 
ing. There is talk of bids being 
made to Mexico's ace direetot, 
£mMio'(&l Indio) Fernandez, at the 
rate of $50,000 per pic. This would 
imply a similar bid for Gabriel 
Figueroa, Fernandez' famous cam- 
eraman, with total involved 
amounting to around $80,000 for 
the two. 

These reports have disturbed the 
local association of film directors 
and there is agitation to ban the 
entry of foreign meggers into Ar- 
gentine studios. 

Antonio Garcia Smith, currently 
managing director of Artistas Ar- 
gentinas Aispciados, is reported to 
have received bids from a new pro- 
duction setup, which is to make 
pix in Argentina with U. S. or Brit- 
ish stars,' and with a backing of 
$5,000,000. George Sanders and 
Vivien Leigh are now being talked 
of as coming to Argentina under 
this new setup. 

SINCCA, which has only made 
documentaries and newsreels to 
date* now plans to build its own 
sets at San Isidro, a populous sub- 
mib • on the banks of the River 
Plate, for which it has a capital of 
$1,000,000. SINCCA was set up 
about a year ago to make Catholic 
propaganda pix and is believed to 
have backing from Vatican sources. 
SINCCA will make historical pix. 



* Capetown, July n .' 

Possibility of Interference bv tW 
new South African Nationalist e„v - 
ernment in the policy of South 
African Broadcasting Corp f2 
propaganda purposes is 



concern to those connected with 
radio here. R. S. Caprara, present 
director general, has reached th* 
retirement age of 60 and is reslffll 
ing his post in August. 

Nationalist party groups iif» . 
lobbying for J. F. Marais, a prewar 
South African Broadcasting Corp 
official, as his successor. Mar»ij 
was in charge of Afrikaans (Dutch) ' 
programs but he was disinissed ' 
front post after the outbreak of war 
and was later interned when found 
in possession of radio transimitting 
apparatus.. His appointment would ' 
nearly be certain to cause 
uproar among the broadcastin? 
studios, particularly the English 
speaking section. However, it is 
cited that appointing Marais to this 
position would be in line with Na- 
tionalist Party's policy of favoring 
all those whom they regarded as 
being "persecuted" during the War 
by the Smuts government. \ 

In addition to this vacancy, the 
Nationalists are expected to take 
advantage of the termination of the' 
office of chairman on Board- or . 
Governors, due this month, to nsjne. ■' 
Uieir own nominee. 

Hint of the intention of the new • 
government to interfere in I'adio 
affairs was given last week via an 
article in a daily here. Regarded 
as mouthpiece of the party, this 
paper's story violently attacked the 
SABC for relaying with B.B.C. 
news containing a resume of Gen- 
eral Smuts speech on his first pub- 
lic platform since his defeat. 
Article accuses SABC of further-' 
ing interests of General Smuts as 
opposed to the Nationalist Party 
and thereby "besmirching the pre*" ' 
ent government of South Afries." 

Another action of the new gov- 
ernment, which has been causing 
comment, is the replacing of retir- 
ing members on the South African 
Board of Film Censors by Afri- 
kaner elements. - However few in 
trade see any political implications 
in this. 

Yank Disks Used By ' 
Army in Two Projects 
To Reorient Nippons 



Tokyo. July 10. 

Japanese music lovers will soon 

with General Lavalle the subject i be getting heavy doses of western 
tor the first story, - I music via two projects recently 

Cosmos Film has lined up dis- 1 launched by Occupation headquar- 



JEWISH FILMS INTO DISTKtB 

Jewish Films Distributors, 
headed by Ellas Marks, was formed 
last week to distribute foreign pix, 
principally Jewish, Palestinian and 
Polish-made Yiddish films. 

Company's first release is a 
French-made documentary in. Yid- 
dish, "We Livfe Again," and may 
open next month in N, Y. 



would have no hard feelings. Sev- 
eral headliners. Including Phil 
Silvers, Sid Caesar and .lohnny 
Burke, were among those who had 
refused to go on for him. 

CBS head of television opera- 
tions, Merritt Coleman, and Mar- 
lowe Lewis of the Blaine-Thomp- 
son agency, handling the show, 
backed up Sullivan's statements 
and declared they would be" glad 
to abide by any wage decision 
reached through negotiations with 
the unions. 

Sullivan's interrogation was orig- 
in^ly asked by the American 
Guild of Variety Artists because of 
reports of "pressure" and low sal- 
aries. 

Far-Reachine Effect 
While, there's no likelihood that 
any further talks will be held with 
Sullivan, it's expected that yester- 
day's meetings will have a far- 
reaching effect on the final wage 
scale to be adopted. It's likely 
that a rule similar to that of the 
American Federation of Radio Art- 
ists' Rule 15 will be adopted This 
clause prevents any- performer for 
working on a radio show for less 
than his usual salary: Rule was 
adopted some years ago as a result 
of the "Hollywood Hotel" show 
with Louella O. Parsons. Miss 
Parsons, at that time, was charged 
With getting top performers to 
work at a fraction of their regular 
salarie.s. 

It's, likely that the unions will 



tribution for Lumtton pix in the 
U. S., Philippine Islands and Ha- 
waii, in their Argentine-made Span- 
ish versions wi,th English sub-titles. 
The first picture to-be distributed 
under this arrangement is to be 
"El Cantor del Pueblo," with tango 
vocalist Alberto Castillo. 

Argentina Sono Film is mulling 
a story lor Zully Moreno called 
"Calle- Florida," playing up the 
famous street which is the Fifth 
Avenue of Buenos Aires. It looks 
as though Emelco has lost its fight 
with Italian star, Amedeo Nazzari, 
who had nixed the story presented 
him by the studio. Nazzari finally 
approved a second story submitted 
by the studio and gained his point 
also m not having Luis Saslavsky 
direct him, but. his compatriot 
Leonviola, who megged with him 
in Italy. So much time has been 
lost in the fight over the question 
ot the story that Nazzari may make 
his first picture for San Miguel 
Studios and the one for Emelco in 
second place, 



ask networks to pay acts anywhere 
from one-third to a full week's 
regular salary for one video ap- 
pearance. This will be done on the 
theory that an act. will be good 
fiJ:^ for periodic appearances on 
that medium and will have to get 
a completely new set of material 
for each show. The only wage 
clause currently in effect is the rul- 
ing saying that acts making a si- 
multaneous TV appearance from a 
cafe floor show be given a full 
week's wages. The 4A's is expect- 
ed to stick to that pattern for all 
appearances. 

The 4A's is meeting with the 
netyrorks tomorrow to renew wage 



e ll » l')t'0!lj 



ters here, utiliztog American re- 
cordings. ., 
Radio Branch of SCAP's Civil 
Information and Education Section 
began distribution this -week to key 
ri>dio .stations in Japan of 16-mcn 
transcriptions carrying a wide va- 
riety of . classical, American loiK 
songs, and swing. Platters are part 
of an NBC Thesaurus, putchasea 
by the Army Department to fur- 
ther its "reorientation" program m 
Nippon. . -ii 

Packages of 50 records each wiu 
be circulated among Japan's seven 
central broadcasting stations, pnn- 
cipal outlets hi, the Broadcasting 
Corp, of Japan network. Each sta- 
tion will keep a set three weeK.s 
before forwarding it to the nexi 
outlet. With seven such packJiges 
to make the rounds, Nipponese disK 
jockeys Will be kept busy for 

months. ■ . v i ..a^ 

BCJ had to install special tuin 
tables in its central stations to ac- 
commodate the transcriptions. wiP 
studios heretofore used only 
inch platters. Stations are at Sap- 
poro, Sendai, Nagoya, Huoshima, 
Osaka, Matsuyama and Kumamoto, 
which cover the four main islanos 
of Japan. ,. „• 

Other idea involves collections oi 
12-inch records— all of them con- 
temporary American '=''"^,P*',n 
tions— now being distributed to i" 
free libraries throughout J apf" 
operated by SCAP's CI&E Section. 
Each library will receive /6 albums 
of records with represenlatn e 
lections of all types of Am""''^" 
music from folk ballads to Benny 
Goodman Sextet to Walter P'ston » 
Prelude and Allegro for Organ a"" 
Orchestra, CI&E libraries--" « 
which will soon be open »i •'aP*"r: 
will lend the disks to Japanese 
schools or other- responsiW" 
groups. . 



UBIETY 



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IS 



HurokSettii^TourofDPMits 
In Ui.; foi^ Ovor Vienna (yr 



Vienna, July 20. 4 
Impresario Sol Hurok bacli: from 
Jits oneman mission to take DP 
artists on a tour of U. S. and 
other countries. For a fortnight, 
lie visited DP camps in Germany 
opei-aled by the International Ref- 
ugee Organization and personally 
screened 980 out of 5,800 singers, 
dancers , and musicians listed on 
camp rosters.' 

"1 was amazed by the talent I 
found, "Hurok declared. "It was 
a heartbreaking ordeal though. 



Herbert, Harok in Vienna 

Vienna, July 20. 
Arrival of three more U. S. show 
biz people to export film, opera and 
DP talent boosted interest in 
Austrian talent circles recently. 
Sol Hurok huddled with Ernst Hu- 
bert, manager of state theatres on 
state opera tours. 

Walter Herbert, one-time musi" 
cal director of Volk.sopera, now in 



The internees thought as soon°as s^'"^ capacity in New Orleans, La 



they saw me tliey would be able 
to leave the camps. Many have 
been in concentration and intern- 
rneni camps for seven to nine 
year.s. Their living conditions are 
still simply appalling;" 

Hurok said he hoped to bring 
a group of 250 to 300 DP artists 
to the America starting next Jan- 
uary. He would call the group 
U'he InlernaticAial Folklore En- 
semble Irom . DP Camps. The art- 
ists will appear in native costumes. 

Ke Haund they have native 
musical instruments that are prob~ 
ably 1,000 years old, 

''1 would like to take the group 
to appear before Congress, the 
UN and the British Parliament to 
show the legislators what the DPs 
are like today. These people would 
be an asset to any country. Prom 
Vienna I'm going to Paris, then 
to Geneva to seo the heads of 
the International Refugee Organi- 
Mtion about the project. I also 
hope to get the support of vol- 
unteer refugee and relief organiza- 
tion.«i. Transportation will be the 
biggest item on the budget, but 
tlic lour should pay its own way." 

Hurok also revealed that in 
Rome recently he saw the Pope, 
who promised his personal sup- 
port to the DP artists tour. 

He said he also made arrange- 
-ments while in Vienna to bring 
the famed Vienna Boys Choir on 
a 23-week U. S. tour in October. 
He took the Choir to America on 
tours from 1932 until Hitler took 
over Austria. The Choir is cel- 
ebiating its 450th anniversary, 
ifurok left Vienna for Paris 
July ]4. 



HEWSREELS DUE BACK 
IN EIRE AFTER 6 YRS. 

Dublin, July 20. 

Kire exhibs, witliout newsreels 
foi- the last six years, may soon be 
showing them again. During the 
war years Eire's strict neutral 
cenisorsbip barred the showing of 
much footage, which distribs tried 
to make up with magazine shots to 
the disgust of many pati-ons. The 
continued loss of footage, coupled 
•witii the shortage of stock, caused 
the newsrecl association to cease 
sending newsreels to Ireland. Prac- 
tice has continued sp long that 
patrons have forgotten they exist. 

Now there is beeiing in the 
press about the absence of the 
reels and their return is being 
mulled. Problems to be faced, 
however, include the continued 
shortage of stock, the short life of 
the reels and the import duty de- 
manded by the Eire Customs. 
Approaches have.been made to tlie 
government to waive the duty, 
adding as bait an oifer to make 
one-third of the reel on Irish sub- 
jects. So fiu- the government has 
nixed th J proposal, but fresh sug- 
gestions are to be put before Fi- 
nance iVIinister Patrick MacGilli- 
gan soon. 



Irish Radio Planning 

To Double Schedule 

Dnblin, Jufy 20. 

WiHiih the next few months Ra- 
dio Kireann, which operates a 
single program service, is to dou^ 
blells output. One service, says Di- 
rector of BrOiadcasting Robert 
Brennan (former Irish Minister to 
Washington), will be light enter- 
tainment, the other will be of more 
serious matter. Additional studio 
space i.s being constructed at Dub- 
lin's Oeneral Post Omce Building 
which houses the station. 

With the coming of the second 
service, it is anticipated that the 
station will seek more sponsors, bo 
far it has been chilly towards spon- 
sors, limiting time-selling to Insli 
manufacturers, and re.iecting all 
"osmetic and liquor advertising. 



gave theatrical setup the once-over 
but did not outline his plans. ■ 

Mrs. Adeline- Shulberg intends 
to buy Ausitriau, pix for U. S., as 
welt; as seUing original American 
scripts to Austi'ian producers. 



Nexko Legit, AD 
ErtCottidedOut, 
S^es Comeback 

Mexico City, July 20. 

The theatre in Mexico is ad- 
mittedly moribund but far' from en- 
tirely lifeless. Great efforts are be- 
ing made to liypo the Mexican stage. 
Latest is the readying of a revival 
of "Saintess," based on what is 
perhaps Mexico's greatest modem 
novel. It is the story of a prostie 
by the late Federico Gamboa. 
Book was basis of the story used in 
Mexico's first talker of that name, 
produced and directed by Antonio 
■Moreno in 1931. 

Play's revival is to feature Agus- 
tin Lara,' Mexico's top romantic 
^song writer. He's to get $200 daily 
Jor his stint, role of a blind pianist 
in a bawdy house, l^ead will be 
played by Andre Palma, leading 
pic-stage actress. It will play in 
the Teatro Fabregas, name house 
of Virginia Fabregas, Mexico's vet 
trouper. 

Two looker comediennes, Maria 
Conesa and Lupe Rivas Cacho, are 
clicking so well with their vode- 
reviie of what packed Mexican 

theatres 40 years ago that the old- 
line Teatro Arbeu here has the 
SRO sign out of the first time in 25 
years. Pair are drawing $20 a day 
each. 



Duke Off for Europe 
After Sock Brit. Tour 

London, July 20. 

Duke Ellington's concert tour of 
England under the Harold Fielding 
banner has been an outstanding 
success. He was heard to greater 
advantage on the concert platform 
thaii on the variety stage although 
he did well at the Palladium^ 

Bournemouth, Blackpool, Glas- 
gow, Newcastle and Manchester 
brought out the SRO sign. Jack 
Fallon Trio will accompany Elling- 
ton when he leaves this week for 
France, Belgium, and Switzerland. 



Pix Finance Umt 
Set for Germany 

Washington, July 27. 

A company has been founded in 
Hamburg to finance German film 
production, Nathan D. Golden, 
chief of film branch of Department 
of Commerce announced today. 
Outfit is Filraftnaflzring, with lim- 
ited liability. Nine prominent 
H«rmburg businessmen have kicked 
in' with the necessary capita). 

"It is expected,'' reported Gold- 
en, "that the firm mil. function as; 
a specialized bank providing funds 
for film production as well as 
other transactions comiected with 
the film industry. Need for such 
an institution has long been recog- 
nized, as postwar film finnacing to 
date has been on au: individual, 
haphazard basis. Sufficient capital 
has not been available to provide 
funds for more than one produc- 
tion at a time and it was necessary 
to wait for returns from one film 
before commencing worlt on the 
next." 

Golden reports also that, of the 
10 U. S. films submitted to Swed^ 
is!h censors in May, five were listed 
for adults only ■ and five werfe 
okayed for family audiences. In 
April, 12 of the 21 American pic- 
tures offered to censors were 
stamped "adults only." Such coun- 
tries as Czechoslovakia, Italy, Swe- 
den and Norway had no pictures 
approved for screening before cliil- 
dren during the two months. 



M-G Wins Right to Appeal 
BBC Film Critic's Suit 

London. July 27. 

A $6,000 damage award (1,500 
pounds) won by tilrh critic Edith 
Arnot Robertson from Metro was 
reversed Monday (26) in the ap- 
peal court. Film company was 
given permission by the House of 
Lords to appeal the original ver- 
dict by the lower court. 

Lower court's verdict came as a 
result o£ a letter sent by Metro to 
the talks-director of the British 
Broadcasting Corp., alleging that 
Miss Robertson was out of touch 
with the tastes and requirements 
of the British public. L^wer court 
upheld Miss Robertson's conten- 
tion that tlie note implied she was 
an incompetent critic. 

Appeal court, however, ruled 
that there was no evidence that the 
film company intended to silence 
her, and the picture firm's criticism 
had been put in the kindliest way. 
Litigation came after Metro barred 
the BBC critic from its screenings. 



Eire Govt Yens 16m 

Dublin, July 20. 

Three Eire government depts. are 
looking to I6m films to help their 
operations. First to get going was 
the local government department 
with a road safety pic. Hibemia 
Pictures produced. Public Health 
Minister Noel Browne just got Dail 
(Congress) okay to spend funds on 
health film, but his cash outlay 
will be small this year. 

Agriculture Minister James Dil- 
lon is planning agricultural in- 
structional pix for village hall and 
market-place showings. Education 
Minister Richard Mulcahy will .step- 
up u.se of 16m in classrooms. Metro 
already has dubbed Irish language 
sound-track on several educational 
film.s. After government request, J., 
Arthur Rank's instructional outfit is 
now doing the same on officially 
chosen films. 



Upped Co^ likdy to Prewnt 
Launclung of Paris Legitm 
This Fail;B^ Revivals Fill VoiC 



Cantinflas to IGm Field 

Mexico City, July 20. 

Cantinflas (Mario Moreno); Mex- 
ico's leading pic-stage comic, is to 
enter the 16m field that has taken 
on so well here that tliere's a chain 
of cinema^ for such films in the 
Mexican hinterland. Comic is to 
have all pictures he has .made re- 
duced to 16m size for exhibition on 
this, circuit and in other 16m 
cinemas in Mexico. 

Moreno' is veepee of Posa Films, 
producer of his pix. 



Covent Garden Goes 
to British Govt. For 
Nat'LOpera and Ballet 

London. July 27. 

Labor Government, which has al- 
ready taken steps to nationalize 
the film industry, will acquire the 
Royal Opera House. Covent Gar- 
den, as a national home for opera 
and' ballet. Title to the property 
will be taken next year, when the 
current five-year lease, on a com- 
pulsory purchase order, under the 
Town and Country Planning Act. 

Under the new setup, the Arts 
Council of Great Britain will op- 
erate the house. 

Covent Garden, with a capacity 
of 1,952 seats, was built in 1858, on 
tjie site of ttie one that burned, 
dating from 180B. Tlie original 
structure, built in 1733, was a small 
theatre. 



ItidofVoducer^ 
Ued bj Strict 
GovtCe^d^ 

Rome, July 20. 

Grudge against tlie government 
is growing daily in Italian film 
circles. It is because Parliament 
will go on summer vacations' in: 
about a month, which means the 
new fdm law won't be' discussed 
before autumn, if then. Parliament 
now has only emergency problems 
on calendar. Nation-wide program 
to aid native product, launched 
last March, has remained dead let- 
ter; ; It appears that government 
intends to make light of it since 
indicated by an increased intol- 
erance of censorship (on Italiaq 
films). The program called for 
greater freedom. 

Pointed out that it seems-useless 
to ask government for measures to 
lighten, censorship. Claimed that 
the bluenoses are so much in com- 
mand that it is forbidden to show 
women's legs above the knees. 
Contended here that success of 
European pix at home and in for- 
eign marlcets is in great degree due 
to sex angle.' 

Now clear that Italian producers 
can't expect a reduction of imports. 
Also that the government doesn't 
want a dubbing tax. Now the 
trade will suggest a dubbing li- 
cense be adopted. Tlie licenses 
would be granted only to produc- 
ers on the basis of four per each 
film. Based on estimate of 40-50 
Italian pix annually this would 
amount to 160-200 dubbed foreign 
films per year. 



Von Strobeim in Vienna 

Vienna, July 20. 
Eric von Stroheim, native Vien- 
nese, arrived in his home town to' 
make exterioii. shots for Ids new 
film, "The Red Signal." 



Current London Shows 

London, July 27. 
(F\gwfas show weeks of run) 
"A La Garte," Savoy (6). 
"All My Sons," Globe (6), 
"Anna Lucasta/' Majesty's. (39). 
"Annie Get Gun," Col's'm (60). 
"Bless the Bride/' Melphi (66). 
"Bob's Vour Ifncle," Sav. (12). 
"Case Peacock," Strand (6). 
"Caribbean Rhap.," Wales (.8)1 
"Carlssima,*' Palace (20). 
"Chiitern Hundreds." Vaude (48). 
"Edward My Son," Lyric (61), 
"Four, Five, Six," York (20). 
"Giaconda smile," New (8). 
"Happiest Days," ApoUo (18). 
"Linden Tree," Duchess (50). 
"Umt Lambs," Ambass. (16). 
"Musical Chairs," Playhouse (3). 
"Oft Record," Picadilly (56). 
"Oklalwma!" Drury Lane (65). 
"Parason," Fortune (12). 
"People Like Us," Wynd. (3). 
"Belapse," Phoenix (26). 
"StarUght Roof," Hipp. (38). 
"Travelers Joy," Crit. (8). 
«T;Ogether A.?ain," Vic Pal. (68). 
"Worms View," Whitehall (65). 



9-Year-91ii Italian 
Conductor Tours France 

Paris, July 20. 

Promoted by Garrault-Barousse- 
Muir .syndicate, Roberto Benzi, 
.9-year-old, reputed to be one of the 
youngest orchestra conductors in 
the world, is currently appearing 
in several cities where the yearly 
bicycle race known as Tour de 
France is being held. Ifnlike other 
young longhair prodigies, he is 
more for pop music and is an ac- 
complished accordionist. His 
father owns an accordion factory 
in Biella, Italy and heads an ac- 
cordion school. 

Curreiitly, Benzi is under the 
management of Vincenzo Gusmini, 
who brought some Italian Opera 
stars for the Tour de France. ' At 
seven, he won tlie Rome first in- 
ternational prize for . accordion 
playing. 



Paris, July 20. 
The new legit season is. unlikely 
to bring many new offerings. Pro- 
ducers are scared by ttpped costs 
and the fact that a flop might break 
them. So they are confining them- 
selves largely to revivals of surefire' 
grossers. The most conservatively 
produced comedy today means an 
outlay of at least $6,000 which is 
beaucoup francs at the current rate 
of admission after taxes have been 
deducted from the gross. 

M. Touchard Intends to produce 
two new plays at the Francaise 
from a young playwright, but has 
reached no definite agreement. At 
the Salle Luxembourg, its second 
imuse, the Francaise will revive 
Jean Cocteau's "jEtenaud and Ar- 
mide," Henry de Motherland's 
"Dead Queen," Paul Geraldy's 
"Love," Armand Salacrou's "In- 
connue d'Arras" and Edouard 
Bourdet's "Hard Times." Also some 
of the Old classics may be included. 

Atelier will revive Jean Anouilh's 
"Invetation to the Castle" and then 
a Jean Barsacq adaptation of 
Gogol's. "Eevisor." AmblqgU'wiU 
have Pierre Frondgde's production 
of "The Devil Turns Them Out" by 
Maurice Dekobra, and starring 
Maria Favelli. Ambassadeurs wiU 
revive Marcel Adiard's "Valpa- 
raiso" but later in the season. 
Henry Berstein will produce bis 
own new play, "Thirst," witli 
Claude Dauphin, Jean Gabtn and 
Madeleine Robinson, 

The Antoine will carry on with 
J. P. Sartre's "Red Glove" which 
Jean Dalrymple is "prepping for 
Broadway, and Jouvet will resume 
"Don Juan" at his Athenes. Roger 
Ferdinand, whose "They Are 20 
Years Old" wtll carry on at the 
Daunou, will have a new play at 
the Bouifes Paripiens. It is "The 
Husband Who Does Not Count," 
with Marguerite Deval and Michel 
Simon for leads, Comedie' des 
Champs Elysees will resume 
"Plume au Vent" and Comedie 
Wagram "Interdit au Public." Coc- 
teau's "Terrible Parents" will be 
revived at ; the Gymnase by Mrs, 
Paul Rolle, and Jean LeMarois' 
"House of the Fig Tree" will be 
produced by Michele Verly at the 
Gramont. 

The Michodiere, after a revival 
of "Pauline," will see Printemps 
producing a comedy by Andre Ron- 
sin. Andre Brule will revive 
Jacques Deval's "Tovaritch" at the 
Madeleine and then Will try produc- 
ing an adaptation of "Edward's 
Sons." Emmanuel Robles' "Mont- 
serrat" will be revived at the 
Mathurins and Noel Coward's 
"Week End" at the Monceau. 

Marcel Ayme is writing a new 
play "Vogue la Galere" for a 
Lucien Beer production at the 
Oeuvre. A revue by Dorin and 
Collinne will be done at the Michel 
by Parisys. Jacques Deval's "Miss" 
is too much of a grosser at the St. 
Georges to change the bill, and it 
will be re-revived. Nothing is set' 
yet at the Sarah Bernhardt or the ' 
Potiniere. \. 

"Petrified JPorest," which was to 
have been done by Henry Bern- 
stein, will be produced at Henri 
Varna's Renaissance. He is prop- 
ping a new revue for his Casino de 
Paris in October. At the same time 
a new play/ yet untitled, will be 
completed by Sacha Guitry, to be 
produced at the Varietes. Henry 
de Montherlant's "Santiago" wUl : 
be revived at the Hebertot, possibly 
around Christmas. 



Claim Danish Tenor Was Nazi 
Vienna, July 13. 
. .'Although the prqvincial executive 
of the trade union of free profes- 
sions unanimously okayed the ap- 
pearance of the Danisli tenor, 
Helge Roswaenge, for the Bregenz 
Festival, the theatrical trade union 
objected because he was once a 
member of the 'Nazi party. 

The festival organizers argued 
Roswaenge, as a Dane, wasn't 
subject to Austrian denazification 
laws. . • ■ ■ 



Pavlik on IT. S. Tour 

Vienna, July 13. 
Eva Pavlik, Austrian figure skat- 
ing champ, and second at St. 
Moritz Olympics last winter, has 
left Vienna on a two-month U.S. 
tour. 



Coulter's 4 for Ireland 

Dublin, July 20. 

John Coulter, Toronto play- 
wright whose "The Drums Are 
Out'^ had its world preem at Abbey 
theatre here recently, has three 
more new plays skedded for pro- 
duction in Ireland this year. Hil- 
ton Edwards, and Michael Mac* 
Liammoir will present bis adaptan 
lion of Gomcfaaroff's "Oblomoif"; 
Belfast Group Theatre are ready- 
ing "Stars in Victory Street," and 
an out-of-town company is to do his 
"Turf Smoke." 

Coulter, who was bom in Bel- 
fast, also wrote ' the libretto for 
"Deirdre of Sorrows" aired by 
Canadian Broadcasting Corp. last 
year. 



M-G-M DIDN'T WRITE THIS AD! 

(The reports below on ''Easter Parade" come from Variety, Julyaist issue) 



PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 
PARADE 



WHAJVir Indianapolis 
MIGHTYr Boston 
SOCKr Philadelphia 
HOHER THAN HOT!^ St. Louis 
STANDOUrr San Francisco 
STOUrr Detroit 
GIANTr Kansas City 
BIG COINr New York 
TERRIFICr Louisville 
SOCKEROOr Wash., D. C. 
TOPPERr Providence 



0/ 





ScreeA Play Sidney Sheldon, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett • Orieinal Storv hv l^r^n/-.. r<» j • i. j ^ . , • 



«nd 

FREED 



Wedne sday, July 28, I94« 




15 



\ Tt KO M'IPIIM' ot J 
/Iii-iiilllj-liiin; iliiwioi: 

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.(•lillliw, ililmUBtl I, 
tjitl 'MunilbcfK, .ffcr 
Jnim Hlory N.v Mi'C 

:<Jlii el(ir,- .ri>ssr> : llihlj 
. V ; , July a!. ' *Jv 

•.atvNM.,?-: ■ / 

Sum (Mayifni, ,,; . 

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: K"Vf:iX'lul J>iniifl.~, ; 

H. 1'. liiinlcn : . , . . . 
Kluii'T Mm-. 



(«»oil Sam 



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: rtll"v»,;, . . . . , 

I'l'MllI".. . . . , 

■■■i."''..iV.-.v. 
■ AHi'i. 

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■'rum:...,':...,. 



!i liihow (I.eo McOartn-) 
1 Sli-C'uipj-. Kliii'.s 

Sheriiliin : ft-MtTifPH U ty 
v'**, Jtmn LdrririK. Cliii- 
■ehltlivy. Kpii lOitKlurnl., 
nPi unit John Klovcf-; 
ivtHrinuMic, Ilot)Prt ICni' 
^fUutes McKay; asst. 

viewt'il KlvO .-i!Stii tit , 
>. liuuuins linn-. 114: 

...... . ^ . . .CJiir.v f '(H)ppi' 

. . . . .Ann , Kheruian 

.. l:ri,v (.'oHin.s 

..... lOtlmum] f.dwft 

...... .laan lipvi'inj? 

■.t'linton. Hiin(I))('i^ 
. '. . .Minet'vu rrocal 
. . i . B'.'avers 

. . . . , .UicU KOHS 

.Lora l^e Mjoiiel 
.PaJiby Dolan. Jr. 
...... i M-.ltt Mooi-p 

. .:. . . . N\^ta Pat'l. ci- 

Rutti Roin.111 

.... .('.irbl StPVfMIs 

ii 'IVi'Id Ki^rns 

, . . . .Ifviui; Bacon 
..VViUiain I'lavvlfy 
. . . . Harry Haxlcn 



Sorry, 'VlCrong Noiiiber 

Hollywood, July 24. 

I'acamount release of llai WilUiB (Apa- 
loit! J.Hcaii) production; directt^tl liy I>Ur 
villi. Ktara Barbara yianvvyck. lluit Ijali- 
Cii^U'r; features Ann lUcliarilfi,, WeniXell 
i.'uie.v. -tJaroUl Vertnilyea. Eil IHitiley. Grig- 
trial ^;creenpl3y, jMii-iilc inelchcr; Iiaaed on 
ttor raidiii play; cam^ira, .Koi i'olitu; t'dilor, 
W'ai'i-en Low; -ai'uiM;,. ■ I'lwny. Wnxman. 
'I'i!jij.'.ilinwn July '-Hi. 'iS. Unnnlng time, 



L.-ona KlevtjnBon. 
J i 'Miry Mtt'Vejlson, 
Sally Ijord Podife 
l>r. Alexaivlcr, . 
Waldo Kvan.*^. . , . 
.lameii C'otlcrtli:. 
I-'ipd Lord. 

.Morano 

.10*^ (Detective), ; 
I'crer I^ord.. . . . , 
Mij».^ Jennln^E!. , 



. . Barltara, Stanw.vclc 
. . .. Burt I^ancaatttf 

. . . . . , . Ann J'U'hards 

...... Wendell t'orey 

; -Uaiold Vermllyea 
. .'. . ..Ed lit?gley 

, . . . . . . l*pif. I'lrlckson 

. . . . William , I'onrad 

... ^..iolvn : BromAeld 
, . . . . ... .Jimmy Hunt 

..Oorailiy Neumanh 



Humility and goodness get a 
feverish workout in Leo McCarey's 
"Good Sam." a comedy exposition 
of vi.rtu'5. its benedictions and the 
lack oX lliem. With such names as 
Gi.iry Cooper and Ann Sheridan 
ior the marquee, and McCarey 
as the producer-director, "Good 
Sam" emerges as a wavering stalk 
ol' corn that frequently is reduced 
to merely a straw in the wind. It 
has- potential boxoffice value be- 
cause of the names involved, but 
too often does it strive too in- 
ten.sely but achieving nothing more 
til Lin a vapid effect. 

"Good Sam" is a comedy whose 
central character, played by 
Cooper, often slows the film's 
■pace because of a languidness and 
too obviously premeditated per- 
fonnance in a pic that in itself is 
unusually long at just a few min- 
utes under two hours. Sam, like 
the pants, made the picture too 
■■ lonrr. ■■■ 

"Good Sam" starts off promis- 
ingly with a number of gagged-up 
situations that click, however con- 
trived, but with the pic's, continu- 
ance there is the omniscient thought 
that here is a story that has bags 
under its gags. It is the story of 
Sam Clayton-, the softest touch this 
side of the Marshall Plan. Sam 
co-signs bank loans for friends who 
neve.- pay up; he lends his car to 
nsighboi's witliout knowing actu- 
ally how he's going to get to. work 
or the children to school. Sam 
loves everybody. _ In short, every-, 
one sponges on him. And Lu, his 
wife, constantly harasses Sam to 
get some- sense, especially when 
he loses the down payment on a 
house .she always had set her 
ciiapeau lor. But Sam is Sara, and 
there's notliing Lu or anybody can 
do about it, and the moral presum- 
ably is that there can be great hap- 
piness in doing things for others, 
including the people from the 
Provident Loan Co. 

"Good Sam" has a homespun air 
that peduips will find .considerable 
favor among the rusticates. Ann 
Sheridan, as something that might 
have stepped out of a Christian 
Dior saloii instead of being an ever- 
lovin' wife and mother, is not al- 
ways credible in a part that's un- 
usual for her. Domestication is 
hardly Miss Sheridan's cinematic 
dish, no matter how authentic- 
looking are her scrambled eggs. 
Miss Sheridan has been given most 
01 the g<is;s. and much of the situa- 
tional comedy payoffs revolve 
; around her sharp retorts. 

Cooper gives one of his standard 
performances— there are the wan 
smile, the gawky naivete and a sar- 
torial manner th.it suggests Sam's 
pants need pressing, too. 

Hay Collins, Kdmuncjl Lowe, Joan 
LOri-ihg and Clinton Sundberg 
head the supporting players, all of 
whom satisfactorily fill their re- 
quirements. . 

McCarcy has given the pic a top 
pi-oduction all the way, and his 
dii-ectioh is sharp in the comedy 
situations paiticularly. But the 
basic story yanks at its reins too 
often, dctying any directorial con- 
" trol There is an attempt to create 
too many situations in the basic 
narrative, and the defects are con- 
sidcrablv the fault of the over- 
length. 

. U-I Drops 6 P.A.'s ' 

Hollywood, July 20. 
Uiii\'ersal - International lopped 
, ofl' six heads in the publicity de- 
partment, teeing off a general 
slicin'4 which if; expected to reduce, 
expenses about 40%. Other de- 
partments are awaiting ^further 
slashes about Aug. l- when the 
studio will shutter /production for 

two months- , .' , t„„„ 
Flaclcs dismissed include Jean 
Hosfiuet, .Tackson Parks, Dorothy 
BJaiv, Harry Friedman, George 
Rousch and Don McDonald. ■ 



liai'DOotllan. . . . . . . . . , , . , . . .- . . .Paul . Wlerro 

''Sorry, Wrong Number" is a real 
chiller. Based on the w,k. radio 
drama of same title, picture. is a top 
entry for the horror field. It should 
rate a handsome boxoffice return. 
The basic suspense of the ether 
show has been enlarged for sight 
values in the filming, and payoff 
reaps a load of spine-tingling 
menace. 

Film is a fancily dres.sed co- 
production by Hal B. Wallis and 
Anatole Lirtvak. Pair ha.s smoothly 
coordinated" efforts to give strong 
backing to the Lucille Fletcher 
script, based on her radio play. 
Litvak's direction builds carefully, 
constantly heightening the tension 
to the nerve-wracking finale. It's 
an ace job of- story guidance and 
player handling. 

Plot, familiar to most radio 
listeners, deals with an invalid 
fcmme who overhears a murder 
scheme through crossed telephone 
lines. Alone in her homei the in- 
valid tries to trace the call. She 
fails, and then tries to convince 
the police of the danger. She grad- 
ually comes to realize that it is her 
own death that is planned and ten- 
sion mounts to the ruthless, deadly 
scene where the murderer does his 
job. 

Characters have been inore 
roundly developed for filming be- 
cause of the screen's greater flex- 
ibility and players realize .perfectly 
on their assignments. What makes 
the characters tick is buUt up 
through flashbacks that' detail 
motives and sharpen more suspens- 
ful moments. 

Barbara Stanwyck plays her rdle 
of the invalid almost entirely in 
bed,: Her reading is sock, the ac- 
tre"?s giving anjnterpretatioqi that 
makes the neurotic, selfish woman 
understandably:'- Same touch is 
used by Burt Lancaster to make 
audiences see through the role of 
the invalid's husband and -how he 
came to plot her death. Both are 
very able. 

Contributing capable perform- 
ances are, among others, Ann 
Richards, who gives Miss Stanwyck 
her first inkling of the truth; Wen- 
dell Corey, physician; Harold Ver- 
tnilyea, chemist; Ed Begley, the in- 
valid's father; Leif Erickson and 
William Conrad. Some are seen 
only in bits but lend validity to the 
story. 

Considerable emphasis is placed 
on the score by Franz Waxman, 
music being iised to heighten and 
I highlight the gradually mounting 
.suspense. Sol Polito uses an ex- 
tremely mobile camera for the 
same effect, sharpening the build- 
ing terror with unusual angles and 
lighting. Warren Low's capable 
editing holds the picture to a tight 
89 minutes. . Brog. 



Itnsty Loads iUe Way 

Hollywood, July 24. 

rotiimbia reloase oC RoliPrt - Colin prttduc- 
lion. Feaioi'cs Ted Dimalditon, h^iutryn 
.VIoiTeii, ■ ,rohn - l.itel, Ann rUoran, t*auls» 
Hav'rnond. Peggry t'onevrse. ,I)h\M'tetl by 
Will ,l.'iispn. .ocreetiplay, Artlvur RoKp; 
story, Nedi-ick YourtB; based on charac- 
ters. freated by. Al Mnrtiji; cnnier.'i. Vin- 
cent Farrar; editor; Jaineis Siveency. At 
f^iiila;;ey, Jiiiy liil; . '-18, HunnioK time, 
.-)* MINS. 

f)anny "Mitcbell. . . . '.Ted Donaldson 



Penny Wat&rs, . 
Ilukh Mitchell. , 
Kiliel SlllcheH,. 
i.oui.-^e Adarti.*!.. 

Mis. Waters 

Harry Ainpswotl 
;V1 r.s. M.unjty .... 
.'ll.'is l>a viK. . . , . 
.lack Coleman. . 

Ceiald 

SdueaTcy . ....... 

N*ip 

Tuck;,....:,.;... 
lUl.'ity ......... 



..i.sl»ryii Morrett 
. . . . . . Joll n i.ltel 

.......... Ann T>o;-an 

...;.T'aula. Itayniond 
.....I'cgsy (.'(ifiveree 

...... .Harry Jlaydeli 

...Ilia Moore 

. .Mary: Currier. 

. . ... . ,. . .tYed ii(!ara 

.....Wtcki»y .lio<3uire 

. . . ... . .Teddy tnruhir 

, ...Wtt.vnc LUckman 
, . . . . . vtiaviii Acklps 

. . . ; t^iaine 



Miniature Reviews 

"Goo d S a m" (MeCarey- 
RKO). Gary Cooper - Ann 
Sheridan in overlong comedy; 
names should help it do biz. 

"Sorry, Wrong- Number" 
(Par). Radio's deadly suspense 
drama a real film chiller. B.o. 
outlook sturdy. 

"Rusty Leads the Way" 
(Col). Staple supporting feat- 
ure. Good entry in "Rusty" 
series. 

"Adventurers of Gallant 

Bess" (Color) (EL). Western; 
mainly lower dualers. 

" r?iiibraceab -c Voi>.'r ( V/B). 
Mildly Interesting drama for 
supporting positions. 

"Slondti Ice" (FC). Mild 
meller with Leslie Brooks; 
modest support for duals. 



"Rusty Leads the Way" is a better 
than average entry in the Columbia 
series. Stout trouping by moppets 
and generally inspiring motivation 
of the «tory overcome some dialog 
triteness and maintain interest for 
family trade. 

Chief attention goes to-^oppcls 
Ted Donaldson, Shai-yii/lvroftett and 
the educated canfne^FIanie. Plot 
has young Donald.s<$ii solving the 
problems of Miss Moffett, a blind 
girl, through love and understand- 
ing. ■ 

Woven in the story effectively is 



tt^e training dt both seeing-ey£ dog 
and master. Sequences highlight 
interest and point up good plot 
motivation of Donaldson's kindness 
and efforts to restore a little girl's 
faith in life. 

Will Jason's direction resolves 
the Arthur; Ross script neatly and 
draws good performances from all 
concerned. John Litel and Ann 
Doran as young Donaldson's par- 
ents; Peggy Converse, the girl's 
mother; and others in the cast are 
credible. 

The Robert Cohn production 
guidance shapes excellent values 
on a small budget. Expert lenstng 
by Vincent Farrar, capable score, 
editing and other factors are in 
line with .general effect achieved. 

Brog. 



Adventurtts of Ciallaiit 

'Ilesss- • ■ 
(COLOR) 

Eagle-Lion release d£ Crbgivicw produc- 
tion. Directed ■ b.v I*tjv I^tantJera. Screert- 
pliLV, Matthew Itapf; camera (t'lnecolor), 
WiUlam Bradford; editor. Harry Komor. 
Tradubluiwn N. ST., July 22, '48. Sunning 
time, 71. SUNS. . ■ 

Ted DanielK. i. .Cameron Mitchell 

I'er.ny Gray Audrey Ijong 

Woody.. . . , ....^uyiZy Knight 
Bud Mlllei;ick.,...*^».»...;..,F,'imeH MlUican 
Blake. . , . . i . . v. ^. j..; ; .. . . . . John Harmon 

Deputy... ....Kd Garcan 

Doctor Gray .,....llarrv V. Che.ihlre 

SheritT. cure (llark 

BlUie. Kevlyiin Eaton 

Boas Herself 



A superbly trained horse is the 
central figure in this animal-west- 
ern. If the other characters had 
acquitted themselves as well, or 
the story had been more original, 
the potentialities of '-'Gallant Bess" 
might have turned out much 
higher. As is, it will -take a whale 
of a selling job to move this pic- 
ture past the secondary dual bar- 
rier. 

Not that it is not fairly cntertain:- 
ing, mainly because Lew Landers' 
direction has made it so, but the 
same angle has been done so much 
better by other producers with at 
least a cast possessing more b.o. 
lure. 

Cameron Mitchell comes through 
with firstrate performance as the 
wandering rodeo . star who finally 
finds love by accident. His love 
for his trained horse is stressed, 
and some of the stunts the animal 
does are startling albeit sometimes 
dragged in. Dialog is compara- 
tively bright for a western-type 
story. 

Besides Mitchell and "Bess," 
Audrey Long does nicely as the 
comely gal with whom he falls : in 
love- Fuzzy Knight contributes the 
chief comedy relief. Support is 
headed by James Millican. William 
Bradford does a tiptop job with 
his camera while the color work 
under Gar Gilbert's supervision 
(Cinecolor) is about the best with 
this tinter process to date. 

Wear, 



Brook's: -features :s.- 
Ford, itii.-litird i-inUcr, 



Daily Newspaper Editors Again 
Gripe At Inept Pix Press Matter 



C.A. Smakwitz tipped To 
WB Albany Zoae Chief 

Charles A, Smakwitz, Warner 
circuit exec in Albany, last week 
was upped by Warner Theatres' 
prexy and general manager Harry 
kalmine as zone manager for that 
territory. He replaces C, J. Latta 
who recently was switched to Brit- 
ain to handle theatre j^pcrations 
there for WB's affiliate, Associated 
British Pictures Corp. 

With Warners for more than 20 
years, Smakwitz joined the organi- 
zation in 1927 when we worked for 
the old , Mitchel H, Mark Realty 
Corp., operators of the Strand, 
N. y., at that time. Later he man- 
aged the Strand, Albany, and sub- 
sequently became district manager 
for Troy, Albany and Utica the- 
atres. He also has been active iii 
Variety Club affairs as well as 
holding various industi'y public re- 
lations posts. 



strong enough to stretch over the' 
79 minutes' running time. 

Dane. Clark and Geraldine 
Bro6ks co-star as the ill-fated 
lovers- Both try hard and do 
manage to spark proceedings with 
sympathetic tug in romantic 
scenes. Otherwise, Miss Brooks is 
a bit too starry-eyed for her char- 
acter and Clark has some clumsy 
tough-guy sequences that miss. 

Script, by. Edna Anhalt, deals 
with a young, hood who is forced 
to take care of a girl he has struck 
down in a hit-run accident. Police 
can!t legally tie him to the crime, 
and also suspect him of a connec- 
tion with the murder of a gambler, 
but a kind cop makes him care for 
the girl because she's about to die 
from a blood clot developed by the 
accident. Just as the plot "tele- 
graphs, the boy falls in lovC with 
the girl and marries her in a sob 
finish as both try to find happiness 
before death strikes her down. 

Wallace Ford is the tough but 
kind cop. S, Z. Sakall brings his 
usual tricks to role of Clark's 
friend and helps th6 script consid- 
erably. Richard Rober, a killer; 
Lina Romay and Philip Van Zandt, 
friends of Miss Brooks; Douglas 
Kennedy, a doctor, and others axe 
adequate to light demands Of 
script. 

The Saul Elkins' budget produc- 
tion was directed by Felix Jacoves. 
Low-key lensing by Carl Guthrie 
contributes to somber mood. The 
William Lava score weaves the 
title tune, an old pop number, in 
and out of background music for 
nice nostalgic and romantic touch. 

: , Brog. ■ 



Enibra«eabl«' Yon 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Warner Bros, reteiise at Saul .KlNin» pro- 
iluctton. , ritara Dane (Tlark, tii^raldine 
Z: Kakall, Wallace 
l.ina lioniay. Dimf;- 
las iCenriedy, M.'iry ytiiart, I'htlip Van 
Zyndl, Rod flo^^cl•v. Direeted by t'elix 
J.'u-ovefs. Hcrepnpla.\ , lOdna AnhaU:: frpni 
."Itory by IJirtrich \'> itAn.ii^kip 5k>id-*^t^lfc 
Block: campra, (\'irl Ow,fllrfft;;j*dit«r; ^.^'wtrf^ 
aa Rei]i\ ; nio.sjc. >Wini)>tfi .t.ai'a. - Trti'dB-'- 
.^hown .Inly lifi, 'iS, - .; Running - ttme; - 
.WINS. 

tddie. 

M^'ie . 

■£{aniii)y'. ....... 

Perrla 

>?lg Kelcb., . . 

T>ibby 

1)1-. VVirlh 

ftiiss Pm-dy.. 

Malf 

Bcrnie, . . .. . . . 



.flanc^ niarlc 
. . J > . . '.OfiruJWiiWl mtiekk 
........,,..,-Si/;S5.--Sttlr4tt 

'.•,.W|<lJ»f(s'-»'or3, 

„,iKtc1i«d.-Robfr 

. . . ........ ,r.ina. Uomtly 

. .... .^Dou^hiK Kennedy 

......... . .Mary Smart 

...... Philip Vnrt Kandt 

.. . ... . If. . . . .i^od ItoR:crH 



"Embraceable You'' is a.mild sup- 
porting feature that deals with rel- 
atively unimportant people and 
events. Turned out with a moder- 
ate budget, it will find its level on 
iO-wairrung of dual bills ih major- 
ity of situations. 

Plot is an odd combination of 
tender, hopeless love story of two 
ne'er-do-wells and a rather ordin- 
ary gangster yam. Tearjerker ro- 
mance will carry modesit amount of 
attention for general run of femme 
audiences but this interest isn't 



ftlon<l«^ Tc« 

Film (*lfl^:.4i(;n proUucLlon and release. 
Fer'turo.^ i.fslie Brooka. Robert Pal;?<;. Di- 
rected by .Tack Bcn-nliard. Scrcenpla.v by 
Kennetli Gainet from wtory l>y Whitman 
(Thambers. At Kialto, N. Y.. week July . 24, 
'4M. BupnInK tlwe. 73 MINIS, 

f^Iaire r.cHlie Brooks 

I.ea Burns.. .................. tlohert Paige 

Hack Doyle. . . Walter Sandn 

t'ai'l Tianncinirii ..John Holland 

A 1 HBrrick k .. ■ . Jamea Orlf flth 

Blackle. , . , , . Ko«» Vincent 

Ma»i)n Michael Whalcn 

Jun*;, . . Mildred V.olcn 

Mui-dock .w .Kniory Parnell 

Bcn.son ... ..llory Malllnuon 

Miiiil. ................ ... ..... .Julie tJlhaon 

Dr. KMpplnger Dai'id f^eonard 



This strictly lightweight meller 
is a weird conglomeration about a 
blonde murderess who seeks for- 
tune and position through cold- 
blooded killings. It is not a nice 
story, and wa.stes the comely 
charms of Leslie Brooks, as the de- 
signing slayer. Picture, has little 
for the marquee excepting the title 
and lurid pictures. Film, at best, is 
only lesser dual fare. 

Plot spots Miss Brooks as a socie- 
ty editor who gains attention and 
wealth via a series of murders that 
take away her husbands and suitors. 
She even goes to the trouble of 
fi^niing her only real sweetheart, 
a - sports scri be. The wandering 
.story finally is brought to an 
abrupt close when a noted criminal 
psychologist takes the icy blonde in 
hand. Out of a clear sky she con- 
fesses and tries to shoot her way to 
I freedom, but only manages to kill 
heivself. 

i Miss Brooks, who has the looks 
and enough ability for better roles, 

■ is surrounded by a fairly capable 
cast that appears to have been mis- 
directed by Jack Bernhard. The 
story, of cour.se, is too implausible 
to make much on the screen. Rob- 

i ert Paige does all he can with the 
role of the sports writer. Vehicle 
screams its limited production 
values, Weor; 



Method of handling publicity and 
alleged failure Of public relations 
departments of picture companies 
to brighten their teleases again is 
coming in for a blasting from film 
editors of dailies over the country. 
Many of them are currently east on 
vacation and all seem to marvel at 
the slipshod manner in which pub- 
licity matter is dished up and sent 
out. Most of them contend that few 
if any changes in methods or han- 
dling have been made by publicists 
in the last 10 years. They charge 
i^hat it made for minimum results 
then, and that it remains the same 
today. 

Big squawk is over the surplus 
of publicity yams and duplication 
of key story material (sometimes 
only thinly disguised^ emanatittg 
from the studios and N6w^ York 
homeoffices. The daily newspaper 
film editors claim there are too 
many such publicity releases, 3nd 
that too much verbiage is crowded 
into every envelope received. 

Lesser city editors cite that pic- 
ture company publicity depart- 
ments are highly optimistic it they 
can envision them trying to edit 
ballyhoo copy which ■ obviously 
should have been slashed down to 
size before leaving company Of- 
fices. 

Welcome Stuff 

Newspapers welcome stories 
about new pictures, stars and ini- 
portant cinema developments but 
only the brief, pointed items can 
get the breaks. .Overwriting of an 
apparently good 'Vea and inability 
of publicity departments to realize 
smaller newspaper requirements 
form the principal complaint fi«om 
visiting eds, who say the oversize 
load of releases is testimony to the 
way the publicists defeat their own 
purpose— to land in the dailies. 
These editors discredit the theory 
that the more material sent ovt^ 
the more gets published. While this 
may make for a big showing at 
headquarters, either N, Y. or on ■ 
the Coast, it is not reflected by th» 
amount of copy published. 

Most vacationing editors were 
outspoken in labeling Hollywood 
copy weaker by far than that com- 
ing from N. Y. "homeoffices. At 
least eastern headquarters strive to 
get their ideas across without wast- 
ing too many words, they say. They 
point out that Coast releases quite 
often show few signs of editing, 
seldom have much news value, and 
usually aie too exaggerated or 
feature-style material. 

The average film editor, if 
worthy of such title, can add any 
additional facts or frills to almost 
any story sent- out by a major 
company. Hence, he Would much 
rather have a brief, concise news 
item giving the facts. Then he can 
enlarge it or develop it into a fea- 
ture If necessary. But the idea of 
taking a long-winded - feature re- 
lease and attempting to fit it into 
the newspaper's limited space- gen- 
erally is too irksome a task for the 
average editor. Consequently, such 
overlong yarns are quickly tossed 
away.' ' .,■ 



'Pompous' Jackson 

SSS Contiiined ttom page 3 

to Joseph I. Brecn in administra- 
tion of the industry purity code. 
He subbed for Breen during the 
latter's lengthy ab.sences because 
of illness during the past year and 
was understood being groomed 
permanently to succeed him if 
Breen decided his health made it 
advisable to step out. 

After years of dealing with the 
bluff, understanding and frequent- 
ly chummily profane Breen, studio 
execs ' reportedly found Jack.son 
"pompous." They prevailed upon 
Breen, whose health has improved 
somewhat, to assume active charge 
of the PC A again. 

Jackson has no contract. 



Surprise to N..Y. . 
MPAA headquarters in New 
York this week appeared uncertain 
as to exactly what Judge Jackson's' 
new duties would be. Reports from 
the Coast that he would take a new 
I post as legal advisor came as some- 
I thing of a surprise, since general 
i counsel Sidney Schreiber has been 
j a.ssociatcd with the MPAA for 18 
' years and is highly thought of. 
{ Francis Hiurmon, v.p. in charge 
' of the New York office, is also an 
t attorney. 



BIG WARKER BROS. 



/■<■ 




ALBANY 

Warner Screening Room 
79 M. Pearl St, • 12:30 Mli 
ATLANTA 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 

197 Walton St. N.Wv • 2:30 }% 

BOSTON 

RKO Screening Room 

122 Arlington St. • 2:30 P.IIII. 

BUFFALO 

Paramount Screening Room ' 

464 Franklin St. • 2:00 P.W, 

CHARLOTTE 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 

308 S. Church St. • 10:00 4,1111 

CHICAGO 

Warner Screening Room 

1307 So. Wobush Ave. • 1:30 Pli 

CINCINNATI 

RKO Screening Room 

Palace Th. BIdg. E. 6th • 8:00 P.M. 

CLEVELAND 

Warner Screening Room 

2300 Payne Ave. • 2:00 P.M, 

DALLAS 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 
1803 Wood St. • 2:00 P.M. 
DENVER 

Paramount Screening Room 
2100 Stout St. • 2:00 P.M. 

DES MOINES 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 

1300 High St. • 12:45 P.IIL ; 

DETROIT 

Film' Exchange Building 

2310 Cass Ave. • 2:00 P.M. 

INDIANAPOLIS 

Universal Screening Room 

517 No. Illinois St. • 1:00 P.M 

KANSAS CITY 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 

1720 Wyandotte St. 1:30 PM. 

LOS ANGELES 

Womer Screening Room 

2025 S. Vermont Ave. • 2:00 P.M. 

MEMPHIS 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 

151 Vance Ave. • 10:00 A.iil. 

MILWAUKEE 

Warner Theotrt Screening Room 

212 W.Wisconsin Ave. • 2:00 P.M. 

MINNEAPOLIS 

Warner Screening Room 

1000 Currie Ave. • 24)0 P.M. 

NEW HAVEN 

Warner Theatre Projection Room 

70 College St. • 2:00 P.M. 

NEW ORLEANS 

2Qth Century-Fox Screening Room 
200$. liberty St. • 1:30 P.M. 
NEW YORK 
Home Office 

321 W. 44th St. • 2:30 P.M. 

OKLAHOMA 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 

10 North Lee St. • 1:30 P.M. 

OMAHA 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 
1502 Davenport St. • T:00 P.M. 
PHILADELPHIA 
Warner' Screening Room 
230 No. 13th St. • 2:30 P.M. 

PITTSBURGH 

20th Century-Fox Screening Room 

1715 Blvd. of Allies * 1:30 P.M. 

PORTLAND 

Jewel Box Screening Room 

1947 N.W. Kearney St. • 2:00 P.M, 

SALT LAKE 

20th Century-Fox Screening Reom 
216 Eost 1st South • 2:00 P.M. 

SAN FRANCISCO 

Paromount Screening Room 

205 Golden Gate Ave. • 1:30 P.M. 

SEATTLE 

Jewel Box Screening Room 
2318 Second Ave. • 10:30 A.M. 
ST. LOUIS 
S'renco Screening Room 
3143 Olive St. • 1:00 P.M. 
WASHINGTON 
Warner Theatre Building 
I3tb t £ $t{. N,W. • 10:30 A.M. 



Wednesday, July 28, 1948 



A Closeup on D. W. Griffith 

By Gi;ORGE E. PHAIR 

Hollywood, July 27. 

He invented the fadeout. 
He invented the flashback. 

David Wark Griffith lived enough to realize that a fadeout 
IS something more than a technical term on a motion picture lot.: 
He is no longer on earth to witness the flashback of his career; 
nor the closeups of his bygone triumphs, nor the misty photography 
of the days when Griffith and film art were synonymous. He lived 
long enough to become a myth in the rush of modern invention, 
reinembered only by the elders who had seen the transition of 
motion pictures from the nickelodeons of yesterday to the de- 
luxers of today. 

For 15 years Griffith had not made a picture in Hollywood 
although his name had appeared in the newspapers now and again 
in an advisory capacity, or as a partner in a future film production 
project, or as the author of a still-to-be written document of the 
film industry. But none of the studios gave him a job. 
, He was not broke, in the ordinary sense of the word, during 
the last years of his life, although he was no longer the affluent 
spender he had been in halcyon days. Almost any evening he 
could be found in' the Hollywood-Knickerbocker hotel, which Is 
not by any means a log cabin, breaking out now and then with 
a $50 bill and inviting the boys to listen while he recounted tales 
of the good old days when Hollywood was Hollywood. 

He was always going to make that one last film, a picture that 
would revolutionize the industry, even more than "The Birth of 
a Nation" did. He had a lot of startling ideas, he told the boys, 
: but the studio executives had grown too prosperous and conser- 
"vative to risk a detour frota the old and profitable formula. A 
little while and there would be a new formula and a newer and 
wiser Griffith who wouldn't be taken for a ride by a lot of busi^ 
nessmen who knew more about boxofl'ice than they did about 
drama. He was talking about the new picture the night before he 
.died; 

There was talk about Hollywood that Griffith had been accept- 
ing charity in his later years but that rumor was scotched after 
his death by his attorney. The estate, according to the; lawyer, 
is somewhere between $20,000 and $50,000, exclusive of mc m 
picture properties. . 

There was a handsome funeral, with the mortal remains of- 
David Wark Griffith lying in state and newsreel cameramen taking 
shots of mourning fihn executives who knew him when, but not 
lately. 



PICTITRES 



17 



D. W. GRIFFITH, FILM 
PIONEER, DEAD AT 73 

Hollywood, July 27. 
David Wark Griffith, 73, pioneer 
motion picture producer, who died 
July 23 in Temple Hospital after 
a cerebral hemorrhage in the 
Knickerbocker Hotel, where he 
had been living for several years, 
had been comparatively inactive in 
the film business since 1933 when 
he sold his holdings in United Ar- 
tists, of which he was one of the 
founders. , 

Griffith was an outstanding 
name in the early days of the film 
industry *^hich he entered about 
the turn of the century after a 
none too successful career on the 
stage. Beginning as a scenario 
writer on the silent film, "La 
Tosea." in 1907, he reverted to act- 
ing the next year in a number of 
one-reelers including "Ostler Joe" 
and "When Knighthood was in 
Flower." 

His career took an upward turn 
the following year when H. M. 
Marvin hired him as an assistant 
dii'ector. Moving up to full direc- 
torship, his dramatic talent foun* 
an outlet in such innovations as 
the flashback, the. closeup, the 
fadeout, mist photography and 
dther techniques which have out- 
lived him. 

Outstanding among the Griffith 
productions was "The Birth of a 
Nation," filmed in 1915. It cost 
$110,000, a size&We sum in those 
davs, and eventually it grossed 
more than $10,000;000; a notable 
record even today. A year later 
he startled the film industry by 
gambling $1,600,000 on "Intoler- 
ance" The picture failed to 
slarlie the public and returned 
oiilv about $1,750,000. 

With Mary Pickford, Charles 
Cliapliu and the late Douglas Faw- 
banks, and the late Hiram Abrams 
as business head, Griffith organ- 
ized United Artists in 1919. His 
fir'st production under that banner 
was "The Love Flower." It was 
followed by "Way Down Ea.st," 
"Dream Street," "Orphans of the 
Storm " "One Exciting Night, 
"America," "The White Rose," 
"Isn't Life Wonderful," "Sally of 
the Sawdust" and "Broken Blos- 
soms." At that time dissension 
arose among th(> UA partners and 
Griffith broke away for three 
years, during O^llch he rtlade "That 
Royle Giri" and "The Sorrows ot 
Satan" for Paramount. Returnmg 
to the UA fold, he produced a re- 
make of his earlier picture. Battle 
of the Soxes/' His "Ladies of the 
Pavement" was filmed in 1929. and 
his "Abraham Lincoln, an all- 
talking picture, in 1930. 

The Academy of Motion Picture 
Arts and Sciences recognized GrU- 
fill 's services in 1935 With a life 
rnenibe?ship and a special award 
i, >• " islineuished creative achieye- 
mentfand^ invaluable and last mg 
Sibutions to the progress of the 
film industry/' 



U's Accent 

Continued from page i 



ish theatre . before it comes over 
here, then we'll advertise that fast, 
since our a f lience for British pic- 
tures in this: country has basically 
the same taste as the English audi- 
ence." 

New system won't mean, Berg- 
man emphasized, that the Hank 
product is to. be slotted into art 
houses. Audience for it is large 
enough to rate it dates in the top 
showcase theatres. He declared, 
moreover, that the revised ad policy 
also doesn't mean the smaller sit- 
uations are to be sloughed off in 
any campaign. He noted how ad- 
vance publicity on the forthcoming 
"Hamlet" has already infiltrated 
into the smaller towns and de- 
clared, his department would try 
to evoke the same word-of-mouth 
advertising on all Rank product. 
, U's job in plugging its British 
releases, he said, will be consid- 
erably easier since the Rank public- 
ity staffers now know what kind 
of exploitation material is needed 
to'sell the films in this country and 
so have improved their material 
along those lines. 

Bergman is slated to fly to the 
Coast, Aug. 6, to talk over ad- 
publicity plans on forthcoming 'U 
product with studio execs. U sales 
veepee William Scully, mean- 
while, who's been huddling with 
Rank execs in London for the last 
three weeks, sailed for the U. S. 
aboard the America, Friday (23), 
and is scheduled to arrive today 
(Wed.), Also aboard are studio 
production chief Bill Goetz and his 
wife, Edith; and Robert Goldstein, 
eastern studio rep. 



Hal Home Getting His 
. Sing-a-Tina Marketed 

Hal Home, former pub-ad chief 
for 20th-Fox and Disney, now con- 
centrating on promotion of the 
Sing-a-Tina. a kazoo-like instru- 
ment on which he holds the patents 
and which he has developed. JItck 
Goldstein, recently of RKO and 
formerly publicity , aide to Home 
at 20th. is handling out-of-town 
promotion and has worked out a 
large-scale campaign-^including a 
tieup with the public schools^in 
Boston, where the plastic 'instru- 
ment will get its national preem. 

Device, in three sizes, will sell 
for 15c 35c and $1. Horne derives 
a royalty from each sale, having 
licensed the actual manufacture to 
la plastics outfit in New Jersey. 



Sales Drives 

Continued from pagi 5 



September. RKO is currently in 
the midst of the annual Ned De- 
IJinet drive; Both Paramount and 
Warners are expected to tee olf 
their annual drives in September 
and 20th-Fox, which- has just con- 
cluded a special drive honoring the 
first anniversary in. his job of sales 
chief Andy W. Sniith, Jr., is ex- 
pected to conduct the annual 
Spyros Skouras campaign in the 
late fall , > 

That leaves only Metro among 
the majors, with no drive sched- 
uled. To date, M-G has shunned 
the sales systems, preferring in- 
stead to sell its product on a 
straight quality basis. Last Metro 
sales drive was conducted in 1944 
which, according to company offi- 
cials, was legitimate since it hon- 
ored the 20th anni of the com- 
pany. With all other distribs hav- 
ing drives in the works now, Metro 
believes it, too, may be forced to 
call one this fall if only to protect 
its own position by bucking the 
other companies for bookings. ^ ^ 



Down Trend Began 
In '47, Conmierce 
Dept. Discloses 

Washington, July 27. 
The peak of picture biz was 
reached in 1946 and the down- 
ward trend, now becoming so 
noticeable, began in 1947. Figures 
just released by the U. S. Depart- 
ment of Commerce disclose that, 
contrary to general belief, the 
trend was down rather , than lip, 
last year, although 1947 still 
stands as the second best in the 
history of pictures. 

The Commerce statistics, cover- 
ing the field from boxof fice and 
net profits to number of em- 
ployees, prove once more that 
films are the nation's favorite rec- 
reation, doing a business almost 
equal to that of the remainder of 
the recreation aiid amusement 
field combined.. 

Here is the story in dollars: 
' In 1947, industry corporate prof- 
its after Federal and State taxes, 
was a smash $161,000,000 slipping 
from the record-breaking $202,- 
000,000 of 1946, but still far ahead 
of such other halcyon years as 
1945, $104,000,000; and 1944, $102,- 
000,000. To give an idea how sub- 
stantial the figures are, it should 
be recalled that industry corporate 
profits in boom 192d amounted to 
only $52,000,000, 

In other fields of amusement 
and recreation, the -profits after 
all taxes in 1947 were $62,000,000, 
an alltime record and better thaw 
the previous high of $60,000,000, 
earned in 1946. 

Motion picture corporate prof- 
its before taxes hit $269,000,000 in 
1947, down substantially from the 
$336,000,000 before taxes in 1946. 
The 1945 figure was $255,000,000. 

Department of Commerce re- 
ports that the motion picture box-: 
office take last year was $1,380,- 
000,000. This was second only to 
the 1946 peak of $1,427,000,000, 
but ahead of the $1,259,000,000 
for 1945 and the $1,175,000,000 of 
1944. The$e four are the only 
$1,000,000,000 years the industry 
has had at the boxoffice. 

In th» picture industry, wages 
and salaries reached their peak in 
1947. The industry paid out $683,- 
000,000 last year to an average 
of 251,000 fulltime employees in 
production, distribution and ex- 
hibition. A year earlier, with an 
average of 254,000 full and part- 
time employees, the total was 
$680,000,000; The average earning 
of the motion picture worker last 
year was $3,022 — contrasted with 
$2,969 in 1946 and $2,567. in 19451: 



Johnston Appraises State of Fib | 
Biz on Foreign and Domestic Fronts 



U's Clarification 

Universal, in a- special press 
release slanted at newspaper 
financial editors, emphasized 
yesterday (Tues.) that plans 
to shutter its studios were 
made "many months ago" and 
had "nothing whatever to do 
with current British film 
quota restrictions." Pact that 
the U release quoted both U 
board chairman J. Cheever 
Cowdin and prexy Nate J. 
Blumberg. and was issued by 
J.. Walter Thompson and not 
U's ad-pub department, is 
believed' to point up the 
emphasis placed by the com- 
pany on making certain the 
"public knows the official rea- 
sons for closing down the 
studios. 

Referring to a statement re- 
portetdly made in Hollywood 
Monday (26) by Motion Pic- 
ture Assn. of America, prez 
Eric Johnston linking the 
. shutdown with the British 
quota, Cowdin and Blumberg 
declared Johnston was "either . 
misquoted or misinformed." 
U toppers termed the shut- 
dovm, scheduled to start Fri- 
day (30), a "general vabation 
period" and emphasized that 
U now has a 19-picture back- 
log, biggest in its history. 



Hughes' Exp0rt$ 



Continued' from 'page '4 



was named as a result of the riislg- 
nation last week of prexy N. Peter 
Rathvon, who had been serving as 
production topper since Dore 
Schary resigned early this month. 
In that period more than 700 em- 
ployees, of whom about 150 were 
on a ■ regular weekly salary basis, 
were fired. 

Creighton Perlin, another exec 
in the Hughes industrial empire, 
was named in the original an- 
nouncement as, a member of the 
studio exec group; His name was 
withdrawn, Iiowever, within half 
an hour and that of Tevlin sutn 
stituted. 



Pic Divvies Off 
3 Million in '48 



Washington, July 27i 
Motion picture film dividends, 
while still strong for the first half 
Of ' 1948, were nevertheless more 
than $3,000,000 under the first half 
of 1947, the peak' year. 

A generally downward trend has 
been apparent during the first half 
of the year, with some companies 
omitting dividends and others pay- 
ing less. U. S. Department of Com- 
merce reports that the slip is more 
marked in films than in other in- 
dustries wholSe figures are kept by 
the Department,^ For business as 
a whole, dividends in the second 
quarter of 1948 were up 10% over 
the previous year. In pictures, the 
second-quarter melon this year to- 
taled $11,605,000, as against $13,- 
645,000 for the same quarter of 
1947, 

Despite the slump, howe^r, 1948 
continues to be the second best 
year for payments to picture indus- 
try stockholders. For the first half 
of 1946, the dividends totaled $17,- 
108,000. 

June payments this year were a 
fine $7,478,000, but nevertheless off 
from* the June, 1947, figure of 
$7,959,000. 

Commerce estimates the pub- 
licly reported dividends which it 
collects amount to about 60% of 
all dividends paid out by inctti^- 
rated businesses. 



Budget Cuts 

Conttniied from page 3 



usually been a closely-guarded se- 
cret. It has been learned, however, 
that Metro's domestic film rentals 
during 1947 totaled approximately 
$60,000,000 of a total operating, 
revenue of some $176,342,000. With 
a group of big-grossers already 
released this year, the company's 
rentals have maintained their 
steady pace, despite the slight box- 
office dip. 

;-".That theatre recepits have fallen 
,*i^..hag long been recognized in the 
Iri'ditstify. Most company officials, 
Sdwever; bplii^ve the slump, esti- 
mated at betweea 10-12% national- 
ly, vvlU be overcome during the 
next several months ' on the basis 
of the top lineup of product being 
released by all companies. * 

With the new economy wave now 
in force at most studios, following 
close on the heels of the one ef- 
fected last fall, it's now believed 
that production costs can definitely 
be brought down. When pictures 
made under the reduced cost struc- 
ture are released, consequently, 
and if sales and theatre depart- 
ments hold their own, company 
officials can see their profit state- 
ment going in no other (Urection 
than up. 



Hollywood, Jiily. 27. 

Serious shrinkage of foreign, 
markets; high cost of living domes-> 
tically; serious competition from 
new forms of entertainment, such 
as television, night dog races, night 
baseball, etc., are blamed by Eric 
Johnston, president of the Motion 
Picture Ass'n of America, for the 
serious condition in which the illm 
Industry finds itself today. Most 
serious to the business is the for^ 
eign situation, he declared. 

Johnston pointed out here yes- 
terday (Monday) that 1946 foreign 
income was $120,000,000, while 
earnings for the entire industry, 
for that year, after taxes, were 
only $144,000,000. In 1947, the for- 
eign coin shrank . to $90,000,000, 
and the Industry's entire eartiings, 
after taxes, only totaled $96,000>» 
000. Johnston estimates thtit In 
1948 the entire foreign revenue 
won't pass $70,000,000. Next year, 
he said, would be the low point, 
with overseas revenue down to 
$50,000,000 to $60,000,000. f 

Additionally said Johnston, his 
previous estimate of $7,000,000 as 
the figure British pix would do in 
the U. S. has to be revised. He 
said there might be no net earn- 
ings whatever, consequently noth-* . 
ing to be added to $17,000,000 
whfich the American producers can 
take out of Britain. Under the -re- 
cent agreement, they get $17,000,- 
000. plus an amount equal to the 
net earnings of British pictures in 
Anierica, 

■The biggest problem facing- thie 
industry as regards' the foreign mar- 
ket, however, is the conversion of 
foreign currency into dollars. U, S. 
pix are being shown in every 
country of the world, with excep- 
tion of Yugosilavia and Russia, andl 
foreign audiences are larger than 
ever— even behind the "Iron Cur- 
tain." The current Berlin situation 
is holding up State Oept, action on 
the MPAA's request for a protest 
over British quota. Pro):ests def- 
initely will be made, Johnston 
promised, but he doesn't know 
when. . . ■ ■ , ■ 

Johnston refused to make J. 
Arthur Rank the "villian" on the 
British front, since all British pro- 
ducers feel the quota a good thing. 
However, he feels the British will 
find the quota a second and more* 
serious mistake than the original 
tax bite. 

He sees another serious mistake 
looming for British production In 
announcement that the .Labor gov- 
ernment would subsidize produc- 
tion. H» says banks won't back 
Britishers any longer, and the 
Government will soon gain control 
of what goes into , pix. Plan is to 
keep up strong export program to 
all eountries, even those from 
which no revenue is returned. 

He believes the pix biz should 
let those funds keep piling up. 

On the home front, the MPAA 
prexy stated pix industry, which 
had been geared to world market, 
must get back to domestic opera- 
tion fast. Multi-million dollar pic- 
tures are out. Johnston struck an 
optimistic note regarding current 
production lag, unemployment. 
Feels certain situation would im- 
prove with production picking up 
late fall after return to U. S. of 
Jack Warner, Darryl F. Zanuck, 
Herbert J. Yates and other indus- 
try toppers. Regarding bid of other 
countries for recognition, said it 
was impossible for any country 
furnish within next few years the 
know-how of picmakhig it took 
Hollywood two generations to 
learn. 



Jerry Wald 

Contbiucid from paee 3 



agent. Lew Wasserman of MCA, on 
the correct tack to pursue in han- 
dling this matter. His contract runs 
to 1952. The studio's denial of his 
authority to interview talent for 
pictures on liis production schedule 
is regarded by Wald as "Degrad- 
ing." 

Wald recently produced "Key 
Largo," "Johnny Belinda," "One 
Sunday Afternoon" "John Loves 
Mary," "Adventures of Don Juan," 
has "Happy Times," "Flamingo 
Road," and "Task Force" ready 
for production and is readying 
"8omethbig% Got *ro ' , Give," 
"Ladies And Gentlemen," "Calam- 
ity Jane," "Serenade," among 
others. 



IS 



UTEBATI 



Literati 



Ariicona Times Finally Sold 

Arizona Times, Phoenix p,m. 
daily, was soldr Monday (26) by 
publisher Anna Boosevelt Boettiger 
to a group of Phoenix business 
men headed by Columbus Gifagi, 
longtime Arizona publisher and 
editor. Selling price was not dis- 
closed hut sale included all stock. 

False alarm sale of the Times to 
Giragi and Fred A. Eldian, New 
York public relations counsellor, 
was announced several weeks ago 
but was retracted when deal was 
nixed by minority, stockholder 
AValter Kirschner. Latter is con- 
nected with Grayson chain clothing 
stores 

Times lias been losing proposi- 
tion since 'its inception aS daily 14 
■ mdnths ago with Anna and John 
Boettiger as publishers. Latter 
withdrew several - months ago to 
travel abroad after seeing hand- 
writing on "the wall. 

Giragi has been- with paper last 
several weeks in executive capacity 
scn'ing without pay. Understood 
helll revise managerial end and 
also make necessary. staS changes. 
Fi^st step was acquisition of Pick 
Smith as managing editor, replac-. 
ing Top. Rippey, who takes over as 
city editor. 

.liauterbaeb's N. V. Star Job 
Bichard Lauterbach, y/ha edited 
the recently deceased '48 mag and 
prfeviously was a Time-Life war 
correspondent, has joined the New 
York - Star (formerly PM) as 
senior editor over its -Sunday mag- 
azine i>nd an columns, features, 
pictures, etc. It's a newly created 
position and makes him operating 
executive over all non-news de- 
partments except the editorial 
page, of which George Wells is 
senior editor. 

Some major reformatting of the 
paper's features is being blue- 
printed, Lauterbach said last week, 
hut no drastic innovations wiU be 
unv«iled until fall. Star has been 
reported looking for a radio editor 
and Lauterbach intimated that 
fuller coverage is in the works. 
Whereas PM pnce carried a daily 
radio news column, authored by 
John JMcManus, Star is currently 
running, only about one radio fea- 
ture weekly.- 



from 1941 to 1945, he served as 
Chief of Public Belations, Carib- 
bean Defense Command; as execu- 
tive to the Chief' of Public Bela- 
tions, Allied Force Headquarters 
in F.ngland ^nd North Africa: and 
as chief of Counter-intelligence, 
with thfe 7th Army in Sicily, Italy, 
France and ' Germany. 



Chi's Comic Book Censorship 

Plan for providing for the cen- 
sorship of comic books was agreed 
u|>on' by a citizens' advisory com- 
mittee and reps of the comic dis- 
tributors and publishers in Chi- 
cago. When advisory board nixes 
a magazine, police department will 
ask distribs not to offer the issue 
for sale. If distribs refuse, police 
will confiscate books and arrest the 
sellel-s. 

Banning would be on individual 
issues, and not on more than one 
month at a time. 



McAnncy Upned To M.E. 

B. ' O. McAnney, city editor of 
The New York World-Telegram 
for the last 15 years, was upped to 
managing editor last week. Wil- 
liam D. O'Brien, day city editor, 
was upped to McAnney's former 
post. As managing editor McAn- 
ney will be in charge of the news, 
depal-tmental and feature depart- 
ment-s of the newspaper. 

Prior to joining the then New 
York Telegram staff in 1928, 
McAnney had held editorial posi- 
tions on The Tribune, N. Y. Her- 
ald Tribune, N. Y. Evening Post 
and The N, Y. Times. O'Brien has 
been with The World-Telegram for 
the past 20 years. 



new mags that have folded in the 
last year or so. , 

Cleveland Amory, author of 
"The Proper Bostonians," has a 
piece on "Palm Springs: Wind, 
Sand and Stars" in August Har- 
per's which doesn't "take the com- 
munity apart" as much as might be 
expected, but is a good factual ex- 
position of what makes it tick, why: 
It happened, etc. ■ 

Winners of the second annual 
Navy Literary Contest are Chief 
Metalsmith H. O. Austin, USN, 
with his novel, "Thunder in Janu- 
ary," and Lt. (jg) Arnold S. Lott, 
with "Spoofers," a collection of 
short stories and humorous sketch- 
es. Lott also won the literary 
award last year with a full-length 
poem. 



Touts Yank Travel 



Continued trom page 1 



Fe w Scribes at ' 3d Convention 

Decrease in the number of news- 
papermen was marked at the. Pro- 
gressive Party convention in Phil- 
adelphia. Although most of the 
top writ prs, Westbrook Pegler, Paul 
Gallico, H. L. Mencken, Dorothy 
Tliompison, Hebecca West and 
"otlier.s were in evidence, the rank 
and filers were nowhere near as 
numerous. ' 

Best evidence in the difference 
In the number of men assigned is 
the New York, Times, whi^ had 
27 men - on the Republican conven- 
tion; seven on the Wallace meeting. 
The AP had'approximately 140 staf- 
fers here for the GOP convention; 
they had 17 for Wallace. 

Reporters, who took seats on the 
field, instead of the press box, were 
at- a distinct disadvantage during 
Wallace's acceptance address. Too 
much baffle made the speakers near 
unintelligible and the sparsely pop- 
ulated press section was deserted 
stm more by those virlio went else- 
where to hear. 



.Wash. Post Policy Committee 

A unique plan to continue the 
Washington Post as an "independ- 
ent new.spaper, dedicated to the 
public welfare?' has been set up 
by Eugene Meyer, 72-year-old own- 
er 9f the paper. He has transfer- 
red control to his daughter and 
son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Philip L. 
Graham, and has set up a commit- 
tee of five to approve any future 
changes in control of the publica- 
tion, one of the best known in the 
United States. 

Members of the committee are; 
Chester I. Barnard, president of 
the Rockefeller I'bundatiou; James 
B. Conant, president of . Harvard 
University; Colgate W. Darden, .Jr. 
president of the University of Vir - 
ginia; Bolitha J. Laws, chief justice 
of- the District Court for the Dis- 
trict of Columbia; and Mrs. Milli- 
cent C. Mcintosh, Dean of Bar- 
nsird College. 

_ Idea is to keep the paper out of 
the hands- of those who might 
chwige it,from its present liberal 
Bttd mdependient.pollqr. 

Bruskin's OM News Post 
Bobert Bruskin, member of the 
Washington. Post staff, becomes 
chief of the, news division in the 
new Offio6.;.of . Public Information, 
National piitary. Establishment 
effective Aug; - 2. Bruskin, 38, 
Y^S^^ Sf "ewsMpers In Chicago 
^?£..:?Sl"».fiF^«? .going to 



Cas Adams' 'Tortnre' in Spades 

Caswell Adams' duo of books, 
"How to Torture Your Husband" 
and "How to Torture Your Wife," 
moved into their second printing 
this week. Original order by Win- 
ston was 20,000 copies and new 
one Is 7,300. 

Adams is a flack at United Art- 
ists homeoSice and a former sports 
writer. 



Sioux City. ;on Censor Spree 

Sioux City police chief has or- 
dered three books banned from 
bookshop, shelves. They are Er- 
skine Caldwell's "Tobacco Uoad," 
and "God's Little Acres," and 
Thome Smith's "Passionate 
Witehv" 

As yet there is no indication that 
bookserfirs WiU fight the ban. 



Bob Dana's Food Guide 
■ Bob Dana's "Where to Eat in 
New York" due via A. A. Wynn in 
October. He's the vet New York 
Herald Trib and World-Telegram 
nitery. columnist. 



the Wash- «fl.ry mene Muier s "The Stfll 
togton Evening star. In the Army born'^Babe" of "olfrnalism/- abSut 



" CHATTER 

Burl Ives* book, "Wayfaring 
Stranger," will hit the book stalls 
in October. 

Harlan Ware's novel, "The Won- 
derful Mrs. Ingram," is due for 
publicaMon in September. 

Lester Grady in Hollywood to 
survey ' the film situation for 
Screenland and Silver Screen 
mags. 

New Republic, last week, dis- 
missed seven staffers in an econ- 
omy move. Those let out were re- 
searchers and members of the 
library staff. • 

Idwal Jones, freelance Holly- 
wood correspondent^ has authored 
"Vines in the Sun," a book about 
California wines, which Prentice- 
Hall will publish in the fall. 

William Hartley, onetime man- 
aging editor of Click, joined Mod- 
ern Screen in a. similar capacity. 
Another MS addition is William 
Jeffers, who becomes story editor. 

Louis Azrael, columnist of the 
Baltimore News-Post, planed Fri- 
day (23) to Paris, en route to Tel 
Aviv. He'll spend about two 
months covering the Israel-Arab 
war. 

Metro ad-publicity veepee How- 
ard Dietz authoring a special ■ ar- 
ticle on the film industry 515 years 
ago for the jubii«e issue of fbffii- 
tre Arts mag, due on the news- 
stands soon. 

WilUam du Bois, an assistant in 
the N. Y. Times book department, 
becomes acting, editor of the N. Y. 
Times Book Review when John 
Hutch ms leaves in August to join 
the N. Y. Herald Tribune Weekly 
Book Review. 

. Budd Schulberg writing a se- 
ries of six articles based on let- 
ters from his father, B. P. Schul- 
berg, onetime Paramount produc- 
tion head, titled, "30 Odd Years 

Motion Picture Memories," for 
True Magazine. 

"Television: There Ought to Be 
a Law," by,Bernard B. Smith, will 
appear In the September issue of 
Harper's magi Same number will 
carry Merle Miller's "The Stfll 



tourists WiU drop about $2,500,000- 
000 in Europe. Since the U. S. had 
figured to spend about $17,000,000,- 
000 through the Economic Coopera- 
tion Administration, it would then 
have to tax the American public 
tor only $14,500,000,000 over the 
four-year period to hypo European 
recovery. 

Fly in the ointment is the fact 
that at the very time the eastern 
mountain resorts are starting to 
feel the squeeze of less spending 
(Vaiuety, July 21), Uncle Sam is 
going all out to sell moneyed 
Americans on spending their vaca- 
tion sockful in Europe. " 

One of the important aides in 
greasing the way for foreign travel 
will be Paul G. Hoffman, ECA 
administrator. "Dollars spent by 
American travelers in Europe," he 
commented the other day, "can 
play an important part in Europe's 
struggle to balance its books in its 
trade with the Western Hemis- 
phere." Result is that the Office 
of International Trade of the Com- 
merce Department, working with 
ECA, is operating on special plans 
to ease the bottleneck of trans-At- 
lantic transport; develop off-season 
travel programs; and develop low 
cost travel facilities to Euroti^ and 
inside Europe. , 

Best guess is that during 1948 a 
total of 300,000 Americans wiU 
spend $350,000,000 in Europe for 
an alltime high; However, this is to 
be built up until, in 1951, it is 
hoped that 500,000 Americans will 
go to Europe and spend $800,000,- 
000, including fare. 

All this, of course, is dependent 
on keeping the Russian situation 
quiet, ' 

In the next four years, the esti- 
mates show, Americans should 
spend $600,000,000 in France; $568,- 
000,000 in Britain; $328,000,000 in 
Eire; $224,000,000 in Switzerland; 
and $168,000,000 in Sweden. These 
are expected to be the top travel 
countries. 



SCULLrS SCRAPBOOK 



♦ ♦♦♦♦♦«♦»♦♦♦■ By Frs»nk Scully 



Can't Toil Refrig 



Continued from page 1; 



30 months overseas. A.s soon as he 
came ashore he called up his 
mother and her first words were 
'34 bushels." Her son said "Look, 
there must be some mistake." She 
said, "All right then the name of 
the mystery tune is Rimsky-Korsa- 
koff's Prelude in D Sharp Minor." 
When he finally told her that it 
was her son whom she hadn't 
heard from in over two years she 
hung up in disgust. 

It's even affected the courts. To- 
day you can't get an answer from 
a witness , unless you promise them 
a dishwashing machine, a stainless 
steel roasting oven, a Bulova watch 
and a prcrfabricated bungalow. In 
a criminal trial the prosecuting 
attorney asked the defendant 
where he was at the time the 
crime was committed. The defend- 
ant said, "What .do I get if I answer 
correctly?" The prosecuting attor- 
ney said "The chair." The defend- 
ant wouldn't answer the question 
Until the attorney promised him 
that it would definitely be one of 
the new model Toastmaster elec- 
tric chairs ... the kind that auto- 
maUcaUy ejects the prisoner. 

has even reached the 
White Hou,s.°. LaiSt April President 
Truman made Italy "Queen For A 
Day." For givmg the correct an- 
swer to a certain question she was 
given two dozen roses, a whole 
merchant fleet, Trieste, $40,000,OPO 
m cash, and a, permanent wave in 
her flag. 

Who knows Where this will end? 
I can just see thi« United Nations 
on their own television quiz show. 
The announcer is saying,, "AU 
right, you have Czechoslovakia. 
Now would you like to try for 
South America?" 



Hollywood, July 24. 
\s television emerges from the womb of time after a gestation period 
exceeding that of elephants, two things give hope that it will gip^ 
mto some family resemblance to show business. One is that it alieady 
has entertaining moments, and the other is that it is capable of nu^ty 
surefire flops. . 

Since anybody could produce a flop, it would be only fair to the 
emerging' enfant terrible to stress its hopeful side. In this connectfon 
it is doing quite weU in the parlor and the arena. In parlor games, 
charades is already far out in front. As to arenas, professional wres- 
tling is far ahead in the videogenic field. 

That these two dumb acts hardly start television standing ,qn the 
shoulders of legit, pictures and radio is conceded. But that suc& stets 
are currently more entertaining than many plays, pix and soap opeais 
augurs well for TV's future. 

One parlor ganie billing itself as "Mike Stokey s Pantomime Quii. 
Time" can already lay claim to the title of the fastest half hour- in 
television, in its short time on earth it has crowned champions and 
deposed champions. Tommy Harmon, the Michigan AU-American, heads 
a team that has knocked out all comers in this game of guessing from 
gestures the titles to songs, books and familiar quotations. N 

The old parlor game as set up for television consists oi two teams of 
four adults each. Each player gets a chance as leader and must get 
the answer, aided only by dumb gestures, within two minutes.from Ms 
three teammates, or a wliistle blows saying he has faUed. 'The hbijie 
audience is privy to the answer before the sweating of the participaiits* 
in the studio begins. 

The AU-American Boy 

Harmon's team has stumped rival quartets Consisting of wcll-knovm 
columnists, disk jockeys (by far the smartest and funniest), actors, aa- 
gineers »nd chiropractors. 

Team of Bill Bendix, Eve Arden and Jack Carson got stumped On 
"Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome." Even with all of Bendix's mugging 
they couldn't get the word "gruesome." Danny Thomas, Charles Bug- 
gies, Kirk Douglas, Jimmy Durante, Vincent Pricey Walter Bremum, 
Stu Erwin, Jack Oakie, Henry O'Neill, Phil Harris and Alice Faye have 
all tried their hands at solving Stokey's sticklers with fair success. 

Team record is currently held by a quartet led by Barry Sullivan. 
They knocked off four word riddles in 1 min. 38 sees. Hans Conried 
holds the individual record, having solved one song title in 11 seconds. 
Joan Davis was not far behind. She divined that a hidden title was 
"Veronica plays a harmonica on the -pier at Santa Monica/' She did it 
in 14 seconds. ; 

Harmon himself h'as come in with -one in 24 seconds and is a con" 
sistently fast performer. His wife, Elyse Knox, is also fast on the 
draw. Stokey and Ebert hope to lure the nation's action-lovers, who 
know Harmon as a football star and sports commentator, into the laby- 
rinthine ways wherein mind finally triumphs' over muscle. But with 
professional wrestlers tossing a new plot gimmick into the arena each 
week, it is not going to be a pushover for the manufacturers of brain- 
teasers to top television's first 10. 

The pantomimic teams have not been unmindful of the sex factor in 
entertainment, but neither for that matter have the wrestlers. Gor- 
geous George, with his crowning glory which togs Betty Grable's coif- 
fures and an array of dressing gowns which must outnumber hers, 
has fortified the manly art of modified murder with boudoir overtones 
which are aUuring as well as laughable. 

Witch-hunters in tjie picture industry have fairly well established 
that unemployed scenario writers have gone underground and are not 
only writing dialog for wrestlers but are using up their more sub- 
versive plots in this field as well. * 

An example of their craft can be caught almost any time that 
wrestlers and television cameramen meet. One of their most polished 
scripts was a David and Goliath job involving little Gorgeous George 
and big Enrique Torres. Torres, billed as the world's champion, a 
Mexican of unquestioned wrestling skill, was "risking" his Utle on 
this occasion. 

What's Cooking? 

Gorgeous George was first in the arena, preceded. Of course, by 
his flit-spraying Jeeves, who placed an airvvick in the arena to re- 
move peasant odors from the place. 

George wore a dressing gown, fiinged this time with ermine. He 
strutted up and down the canvas, giving the television cameras every 
angle of his marcel-waved tresses. The soundtrack picked up the wolf- 
calls, catcalls and What sounded like salacious propositions from that' 
part of the audience favoring Torres. 

Torres foUowed the gorgeous one into the arena. A magnificent 
Mexicano, he obviously lacked his perfumed opponent's showmanship. 
They discussed the rules. George observed that the champ's manager 
wa.<! listening to the briefing. He t«ld the manager to blow. 
Xxet lost, Gmsburg," was the way George put it. 
.Ginsburg held his ground. George threatened to throw him over 
the ropes. The champ viewed all this deadpan. The referee told 
George to calm down. Ginsburg by now had definitely become part 
of the plot. 

George disrobed. The -oohs and ahs of the audience at the sight 
of his body beautiful practically overtaxed the sound track. Actually 
he looked like one of those muscle-bound boys of big shoulders and 
thm legs vyhich feature the ads of Charles Atlas. In fact he looks a 
lot like Bill Bendix. 

_ The butler meliculou.sly folded George's $1,000 dressing gown so 
ine price tag shows, picked up the airwick, flitgun and prayer-rug, 
and departed. > «» 

The bell rang. Within minutes it was obvious that Gorgeous 6. 
was no match for Enrique T. 

But to the amazement of none, George got a hold on the champ 
and, u.sing the ropes for added leverage, gained a fall! The referee. 
It appears, had both eyes too tightly glued on the champ's shoulders 
that he did not see that the cha,llenger was using the ropes as illegal 
aid to victory. The whole house was howling its protest but the 
reteree couldn't hear. 

The second fall, of course, went to the champ, who tossed George 
so high m the air he looked for a second like a fly in centerfield. 

ihey came up for the deciding fall, and George worked back toward 
tne ropes to use them for leverage again. But the champ moved the 
contest back into the center of the ring. Both were grunting and 
gioaning. George m desperation was going dirty. Boos indicated he 
was slipping from here to heavy. 

Quietly along the edge of the ring Ginsburg moved from the corner 
nliiPrt u^T^- ,SS?*e"ly George came flying toward Ginsburg. pro- 
«f» WL„»^ ? . J champ's most forceful thrusts, Ghisburg opened 

!mni K?? "* George went sailing through them, not stopping 

iif^. 1, hard substance in the fifth row. He was out. 

ihp IriPtrh 'I'^""' consciousness and get back into the ring 

the match was awarded to Torres. By now GeoW was somehow back 
ZJiZ rf«cw^ screammg his unacceptance of the decision. He 
brain tn i^wi^f rushed him and proceeded to reduce the champs 
™ * Flattop. Ginsburg's shredded clothes were all over the 

rnffill™^™^*"'^*^^ P«"«e- George rearranged his brushcorl 

neath the rtog" * Messing robe* and reUred to his boudoir be- 

J!'*"*"'^ peasants dispersed and television hosts afl 

over town >vere cOBgr«tuUted for putting on the best show in toWn. 



Wgjhjcgd^ July 28, 1948 



19 



In heroic tradition of The Covered WagonM 



Magnificent!... milestone in film production 



Very big at theatres of all types' and classes! 
Has a dramatic roar like thunder! m p doIv 
With great westerns of all time ! EMbuor 

A boxoffice beauty ! Daily Voritfy 

By all means buy it! FUmDmiy 



snowmen s 



Big boxoffice! Boxoffice 



Released thru UA 



20 



nCTUIIES 



Insidb Stoff-Hctures 

New slant on jyhat the forced liquidation of certain bi§ theatre hold- 
ings might have on future projits of major film companies cropped up 
in Wall Street last week. S. B. Lurie, of Paine, Webber, Jackson & 
Curtis, advanced the conclusion that such forced liquidation might 
prove a blessing in disguise to stockholders, and outlined his reasons. 

His statement developed after the report by Paramount that it t>lans 
to reduce its holdings in theatres and to shrink its capital structure 
had produced speculation on the value of far theatre interests and 
their importance to earnings. 

Lurie's analysis showed Par carried its investment at the end of 1947 
In around 1,000 partially owned theatres at $12,010,000 after a reserve 
of $8,685,000. Debt of these companies is only $230,000. It was esti- 
mated that if the 1944-47 average dividend of $4,400,000 from these 
partially owned theatres is capitalized at 10%; Paramount's miscella- 
neous theatre holdings may be worth $43,640,000, 

Corporation's balance sheet valuation of its wholly owned theatre 
circuit of more than 500-debt free theatres may be far below potential 
market value since reflecting value? established in the reorganization 
period of 1932-35. tar carries the investment in these latter subsids 
at $46,276,000. 

Paramount has been maldng a pair of innovations ■ in advertising 
recently. One of the item.<i 1$. its own. .development of the all-industry 
plan afoot last spring to plug top prtfduct coming up. Par is making 
available to exhibs a series, of ads in mat form featuring nine of its 
late summer aad fall films. Space is provided at the bottom of the 
ad for the exbib' to put in the name of his house. 
In another break from tradition. Par is using .extensive quotes from 



Matter of 

Music CoflecHon Fees 

Decision forcing ASCAP to 
switch collection of their public 
performance rights on films from 
exhibitors to producers might 
eventually lead to a "Mexican 
standoff" in wliich there will be no 
music Jn' pictures. That's the opin- 
ion of ASCAP legalites, following 
the ruling handed down against 
ASCAP last week by Judge Vin- 
cent L. LeibeU. 

According to the ASCAP attor- 
neys, the organization had once of- 
fered radio transcription manufac- 
turers the right to pay perform- 
imce right fees, instead of licens- 
ing individual radio stations! Fees 
would then be passed on to sta- 
tions via upped rates, Manufactur- 
ers, however, turned down the of- 
fer because of the added expense 
involved in acting as an agent for 
coUectmg those fees. Same thing, 
the legalites pointed out, might oc- 
cur in the film industry. 
Even if the court's ruling is up- 



'Joan' Roadshow 

— Conttntied from paee 5 s 
O'Shea feels this too high and a 
compromise may be made. 

Mulvey's air in taking on- super- 
vision of "River" and "Joan" is to 
reduce the overhead on Goldwyn's 
large distribuUon organization. 
Mulvey is also seeking representa- 
tion of other top product, but un- 
doubtedly would riot take on a^ny 
other roadshow except ' Moan." 
With natrons' coin -seeminsly 



Wedneaday, July 28, 1948 



Pix Gharge-Off$ 

a Contintied from pag« i 



$600,000 Will be amortized aEsii,.!. 
the U. S. gross. 

When the film goes into releac, ' 
m England, the 20% of the total 
that can be expected from .therp ' 
(represented by $200,000 of the - 
negative cost) will be started into 
amortization. Similarly with other ' 
countries, in ratio to what each ' 
normally contributes to the ovetslt 
income. 

Most companies still maiAtoin 
the old system, preferring to lot 



patrons cum ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^ ^ boolie^^ 

freer last year lhan iUs now d s- ing-wise. by the domestic .fflosS 
tribs are of the opinion tliat tlic considering overseas 



fight thev had on their hands with 
tlie roadshowings in 1S)47 were 
only small-scale rehearsals lor 
what RKO, Goliiwyn and 



"Joan' 



the New "Kork critics in ads for "A Foreign Affair." General theory held that producers must pay the 
has been that the non-New Yorker might resent the Big Town telling [ fees, it is impossible to force them 



producer Walter Wanger will face 
in 1948-49. That's going to be true 
in spades, too, if Goldwyn demands 
the .same 70% renUi that he got 
for "Best Years." 

Although in many cases; the 
j-oadshow engageinent-s— even with 
high rentals— gave exhibs a lot 



him what's' good'and what's bad. However, new national mag campaign 
calls "Affair" the mo.*^ highly praised- iiicture of the year" and then 
quotes the critics of eight Manhattan dailies. 

Stunninjg. Federal court decision in New Xprk last week by Judge 
Vincent- H. LeibeU, outlawing ASGAP'S- performing tab on theatres, 
points to the failure to achieve the same result in Washington, by 
legislation, only a few months earlier. 

Hypoed by the Allied States Exhibitors, Rep. Karl R. Lewis (R., O.) 
introduced a bill last January which would require film studios to 
acquire, performing rights on musical soundtracks and to turn such 
rights over to the exhibitor automatically with the print of the film. 
BUI went to public hearing before a House Judiciary subcommittee in 
March. After, taking extensive testimony, the. subeomouttee turned 
thundtB down op the .measuije. However; unsuccessful efforts were 
madfr to have the fun committee reverse the subeomniittee 



to' do so. Consequently, ASCAP 
legalites declared, if collection of 
fees from theatres is illegal and if 
producers refuse to pay them, then 
negotiations with ASCAP might be 
broken off entirely, which means 
that there would be no music in 
films. 

ASCAP attorneys emphasized 
that this is only a prediction of 
what might happen. They stressed 
that they're still not certain 
whether Judge. Lcibell's opinion 
would be upheld on appeal. 



Howard Hughes' recent purchase of RKO and the .interest he is tak- 
ing in- operation of 0x6 company is seen as possibl^ having a broad 
bearing on the future of international aviation. Robert H: Fetridge, 
N. Y. Times .linancial columnist, on Sunday (2S) quoted Wall street 
sources as believing' fhat Hughes' new interest might be a prelude to 
sale of his i!tiajority ownership of TWA. . - - 

That is significant in financial circles because it would pave the way 
toward merger of TWA and Pan American Airways. Hughes has op- 
posed such a move. In fact, it became a cause of c^lebre when he 
claimed last year that Senator Owen Brewster had agreed to call off 
the $enate war contracts investigation if he would agree to the.merger. 



"Variety Time," which employs clips from' other pictures to show 
outstfinding. vaude stars of current and bygone days, I not only gives 
these vaudevillians a break on the screen but also 'in the pocketbook. 
These" vauders already had^ been paid-for their work in the original 
pictures, e#ett if some wound up on the cutting- room floor, and they 
are. pftid again for being part of "Variety Time." ■ 

Case in point is Pat Rqoney. His dancie, originally made for an Eddie 
Cantor picture for RKO,*was lost in the editing. - But the Rooney dance 
turn is in "Variety Time," making a. double payment for the :dancer. ' 



When Metro registered "The Good Humor Man"- as .a film title, It 
beat Columbia to..the draw and started a feud. Understood Columbia 
aimed to star Red Skeiton as an icecream peddler to follow "The 
Fuller Brush Man." Now Columbia is reported protesting Metro's use 
of the "Good Humor" title on the theory that it will conflict with, the 
brush salesman. . . ' • . ' : 



AS€AP Decision 

Contioued from page S 



gravy. Actually, of coinsCj it 
makes no difference. It is only 
I accounti.ag procedure. However* 
it has the effect of making net 
profits look more healthy, siiee 
there are now long delays bef^^e 
II vpietaite way play England aftds 
appiroximiitely 20# of the cost m 
be carried as inventOiy until it isis - 
its first playdate. '5\^ether It'^ 
carried as inventory or eatirelr 

- i charged off didn't make any differ- 

more profit than normal, the I nea- ence when a film was play^ hi 
Iremen had strong objection. They , Britain just as quickly as in the 
claimed that business for a short ; u. S. ' 
time before and a long time after i Amortization of a film is figured 
each roadshow' engagement suf- | by most companies to take around 
fered, as people had apparently ! va weeks (H^ years). Th^ have 
spent all the money they intended tables laying, out what percentage 
spending for pix for that period, lis iq be charged off each week.'wilb 
Filmgoers also made plenty of di- ; the great majority of the pie-'^cost 
rect squawks to exhibs that you amortized during the first 13 weeks 
don't reduce prices for a poor pic- ; .since it gets its greatest mcome' 

during that period, when it pbty. 
iHg its firstnin ^gageni!^tSk 



ture, wliy up them for a good 
one?" ; v:, 

'Worth the Money' 

The one "point seen in the pol icy's 
favor is that there were very few 
such squawks for "Best Years," 
which most patrons apparently 
thought was worth the money. The 
screaming came with later films. 
Thus the hope pinned on "Joan" i 



Continued from page I 



Wallace's Show Biz 'Cast' 



Continifed fTom page Z ; 



guess was that "rockets red glare" 
aod "bombs bursting - in air," of 
the first stanza,, was a little too 
jingo for a. new party dedicated to 
peace; and that^uch lines- as "Then 
conquer we must, when our cause 
il is just" carried more appeal to 
the delegates'. • , . 

Absence of Vic Names 
Absence of film names was sing- 
ularly marked. The complete 
dearth of -film talent was locally 
ascribed to the current Hollywood 
probe. 

The National Council of Arts, 
Sciences and Professions is in the 
third party- movement with both 
feet, however. .Led by Dr. Harlow 
Shapley, director of the Harvard 
Observatory, and sculptor .lo 
Davidson, the NCASP waged a vig- 
orous campaign to place a fine arts 
plank in the Progressive platform. 

When the platform was finally 
revealed in a 58-minute reading by 
radio's William Gailmor, just one 
brief paragraph was dedicated to 
the higher life. It read: "We sup- 
port the establishmeitt of a Fed- 
.eral program of fine arts to make 
available the culture of the United 
States and tlie' world to- millions of 
Americans to whom it is presently 
denied.^' 

• In the seven-hour platform dis- 
eussion Sunday afternoon, Rock- 
well Kent contributed a spark in 

- the waning moments, wh^n he ob- 
tained , adoption, over the objec- 
tions of the resolutions committee, 
of a much strengthened plank on 
fine arts. The Kent amendment 



pledged the convention to support 
the establishiment of a Federal De- 
partment of Fine Arts,' with a sec- 
retary of cabinet rank.' 

More Showmanship 

Alt^iough the platform did not 
detail any of the NQASP program, 
the organization has a definite plan 
of campaign, which- includes a : 
"Broadway for WalIace".coihm]ttee I 

which will not onIii» campaign in i the week wound up Monday (26) 
theatrical circles, but will also | with no decision other than to ad- 
service meetings. Instrumental in .iourn for further study. Another 



ica, representing most of the affil- 
iated circuits in the country. Their 
belief is that Judge. Leibell ruled 
only that ASCAP's method of col- 
lecting fees is illegal, not the fees 
them-selves. This opinioit was em- 
phasized by TOA general counsel 
Herman M. Levy, who declared: 

"If this decision stands as is, or 
if it is appealed^from and is sus- 
tained, it does not mean that the-^ 
atre owners are relieved of the 
statutory obligation to pay per- 
forming rights, nor does, it mean 
that the owners of copyrighted 
items vrall be deprived of payment 
for performing rights. Nothing 
short of a repeal of that portion of 
the Federal Copyright Law could 
accomplish that. The court did not 
intend to infringe on that right." 

Trustee Technique ' 

ASCAP officials, meanwhile, de- 
clared they hadn't studied the sit- 
uation sufficiently to judge the 
merits of the decision, although 
they implied that, rather than cut- 
ting the organization off from per- 
forming rights funds, it might 
benefit ASCAP in tlie long run. 
Even if the court's order is sus- 
tained on the point that ASCAP as 
an organization no longer has the 
right to collect fees from theatres, 
they pointed out, there's nothing to 
prevent individual members from 

appointing a trustee to collect the i tailmont of the policy, 
fees , similar to the way l larry Fox 
now represents, as trustee, most 
music publishing firms. 
ASCAP's third special meet of 



that the Eep pcKcy Could be iti- 
duced to give up his holdings if the 
IS That'Tt Wirbe'good enough"to ' <^f^f' were interestmg enough. Be- ^ 
make people think the upped ''ef was expressed by one source 
tariff justified clo.se to Yates that he might s«U 

p ,, " J , \ ,., I out for about $1,500,000. 
From the producer s standpoint. yates controls about 350.000 of . 
the try is worthwhile even li the 1,700,000 shares outstanding, 
roadshow policy ls only a mcdjocre „^ ,,biut 20%. TpSnrto 

hirf .,-.«"h/, i.p'Hr7 '^"" '^ "^Isive the holder control. Stock is 
high a gross be piled up. {currently sellmg at between $3.50 

Opposition tQ the fixing of in- | and .$4 a share on the New York 



creased admission prices by pro- 
ducers w.as- so great that the 
Supreme Court specifically ruled 
against it in the industry anti-trust 
suit. However, Goldwyn and 
Wanger being indies and not de- 
fendants in the action arc not sub- 
■ject to the court's injunction. 

General decline in business, in- 
cidentally, has reduced somewhat 
the expectations of distribs on what 
they'd derive from their roadshow 
films on their regular release this 
year. Goldwyn's "Best Years" and 
David O. Selznick's "Duel in the 
Sun," by far the strongest of the 
upped-admish pix, will likely do 



exchange. That would make the 
350,000 shares worth somewhere 
around $1,300,000, although Yates 
does' not hold complete ownership 
of all these shares. 

In the negotiations of last May, 
which fell through, Yates was re^ 
ported holding out for $8 i share, 
which would have given him bcr 
tween .$2,500,000 and $3,000;000, 
He denied, however, that he had 
asked that suhi. 

The big question mark in any po- 
tential sale of Rep is believed to 
be the natural sentimental attach- 
ment Yates holds for the company 
that he nurtured from nothingness. 



this last will be a complete va; 
riety bill, called "Showtime for 



meeting is to be called at the dis- 
cretion of the chair. ASCAP 



20th-Korda 

Continued (ram page 4 



nearer .-ps.OOCOOO than the $3,500,- It is thought by some associates 
000-.$5,000,000 that their producers 1 that he'll find one excuse or an- 
were hoping for. j other for not selling, even if his 

Paramount's "Unconquered" will ] price is met. However, Grinielf is 
do better than that on first I odt to make a determined try. 
regular releasfe, perhaps garnering 
$5,000,000, but it played only a 
small handful of roadshow dates 
and will come out overall with con- 
-siderably less than "Years" or 
"Duel." It was one of the last of the 
roadshow pix and ran into very 
severe opposition, resulting in cur- 



20th's 30 Pix 

5 Continued from page S SS 

foreign 



Wallace." This will comprise a unit spokesmen declared too many peo- 1 
show — employing different people, i P'e were forgetting that Judge 
Material will' be by Harburg. . j Leibell ruled. only on a private law 
Makf Tw« iBm Film.: Suit and. one havittg««othing to do 

Make iwo ibm »ilms j ^^,ah the Federal, government. This, 

Another NCASP project will" be [ they pointed out, Iwould further 
the making of -two 16m films — ! substantiate their claims that rul- 



"The Elephant Who Forgot and 
the Donkey Who Didn't Remem- 
ber," and a documentary "Freedom 
Rally," a filming of the Wallace 
rally irt Harlem, with Paul Robe- 
son singing. These will be made 
available to all 16m film distribs. 

Norman Corwin heads the radio 
division for the campaign, and has 
set in motion preparations for plat- 
ters, spot announcements, musical 
recordings, etc. 

Standout figure of the conven- 
tion, vras Paul Robeson, both as a 
singer and an orator. Every ap- 
pearance brought prolonged ap- 
plause from the Progressives and 
his Shibe Park reception was a 
curtain-raiser for the ma.ss hy: 



ing out of the fees themselves 
would require a change in the basic 
copyright slatutes. " 

Spokesmen belittled the "big 
bad wolf" made out of ASCAP in 
the press, declaring the organiza- 
tion has no great significance ex- 
cept as a representative body for 
its members. "No court," they 
added, "will take away from our 
members their right lo protect 
themselves." It is believed, inean- 
while. .that any ASCAP acUon for 
appeal may be deferred several 
months. Under the law, ASCAP 
gets 90 days- to file an appeal after 
a restraining order is issued. It's 



use its funds frozen 
countries, as well as the experience 
gained in iehsirig pielures on. (heir 
actiial locales, i'ive include "Prinee 
of Foxes," soon to go before the 
cameras in ltolyi"Affliairs of ^Adel- 
aide," nee.- "Britanhia Mbw|, 
, which teed off last Wednesday Ul) 
rentals of U. S. pix in Britain and ! in England; "I Was a Male war 
redistributed to U. S. companies, i BrWe," be made in Germans 
so it is advantageous to own fi.ms ; SVoTe" a'nf'Sdia Bailey, ' ' 

both scheduled for production in 



outright. 

In an amendment to Korda's England. Production veepee 



Darryl 




u believed it will take at least 90 
... , , .S5-Hdays again for Judge Leibell to 

tena which greeted the candidates. I issue that order. 



ering or not the remaining pix un 
der the pact. Also, his own dis- 
tributing company, British Lion, 
will handle all of his films in Eng- 
land, rather than having siome of 
them released there by Fox, a's In ■ 
the past. 

Two pix have been delivered un- 
der the original U. S. agreement. 
Ideal Husband" and "Anna Kar- 
enina." One more was to have been 
delivered prior to July 1, but isn't 
quite ready yet. . It is "Bonnie 
Prince Charlie." A second group of 
three IS to be delivered prior td 
May 1,. 1949. First of these, "Lost 
IHiision," is almost, finished. An- 
other group of four is to be deliv- 
ered before July 1, 19.50, and the 



studios into July, 1949. with 75 f 
of them scheduled lo be fimsuea 
by next month. According i" 
Skouras, 20th's decision to con- 
tinue operating its studios at pe-i^ 
production while other studios are 
cutting down on production pian^ 
indicates the company's OP"'"'^'" 
in the industry's future. Anoiner 
reason for the boost in A pr«d"" 
was pointed up by sales chief An uy 
W. Smith, Jr., who declared tli.' 
the shorter playing times ga''"«-V"' 
by mos<» films presently means tne 
market is ready to absorb more. 

Of the 30 pictures, five have 
been completed and dehvcred, J" 
eluding "Forever Amber,' schea 
uled for general release atlcr a 



final four by May 1, 1951, under I pro-release run at upped admission 
terms of the contract. 'prices. 



VfdnCTday, July 28, 1948 



21 




juiffiwiiws 

TELL STORY OF 
BOX-OFFICE POWERi 




VeclneMlay, |uly 2 8, 19|| 



Bob Crosby Hps 'Punch' | 
Fine PO.OOO in Cleve.; 



7 f 



Cteveland, July 27. 

This Lake Brie port's theatres 
are doing remarkably well, con- 
sidering adverse. wealJier factors. 
Bob Crosby's band on stage, is show- 
ing "Big Punch." to a smart gross 
for Palace and "Easter Parade" also 
IcolfS exd^Oent business at State. 
••Feudin', Fussin' and a-Fightin'" 
will go away over Allen's average 
take. Odd angle puzzling exhibitors 
is that while evening attendance; 
has' ^owed a liit, matisee trade has 
Eoomed. 

Estimates' for This Week 

Alien (3,000; 55-70) — "Feudin," 
FussiB'" (U). 3B*eezy $12,500. .Last 
week, "Lttlu Belle" (C!ol)» $10,000. 

Hipp (Warners) (3,700; 55-70)— 
"Street No Name" (20th). Punchy 
$18,000 following big $27,000 for 
fast week. 

Lake (Warners) (800; 5570) — 
"Best Years" .USHCO) (Zd'w^y. Fme 
$3,500 after "nice $1^500 for four 
days last week. "Pantoaaidle". 
(Mono) (m.o.) was thin $880 in 
three days. 

Lower Mall (Community) (570; 
55-70)— "Anna Karenina" (20th). 
(2d wk). Good $4,500 on top of 
lively $6,000 last week. '. 
- Ohio (Loew's) (1,200; 55-70) - 
•'Drums" (FC) and "Four Feathers' 
(FC) (reissues). Strong $9,000, and 
looks to hold. Last week, "Wings 
Over Honolulu" (U) and "Corvette 
K-225" (U) (reissues), dra.ggy 
$5,000. 

Pdace (KKO) (8,300; 65-90) — 
"Big Punch" tWB) plus Bob Crosby 
orch on stage. Getting better than 
passably good play at $30,000. l,ast 
week, "Return pf Bad Man" (RKO), 
average $16,500. 

State (Loew's) (3,450; . 55-70) — 
"Easter Parade" (M-G). Bright 
$26,000 and another stanza assured. 
Last week, "Emperor Waltz" (Par) 
<2d Wk), corking $17,500. 

StiUman (Loew's) (2,700; 55-70) 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (m.o.). Oke 
$9,000. La.<!t week, "Ruthless" (EL 
fair $8,000. 



BALTIMORE 

(Contbiued from page 8) 
000 after very steady $17,600 last 
week. 

mppodmne (Rappaport) , (2,240; 
20-70)— "Thunderhoof" (Col) plus 
Horace Heidt virinners on stage. 
Strong flesh portion helpmg to 
build okay $15,000. Last week, 
'Assigned to Danger" (BL) plus 
.p.a. of "Tex Bitter was aU right 
$14,700. 

Keith's (Schanberger) (2,460; 20 
60) — "Feudin", Fussin'" (U). 
Opened today (Tues.) after So 
Evil My Love" (Par) inched out 
$7,000 for mild stanza. 

Mayfair (fflcks) (980; 35-55) 
"Crusades" (Pat) (reissue) (2d wk). 
Holding to nmd $3J300 after aver 
age &-st round of $4,900. 

New (Mechanic) (1,800; 20-60)- 
"Deep Waters" (20th). Drawing 
modest $11,000 or under. Last 
week, '.'Street Mo Name" (20th) (2d 
wk), held well at $7,900. 

Stanley (WB) (3,280; 25-75) 
'Romance. High Seas" (WB). Trim 
$12,000 looms. Last week, "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) (3d wk), solid 
$8,800. 

Town (Rappaport) (1,500; 35-65) 
"Mdody Time" (RKO) (2d wk). 
Sturdy $^10,<J00 after strong $13,600 
opener. , 

Afua Wofid Preem For 
Glory' RoHsmgP^OC 
HMs.; 'Meyy' Hep 12€ 




ItAY 

MIULAND 

ANN 

TODD 

OERAmmE 
EITZGERAIO. 




■kttsm 




ROY DEI mnm 



sromr 



MARK STEVENS • RICHARD WI&MARK, 

"THE STREET WFTH NO IflME" 

A zntlT CHitury-Fox Plcti'rt 
ON VABIETY STAGE— CAB CALLAWAY 
JACKIE MILES • VIVIAN BLAINE 

ON ICE STAGE— CAROL LYNHE 
ARNOLD SHOOA • THE BRUISES 

ROXY 



Till A««. A, 
.jOtll'St. . 



- RADIO CITY MUSIC HAU 

Bockcfcller Center 

B!ng CROSBY • Jmhi fONTAMie- • 

'THE EMPEftOR WALir; 

Oolair Itf TBC»ED]IGOI.0B 
A Pamniauni: dictum 
Sptel-aeular Stag* Awant^fion ^ 



ESTHER WItLttllS 
PETEil LilKFOItl 

''ON AW/* 
ISLANDi ^ 



MmCRY MCIODV 



5MSI, 



Minneapolis^. July 27. 
Aquatennial, local annual sum- 
.mer mardi gras, attracting transl 
ents and bringing home folks 
downtown, is the usual hoxoffice 
help here. WhUe the big free pa- 
rades and numerous other attrac- 
tions provide opposition for film 
theatres, the latter benefit never- 
theless from pervading carnival 
and spending spirit as well as the 
loop crowds; Biggest boxoifice lure 
is "Beyond Glory" having its Aqua 
world premiere at Radio City. The 
only other major newcomers arc 
"B.F.'s Daughter" and "Melody 
Time," both of which have got 
away to nice starts. » 

Estimates for This Week 
Century (Par) (1,600; 50-70)— 
"Mr. Blandings" (SRO) (m.o.). 
Here after socko initial stanza at 
Radio City where it had to make 
way for "Beyond Glory" (Par) 
world premiere. Fine $8,000. Last 
week, "Emperor Waltz" (Par) (3d 
wk), strong $7,500. 

Gopher (Par) (1,600; 50-70)— 
".Gung Ho" (U) and "Eagle Squad-, 
ron" (FC) (reissues). Lusty $4,500" 
looms for combo. Last week, "Stole 
a-Million" (Indie) and "Can't Cheat 
Honest Man" (Indie) (reissues), 
$2,300. 

Lyceum ( Nederlander) (1,900; 
50-70)— "Two Muggs from Brook- 
lyn (Indie) and "Kelly the Sec- 
ond" (Indie) (reissues). Only serves 
purpose of keeping house, sans 
air-conditioning, open. Very dull 
$.1,000 or less. Last week, "The 
Pirate" (M-G) (3d wk). mild $4,000. 

Lyric (Par) (1,000; 50-70)— "ian.> 
peror Waltz" (Par) (m.o.). Fourth 
downtown week for this b.o. high- 
stepper. Satisfactory $4-,500. Last 
week, "Hatter's Castle" (Par) (2d 
wk), fair $4,800. 

Iladio City (Par) (4,400; 50-70)— 
"Beyond Glory" (Par). Tie-up with 
Aquatennial resulted in world 
preem and p.a. of Alan Ladd and 
Sue Carol opening day here. Heaps 
of wonderful gratis publicity in 
consequence, and it all is helping 
biz. Great $20,000 in sight. Last 
week, "Mr. Blandings" (SRO); 
smash $20,500, 

RKO-Orphcum (RKO) (2,800; 50- 
70)— "Melody Time" (RKO). Beat- 
received of any recent Disney pic- 
I ture. Kiddies' priced upped to 25g 
I for this one. Good ,$12,000 looms. 
iLast week, "Feudin', Fussin' " (U), 
$11,500. » . 

RKO-Pan (RKO) (1,600; 50-70)— 
"Flowing Gold" (WB) and "Woman 
in White" (WB) (reissues). Reach- 
ing for $7,090. Last week, "Fuller 
Brush Man" (Col) (Sth wk), fine 
$6,500, giving it terrific $50,000 for 
downtown run. 

State (Par) (2,300; 50-70) — 
"B.F.'s Daughter" (M-G). Fairly 
good $12,000. Last week, "Noose 
Hangs High" (EL), moderate $9,- 
000. • 

Uptown (Par) (1,000; 44-60)— 
"Regards to Broadway" . (20th). 
First neighboriltmd showing. Light 
$3,000. Last wedc, "Foct Apa<£e" 
(RKO), $3,500. 

World (Mann) (350; 50-S5) — 
"Noose Hangs High" (EL) (m.o.). 
Slow $18,000. Last week, "Up in 
Central Park" (U) (2d wk), oke'$2.- 
000- 



OMAHA 

(Continued from page 9) 
Texas" (EL) with Mills Bros, and 
Sonny Dunham band - show on 
stage, fine $19.2C0 at 20-80c. 
Brindeis (RKO) (1,500; lfr^,65)-- 
Betum of Bad Men" (RKO) and 
"Blondie's Reward" (Col). Stout 
$7,000. Last week, "Puller Brush 
Man" (Col) (2d wk) and "Port 
Said" (Col), sock $8,200. 
State (Goldberg) (865; 16-65)— 
Summer Holiday" (M-G) and Ex- 
posed" (Rep). Okay $5,500. Last 
week, "Homecoming" (M-G) (3rd 
wk), big $4,000, 

Omaha iTristates) (2,100; 16-65 
—"Romance High Seas" (WB) 
(m,o.) and "Meet Me at Dawn 
(20th). Fairly good $7,000. Last 
week, "Feudte' FightH;i'"_(U) 
(m.o.) and "Arthur Takes Over" 
(20th), so lid $9,200. 

Doris Day P.A. Boosts 
^Seas' High (21,000 in 
Frisc<^ 'ffibffl-Eater' 7G 

San Francisco, July 27. 

Cooler weather here this week is 
helping to overcome the plethora 
of holdovers. Personal by Doris 
Day helped "Romance on High 
Seas" at Paramount opening day, 
this newcomer landing a fancy 
total. "Man-Eater of Kumaon"" is 
doing nicely at the small Esquire 
while "Four Faces West" looks 
okay at iJnited Artists. "Easter 
Parade"' is ^ttmg top com among 
holdovers at Fox, and "Return of 
Bad Men" and "Island WiOi You" 
aD^ are holding weU in second 
session, • . 

Bstimates for niis WeiOt 
Golden Gate (BXX)) (2,844; 65- 
1.00)— "Return Of Bad Men" 
(RKO) (2d wk). Okay $12,000 or 
over. Last week, nice $18i500. 

Fox (FWC) (4,651T 60-95)— "East- 
er Parade" (M-G) (2d wk). Stout 
$20,000. Last week, big $34,500. 

Warfield (FWC) (2,656; 60-85)- 
"Island With You" (M-G) (2d Wk), 
Fine $15,000 or close. Last week, 
big $21,500. 

Paramount (Par) (2,646; 60-85) 
"Romance High Seas'' (WB) plus 
opening day p,a. by ^ Doris Day. 
Fancy $21,000. Last week, "Em- 
peror^altz" (Par) (4th wk), husky 
$13,500. 

St. Francis (Par) (1,400; 60-85)— 
"Paradine Case" (SRO) (6th wk). 
Trim $9,000 or close. Last week, 
$10,000. „ 

Orpheum (Blumenfeld) (2,448; 
55-85)— "Black Arrow" (Col). Oke 
$.16,500. Last week, "Central Park" 
(U), $11,500. 

linited Artists (Blumenfeld) 
(1,207; 55-85)— "Four Faces West" 
(UA). Okay $9,000. Last week, 
"Another Part Forest" (U) (2d wk), 
$6,200. 

XaikiB (Roesner) (400; 90-$1.20) 
—"Henry V" (UA) (2d wk). Good 
$3,500. Last week, solid $4,200. 

United Na6ons (FWC) (1,149; 60^ 
85)— "Street With No Name" (20th) 
(m,o.) (4th wk). Hefty $4,000. Last 
week, $4,500. 

Esqnire (Blumenfeld) (955; 55- 
85)— 'Man-Eater Of Kumaon" (U). 
Trim $7,000. Last week, "Central 
Park" (U), okay $5,500. 

State (Par) (2,133; 60-85)— "Em- 
peror Waltz" (Par) (m,o.). B^ 
$8,000 or near for fifth downtown 
week. Last week, "Hellzapoppin" 
(FC) and "Argentme M^ts" (FC) 
(reissues), $6,500. * 



Britain's $20,000,000 Doli 



Continucct from pace A ; 



over the spenduig to satisfy the 
Parliamentary critics. 

Financial experts are frankly 
critical of the project and take tne 
government to task for riskmg pub- 
money on what they consider 
is n™t a commercial proposition, 
it fs pointed out that the estab- 
li<ihment of a separate histitution 
Se finance of the hidustry may 
lead to a more careless standard 
of operation, which might have 
been avoided if the government 
had used existing organizations to 
nrovide the finance. 

The unions, of course, are de- 
ligM.^ Tthe news, but like OUver 
Twist, wUl probably ask for mpre. 
To them, $20,000,000 is a begm- 
nuig. but inadequate to .see the in- 
dustry put on its feet in the next 
five years. It was the labor side of 
the industry which first began the 
agitation for a Films Bank, and 
conducted theur campaign with re- 
lentless vigor for a number ot 



government to step in and do wii,t 
the city could not w would not Z 

At this juncture ChurchUl joCfl 
in the argument, and wanted to 
know if the government was eoine 
to step m, without any question of 
profit-making, and invest public 
money in what was, on the face of 
it, a losing adventure. Then 
Churchill demanded an assurance 
that there would be no attempt to 
exercise political control over the 
character of the films produced 
and apparently accepted the ex- 
planation that he would be com- 
pletely satisfied when he saw die 
names of the members of the 
Finance Corp. 

Replying to further questions 
W,ilson explained that the scheme 
was designed to help the whole 
group of independ«3te outside the 
Rank organization, but the Finance 
Corp. could help the Bank organ- 
ization also if it applied' and the 
corporation thought fit. 



It was to be expected that Wil- 
son's announcement in Parliament, 
slipped in after the traditional 
hour for questions to Ministers, 
would meet with some criticism, 
but he was quite unprepared for 
the formidable Imeup against him, 
which was headed by Winston 
Churchill and Oliver Lyttleton, 
the latter an ex-President of the 
Board of Trade who served imder 
ChurchUl during the war. ' 

Making his announcement, Wil- 
son contended that the present 
position was abnormal for the in- 
dustry, and independent- producers 
who were building up their produc- 
tion had not yet had a chance to 
establiis^ ihe necessary workuig 
capital after the dislocation caused 
by the war. The Film Finance 
Corp., with its capital of $20,000,- 
000, would have power to lend 
money on reasonable Commercial 
terms. ■ 

Legislation would be introduced 
as .soon as possible, but in the in- 
terim he was arrangmg, wiUi the 
agreement of the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer, Sir Stafford Cripps, for 
half the cash to be made imme- 
diately available. A company was 
being formed, which would be ad- 
ministered by an organizing, com- 
mittee to be set up immediately," 
and the chairman wauld be J. H. 
Laurie of the Industrial\ & Com- 
mercial Finance Corp. " : 
'Hazardous Undedaking' . 
Lyttleton. was critical of the 
Minister because he was not treat- 
ing the House with respect by 
pledging public money for "so haz- 
ardous and novel an undertakmg" 
without Parliamentary discussion, 
and refuted the suggestion that- the 
emergency had only just arisen. 

Wilson would not accept the view 
that It was a hazardous undertak- 
mg, because there was an assured 
home market with a high quota. 
The inability of the industry to ob- 
tain money from normal sources 
had driven the government iiito 
taking abnormal and emergency 
measures. It was essential for the 



Anti-Raiding' 

Continaeil iiom paec S s 



into promoting an often unsaitahle ; 
employee from their own raids' be- 
cause they won't bring another , 
over from a competing distributor. 
Promotions from within are usual-' 
iy on a basis of seniority, with the 
result that older men, often not 
too capable, are upped into spots 
where it would be much more val- 
uable to the industry to have a 
younger and more hot-shot exec. 

Anti-raiding, of course, among 
other' things, serves to keep sala- 
ries from skyrocketing as a result 
of competition for manpower. 
Those in favor of a more liberal ■ 
policy on cross-hiring declare that 
the added pay would be well worth- 
while in improved sales and- for 
the permanent good of all com- 
panies in developing younger 
execs. 

Some companies have been espe- 
cially hard hit in recent years by 
their anti-raiding rule because of 
the number of eniployees they . 
have lost and have had to replace 
from wittiin their own ranks. The 
war took Some and the start of 
several new distrib outfits, such as 
Selznick Releasing Organization 
and Eagle Lion, which haven't ob- 
served the no-raiding rules in get- 
ting started, took many other.s. 

In addition, higher salaries in 
other lines of business dramed off 
quite a few sales employees. De- 
spite the general .idea, because of 
association with Hollywood pub- 
licity, that salaries arc high, it is 
pointed out that salesmen average 
only about $75 a week and branch 
managers only $140. Result, it is 
said, is that "new faces" are not 
attracted, while many ol^hnew 
choose to txy for more coin hi 
other lines. 



'Key Largo' ^ News h 
Denver, Sturdy $23,^0 

Denver, July 28. 
• In a fair to middling week, "Key 
Largo" wiU cop higli money here. 
"Up in Central Park" shapes mild 
Best holdover is "Best Years" 
which will get a sixth week. 
Estimates for This Week 
Aladdin (Fox) (1,400; 35-74) — 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Winner's Cu-cle" (20th) (m.o.). 
Fair $3,000. Last week, "Noose 
Hangs High" (EL) and "Assigned 
to Danger" (EL) (m.o,), same. 

Broadway (Cinema) (1,500; 35- 
74-)— "Best Years" (RKO) (5th wk). 
Okay $7,000. Last week, good 
$8,000. 

Denham (Cockrill) (1,750; 35-74) 
—"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (Sth wk) 
and "Big Town Scandal" (Par). 
Down to $7.,000. Last week, 
"Waltz" alone, trim $9,500. 

Denver (Fox) (2,525; 35-74) — 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Stage 
Struck" (Mono), day-date with 
Esquice, Webber. Fancy $17,000 
or over. Last we^, "Romance 
High Seas" (WB) and "Winner's 
Circle" (20th), fine $15,500. 

Esquire (Fox) (742; 35-74) — 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Stage 
Struck" (Mono), also Denver, Web- 
ber. Good $3,000. Last week, 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Winner's Circle" (20th), fair 
$2,500. 

Orpheum (RKO) (2,600; 35-74) 



"Homecommg" (M-G) (2d wk). 
MUd $11,000. Last week, big 
$21,000. 

Paramonnt (Fox) (2.200; 35-74) 
— "Central Park" (U) and "Coun- 
terfeiters" (20th). Thin $10,000 or 
near. Last week, "Canon City" 
(EL) and "Lady at Midnight" (EL) 
(2d wk), $8,000. 

Webber (Fox) (750; 35-74) — 
"Key Largo" (WB) and "Stage 
Struck" (Mono), also Denver, Web- 
ber. Nice $3,000. Last week, 
"Romance High Seas" (WB) and 
"Winner's Circle" (20lh), $2,500. 

WASHINGTON 

(Continued from page 8) 
run). Average .$6,000. l,ast week. 

Street No Name" (20th) (m.o,), 
nice $6,500 for third midtown week. 

Dupont (F. W. Mann) (440; 50- 
85)— "Tosca" (Indie). Okay at 
$3,080. Last week, "The idiot" 
(Indie) (3d wk), fancy $2,500. 

Keith's (RKO) (1,939; 44-74) — 
Melody Time" (RKO). Hefty $16,. 
000, especially big in view of large 
number of juve admissions. Last 
we«*, "Return of Bad Men" (RKO), 
nuld $9,500 and below estimate. 

Metrowntan (WB) (1,163; 44-70), 
« J^'SS^ (W») (reissue).' 

Hot $(^00. Last week, "Noose 
Hang* mgH" (EL), $8,000. 

Palace (Loew's) (2,370; 44-74)— 

J^^,-.^^^^" 'M-O (2d wk) 
S»Ud $19,000 after sock 28,000 
oiiener. • 

Warner (WB) (2,154; 44-74) — 
"Emperor Waltz" (Par) (2d wk) 
Holdmg firmly at $17,000, Last 
week, smash $23,000. 




FiVE-'STAX 

K-4 

HA6SI«>5 

LOS 

11 faoors, 10 1 
3^ hours 

Phone HA»e«ieyer 6-5<00 
or your tiiawel of«»t 

Ticlie/ Officet: A'r/mes Termfnal 
RociefeHerCinfor • Hofe/ New /w** 
J20 Broadway • Hole/ St. Georg* 

AUSMS 





1 
i 






T 




His pen-and->mk people live for idughter... 



BORN o.n the drawing board, though 
they are, these little people have the 
breath of life and laughter that captures 
hearts the world around — ^thanks to the 
creative genius of the animator. 

His knowing lines belie the fact that 
they are folk of fantasy . . . of pen and ink 
and paint; For each and every one has 
the human touch . . . has been fully en* 
dowed with character and lifelike move- 



ment, through the animator's artistiry. 

Yet — ^for all his wit and skill— the 
animator could not present his gift of 
laughter to the moviegoing world with- 
out the help of film. Ard this — in types 
especially adapted to his needs — he finds 
in the famous Eastman family, whose 
Fine Grain Master Positive and Back- 
ground X Negative have been the ani- 
mator's faithful mediums for many years. 



EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY 

ROCHESTER 4, N. Y. 



J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., DISTRIBUTORS 
FORT LEE • CHICAOO * HOLLYWOOD 



/ 



24 



PICTURES 



Wk to Press F^ht for Oakland 
Tek Via Appeal on FCC Deny 



Washington, July 27. 

TwenOeth-Fox fought bitterly 
last week to have its proposed Oak- 
land auxiliaiy television studio 
read into the record of the recent 
San I^ancisco channe), hearings. 
Hearing examiner had toid ZOth 
that the studio, allegedly first pro- 
posed during the second half of the 
hearing, would be admitted in evi- 
(dence if ZOth got FCC permission 
to amend its original ap]^cation. 

CBS and Ed Pauley's Television 
California filed btiefis requesting 
VCC to deny 20t^ wMch tite Com- 
mission did hist Friday (23). 

Twentieth plans to appeal to the 
whole Conunission^ pointing out 
that, in a like case involving pron 
gram hours on the air. Paramount 
Television 'was granted its petition 
to amend.; If a petition to amend 
is granted one applicant, it should 
l)e> granted anottier, 20th says. 

CBS and Televjaxm. California 
tried to prove that the OaUand 
studio was an afterthou^t and 
that 20th wmts to put it hi the 
record "to go everyone : one 
Ifetter." . 

Plans for the auxiliary were pie- 
eented at the final hearing in 
Frisco, according to ZOtfa's attor^ 
ney Vincent Welch, and opposition 
had plenty of time to examine the 
exhibit. 

Judge Samuel Rosenman, for 
CBS, said the way each of the five 
applieants upped thetr . estJmated 
constaicti<Hi, operating costs, pro- 
gramming and other matters be- 
tween sessions gave the .hearing 
the appearance of an "aucoon." 

Far is content it received its pe- 
tition to amend Jumping air time 
from original estimate of 40 hours 
a month to 60 hours a week. How- 
ever, attorneys for Par feel ZOtii's 
petition should also be granted and 
told VARiE-rr they may file a brief 
supporting 20th's appeal. 

KBOW of Oakland, only other 
applicant in this hearing, has laid 
low and filed nothing in the matter. 

Television California claims 20th 
thought KROW would withdraw 
from the fight and so hadn't cpU" 
sidered needing an Oakland outlet 
in order to put itself on equal 
terms with all other applicant^. 
AM other applicants are planning 
studios only in Frisco. . 



NOSRECIAlPrrCHBY 
TOA'SCHI€ONVi<TH)R 

Theatre Owners of America will 
make no specific pitch for new ex- 
hibitor members at its forthcoming 
iChicago convention but will at- 
tempt to prove with increased em^ 
phasis that tiie problems facing the 
industry, as ' wiril as the part the 
industry must take in the national 
and world.sfiuations, can best be 
met by a united front Hence, the 
door will be left open tor' any new 
exhilB. to join TOA. 

.Foiisibility of the TOA move 
bringing in any of the. recalcitrant 
Allied members, however, is con- 
sidered extremely unlikely. Indie 
exhibitors represented by AUied 
are still smarting under the fact 
that TOA went along wiUi ASCAP 
in the establishment of new the^ 
atre performance fees last Febru- 
ary, despite a statement by TOA 
pres Ted Gamble at the time that 
exemption of small theatres from, 
any raise in rates "should silence 
any who mi^t feel that TOA rep^ 
resents 'big interests.' " Fact that 
the. Independent Theatre Owners 
of America, associated with Allied, 
last week won the first round in 
their fight against ASCAP has con- 
vinced many of the indies that 
their best bet still lies with AUied. 

With John Balaban, head of the 
Balaban & Katz circuit, Chicago, 
having accepted chairmanship of 
the convention last week, TOA 
officials have already sent out in- 
vitatjonal feelers to. several top 
Jiames, both in and out of the in- 
dustry, to speiik at the meet. Chiefs 
of some of the country's mo.st im- 
portant departments, it's hoped, 
will appear to lay on the line to 
delegates the part the industry 
must take in helping preserve 
"world peace. At the same time, 
TOA plans to have leading indus- 
tryites discuss industry problems. 

Two-day meet tees off at Chi's 
Hotel Drake Sept 24. 



Locarno F^e 

55 Continued from < page 2 

France and Italy, who gave the 
Locarno shindig its biggest sup- 
port, arranged preems of their 
products. Britain sent only two 
films— "It Always Rains on Sun- 
day" and "Miranda," and neither 
was cited by the crix, Italy sent 
seven films; France, five; Austria, 
two, and Germany, Soviet Union, 
Hungary, Poland, Switzerland and 
Czechoslovakia one each. < 
U. S. Awards 

Two of 13'U,S. pix entered in the 
third International Film Festival 
here snagged third and fourth 
prizes in an unofficial poll con- 
ducted by 12 Continental film crix 
at closing sessions of the meet last 
week. Yankee product played sec- 
end fiddle to an Italian and: a Ger- 
man reeler which walked off with 
first and second honors respec- 
tively on the critic's scratch sheet. 

RKO's "Fort Apache," a Jolm 
Ford production, was slotted in 
third place and 20th-Fox's "Miracle 
«n 34th Street" was rated fourth. 
Kudos weren't as impressive as 
might be surmised inasmuch as 
U.S. producers entered twice as 
many features as any European 
country. 

Italy's Roberto Kosselini, whose 
•"To liive in Peace" has been widely 
e.Khibited in U.S., won top honors 
with "Germany, Year Zero." Ger- 
many's only entry at the festival 
' surprised everyone by winning sec- 
ond. This was screened under the 
label "Film Without Title" and pro- 
duced on a shoestring by Helmut 
Kautner. 

Only other American pic to 
place was Metro's "Unfinished 
Dance," which had its European 
preem at Locarno. It was rated as 
seventh best among the 50 films ex" 
hibited during the 12-day festival. 
Victor Mature in "Kiss of Death" 
was rated as best male lead of the 
pix screened. Poll was strictly un- 
official since the international com- 
mittee running the festival had 
promised no awards would be 
made. 



Other Unions 

— . Contianed from pace 2 ss 

stand, AFRA heads say the other 
affiliates may go ahead; with con- 
solidation without the film outfit. 
In that case, the two-coast -or 
regional' aspect of the proposed 
unification would be modified, 
with administrative headquarters 
centered in New York. Under such 
a setup, jurisdiction over televi- 
sion, one of the major concerns 
in _tlie performer union field, 
would be settled by the other af- 
filiates. 

iThe official American Guild of 
Variety Artists attitude on "one 
big union" wUl not be clear until 
after its national board election, 
now in progress. However, the 
present heads of the organization 
are strongly in favor of a merger. 



Rump '3d N.y. Circuit' 
Pays Off 'Vicious Circle' 

- With a combined gross of about 
$36,000 for the week ending last 
night. United Artists was fairly 
well pleased with its experiment in 
opening "The Vicious Circle" in 
11 subsequent houses in Manhat- 
tan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, 
rather Ulan givhig it a Broadway 
first run. Further analysis of re- 
sults this week will, determine 
whether UA will continue the pol- 
icy with other films. 

AH of the H theatre contracts 
carried control figures guarantee- 
ing the W. Lee Wilder production 
a hoWover week if the gross was 
high enough. It eaised the second 
stanza at the Symphony in Man- 
hattan and Ascot in the Bronx. In- 
stead of flat rentals these houses 
usually pay for such films, terms 
were all sliding scale, ranging 
from 30% to 50%. 

UA and David E. Weshner, 
Wilder's sales rep, went into the 
unusual policy because they 
couldn't get satisfactory terms on 
a Broadway house. They hope to 
determine whether they can get 
higher rentals by playing the sub- 
sequents fiistrun, despite the fact 
that the RKO and Loew's circuit 
win not accept a film that hasnt 
had a Broadway engagement. 

One of the factors influencing 
UA and Weshner in skipping 
Broadway was the difference in ra- 
tio of advertising cost. Campaign 
for a Broadway opening would 
have cost between $10,0a!0-$I2,000, 
while the top gross might have 
been about $16,000-$18,000. Cam- 
paign for the nabes last week cost 
$9»900 against tbt! $40,000' gross. 

Iksp BaBot 
QttUnionShop 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Whether film actors will con- 
tinue to work under a union shop 
or an open shop policy will be de- 
termined by the return of approx- 
imately 5,000 secret ballots mailed 
yesterday (Slon.) by the Los An- 
geles office of the National Labor 
Relations Board to thei^ at home 
and abroad 

Officials of the Screen Actors 
Guild have' organized a "get out 
the vote" campaign, declaring this 
election the most important in the 
guild's history. Absentee ballots 
w«it out via air mail to Hollywood 
stars visiting or workhig in foreign 
countries. 



Voted Unanimously 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Screen Actors Guild board of 
directors voted unanimously 
against "one big union" and sent 
notice of ' their veto to all 4A's 
branches, including Equity, AFRA, 
American Guild of Variety Artiists, 
Screen Extras Guild, American 
Guild of Musical Aitisls and 
Chorus Equity. 

SAG board gave the following 
reasons lor its vote against the 
merger; 

"The proposal would result in 
a union controlled by a supreme 
governing body centered in New 
York, and therefore Hollywood 
motion picture actors perforce 
would have to be represented on 
this governing body by paid em- 
ployes instead of working actors, 
as in the present democratic .set- 
up of Che Screen Actors Guild.. 
The governing body of the Guild 
IS a board of directors consisting 
of 44 actors elected by the mem- 
bership. 

"The merger, with its creation 
of a new super-board centered in 
New York, would increase union 
operatmt; expen-ses and thus force 
an uicrease in the present mem- 
bership dues." 



Freed Cancels N. Y. Visit 

Metro producer Arthur Freed, 
who was to have arrived in New 
York this week for huddles with 
writers Adolph Green and Betty 
Comden on the script for "Bark- 
I leys of Broadway," has cancelled 
his trip. Instead, he'll carry on the 
discussions via mail and long-dis- 
tance phone for the film, which re- 
unites Fred Astaire and Ginger 
Rogers as a dance team. 

Dance director Robert Alton, 
meanwhile, trained back to the 
Coast Saturday (24) to begin wbrk 
on the picture, after a two^week 
vacation in the east 



Wwluesday, July gg ^ ^ 



Clips frcnn Film Row 



Miles Drive-In Near Columbus 
„ . , C'olumbui), O. 

Miles Sciofo drive-in opened 
with Hofaarl Gay a.s manager. It 
is operated by the Miles circuit 



M*G-20th 

Continnea from page 3 



made to Metro by Guaranty Trust 
Co. of New York, through its Lon- 
don branch. Loan to 20th of 
£50,000 ($200,000) was made by 
Guaranty, Chase National and 
Bankers Trust of New York 
through Chase's London office 
Both are "overdraft facilies" and 
in the nature of revolving credits. 
While Metro's initial takedown is 
limited to £200,000, the overall 
limit is considerably higher, if 
necessary, for production before 
sufficient blocked sterling piles up 
Metro is u.sing its coin to finance 
Jidward, My Son," starring Spen- 
cer Tracy and Deborah Kerr. It 
is now winding up production. 20th 
IS planning to make "Britannia 
Mews" ("The Affairs of Adelaide") 
costarring Maureen O'llara and 
Dana Andrews. 

Despite the widely-advertised 
plans of American companies to 
produce in England in order to use 
up coin expected to be frozen there, 
the Metro and Fox pix are the only 
two that have gotten to the camera 
•stage. Responsible, it is believed, 
IS that they were able to get the 
oans and go ahead without ac- 
tually waiting for the financing 
money to pile up. ^ 



ALBANY 

Announcement by Harry M. Kal- 
mine, general manager Warner 
Theatres, that Charles A. Smak- 
witz had been upped from assistant 
zone manager to zone manager for 
Albany and Buffalo territories, 
confirmed belief held here that the 
veteran Warner executive would 
be ^ven the post as soon as the 
status of his predecessor, C. J, 
I.atta, wiUi the Warner British af- 
filiate, had been clarified. 

Helen I. Wisper, manager's sec- 
retary at 20th-Fox for years, be- 
came th3 only femme head booker 
and office manager hei* when 
Manager Daniel R. Houlihan ap- 
pointed her to the post After Stan- 
ley Yentes resigned.^ 

Another local booker shift is 
that of Jim Frangooles from as- 
sistant at Paramount to head 
booker and office manager - for 
RKO; takes place of William Mur- 
ray, resigned. Richard Keatins 
moves up from Atlanta for Par 
snnt. 

"Although the will of Harry Ballv 
pioneer Troy, N. Y., film theatre 
owner, who died in 1947, has been 
admitted to probate, disposition ' of 
the decedent's estate Of appxQJd- 
mately $200,000 is held up pending 
interpretation by Surrogate Edr 
ward J. Donohue of two para- 
graphs of the Hall will. , 

National Screen has further cen- 
tralized its operations for Albany 
ext^ange . territory by moving the 
shipment of lobby accessories from 
here to N. Y. . Trailers had come 
out of New York for sometime. 
President Herman Robbins wrote 
to exhibitors that his company 
could give better service from New 
York City, 

ST. LOUIS 

The State, Centralia. 111., owned 
by Arnold Amus. Co., East St. 
Louis, m., relived after 100% 
face-lifting. 

MPTOA of Eastern IVIissouri and 
Southern Illinois skedded its annual 
meeting for St Louis, Sept. 27. 

Herman Hunt, former St Louis 
manager for National Screoi, now 
part owner in Tower, WicMta, 
Kans., and six houses in Cincinnati. 

W. H. Eichlforn. owner of Hoxy, 
Mounds, 111., and R. E. Crooks, 
owner of Family, Quincy, lU., each 
chose name of "St Louis Theatre 
Supply Co." for new tag of recently 
merged Cine Theatre and Exhibi- 
tors' Supply Co. but Eichhom won 
nod because his entry was received 
first : 

After refusal of union projec- 
tionists and stagehands to hook up 
screen and projection machines in 
newly completed $250,000 Crest 
theatre, Alllon, St. Louis county a 
benefit opening performance for 
the American Cancer Society was 
cancelled but later the unions 
relented and show was held this 
week. Unions balked when A. L. 
Matreci, operator of house under 
lease for Norman Brobjitein, head 
ot Atton Amus. Co., declined to 
llaff * ^^^Sehand as part of house 

. Proposed ordinance which would 
impose a r>% tax slap on daily 
receipts of picture theatres in 
Richmond Heights, near here, in- 
troduced in the town's city council 
and IS expected to yield $10,000 
annually to the municipality's rev- 
enue. 

Henry Holloway, owner of a 
chain ot picture houses in St. Louis 
county e ectcd president of newly 
organized Mid-Central AlUed The- 
atre Owners. , 



INDIANAPOLIS 

head of National 
Allied, and Andy Smith, 20th-Fox 
saw chief, will headline sole busi- 
ness session of Associated Theater 
Owners of Indiana's annual sum^ 
mer convention at French Lirfc 
O/'tmg. opened July 26 wKh iS 
dLp^a'^^''^?"'-'^""S and dinner 
dancuig for directors and wives 

Variety Club will hold testi- 
monial dinner July 31 for George 
pnth p ' '■'^signed last week 
as ^Oth-Fox branch manager here 
1.?.^''^ exhibition. Landis w^ 
oldest branch manager for terri- 
tory in point of service 
h„m'"ff'''"^ Princeton, Ind., re- 
veir «Pn',^'^'"2 destroyed by'fire 
p w IS'- opened July 21 by 

niVrJ'V^ ^i'^- A. Green 

Harry Hayes, United Artist 
fe'l^-^l^^Ser, about to 
Methodist hospital after recupem- 
ing from heart attack. "f"*"- 

George Landis, 20th-Fox branch 
weekfn',''"? 1926, rcsfgnedThis 
week to devote undivided attention 

'"^nagcment of Amusement En- 
in wv''k'u^"'=''^ naborhood group 
in which he is stockholder. Thomas 
McClcaster, office manager" oto- 
moted to branch managlr to ffll 



vacancy. Herman HalBi« 
eriy head . booker, 
manager to succeed I^ir»i™<» 
Bothi Amusement eSS;«v'®- . 
20th.F«jc »» Sg defSnt'''l'^ 
antttnist suit on clewi^" '» 
filed in Fed|*al. Court he^JSjS* 

.^Jar«gTheat«,,aort?^i^-t 

asked this week Ty C 

Greer of Inili^A uT'fl 

would seat 900. - nPme. 



KANSAS CITY 

^Ped into 

the firstrun situation here goes in « 
after a film-buying spK^g 
upjete the long-established proS 
outlet astern. Hoxy bourirt 

MidlMd. loew's operated wfi 
has afaowa C«rfumbia's "A" pix f™ 
years. Durwood also secured a flotk 
of tea? product from Ea^e 
including ''few Deal.'-'iMlithleS;' 
"Mickev" "Northwest Stssapede" 
md "&mon City " On staamut 
these, Hoxy goes into its new noUcv 
Aug. 5 with "Ruthless." 

Li^ti^ stopped tiie show tt 
Kansas Dnve-In theatre on j^Uy 
22, in one of the most severe eto 
trical rainstorms of season. A 
spectacular bolt struck the screen 
tower., , ■ ,•' •■■v ■' 

_ Walter Burrill joined Durwood 
circuit, and will headquarter here 
woiicing outrexploitation and pub- 
Ucity for circuit houses in St 
Joseph. Jefferson City. K. C. aad 
Leavenworth. 



NEW YORK 

Eagle Lion pub-ad - chief Max 
Youngstein probably qualifies as 
the industry's traveUn'.«st man."- 
After return last Friday (23) from 
a tour of eastern branches, he left 
again Sunday for Chics^o and i 
week in midwest exchanges. Due 
back Friday (30). he heads out 
again Sunday for Coast branches. 
His plan is to wind up the far west 
tour at th-i studio for confabs with 
EL prexy Arthur Krim. This will 
complete a tour by Youngstein of 
every company branch in less than 
a month. Tour is being made in 
his capacity of captain of the Bill 
Heineman sales drive. 

Five new promotions in Metro's 
field sales staff set by sales veepee 
William F. Rodgers^ John Wi 
Coyne. San Francisco office man- 
ager^ becomes salesman in that ter^ 
ritory. Melvin Turner, head book- 
er in Minneapolis, and Clarence 
Keim. Chicago head booker, both, 
named salesmen in former branch, 
Raymond Haberl and, former book- 
er, succeeds Turner in Min- 
neapolis and Jesse H. Owens, for- 
mer Chi booker, succeeds Keim. 

Merritt Davis appointed branch 
manager of Republic's Atlanta 
branch succeeding James E. " "" 
resigned. ■ ^ 



CLARKSBURG, W- Va. 

Jack Marks, exhibitor here,, out . 
of hospital. Mrs. Marks and his 
son, Richard, were ill at same time. 

Arthur Pearce succeeds Don Wer- 
muth as manager of the two War-- 
ner theatres in Fairmont, West va. 
Wermuth resigned. Pearce being 
transferred from Sharon, Pa. 

MINNEAPOLIS ' 

, More than 60 residents ai>peared 
at public meeting of St Louis Park 
vUlage council to protest against 
proposed construction of a onve-in 
theatre m that Minneapolis suburn. 
Minnesota Entertamment Enter- 
prises, comprising group of pronu 
nent Twin City independent ex- 
hibitors and which operates tne 
only two such theatres in the Mm 
neanolis-St. Paul area and is buna 
ing third, is license applicant. 
Objectors claimed theatre wo^a 
create traffic hazard noise ana 
other undesirable conditions. 

Although "Homecommg was 
sold away from it to Ly«eum. mae 
pendent legitimate roiAjJ^"'" 
house, for its Minneapolis prf""|!; 
Paramount circuit is playing n 
its Paramount theatre, St- jjaui 
first-run house, and in othei situa 

Metro will be second major dis- 
tributor here to 'ntroduce new 
clearance schedule oflermg neign 
borhood and suburban theatres 
earner availabilities — £'^an- 
fihh costs. 20th-Fox alre^°y ^ce. 
flounced its new reduced clearance- 
Metro made three Pr""J0"°^r, 
within its ranks here. M^l wr 
head booker, appointed saiesnw . 
taking over temtory foj."J«J^ 
handled by Bill Cameron, who ^ 
signed to operate , his theatre 
Waterville, , Minn. .Ray ^ead 
advanced from assistant to " 
.booker and Richard Cinnon iro"* 
shipper to assistant booker. 



RADIO -TV: A REAPPRAISAL 



By GEORGE ROSEN 



Hardly a phase of show business or its auxiliary en- 
terprises have escaped the emotional hysteria attending 
the upsurge of television. It's a frantic convergence 
predicated on the fear that television will emerge full- 
blown overnight and that they'll be left out in the cold. 
Even accepting that inevitably television will develop 
into the electronic wonder of the age, that it "will spread 
its antenna wings to a degree that will make it a great 
social, economic and entertainment force, this is still 
1948 — video's Age of Adolescence, 

The dreams, aspirations, endless horizons are all pos- 
sibilities, but not the fait . accompli. Just how soon 
television will translate into a working reality the high 
expectations of the "blue skies" TV drumbeaters re- 
mains for the present conjectural. Some say two years 
hence, others say five. Still others put it at 10 to 15 
years. But it's still one man's word against the other, 
dependent, of course, on the multiplicity of factors in- 
volved.' 

Still on the agenda for solution is the high cost of 
programming production; the technical shortcomings; 
the constant need for experimenting in the adaptation 
of new techniques; bringing the cost of sets down to 
match varying income brackets; the attainment of 
coast-to-coast networks and regional webs in the face 
of prohibitive costs via coaxial cable; the solution for 
reaching the innumerable, far-flung small towns and 
projecting the correct operational pattern for TV's 
counterpart of the 250-watter; determining the correct 
formulas for celluloid's marriage with the newest me- 
diiun. These are problems that must and will be solved; 
The televiewer has been given a taste, likes it, needs 
it and wants it, and will adjust his budget to make it a 
permanent part of his living plan. The televiewer has 
Hung the challenge, and the video administrators, of 
course, must pick it ups 

But not in '48. And because, even with the greatest 
drives and desires, these obstacles cannot be overcome 
at once, radio is still here. A still-flourishing multi-mil- 
lion dollar industry, weU equipped and able to provide 
entertainment, news coverage, political and economic 
discussion and move the client's product off the 
shelves. And what goes for radio applies to an even 
larger degree to the film industry, which should be able 
to establish a modus operandi to embrace video with- 
out jeopardizing the role of the film house in Ameri- 
can li^g. 

What TV will do to the sports arena is any man's 
guess and can only be answored by time and the gate 
receipts. Will the era of the multi-milUon TV sets keep 



the customers too much at home, as so many predict? 
How long a life for the oldtime vaude trouper on 
"vaudeo"? They'll all be answered, but not in '48. 

However, in '48 radio has sold itself short. Facing this 
possible threat on his future existence, the standard 
broadcaster and the performer have taken without a 
fight the logic of the radio downbeaters. He has been 
content to wear the video blinkers that cast the roseate 
hue on the new industry while dimming out radio in 
its prime. Too many in radio are losing faith, on the 
false premise that its death knell has been sounded and 
that all energies must now be channeled into televi" 
sion. : . . • ,.. 

It's particularly reflected in the quality of pro- 
gramming today. Creative writing has no premium. 
The original and imaginative writer today is too. often 
driven from radio, both by lack of encouragement and 
dwindling remuneration; The fact that the quest for 
Hew, fresh talent is practically dormant highlights ra- 
dio's lack of confidence in its own permanence. The 
brushofC technique is being appHed more aivj more to 
public service programming and the vast potentialities 
of radio as an educational medium have been lost iiii 
the shuffle. • • 

Radio this year is headed for an aUtime high in bill- 
ings, as evidenced, for example, by NBC's peak in- 
come for the first six months of '48, with its 8% hike 
over the satne period last year. CBS is coming into 
the home stretch with a 3% boost. It may be that such 
grosses establish an acceptance of tlie status quo. Yet 
this is unlikely, For there are too many keen showmen 
in broadcasting to be deluded into thinking one can 
ride the crest by standing still. The complete capitula- 
tion to giveaway shows and willingness to, extract 
maximum revenue from the banko revival is evidence 
in itself of radio's lack of planning for its own future. 
One can only accept that these same showmen who 
took radio from its crude beginnings and fashioned it 
into a vital and rewarding medium have conceded that 
the TV invasion is the be-it-all-and-end-ail. 

Just as sound films were the outgrowth of the silent 
era and replaced it, so, too, may sight and sound broad- 
casting, by natural processes and in its own time, sup- 
plant ttie audio medium. But it behooves the broad- 
caster to take care that he does not lose his future TV 
audience. You can't sell it short by making a refriger- 
ator more valuable than a good comedy writer. )f tlie 
broadcaster permits himself to make this mistake, he 
may find the green fields of television withering before 
they have a chance to blossom. 



26 



ItAllI4K~TI»EO 



WolncBday, July 28, I94J1 



Even Wrestlers Work Better Fashion is Tele s Spinach Benny stresses Difference h 
With Scripts, Wliy Not Tele? ... Comedy BetweenRadioandlV 




'Hal Ranter 



-By HAL KANTER 

•• Hollywood. 
The late John P, Mecibury told of a time when he was 
writing and starring in his own radio. show. After one 
broadcast, he met his friend Wtlson Mizner, 

"I just heard your show," Mizner told John. "If you 
don't get o£E the air, I'm going to stop 
breathing it." 

Johnny's show couldn't have been 
that bad. But if Mizner were still 
here to Catch sotiie of the cathode 
camera capers cluttering the televi- 
sion screens these days, his .)»*>t 
would be much more bon, as the 
French seldom say. 

If ybu sit quietly in tlie places 
where showmen gather, you can al- 
ways hear men with loud voices dis- 
cussing television. They have ideas; 
they have a studio; they have actors; 
some of them even have music and 
they all have a man with a long finger Who can be a pro- 
ducer or director, depending on the size of the budget. 
The next tiling, you know, they have a television show «n 
the air. Nobody has mentioned writers. The shows, Im 
beginning to suspeqt, are X-rays of promoters' minds. , 

Television's going to get better, of course. Radio did 
when they started paying men to write scripts. Films did 
when they bought scripts. So did wrestling." 

The men who" are spending money to flash entertain- 
ment into living rooms and gin marshes, filling screens 
with tlieir screeds, will come around to the realization 
that they'll get more out of a buck spent on a man with a 
typewriter than two placed in the palm of a fellow who 
knows the phone numbers of three sistets who sing from 
inside organdy dresses. 

This is going to happen very quickly. At least quicker 
than it did in radio and pix. When it does, we're all in lor 
a lot of happiness. 3ut before television chokes out the 
voice* of radio, I've got a show I'd like to sell. Not so much 
Ibr-myself but for the good of television. 

This show will be done in radio. Preferably this coming 
Cold Winter. It's an audience-participation show. The 
quizmaster is a cannibal. When a contestant answers a 
question wrongly, the quizmaster eats him. I call my show 
"Truth or Indigestion." I figure that with reasonably stiff 
questions, by the time summer rolls around again, we will 
be shed of every contestant in radio. Television will then 
be able to plunge forward, full speed ahead.. 
And it will need visiters. 




Video: Show Biz in tlic Parlor 

By PAUL WHITEMAN 

Early last August I wrote a. piece on television fm- 
Varxety in which I said that all branches Of tlie show 
businessg the theatres, films and radio, would contribute 
talent to television. "I still think so but,, since tb«t time, 
■ • rve revised my ideas a little. I think 

., that a lot of youngsters who've been 
p unable to get a chance in any of the 
V? established branches of the business 
» will find that video will provide them 
:£i with the opportunity they're seeking. 
M Although the theatre contributed 
lots of talent to films when films 
* first became popular a lot of the early 
t film names had had little or no thea- 
g tre experience. John Bunny, Charlie" 
:g Chaplin; Maty Pickford, Harold Uoyd, 
Rudolph Valentino and Phyllis Haver 
PaOl WMteman ""'^ whose reputations were 
tnade by movies and who miglit not 
have gotten to the top otherwise. Radio accounts for 
most of the success' achieved by Amos 'n' Andy— even 
though they were moderately well-known as Sam and 
Henry in vaudeville first— and the same can be said of 
Burns and Allen and Edgar Bergen. Rudy Vallee, of 
course, is strictly a radio product. Watching television, 
as I have here at ABC, I am certain that new personali- 
ties, peculiarly adaptable to the medium, will appear In 
increasing numbei's. - 

Television, too, will make the home more of an^ enter- 
tainment centre than it is now. Jose Iturbi playing his 
piano in a concert hall, in the films or on the air sounds 
like heaven breaking loose and millions Iqve it. But 
tturbi visiting someone's home and playing the piano in 
tlie parlor packs 10 • times* the wallop. On video ItUrbi 
will be in people's homes and the impact will be greater 
than anyone appreciates. Radio made entertainment a 
great deal more personal than it ever had been before 
and television will increase the intimacy between audi- 
ence and performer. 

A widely accepted belief, to which I subscribed until a 
few months ago, held that television wouldn't replace < 
the soap opera because the housewife could enjoy them, 
or weep with them,- while she continued her round ■ of 
duties. • I've changed my mind. I think that the girls 
at home'wiU move their portable television outfits of the 
future from one rpom to another while they sweep, sew, 
cook or change the; baby. Just exactly how they'll do 
this I don't know but tlie American housewife is a re- 
sourceful and energetic pe»:son. ' Somehow, she'll keep ' 
one eye oh her' work and the other on the screen. 

Moreover, as 1 say, new talent will come along who can 
project their faces as well as their voices and the radio 
stars who make the transition succes.sfully will be the 
ones who can express emotion with, the phiz along with 
the vocal cords. That's the phase of the new medium that 
makes it exciting. It will bring back the face. The voices 
will have to be as - smooth, polished and persuasive as 
they are in radio while the heads from which they emerge 
will have to be both talented and decorative. These are 
the factors which will bring home the high Hoopers of 
the future. 

It'll be the faces that make people install sets in their 
living rooms, their bedrooms, their kitchens and their— 
well, all over the house. 

I do not believe that video will cut down the gate on 




By ADELAIDE HAWLEY 

Todav the television camera has supplied what radio 
and the newsreels have lacked to make Dame Fashion 
advertising's best girl. With television she now has all the 
SS of a magazine ad plus, of course, action and sound. 

Absence of a visual element puts a 
radio stvle report into the category of 
chocolates eaten in dreams; You wake 
up to find yourself chewing the sheet. 
Velvet tones and Well , chosen ad-^ 
.fectives cannot make a woman see 
herself in d certain gown. But when 
She sees the gown on a gorgeous 
model, the hand goes 'to the pocket- 
book. 

As for fashion subjects in a news- 
reel, there is time only for surprise 
and fleeting amusement. Any educa^ 
&a.bM.. Hanirv tion or Salesmanship is incidental. 
Adelaide Hawley ^^^^ talked-about fashion 

shots we ever had at "News of the Day" was of a hat 
trimmed with a miniature cannon which ejtploded at in- 
tervals. Women in theatre audiences said: "My dear, can 
you imagine?" and the men said: ' Ye Gods, what will 
women wear next?" Everybody laughed— a not undesiir- 
able reaction from the standpoint of box office and film 
distributor. But not so good from the pomt of view of 
the fashion merchant. 

Television fashion profits by these examples, or should. 
You have sufficient time to show clothes in deUiil. There- 
fore you have a responsibility to show what is in good 
taste because the audience accepts you as an authority. 
You also have the compulsion to entertain, lest the viewr 
ers yawn on to another station. 

It i.s too soon to give a full report on what will be ac- 
complished for and by sponsorship in the ca.se of pro- 
grams such as WNBT's Paris fashion films and the fashion 
section of Gloria Swanson's magazine on WPIX, since 
both are sustaining. A woman's dress manufacturer has 
sponsored DuMont'g "Birthday Party" for some time, 
with reported satisfactory, results. ' Ditto a line of shirts 
for young men on "Doorway to Fame," Several manu- 
facturers of menswear are pmning their faith on one 
minute films, and others arc stringing along with live 
sporting events. 



A Kit With Each Coramen;ial 



For retail stores who participate in their various .pro- 
, motions, Celanese has inaugurated a retail' television serv- 
. ice. This supplies a series of open end film commerciaJ.<s 
to be used as spots or as part of a longer program. A pro- 
motion and information kit accompanies each commercial. 

Simply because it is the first commercial television fash- 
ion show to run ovet- a period of timer it is, interesting 
to consider "Television Fashions oh Paifade" (packaged 
by Tele on Parade Inc. and seen on WABD every Friday), 
which after careful survey Procter & Gamble takes over 
on July 2;^ as its first regular video venture. I have 
worked with the program closely, selecting the clothes, 
writing the fashion part of the script and narrating the 
whole half-hour, ■ 

To begin with, director Ray , Nelson wisely put the pro- 

- gram into the framework of a musical revue, with the 
. tashion sequences relieved by singing or dancing features, 

and both pait of a lightweight plot. One of the models 
wity be the heroine of the story, and the' girl tap dancer 
is likely to step out in a featured gown. This weaving of 
fashion into the fabric' of the revue reveals of basic TV 
need. 

On television the models md performers must be able 
to double in brass, to be both versatile and adaptable. 
From gals who never did anything before except to parade 
clothes with bored precision, we have developed a num- 
ber of passable actresses. Several girl entertainers have 
been given a chance to read lines and to prove their abil- 
ity to wear glad rags with an air. This may mean that 
Conover and colleagues will have to accept union shop— 
who knows? 

At any rate, thfe lads in the cloak and suit business have 
oenentted by this dynamic jnethod of displaying their 

For 16 weeks, beginning last March, our program oper- 
ated under cooperative sponsorship of participating clothes 
and acces,.sory manufacturers, with leading Fifth Avenue 
-slore.s as 'program hosts" for four week periods. This was 
a device for gaining prestige but it worked both ways. 

The stores had their repre.sentatives working with us 
as we selected the items to bo shown from the whole- 
salers so that those" items would be m s^ck in the vari- 
ous departments. This proved to be" good strategy 
Periodical checks showed that there was customed de- 
mand for the merchandise— by mail, phone and in person 
— m the days following the program • ^ 

Consequ^.ntly, manufacturers participating sold more 
goods to the host stores, and in addition "were able toT 

- crease and mitiate business wi th other retailers 

'ports events. UntU I had a set installed at Walkinn 
?h^I>"' "\"l ^T'' marvelous Philco, by the \^-.y* 

I hadnt watched a fight for more than a decade T be- 

■ "^•''^ "nrt 'ately I've started 

seeing the bouts in person. Matter of fact, I ve become 
-so interested in the game that, I'm beginning to UUnk 
of myselt as an authority on left hooks and^ppercut 

Having watched one fighter on television I went t„ see 
one 01 h,s bouts recently. In the middle of one of the 
•ound.s 1 urned to a total stranger and hollered "if he 
keeps his letX in the other guy's face he's a goner " aV/. 
•^"i"'' m.?nf '""f my fellow spectator didn't knovv who 
he meant. Anyway, bellowing opinions is part of the 
un of attending a ball game or a fight and Uh nk that 
television will create fans who buy tickets. This T think 
applies more to spori;s than other fields ' 
New techniques of musical presentations will have to 
be developed Perhaps the camera will shift frdm one 
• oloisl o another, Comedy bands, like Spike Johe? w?U 
"^.Z .*»'i.,a"«ction. One bandleader whose name hv 
golly, is BUly Glass has already come forvvard with a band 

"li "^"^'"ons play on inslrumentrmade of glass 
Well, not glass exactly, but transparent plastic 

Anyway, television is here and month by month it's 
gett ng bigger. Trying to control it or set any Umitations 
on It at this point is like having a bear by the tTi You 
enToi "toe rid™' ^ might as well 




Xmk Bcnsy 



By JACK BENNY 

Hollywood. ■• 

Now that the hot breatli of television is blowing down * 
our necks, 1 guess it s lime most of us did something 
aboutit. •.•■v;-:-;; 
I haven't thought too hard because with two years still 
to go in radio for American Tobacco . 
all I can think of after that is golf and.' 
automobile tours and not having, a ■ 
weekly deadline to meet. : 

But every once in a while, I do wiiiV' ' 
der about television and the kind of 
show I'd do if I were in it. l doii't 
know what type of program I'd like to ' 
present — but I. do know that it 
couldn't be anythiiig like . a photo- 
graphic version of my air show. 

I think one: of the secrets of good 
situation comedy in fadio is the use 
of sound effects and dialog to create ' 
illusion. To prot>eHy portray some of - ■ 
the scenes in one of our programs would cost a fortune., 
for sets and photography and yet wouldn't be as funny as 
the same scene done on the air. 

For example, we u.se a long series of footsteps and sound ; 
effects to portray me walking down into my vault and the' 
process of going through squeaky doors, untying endless 
chains and final ly opening the vault to the sound of screvk? 
burglar alarms. For three or four minutes, there may be 
only a few lines of dialog with the rest of the time taken . 
for sound effects. Although the audience can't se^ my 
cellar and Vault, each listener has his own conception of 
what it looks like and each time I go through the routine 
it seems to be very funny. 

Now this same routine on television, produced with 
costly sets, cobwebs and costumes, might be fairly funny 
but i'm sure it wouldn't be quite as hilarious as the illu- 
sion built up by .sound elfects. 

So that's why I say that I'll need a whole new prog'-am 
idea if I'm to go into television. And since I'll be busy 
touring Europe this summer and planning another open." 
ing program for October 3, who's got -time to think about 
television? . : . 



VaudeviQe and lelevision 

By JOE LAURIE, Jr, . 

When the late Will Rogers was asked if he was going 
into radio, he replied, "It's too big to stay out of." That 
goes for television! . 
There is so much talk that television is going to bring 
vaudeville back. What kind of vaude- 
ville? Do . they mean it will bring 
back the old Palace two-a-day brand 
of perfectly blended shows? I say no! 
The Texaco show is about thfe best 
thing so far produced and is the flMt* 
est thing to a vkudeyiUe show, pnt. 
television/ like its brother arid Sister 
talkies and radio', njisses that certain 
something that is so necessary for en: 
joying a vaudeville show— warmth! 

Real vaudeville must have variety,^ 
sketches, acrobats, jugglers, vwe^ 
walkers, magicians, animal acts, v.?n-^ 
triloquists, girl acts, trapeze arti|^,.'! 




Joe Laurie, Jr. 



musical acts, bar acts, comedians, singers and dancers. We 
have plenty of singers and dancers tdday. And don't let 
anyone tell you that the dancers of today aren't 100% 
better than the oldtimers, because they are. Of course 
there were great dancers^ in old vaude that would be great, 
today in any company. Stylists like George Primrase, 
Barney Fagan, Jack Donahue, Eddie Leonard, Phil Cook. 
And there are some of the oldtimers that are still arouna 
like Bill Robinson. Harlan Dixon, P6t Rooney, 
Boyle, Leon Errol, Will Mahoney, Jim Barton, Mabel ano 
Dora Ford, Busier West, Louis Mosconi.'Ida May Chatt- 
wick and a few more that can still dip a mean foot m,» 
rosin box. 

In the lin^ of comedy we are not so well off. There 
aren't 25% of outstanding comedians that we had years 
ago in vaudeville. There is a reason: when vaudevjiie 
went, the .schoolhouse ' burned down. Mo.st of the boys 
and gals of today that are funnymen do practically the 
same type of comedy. Some do almost tlie same rou- 
tines, many run to dirt and vei-y few are outstanding per- 
sonalities. We have some swell new comics but the oia- 
tlmers still are way out in front, ' ' 

Will the television hurt the theatre? Forget it. Look 
at the things they said radio would do to show business 
when it was yelling in its cradle! Live entertainment win 
never be hurt by mechanical entertainment. That goes 
for radio, pics and recordings. There will always be mil- 
lions of people that will pay Oft at the boxoffice to say, 
was there!" "I saw it." 'That goes for theatre, baseball, 
fights and everything ever shown in newsreels. Humans 
must have compabv— plenty of it — you can't sit home ano 
listen to the radio or a record and give out with applause 
and a belly laugh. You must h&ve others to enjoy ^im 
you— crowds, a guy likes to look at the gals around n i« 
and the gals like to looTc at the guys around her— inai s 
why LIVE entertainment will never die. Remember tnere 
are millions of us that live in poorly furnished rooins anu 
homes, no homey environment; you're glad to get out atiei 
a day's work to show off your new suit or dress. WoDouy 
IS going to see it sitting home looking at television, listen- 
ing to radio or records. There is plenty of room wr 
these things. With television, entertainment ha*, -""it 
added another baby to its family, that's all. You wm 
with the new baby in the house until it grows up. 
chanical entertainment hasn't got WARMTH! 

I hope television will take a lesson from old vaudeviiw 
and radio. Copy acts and dirt were two of the .mam ac- 
tors that killed vaudeville. Copy acts are hurting radio- 
bame plots in pics hasn't helped the boxoffice any. 

It is going to be tough for "script holders" on television. 
The.v will have to learn what to do with the script-hoWuiB 
hands when they get out before the television cameras- ■ 
and are on their own. They must know the "words — »" 
retakes.' ■ 



Vednesday, July 28, 1948 



27 ^ 



Cross-Section of Television's Status 
As Seen by Its Top Administrators 

The Hep Operator Appraises a New Medium and Concludks That 
It Will Play a Dominant Role in Our Whole Economy But Not 
Until It Avoids the Shifting Sands of Hot Air Buildup 



By JAMES D. SHOUSE 

, (Pfcsitictit, :Grosley BroadcM^ 

Cincinnati. 

We are finding that television poses a great many 
problems . for which few solutions are even being ap- 
proached, much less reached. We are once more paying 
the penalty, financially, of pioneering in a field where 
pioneering costs, both from the standpoint of capital in-' 
vestment required; and, perhaps, most important, from 
the standpoint of operating expense, are far greater than 
was ever true in the earlier days of sound broadcasting 
when expansion could be financed out of earnings, and 
profits then, as distinguished from losses in this field, 
could pretty well be set at 25 or 30% of the dollars 
taken in. 

Additionally, it is difficult tb determine how quickly 
to attempt to reach a sound break-even point. While we 
HOW have perhaps 4,000 sets in the Cincinnati area, we 
have not so far felt that this provided a large enough 
circulation package to warrant the decrease in promo- 
tional effort and program expenditure which should be 
necessary to break even. Rather we expect to continue- 
a loss situation, at least, until the Times-Star and Scripps- 
Howard stations are on the air, in an attempt to dev^op 
a lacge enough overall picture to justify a rate which 
will, in turn, be high enough to justify the heavy capital 
expenditures already made. 

For once, I think we are all looking forward to having 
our competitors get on the air and help us in this job 
oi' bulding up the market television-wise as the financial 
burden for a single operator is extremely heavy. 

Additionally, now that a large part of the broadcasting 
industry is completely unionized, it appears to be no 
longer poskble to operate on a basis where remuneration 
for services or functions performed bear any relationship 
whatever to the size of the audience affected by such 
services. For the present, at least, we are faced with 
the terrific financial problem in television of paying 
for what we buy on a remuneration structure predicated 
on isound broadcasting after 25 years of growth and de- 
velopment, I think this represents more of a problem 
than is readily apparent. !• doubt if sound broadcasting 
during its formative years could have developed the mo- 
irientum which has put it where it is today, if wage scales 
now common in television had then been in effect. In 
spite of all this, I am convinced that television will ulti- 
mately play a dominant role in our whole economy and 
in our whole social structure. 



By 



ERNEST B. LOVEMAN 

fT^.P., Gen. Mgr., WPTZ, PhiJadelpJiia/ 

Philadelphia. 

It seems to me that these are the important things to 
consider in setting up a television sales program: 

Since the salesman's job, particularly in television, con- 
sists of doing a great deal of education of prospects, the 
salesman himself must have a well-grounded knowledge 
of the ttiedium. Aside from knowing the rate structure 
and program policies of the station, he must know some- 
thing about his audience and the programming and tech- 
nical requirements of his particular station, if he is to 
do a good selling job and, what is more important, a 
eood customer service job after the sale is made. A sales- 
Kiati without previous television experience should get a 
good background in the medium before "he eveh talks 
to a prospect and can get such background by working 
with his own progi-ara and technical people and by visit- 
ing operating stations in other cities. The experienced 
radio time salesman is accustomed to thinking and talk- 
ing in terms of rates and availabilities and scripts. When 
vou add to that the technical requirements of television 
cameras motion picture facilities, scenery and properties 
and all of the other new and sometimes complex require- 
ments of television, training and background are an ob- 
vious necessity ^ The customer will ask the question and 
the salesman must know the answers. 

Pro!5t)ective sponsors want to know about the audience 
—how many receivers are there in your area? How many 
1n homes' How many in public places? What Income 
ernuDS do you reach? What age groups do you reach? 
What programs do they like? What kind of geographical 
distribution do you have? Knowing the answers to these 
niipstions helps immeasurably in making a sale. This 
means that a planned program of audience research has 
to be established to supply the answers. For example, 
in Philadelphia the Electrical Assn. is composed of the 
major manufacturers and distributors of elecWcal appli- 
anrps Thev have made arrangements to poll the tele- 
vision distributors every three months and to obtain 
from them, on an anonymous basis, the number of tele- 
vUion sets they install during each of these periods. The 
Association then releases the total by months for each 
ouartei— in effect, an audited summary of receiver in- 
ciaiHiirtns Similar arrangements are being made in 
fther ciUes to suply these essential data which are very 
useful in selUng commercial tune. 

WPTZ maintains an active file of names and addresses 
of television set owners and we regularly poU them and 
ask them their program preferences so that we can rate 
each program we canv. Relative program ratings are 

'Te haveVS aTSendent research organizii&m 



check 2,405 television homes for geographical location and 
income group. Information of this sort is invaluable to 
the salesman and to the prospective sponsor. 

In addition to these specific questions about the audi- 
ence, the salesman is called upon to answer questions 
about the national status of television, the status in his 
own city and his own station's facilities. If the salesman 
ean answer the prospect's: questions visually, he can do 
a' better "job. 



By G. BENISHETT LARSON 

(Director of TeXemsion, WCAV TV, Phila.) 

Philadelphia. 

Shortsighted men always see only darkness in some- 
thing new. 

Radio was going to kill the film' industry, which cutt 
rently has reached new heights. , 

Now its television that is going to kill sports, fUms, 
records, legitimate theatre and every other form of enter- 
tainment. Twenty years from now, if they haven't died 
of fright, these same pessimists will be worrying about 
progress' next step. But the odds are that their sports, 
film, record or stage interests will be bigger than ever. 

Films are. a good case in sight. Although it is one 
of the world's major industries, too many film makers 
forget that miUion.s of people have little interest in pic- 
tures. Unless a film is particularly good, many people 
are perfectly willing to pass it by. Televisioa can, and 
will, be the salesman for building overall interest in 
cinema productions. It will create an awareness where 
none exists, it will whet interest where apathy lies, it 
will build an additional potential for the.fUm maker. 

Television needs Hollywood's products. But not neces- 
sarily the same product shown in film houses, - Our needs, 
as I see them, will be for short subjects, commercials, 
special events and condensed features. The Idea of an 
unbroken 90-minute feature film doesn't look like good 
television to me. Commercially I don't know who will 
foot such a biU. You can't, you know, break a- Turner- 
Peck clinch to insert a Rinso plug: 

The theatre has, shown us that we can't very well pre- 
sent a play without changing it to television's needs and 
limitations. The same probably will prove true of pic- 
tures. Far sighted producers '^recognize thisi 'fhou^ I 
fear they are still a minority. 

A year or two benee quite likely will see HoUywood 
worMng with television the way it works with radio. And 
flacks will be -all over the place trying to hypo pictures 
and place talent* What a way to build up talent. 



By FRANK P. SCHREIBER 

(Mgr., WON. WGN TV, Oiicago) 

Chicago. 

There has been' a lot of talk that Chicago vnll become 
the television capital of the world. 'That's nonsense. The 
film talent is in Hollywood; stage talent j« largely in 
New York. So it's up to us to build the best local 
shows we can. Naturally there will.be a great deal of 
emphasis on sports, for Chicago -is sports-minded. Then 
we must devise ideal shows, in which name talent is not 
important. At WGN-TV we are working toward quality 
presentations rather than thinking in terms of mere quan- 
tity. We plan to duplicate on television some of the AM 
radio shows that lend themselves to video. 

With the limited idistribution of receivers-r-upwards of 
2S,000r^in Chicago as against nearly a quarter of a mil- 
lion in New York, advertisers in the local market are 
buying at bargain rates and they are tempted to invest 
in inferior progi'amming. I expect that the receiver sales 
curve will rise sharply upward next fall and that spon- 
.<'Ors wiU begin to think in terms of quality programming. 

I think it is unfortunate that television set manufac- 
turers (who are about the only interests making any 
money out of video to date) are doing so little on tele- 
vision to promote this new medium. I would think that 
every TV manufacturer would be sponsoring programs 
both on tele and radio to promote, the sale of video re- 
ceivers. 



By 



ROGER W. CUPP 

'(Oen. Mgr.. WFIL-TV, Philfl.) . ., 

Philadelphia, 

One of the most important problems facing televisfdn 
■--from the standpoint of the station operator and the 
advertiser — is the matter of establishing a satisfactory 
rate system. It's a matter that should be taken up and 
adjusted promptly now, while the fast-growing video in- 
dustry is still in the formative stage. 

Radio's general practice of arbitrarily placing greater 
evaluation on evening broadcast hours, regardless of 
program content and appeal, than on dajrtime broadcast- 
ing, seems to me entirely wrong. 1 have long been of 
the opinion that radio rates are, in that respect, unfair. 
There seems to me to be no reason why station owners 
should continue to charge the advertiser substantially 
more for evening entertainment than for daytime radio 
simply because it is "eustomary," following a precedent 
set up in the infant days of the medium. Radio has 
clianged. 

It seems to me that a fairer system-^Ad one I recom- 



mend strongly the television, industry adopt — would be 
to establish a standard rate for programs throughout the 
broadcast day. Such a system would be far less cumber' 
some and, because it would lead to better 'raund>the-> 
clock programming, would serve to improve .the calibre 
of television shows. Program drawitig-power, ratiier than 
time on tiie schedule, would be 1;he advertiser's cMef 
consideration, That standard rate should be set as an 
average by each station, lower than the existing night- 
time rates but higher than present day rates, with the 
proper value of a program dependent on its performance 
alone. 

Further, I would like to see some regulation of cup- . 
rent discounting practices. The tendency in radio is to 
offer the advertiser a vride variety of "special" discoonts 
at the slightest excuse; so that the whole discount system 
becomes nothing more than a rather vicious, rate^utting 
competition. The discount is a psychological method of 
getting the advertiser to contract for longer periods of 
time and, used wisely, has definite advantages. Too oftent 
the practice is misused. Standards for offering discounts ,» 
should be set up within the television industry to pro- 
tect both the advertiser ^nd the «tati(ut bperitoT; 

In its differentiation between film and live pr6^ams,> 
I feel that television is off on the wrong foot. Here, I 
believe, television could look for guidance to radio, wldcb 
charges the same for station time whether programs are- 
broadcast live or transcribed. As a matter of fact, when 
one considers the overhead connected with operating a ' 
television station— costs which must be met no matter 
what type of program is broadcast^— there is little differ* 
ence, so far as actual expense to the station is coiiceriied, 
whether a particular program is presented live or on film. 

Finally, an examination of existing televisian rate ca^ds- , 
-shows immediately that "facilities charges" by television 
stations vary widely. They should be made uniform. 
One station's expenses in dispatching a fully-equipped 
mobile unit and crew, for instance, do not vary very much 
• from those of another station using similar equijonent: 
one station's costs in televising a studio program— •involve 
ing standard television equipment— <coinfr pretty close to 
matching those that must be borne by another station. 
Equitable facilities charges should be established so as 
to eliminate another channel for competitive rate^t- 
ting or, in some cases, to. prevent stations from gaining 
additional revenue over and above the usual time and 
talent costs and the standard "facilities charge." This 
would buUd confidence among advertisers aiid piospec* 
tive advertisers. ^ ^ ; 

In formulating a fair rate structure and in establishins 
universal standards of practice in the matter of rates, lies 
one of television's neatest challenges. It seems obvious 
that television is going places. It is only right that the 
passenger know what the fare is going to be before be 
gets aboard. • 



By WALTER J. DAMM 

(VJ>. and Gen, Mgr., WTMJ and WTMJ-TV, Milwaukeet 

Let's build television on the solid rock of performance 
and achievement and avoid the shifting sands of hotair 
buildup and fantastic claims. 

And let's do it now when television is jiist beginninS 
to catch the imagination of the country . . . not t^ 
morrow, when the damage has been done and we'll have 
to retract and do a lot of things the right way when we 
knew we were wrong in the first place. 

In" the first place, let's stop grabbing figures out of 
the air when we release set receiveir totals. Let's find 
out exactly how many sets there are in the area covered 
by our individual stations and throw away our multiplica- 
tion tables and give a factual report based on dealer sales. 

We don t fool anybody except ourselves when we re- 
lease fantastic receiver total claims or when we give an 
inaccurate and highly misleading impression of area cov- 
erage by our stations; 

Sure, by some freak of nature, your station' or onr sta- 
tion sometimes reaches an area many mUes outside the 
limit of our signal. But when we release publicity about 
this unusual happemng and give the impression tfiat we 
actually cover that area, we damage ourselves and every 
other coverage area claim we ever make 

Second, let's get on firm, substantial giround as far as 
television programming is concerned. 
tht'i.tM^ I let's be frank to an extreme with 

the PUblia Let s admit our .deficiencies, explain our dif- 
ficu ties, take the public int6 our complete confidei^e 
TpiT tLT ^T" "V*"'' ^^'''^v and "ad qualityT 

bitter ^""^ ^^''""^ ^ 

Why don't we have more live music, bigger local pro- 

H^T'pT'^t "^^'^ .l"** with stage produ^ 

tions? Be fr^k about it . , . tell Mr. and Mrs. Public 
about the problems that presently beset the iadepS* 
cnTnti^. r V ^ Pfobloms of trained persoK tte 
local Uve studio productions. . 

» ""I"*^ '^^"'e iiumijer of hours 

a radio station is on the air? Tell them just why and 

p^sibte increasing their air time as rapidly m 

Then build shows on a local basis that television Is, «t 
, (Continued on page 34) 



28 



RADIO—TniEa 



VeJneaday, Jnly as, 194^ 



Tele Is an Ad Medium, Fix Freen 
Where Will the Twain Meet? " 

By NICHOLAS M. SCHENCK 

(Presidetit, Loew's, Inc.) 

To date television has not affected our former policies. 
But that is not to say it will fail to do so in the future. 
We are not dismissing this new miracle, which can trans- 
mit an instantaneous image o£ Spot occurrences. 

But the great question is where 
the lines of motion picture and tele- 
vision tend to come together. To 
date they are almost parallel, the 
only slight inclination of iWeetlhg be- 
ing the use television Is maklhg <0f 
some out-of-date jilms, V 

Television is at present alniost ex- 
clusively an advertising mediunii The 
motion picture is unsponsored and 
therefore freer. It Is less hampered 
by any intruding responsibility, saVe 
that of telling a story as well as it " 
JNICK acnenciK ^^^^ ^^^.^ ^^^^ 

predicted that motion picture attendance would be dras- 
tically curtailed. Actually the motion picture audiences 
have doubled since the beginning of radio. 

Yet radio itself has improved enormously — a.s have 
motion pictures^but sqmehow people want to go out 
for an evening if they are to call it an evening's, fun. 

I see no reason why television should be different un- 
less it becomes applicable to theatrical presentation. 

The commercial foot on which televisicwj has started 
Is a hindrance to this. As long as television is an ■ ad- 
vertiser's technique, the companies will ' not be able 
to pay the costs that prevail in motion picture production. 
Nor can they produce enough footage to Ite^p the airways 
active. 

However, even these obstacles may be overcome in' 
time. Perhaps one day soon they will develop .an ad- 
mission principle which will free the medium and make 
obs.ervation of it subject to the same democratic box- 
office .iudgment as the movies. 

One thing is certain, there will always be room In the 
entertainment world for real talent. The basis of success 
of the motion picture is not real estate or banking, but 
the ability to make good shows that public wants 
to buy.. . ■ . ■ 

The public will take these good shows in any form. 




Moral Responsibility Cited 
As Challenge to Teleyision 

By J. R. POPPELE 

(President, Teleuisiow Broadcasters Ass'n) 

A few years ago when television was struggling to break 
away from the reins that strapped it to the laboratory — 
when television was eyed with a strange "look"* instead 
of regarded as the "new look" which it has become today 
— told an assemblage of broadcasters gathered at the 
Second Television Conference of TBA that television's 
greatest challenge of the moment wasn't technical as much 
»s it was one of moral responsibility. . 

I think much that has happened during the past year 
of immense television growth tends to amplify this belief. 
Television's greatest challenge to the broadcasting' fra- 
ternity still remains one of moral responsibility. If tele- 
vision is to succeed as the great means of mass communi- 
cation which its sponsors firmly believe it is destined to 
become, it must recognize these basic tenets: it must be 
clean and wholesome, completely tolerantv fair in all pub- 
lic issues and regarded as a welcome visitor in the Amer- 
ican home. 

There can be no compromise with decency in any form 
» of -entertainment, but it's more acute in television, since 
video's double-barreled approach^sight and sound — 
might easily alfront two senses, ^and possibly a third if 
the program content is Odorous. v 

While care must be the byword of every broadcaster) his 
freedom to program effectively must pot, on the other 
hand, be retarded by prudish do's or dont's. Common 
sense should dictate when uncommon material beckons. 



Trial and Error 



I 



Only through trial and error will television's program- 
ming problems be ironed, out. Many broadcasters are 
making a careful study into suitable techniques for the 
presentation of religious programs. I am Confident this 
Will be worked out satisfactorily. Freedom of discussion 
m public affairs and controversial issues is also being 
studied so that televisers will know how to best treat this 
wholly American form of visual broadcasting. Time will 
help us out in this problem. 

Dangers also lurk in the form and types of drama that 
should be transmitted into the American home — where 
avid viewers range in age from toddlers to amblers. Drama 
is a most interesting and treacherous field for television. 
It is too early to dogmatize whether television shall be 
governed by the traditions of the stage and screen or 
■whether it shall develop its own standards and techniques. 
Television, it seems to me, faces peculiarities in its me- 
dium which compel it to' find its own way by bold and 
intelligent experimentation. Until the proper approach is 
iinally standardized, it would seem that caution and a 
measure of restraint are warranted. 

The theatre has achieved a license which harks back to 
the middle ages and not a few of the things there to be 
seen and heard would be difficult to reconcile in a me- 
dium which finds its way into the ordinary American 
home, where standards of purity and decency are still 
anything but extinct. 

Comedy has universal acceptance in any medium of en- 
tertainment, yet no form of ..entertainment lends itself to 
looseness and questionable material so touch as comedy. 
The point of balance between the clean and the question- 
able in comedy is so narrow that where any doubt might 
«^st. a blue pencil should be set to worfc-^and quickly! 

M television in the future is to withstand the assault of 
those who might, through self-appointment, seek to impose 
Umiaats in the .guis^pf xigbteoua owrseers, It would be 



Sight Vs. Sound 

Pros and cons on talent's segue into the television 
medium are naturally a hot topic with all comedian?, 
Fred Allen wonders why reading scripts couldn't be- 
come an accepted technique over the video, in view of . 
the fact that people come back Sunday after Sunday 
and seemiirgly enjoy watchmg him, Benny, et al„ read 
their scripts and apparently none of the illusion is 

lost.'-.: .. ■ 

Benny accents that the radio medium has so condi- 
tioned the public's imagination that any attempt to 
realistically depict Fred Allen's Alley, or him gomg to 
the vault to count his money, or the Maywell, etc., 
might shatter a time-honored and now thoroughly 
fixed illusion, built up over many years. 

Al Jolson goes even further on the script aspects by 
accenting that the written-out radio show in hand 
has become a crutch to all performers. He cites hinf- 
self. "Why, back in the old Winter Garden days I 
knew 50 w 60 songs by heart, could sing any of 'em 
at a second's request, whereas today, do you know I'm 
So dependent on a script I must have the lead-sheet 
of 'Sonny Boy' or 'April Showers' in front of me, just 
to make sure!" ' 

Still the Same Ulcer 

By ALAN LIPSCOTT 

Hollywood. 

The, writer's point of view on television? After kicking 
the idea around for two weeks, 1 still can't figure out a 
point of view. Sorry. 

However, I asked other writers for their points of view 
and here are a few interesting replies: 

Quote . ... "I can't get excited about writing for tele- 
vision. To me, an ulcer from television gives me the same 
bellyache as an ulcer from radio." 

Quote .... "I'm prejudiced against television. Three 
times last season I gave free mention of* television sets 
in my shows and I still have to go to a bar to see the 
fights. To force the issue, I once plugged the RCA .set 
in a blackout, and on the Columbia network yet, and for 
that, the plug man sent me a bottle of Calvert. Likewise, 
1 once mentioned Ptiilco and for that I got six cakes of 
oatmeal soap. And likewise, on a Christmas show, I called 
the old guy with the white whiskers, Santa Hallicrafter, 
and for that, the plug man sent me a case of shampoo, a 
carton of blintza mix and my latest Hooper rating," 

Quote , , .. . "As far as I am concerned, television is 
smellovision. I was a very happy character until I bought 
a television set for our wedding anniversary. And now 
oil every Wednesday night after we look at the wrestling 
matches, she gets a glint in her eyes and starts packing 
her bags. She wants to leave me and elope with Gorgeous 
George^ So what could I do and I did it. I gave up writ- 
ing and am now- wrestling. (That television, smellovision' 
joke is fully copyrighted.)" 

J___ . . . . Like a Hole in the Head I 

Quote .... "I need television like I need a hole in the 
head. ' You see, I got a girl with whom I am very much 
in love. So much so, that for her I would cut oft' my 
right arm and learn how to typewrite witli my toes. Now 
this doU doesn't go for baseball games or fights. She only 
likes commercials, especially when the commercials show 
models wearing fur coats and bracelets. Whenever a 
model comes out on the screen wearing a blue mink or a 
facsimile, my sweetheart looks at me with her big blue 
eyes, sad like, and my glasses become so misty, I can 
hardly read the cards in my joke file. It's murder. If I'm 
not renewed for next season, television will drive me back 
to my wife, who is more of the Duz and Okydol type." 

Quote .... "Television is for me. You sec, I work in 
a den; that is, I call it a den. My kid calls it rumpus 
room, my mother-in-law calls it a bedroom and my wife's 
sister in Toledo calls it a spare room. You see, ray wife 
is a soap opera addict and listens like crazy every morning 
The radio is way back in the kitchen but that doesn't stop 
her from coming into the den where I a m batting my 
brams out, and listen there. And while she listens she 
makes conversation like I should stop work and bawl out 
the Japanese gardener for ruining a rose bush, or why I 
.still didn't send a wedding present to her brother who was 
already married for a year or why t can remember to 
write out a check for a bottle of Scotch, but I can never 
remember to write out a check for the mortgage interest 
And though I can't concentrate on an Abbott and Costello 
straight line, she doesn't miss a word of 'Gertrude Girl 
Delinquent' that is going fvill blast in the kitdien. ' This 
will all stop, when I install a television set in the garage." 

PPS.— And on one point of view there was unanimous 
agreement that agents should stop whining to writers 
about how television was in its infancy and how budgets 
were low and so writers should play ball with the agehcies 
and sponsors and write on spec. 



wise to mass industry opinion immediately toward the 
goal of self-imposed regulations. 

Initial approach to such an objective is the construction 
of cautionary signposts in the form of guides to proper 
programming. If these preliminary guides do not achieve 
some measure of success, a full-fledged code would ap- 
pear to be in order. • *^ 

Adoption of a code, however important it may be to 
television's future well-being, should not serve as a bar- 
rier against vigorous experimentation with new forms of 
entertainment. A speaker at one of the TBA sessions 
made a good point along these lines. He said; 

*^^*^' ^ ♦f''"'' that pretty large- 
ly has to be governed by public pressures. There will be 
tehiptations to bad taste in programming. However I 
think experimentation ought to be tried, even at the ex- 
pense of outraging or disturbing certain sections of the 
community until, through trial and erroir, through tht 
balancing of the interests of the industr^r agahist the 
pressures of the community., you arrive at someWnd of 
re. ' ' medium^^IJhiS; 




Nlles 'I'nimmcil 



NBC-RCA's $40,000,000 
TelevisioH Jackpot 

By NILES TRAMMELL 

{President^ NBC) 

We have reached the second half of 1948— Television'. 
Year— and we have seen every promise made by the teliJ 
vision industry come true. . 

We have witnessed many new stations sprouting un in 
cities from coast to coast. " 

We have seen scores of advertiser 
rushing to sell their wares throuch 
the sight-and-sound medium " ^ 
Men of all- rank and station ari. 
riskuig millions of dollars this year 
and many more will invest still more 
nuUions ii> television before much 
if any of it, is recaptufed. , * 
This is private enterprise in democ- 
racy at work. This is the faith s* 
industry. It is the vision of inen imd ' 
women who are willing to invest jii 
an industry which thus far has iMtt 
v«u * • ,u , "L"**, and little in tHe black: ' 
What is it that cpnipels men of industry to risk so 
much iman adventure which has yet to prove in a financial 
statement that it can justify such huge investments' And 
do these people— including the National Broadcastine ' 
Company— expect an adequate financial return on thpir 
money? " 

These are , qiie.,cions little asked or answered today in 
all. the press stories on television but they axe at the 
very root of the television business. For no matter how 
pretty a picture the program people and engineers can 
paint on a television screen, in the end it is the economics 
of the business which will foretell its success or failure 
It has long been the belief ot NBC and of its parent 
company RCA tliat television will one dav prov° to be 
not only the greatest medium of communications ever 
developed, but that in terms of dollars and cents it will 
become one of this nation's truly great industries 

'^^ claims, RCA and NBC have invested more 

tlian $40,000,000 in televisien's growth and development 
Money ^yas Supplied- to a new industry of television "by 
our companies at times when doubters were advising 
a,gamst it, during lean years and fat, during dark times 
and finally in the first true blush of television's success.' 

Ihis required laith and courage. But it also involved 
a huge business risk; it involved being able to predict the 
day when the balance sheet could be- tipped in favor of 
income over outgo. 

This, day has not yet arrived but men of vision are 
realizing television one day will be on a pay-as-it-goes 
basis. As the days roll by and television proves it caii 
«o .iobs better than any other existing medium— as at the 
JNalional Conventions, at championship boxing bouts, or 
even at reviving vaudeville— so do its prospects as a 
money-making proposition become enhanced.. 

Capital 15 being pumped into the television business 
fit^f Jf^;*?^"^ J"*^" *''t" any other new industry in the 
united states. Manufacture, station construction, telecast' 
advertising are all booming in a fashion which some of 
'"y contemporaries are comparing to the Gold Rush of 
mt years ago. But unlike the Gold Rush, prospectors in 
leiBvision are staking out claims which may not pay off 
for several years. ■ j f j 

,*J"'f i*^*'"? '® Because of its tremendous impact, 

us ability to render a great public service, to do such 
f«f . .1^ ""^ entertaining job, its future employ- 
ing " .u^''"*'* persons and its corollary uplifUng 
fhi„„ ""''ona' economy— because of all these 

indu tr ^^ouli ultimately become a profitable 




Eddid Cantor 



TV Needs Showmanship 

By EDDIE CANTOR 

Hollywood.- 

Here in Hollywood, we recently had a world .premiere 
flt an important picture. (All right, "The Emperor W^ltz" 
oKay, Bing.') The ceremonies attending the premiere were 
leievised. I said to a nearby columnist, "Now with tele- 
vision, these premieres are even more ; 
difiicult. On radio, we used to Just 
sound stupid — bow we can loofc 
stupid, too!" 

No actor has a ifight to be televised 
unless he is properly made Up--re- 
hearsed— and fully prepared for it. 

Television is crying for showman- 
ship! 

For instance, I bought a television 
set for my grandson. Imagine mr 
surprise and consternation to find 
that he was watching "The Clutching 
Hand," right before his bedtime. Tliis 
scared the hell out of him, and so 
many other children in Los Angeles, that irate parents 
wrote into the studio, in such numbers, that this 'bogey- 
man" serial was removed immediately. A good showman 
would have known better than to serialize "The Clutching 
Hand" for youngsters, at an hour before they hit the hay. 

When I first read in Variety that Texaco is going W 
have a televised vaudeville show, I immediately expressed 
the hope it will be careful what kind of acts are engaged. 
Keeping in mind that acts that "killed 'em" on a Palace 
stage might not even "bruise" the audience at home. 

Vaudeville is good— if it's good vaudeville. Showman- 
diagnosticians must be brought in at the wedding of Tele- 
vision and Vaudeville to see they are properly mated. _ 

At the present time (and remember, I am only speaking 
of television as we find it on the West Coast) the only re?i 
kicks in this baby industry seem to be the sporting events 
--baseball, boxing and wrestling. One guy alone out here, 
Georgeous George, a star in the sport of wrestling, has 
been responsible for the purchase of more television sets 
than any other single individual. Why? ■ SHOWMANSHlt'- 
He really puts on an act. With his marcelled blonde curiy 
lock.s— his bizarre silken flowing robes— his perfect sense 
of timing, he has made the "grunt and groan" business a 
great show. If television is to live and grow it needs more 
real personalities, whether it's Gorgeous George or wnav. 
It need.s professionals! Video had better kick out the ama- 
teurs who lire kicking television around. , . „„„i, 
The novelty alone no longer suffices. Television is sum 
A bi|; thing thitt just anythinc is not good en«u^- 



Ve«lm>Btlay , July 28, 1948 



79 



Television and the Advertising Agency: 
An Era of Creative Patterning 

A Symposium on How the Alert Ad Man, Confronted With a Wealth 
of Business and Entertainment Precedents, Is Bent on 
Giving His TV Chcnt the Most for His Money 



Fi-om my clouded crystal ball . . . 

ITEM: I expect thai Y & R will have as many tele-, 
vision . shows produced in New York as radic shows this 
fall. Further, if equipment is installed, I believe at least 
throe of our Coast productions v/ill be; televised, recorded 
by kinescope, and telecast to the eastern network, early 
next year. ., 

ITEM: In my 17 years of advertising, in all media, and 
v'ilh personal experience and influence in helping to 
lorge the radio pattern in its early days, I can truthfully 
say that there has been nothing like television in the 
opportunity to convince, to demonstrate, -to SELL. If; 
developments now in; the production phase can indeed 
capture what we felt they had on paper, we are coming 
into a new era of sales-showmanship. Further discussion 
at this point is premature, however, these ideas being 
part of our agency capital. 

ITEM: The advertising agency in the American 
economy has the responsibility oC inea.suring the means 
of reaching all people in groups, and of measuring the 
ell'ectlvcness of these means in reaching those groups. 
Tlieieloro. the agency will constantly measure and eval- 
uate Uie circulation of the television audience, compar- 
ing it, 10 all other circulations, in all circulation cat- 
egories, including cost per thousand. 

The agency will also try to me.asure. or judge the ef- 
fectiveness of television salesmanship, at its price, against 
salesmanship by other media, If television has the values, 
its protagonists claim, agency recommendations will 
make television a major medium as fast as sets can be 
manufactured and distributed, and stations put in op- 
eration, to create the minimum standards necessary for 
a national medium. 



—But the Same Stomach 



ITEIW: The advertising agency does what is best for 
its clients, in productively selling the services or mer- 
chandise of its clients. In each medium, different av- 
rangements are finally grooved into that pattern within 
the medium which will best serve tlie interests of the 
client. Within the agency, each medium similarly influ- 
ences by its own growth and organization just hov/ the 
ggencv integrates its function. For instance, art work is 
not done as a rule by salaried agency personnel, but 
layout is. Musical conductors are not on agency payrolls, 
but commercial writers are. Copy departments may write 
the words, but pilots doing the skywriting are not agency 
men. (Though they may have similar stomachs.) 

ITEM: Who will wiwte the television shows? Probably 
anydne Who can write, wbethe)f working for network, 
agency, management company, or self. 

ITEM: Who will ptoduce sponsored television shows? 
Agencies. 

iTEiM: Who will direct sponsored television shows? 
This is the liub or crux of show control. It has a his- 
torical parallel in what happened in radio. Radio started 
with two solutions to the control problem, onft on the 
Coast and one in New York. The problem was simple, 
— wiieie could agencies and clients find personnel gifted 
enougli, and in sufficient numbers, to handle the tremen- 
dous demand for show production? On the Coast, net- 
works built large staffs of writers, musicians, directors, 
producers, commercial writers, etc., with emphasis on 
all-round know-how. I am a gacage-trained radio man 
myself, (CBS-DonLee), and well remember as late as 
19"i4 acting as client contact, commercial writer, com- 
mercial announcer, program writer, director, producer 
and MC on a major network snow, wiUi big name stars, 
and advertising integrated into all other media. And this 
foe the Union Oil Co., a major advertiser. But in the 
cast the greater number of Clients, the greater emphasis 
on specialization, the greater importance of agency con- 
trol nerhaps, the inability of the networks to get, train. 
i.nrl direct sufficiently large st.iils. sent the momentum 
In I he agency. Shows had to be developed for the clients, 
and thev had to be good. The scramble for talent, the 
ii l in" of network personnel by agencies, the ever mount- 
in', moblems beyond programming which faced network 
I'veoMtives— nearly all factors worked for the, evolutien 
ihli took 'place, namely: the agency taking full control 
« mogram production. My personal feeling is that for 
Pxactiv the same reasons, television will repeat the east- 
ern natlern. Except that the agency, which will always 
H re the best man for the job, will use more freelance 
talent and less staff talent. In other words, in radio we 
emnh^y outside music, actors, writers, and some di- 
rector In television, if good men are available for frec- 
vtnce television work-in any field except supervision, 
I believe the agency will use them. 



y — "~S£n fl^90% of Ad Bturbs on Film I 

""ttfM- a really intelUgent marriage of j;adio advertis- 
• „ knlw-how and picture technolo.-y might pass the 
'"^v- nmSon problem to film. Personally, I predict 
i^rofTtoZvevciAls for the advertising of blue chip 
90' 0 01 an coil" streamlined film produc- 

companies on turn in -^^^^^^^^ ean answer 

SnatrprXcUonVoblem than.live ac- 

l ,e comparable. Television ortgmals (as 

i^tricdlrith^ntertatomettts which ate telecast while 



By SYLVESTER L. (PAT) WEAVER, Jr. 

(Veepee, Director of Radio-Teleoision, Younfli & Riibicow) 

» '■ '','■■;;;■■'' 

being produced for other basic audiences) can probably 
be filmed to advantage in all cases, dependent on budget 
limitations. 

ITEM: I have not yet seen a good television original. 
1 have seen some good plays, good sports events, goed 
movies, and even a good radio show, but I have not seen 
a show built for the living room viewer that I liked. 

• Howdy Doody plays to the -kids in the physical audience. 
Kraft is theatre without leaving ydur living room, (which 
may be television's future, although it was not radio's). 
"We, The Peopfe" is for the radio and you can watch 
it from home, (in my opinion, far more interesting 
watching than most television). Barney Blake is a -short 
B picture which makes up for its lack of movement 
by exotic characterization, and pood camera work. Autimr 
Meets the Critics, and Public Opinion on Trial, are more 
nearly television because they are presenting the real 
rather than the theatrical, and you can feel on- tele- 
vision, but actually here again we are merely sitting 

Jn on arguments of prominent people. We hav,e some 
ideas, but they are classified. (Military term meaning 
' not to be disseminated for security reason"; often nsed 
in advertising to mean "We'll think of something by 
the time we're pinned down.") 



I 



Weaver's Law 



ITEM: In television, what you see and what you hear 
need not have any immediate, relationship. This is known 
as Weaver's Law, and tidccs 'some very neat thinidng 
to figure out. It is important just the same.. ' 

ITEM: The finest television work I have seen has been 
in a very limited numbci' of commercials, some not 
yet released. Television is going to affect all advertis- 
ing not only because we will be able to reach ail urban 
population above the subsistence level in five to 10 years 
ta prognostication), but because television, advertising 
can be as entertaining and interesting as the showman- 
ship on all sides of it. This high visibility, impact, and 
conviction-powered material, will {Kit the challenge on 
all media to increase efficiency to keep from /falling in 
the new competitive period. 



I "Radio Slayg— Bm With Changes?' [ 

ITEM: Those who ^cream that television is the end 
of radio are wrong, bi my opinion radio is the one ad- 
vertising medium that is basically safe^ because you can- 
not replace it in cars, or in homes when you want ac- 
companiment to other activity. Reading the paper while 
motoring leads to driving through open drawbridges, 
fun but habit-forming. Radio is fine. Peel potatoes at 
the television set, and you'll soon be Itnown as Stumpy. 
But the radio plays on. Get disgusted at the televt^on 
ofi'ering and adjourn to bed with a detective story, and 
music is there at your radio speaker. No, radio stays^ 

Who Needs a Haifcat! 

By BEN DUFFY 

(President, BBDAO; 

One wouldn't think of questioning the future of jet-pro- 
pelled planes, cancer research, or democracy. Or tele- 
vision either. We've had a set in our house for 16 months 
now.;-. '■ ■ ;■ 

I happen to be a baseball fan and have seen every night 
game I could catch. Despite this, I've already gone to 
more games than I did last year. Television increased my 
interest in getting out to the park. 

Same thing was true of the circus. I hadn't been to the 
big show in years. After two nights of seeing it televised 
1 wanted to go to the Garden. Also--two youngsters were 
twisting my arm. The only thing television competes with;; 
as tar as I'm concerned is my meals and my sleep. 

What about television as a selling medium? -Let' me' try 
to answer that with another question.' HoW-cah' the' addi- 
tion of sight to sound do anything but help? Produ<UB «an 
be seen — a far easier method of recognition thata.. words 
alone can do. demonstrations . are so much more .dramatic 
and easier to follow. 

I realise most television budgets are still rather slim. 
That's one reason art lessons, parlor quizzes, and science 
lectures are so prevalent. But-no matter how blase a per- 
son tries to be; frankly, I think he's got to admit to him- 
self it's pretty dam wonderful to be able to sit in your liv- 
ing room and see these shows. 

As for commercials. Well, I've seen good ones, funny 
ones, sad ones. Advertisers are experimenting — ^as they 
should be. I think it's a privilege to have a ringside seat 
at this great new sales spectacle. I have enough con- 
fidence in agencies, media, and sponsors to feel certain 
that real benefits Will conle of it. 

You know, somehow I can never fin4 time to get a hair- 
cut but I manage to spend about 10 hciurs a week in front 
of a television screen. So as far as our household is con- 
cerned television is a success right now« ' 



but with changes. The big nighttime network attrac- 
tions at huge fees? — Not after five years or so. The 
number of AM stations we now have? No. Networtcs? 
Well, something will have to give. I think oner netwffrfe 
will probably change to a service network, with stand- 
ard time' blocks, heavy on music, and network prog^m 
control, and selling time across the board in IS^minute 
chunks, change, in short, yes. The end? No. 

ITEM: Television begins as an operation following, 
radio pattctsn, and will probably conform to radio, net- 
work practice, izi. time and originating customs, unlcssr 
television originals fail to materialize. In radio, if you . 
will recall, sports as radio's primary fare, went out 
the window without too great a squawk hecai)se radio - 
showmanship developed entertainment for the ear that 
the people liked. But unless originals are- better, then 
the one marvelous, sensational, terrific quality of tele- 
vision — it lets you go places without getting up— will 
remain the dominating motif of the medium. If we 
don't create television shows, then the people will want . 
to see sports, and movies, and .radio shows, and public 
events, and these things will be the major and over- 
riding force on television programming. In radio,, special 
events and sports have shrunk to voiy ' small «itature> 
On television, so far, television originals have been 
peetty meaningless. 

ITEM: It is possible that a man will never be able 
to look out of a screen at you as an entertainer and 
do anything but embarrass you. We don't know. This 
radio technique of smirking at you and giving you the' 
■schmoose of creeping out of the set into your living 
room is frightful on television, in iny opinion. 'When 
you know the man is facing anotiier audi • je, you don't 
mind, even if the audience is unseen (televising a radio 
speech, for instance). 

ITEM: Most actors doing live commercials are forced 
to do things which will bring back the Roman plumb- 
nig arrangements. (This is a yok for the Latin scholars, 
and lends a tone, dubious of course, to the piece.) 

ITEM: One thing which held radio back was the al- 
leged mystery surrounding showmanship tactics, and the 
techniques of the medium, which made many of the. 
old line advertising men ill at ease. This was partly 
the defense mechanism of the youngsters who ran radio. 
It is not necessary to go through the whole time-wast^ 
ing thing with television. Radio production is not mys- 
terious, and neither is television, Both require some 
specialized knowledge, a great deal of presence, and • 
lot of common sense. It is true that geniuses have a 
flair for showmanship, but most radio and television 
men will be the coordinators of a lot of talent, not them- 
selves geniuses. The man that I would select for perr* 
sonality qualifications as a television director on a dif« 
ficult assignment would be someone who headed C.I.C. 
on a destroyer m action, not someone who senses a 
world of meaning in the re-entrance of > strings, arco. 
I do not incan to decry imagination or a tei^ing fox' 
showmanship. For television will not be made ii greiit 
medium by artists, but rather by frustrated artists, who 
are good business men because they weren't talented 
enough to be artists. (I pjinted myself when I "wai* 
younger but I didn't like the color.) 

ITEM: The next few years are going to be great fun, 
real creative patterning. I recognize that many of us 
who developed radio, threading our way through dis- 
mantled Cadillac engines, and writing new forms with 
the patter of pneumatic drills in our eairs,-^maoy Of 
us feel we just can't go through another revolution, 
and this time without the bounce-up-ability of the twen- 
ties. To my fellow veterans, however, I remark that 
there's no use kickmg the box out from under you until 
you're sure you aren't up to it Don't do anything in 
a hurry. Walt until yoai're sure. Now I've looked into it, 
and to me the simplest and most effective knot to use 
is the one where you. . . .... 



Who Pi^s up The IM 

By STUART PEABODY 

(Asst. V.P. & Dir. o1 Adverting, Borden Co.) 

..Radio has . bequeathed to its bewildered offspring, tele- 
vision, a, wealth of business and entertainment precedents. 

This is a perfectly natural turn of events. Television is 
behig produced and sold largely by radio networks and 
companies, and being bought largely by long-standing 
radio customers. It is almost inevitable that they turn to 
radio precedents when they buy the new medium. 

However, from the advertiser's crow's nest, stormy seas 
lie ahead on this course. First, and perhaps most impor- 
tant, .it assumes that television'' will follow radio's prece- 
dent of allowing the sponsor to pay the whole bill. Let's 
look at that. 

In most of our major advertising media, notably maga- 
zines and newspapers, that bill is split between the pub- 
lic who get the entertainment and the advertisers who get 
the plugs. If the public didn't pay a share, the cost of ad- 
vertising ^in these media might well be prohibitive. Few 
advertisers of low-cost, mass goods could afford them. 

Perhaps this is going to happen in television. Nobddy will 
> 1 ^.j • ; .. ...... .(Continued^AU page 36) • . 



so 



BAIIia>~yi|IBO 



Weilncsday, July 28 . Ift^jj 



Unlimited Horizons 
For The Music Biz 



By FRED E. AHLERT 

(President, American Society of 
Composers, Authors & Publishers) 

Television, the up and coming 
young giant of the entertainment 
field, has been the source of many 
a speculation by important groups 
and; -individuals. • 

What i imagine every f arsighted 
showman is - doing these days, is 
to eliminate any fears of the fu- 
ture and begin to build con- 
structively in a manner whereby 
■ he eventually must capitalize ma- 
terially on the vast potentialities 
inherent in this 'new form of pro- 
jection. 

It is my humble opinion for 
whatever it is worth, that tele- 
. vision will find its own' niche be- 
side all the other branches of the 
entertainment field and I don't 
think it will kill off any of them. 
It will just be a new and added 
item to the entertainment menu 
offered to the public/ True, i sup- 
pose for a limited time it may 
put a mild dent into the econo- 
mics of the amusement field until 
the novelty has worn off, just as 
radio did to motion picture at- 
tendance, phonograph record and 
sheet music business; Later; as 
we all know, they came ' back 
stronger than ever. 

If one. does not demand too 
much selectivity, what is better 
than radio for the projection of' 
just plain music, be it concert, 
^production or popular? 

What about the composers and 
authors of this music? 



Supply und Demand 



It is my prediction that tele- 
vision will create a basic change 
in the law of supply and demand, 
giving every composer and author, 
in fact every creative writer, a 
status which he or she has never 
enjoyed, even in the so-called 
halcyon days prior to the advent' 
of Tadio. 

. I am, of course, speculating like 
a lot of us have been doing these 
past ifew years and I am attempt- 
ing to visualize video in opera- 
tion with a comparable amount 
of individual stations » and net- 
works as exist today in AM radio, 
purveying at its top potentiality 
to an audience of as much as 
40^000,000 people on one large 
program. 

If a future writer for video 
would be fortunate and able 
enough to concoct a so-called tele- 
.visipn "Oklahoma!", just imagine 
in how short a period of time the 
whole world eould see that show! 
And it " took over five years and 
the additional time consumed by 
the various road companies, for 
tlje American public to see it. 

This simply means that at the 
end of its figurative one-week's 
■ run, or whatever short period of 
time your own imagination will 
permit you to allot to it; this 
video "Oklahoma!" will have to be 
replaced. I can see where the 
older operettas will be refurbished 
and used extensively and in a 
great marty instances will have 
Broadway revivals. 

By the same token, the vaude- 
ville formula which I believe will 
be extensively used in television 
Will have to be continuously re- 
plenished with new material to 
kerp the public interested. 

It would take me too long to 
explain how these figures were 
arrived at, but I believe that 
eventually there will be a demand 
for about 30,000 shows per year 
in video— all kinds of shows from 
15 minutes upwards . over large 
ana small networks and hundreds 
of local stations. 

The motion picture industry in 
its heyday produced at the most 
1,500 pictures per year, of Which 
there were only about 600 fea- 
tures. 

This astronomical television de- 
mand for material will produce 
the millenium for the writer. 

It will get him a hearing by the 
public for anything he produces 
that will sound fairly presentable. 

His work will get a hearing 
without the artificial barriers in 
^dstence today and as a result he 
.Wi.be able to use the time he 
consumes in placing, exploiting, 



ets., etc., his brain children in a 
more intensive and applied cre- 
ative thinking. 

This will bring about a better 
quality product and may eliminate 
a lot of the guesswork out of the 
publishing industry, 

As a result I feel that every- 
body will benefit — television, art- 
istSi ' producers, publishers and 
last but not least the writer who 
Will now be devoting all of his 
time to the better things in crea- 
tion. 



By CARL HAVERLIN 

(President, Broadcast Music, Inc.). 

Many people believe that Broad- 
cast Music, Inc.'s interest in tele- 
vision is of recent date and ex- 
press some surprise when they 
learn that almost without excep- 
tion the entire BMI repertory, 
which has been so widely used 
by broadcasters and others since 
1940, is now automatically avail- 
able to all BMI television li- 
censees. Had we boarded the tele- 
vision bandwagon but yesterday, 
their suprise would be well 
grounded. However, BMI's stand- 
ard contract with its publishers 
and authors since 1939 has in- 
cluded "the' right to televise and 
the right to adapt, arrange, trans- 
late, change and dramatize, for 
television purposes'^ 

In turn, BMI has, since the be^ 
ginning, granted these same rights 
to broadcasters, including the 
right to broadcast dramatic per- 
formances of each musical work 
unlei^ we give notice that we do 
not own performance riglit. Very 
few such notices have ever been 
necessary. 

The fruition of television broad- 
casting in the ' United States does 
not come as a shock to BMI and 
its publishers but rather as a long- 
awaited day when the impact of 
sight with soimd will give added 
impetus to the music business. We 
and our publishers have always 
felt that radio exploitation helped 
to sell sheet music and phono- 
graph records. We are firm in 
our belief that the addition of an- 
other sense to our method of 
exploitation will result in addi- 
tional revenues from the sale of 
music in all its forms. ■ 

Much of the confusion in re- 
gard to so-called television rights 
in the field of performance rights 
comes, 1 think, from a basic mis- 
understanding. The term "televi- 
sion rights" is as fallacious when 
applied to basic broadcasting per- 
forming rights as would be 
the terms "frequency modulation 
rights" or "amplitude modulation 
rights". BMI's entire policy is 




KLZ Program Director 

CHARLES ROBERTS 

•With his carefully chosen _ staff 'of 
announcer!?, writer.s, producfion and 
talent people, Charles Roberts has 
made ILstening to KtZ an ever 
more popular habit in the Rooky 
Mountain region. 

KLZ, DENVER. 



Telemion Package Producers 



based upon the simple point of 
view that music is heard, ^ct seen, 
and we draw no distinction be- 
tween an audio signal that eman^ 
ates from a standard or FM 
broadcasting station and that 
which emanates from a tower that 
accompanies a television antenna. 

In . the BMI catalog are many 
operas,' operettas and musical 
comedies. Individual songs from 
these works may be broadcast un- 
der our regular license but the 
entire • works are not covered 
thereby in either AM, FM or tele- 
vision. For example, broadcasters 
desiring to perform in its entirety, 
an opera! published by G. Ricordi 
& Co., must make application to 
Ricordi. This will hold true for 
television as well. 
' But BMI is doing more than 
just talk about television. We are 
actively engaged, through our Tel- 
evision Service Department, in 
analyzing our catalog and that of 
AMP, our wholly owned sub- 
sidiary, for the purpose of furnis- 
ing to producers of television pro- 
grams, advertising agencies, clients 
and broadcasters" a complete in- 
dex of music divided into seven 
main mood categories. These are 
further broken down into nearly 
100 subdivisions. 

Working closely with men actu- 
ally on the firing step in all 
branches of television broadcast- 
ing, we have been able to aid and 
abet these program producers in 
a more intelligent use of music 
in the rapidly grdwrag art. Sight 
and sound together will certainly 
create new patterns in program- 
ming and through the close liaison 
we have so far established and 
hope to cement in the years to 
come, BMI and its publishers 
look forward to an increasingly 
important role in television. 

Naturally, we believe that it will 
retard, rather than advance the 
cause of music in television if we 
adapt the European terminology 
so alien to our own law, which re- 
fers to "grand" and "small" 
(Continued on page 78) 




New York 

JOHN R. ALLEN ASSOCIATES 
16 E. 5"8th St, 



MAY BOLHOWER 
101 W. 42nd St. 
Room 402 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
SERVICE-INTERNATIONAL 
NEWS PHOTOS 

235 E. 45th St. • 

DAVID LOWN 
Room. 1902 
580 5th Ave, 

McGRAW ASSOCIATES 
20 Park Ave. ' 

MODELL & HARBRUCK 
60 E. 42nd St. 

MUSIC CORP. OF AMERICA 
745 SthJAve. 

DOUGLAS P. STORER 
2214 RKO Building 
Radio City 

TELE-VISION ASSOCIATES 
545 5th Ave. 

VIDEO i^SOCIATES 
515 Madison Ave. 

VIDEO EVENTS 
535 5th Ave. 

WPIX 

220 E. 42nd St. 

ADAM J. YOUNG, JR., INC. 
11 W. 42nd St. 



I JULES ZIEGLEH, INC 
545 5th Ave. 



Chicago 



AMERICAN NATIONAL VIDFft 

PRODUCTIONS 
17 No. Wabash 



FEATURE PRODUCTIONS 
228 No. LaSalle St. 

GREEN ASSOCIATES 
360 No. Michigan Ave. 

HOPWOOD-LAUFMAN- 

FOMUND-CROSS 
236 No, Clark St. 

KLING STUDIOS 
601 No. Fairbanks Ct, 

KNICKERROCKER PRODUQ- 

TIONS 
163 E. Walton PL 

MUSIC CORP. OF AMERICA 
430 No. Michigan, Ave. 

PHOENIX PRODUCTIONS 
1351 No. State St.' 

TELEVISION ADVERTISING 

PRODUCTIONS 
360 No. Michigan Ave. 



Hollywood 



LARRY FIN LEY 
'8983 Sunset Blvd. 

AL SIMON PIIODUCTIONS 

6700 Sunset Blvd. 

STAGE EIGHT-PAT CUNNING 
' j Nassour Studios . ' 

15746 Sunset Blvd. 

! STOKEY-EBERT PRODUCTIONS 
{5451 Marathon Ave. 



JOHNGART 

WJZ-^riminal Casebook 
lyOR— Suptrman and Adventure ott ParMf* 
WNBC— Marriage for Millions 



Some Arguments In Favor 
Of Regional TV Networks 

By THEODORE C. STREIBERT 

(President, WOR. N. Y.) . ^ 



There is widespread speculation 
in the industry as to the feasibility, 
economically speaking, of television 
networks on a coast-to-coast basis, 
such as those we have known and 
developed in radio. As it stands 
today, the cost of coaxial cable 
and microwave relay to link inter- 
mediary stations between, say, New 
York and Los Angeles, appears 
prohibitive— somethifig better than 
10 times the cost of wire lines for 
radio networks. In addition to cost 
consideration, there is the time 
factor, the three hours difference 
on the clock between New York 
and California which has required 
repeat shows within a matter of 
hours of each other, in these days 
when advertisers have an eye on 
low-budget shows, it seems unlikely 
many would readily invest in tele- 
vision repeats. That bill would 
come pretty high. Together, cost 
and time factors, add up to the best 
argument in favor of regional TV 
networks, which can be linked and 
made into a national network When 
an event of country-wide interest 
demands immediate and simultane- 
ous attention of the entire popula- 
tlqn. Except for such events it ap- 
pears reasonable to assume that 
^ programmed 
with films, newsreels, live pro- 
granis of local origin, with national 
events being offered on a pool ba- 

thJ/'?,-^ Z'^^ ^'''"^ quarters 
that video audiences won't accept 
tUms or shows presented on a de- 
layed schedule. Well, the day in 
which audiences won't accept 
transcribed programs or ones of- 
fered on a delayed basis in AM 
radio has all but vanished. Mutual 
wassa forerunner in this kind of 
programming and artists like Bing 
Crosby, especially Crosby, hn4 
proved that audiences are condi- 
tloned to accepting such broadcasts. 
Since obviously there is no desire 
on the part of the moviegoing popu- 
lation to see-any current film as a 
group and simultaneously, it fol- 



I lows there should be no similar 
urgency on the part of TV audi- 
ences. The extensive use of films 
in present video station schedules, 
both feature and newsreel, appeaiis 
to be a harbinger of the way many 
stations and regional networks will 
be programmed. 



Regionals Already Under Way I 



Already regional TV networks 
are in early stages of development. 
WOR has two video stations which 
will be broadcasting before the 
end of 1948 as WOB-TV in New 
York and WOIC, Washington, D. C. 
These stations linked by coaxial 
cable and microwave relay are two 
keys of a regional eastern TV net- 
work of the Mutual Broadcasting 
System. The Mutual afl"iliate m 
Boston, WNAC, recently went on 
the air with WNAC-TV. The Bos- 
ton station \yill be linked with the 
two WOR video outlets. At tlje 
same time we have high hopes thai 
Mutual's Philadelphia station, Wir. 
will be awarded channel 12 in tnat 
city, and join us. In Pittsburgh, 
KQV has applied for channel », 
regional network will then have 
outlets in the most important in- 
dustrial and cultural communities 
in eastern United States. 

1 cite this eastern Mutual net; 
work as an example of bow oUier 
regionals can be built and 
with the greater national Cham 
under the Mutual program service. 
These local networks and stations 
will have the. opportunity to ex- 
change video programs, and iin" 
recordings of special events anu 
news programs will be dispatcneu 
to member stations when coaxiai 
cable or microwave relay isn t useu. 

If broadcasters concentrate on 
the development of progressive ano 
technically superior local TV ow- 
lets and on serving their local com- 
munity with programs of gi'eatesi 
interest to its audience, they win 
be in the strongest position to ta** 
full advantage of network service 
when it reaches them. 



VednesJay, July 28, 



SI 



WT SELL RADIO SHORT YET' 



What's The Answer 
To Television News? 



By BOB TROUT 

newsmen, m.c.'s— | last-mijiute freshness radio listen- 
ers have come to expect trom re- 
porters on "the old-fashioned 
radio." . 



"Narrators 
you'll have to stop looking into the 
camera," says Variety. "That 
glazed stare is awful. Stop crowd- 
ing the lens." 

"Don't forget to look at your 
audience," say the television direc- 
tors, "LOOK AT THE CAMEn.\"' 



News, Plus Bits of Business 



Finally, in oucr Telesyision News- 
room, we face that same old ques- 
„ . u u t it'on: does what we show on the 

ConfU!.mg, isn t it, for the news- , ^^^^^^ significantly enhance the 



man who has taken tune out Irom 
the radio studio to speak his piece 
in the glare of the television lights. 
3ut that is merely one of the minor 
perplexities. Anyone who is try- 
ing to find the best way to present 
news to the swiftly growing tele- 
vision audience has real problems. 
The kind that tug at your pujama 
sleeve with a low snarl at three 
o'cluck in the morning. 

Newsreels on television are fine. 
Many of the men and women work- 
ing with television newsreels are 
convinced they will eventually 
create a product far superior to the 
standard theatre reel. 

It is possible that the critics who 
have . so long and so bitterly at- 
tacked the static formula of the 
movie-house newsreel may find 
their dreams come true in a tele- 
vision reel that breaks out of the 
old shell. So far,- the greatest dif- 
ference is speed. If you have a 
television set, you can see the 
events of the day on the screen 
before you could see them in your 
favorite moving picture theatre. 
But you are likely to feel that 
, essentially it's the same newsreel 
you have been watching from a 
theatre seat for more years than 
you want to count. 






Why Watch the Newsman? 



For some time now, television 
has been trying ways of putting 
the radio newsman before the 
cameras. A typical television news 
program opens with a shot ol the 
broadcaster sealed at a desk, read- 
ing his script into the microphone 
as he always has done. After a 
few moments, while the newsman's 
voice goes on, his face vanishes 
from the screen. From then on. 
the audience sees a collection of 
slides illustrating the news, mixed 
with moving picture scenes that 
probably contain a number ol back- 
ground ishots taken months before 
and since kept carefully in storage. 
It's one way of presenting some- 
thing to look at while the broad- 
caster reads the news. 

But do these pictures on the 
screen significantly enhance the 
newsman's script? Does the audi- 
ence really get more out of it than 
if there had been no screen, only 
the broadcaster's voice? Probably 
not enough more to justify the 
bother of putting out the living 
room lights and drawing up the 
chairs in front of the television set 
night after night. 

At NBC, under the supervi.sion 
6t News Vice-President William F. 
Bi-ooks, we are putting on a weekly 
progtam called Television News- 
roditi^ For it, the cameras are 
brought into the NBC newsroom, 
and the audience can watch us at 
Work in the place where we actu- 
ally do our work, witli shots of the 
news desk, the teletypes, and a 
copy boy tearing the tape off the 
press association machines. > 

None of us connected with this 
program would solemnly tell you 
that thus is the final answer to tele- 
vision news. We are trying thing.s, 
We are enjoying oursel' But 
we have problems. By ngmg 
the cameras into the iews.oom it- 
self we gain authentic atmosphere. 
But we iose the advantage of work- 
ing in a studio especially equipped 
for telavision, with microphone 
boom.s that would let us walk 
around while talking, as actors do 
in the big television dramas, and 



news we tell? We manage to put 
some action on the screen by doing 
bits of business, authentic business 
intended to show the audience how 
newsmen work at their job of col- 
lecting and organizing iiie news. 
But, of course, the action is not 
directly connected with the news 
events of the day. If there is a 
pai-adc or a strike or a U. N. meet- 
ing, the audience doesn't see the 
parade or strike or meeting; they 
see a newsman talking about it. 

Well, then, does the audience 
want to look at action not directly 
a part of the news events being 
discussed at the time? At this 
point in television's development, 
my own answer is: yes, the audi- 
ence is interested in seeing a real 
newsroom while listening to the 
news. But some day that audi- 
ence curiosity will be satisfied. 
Then, I suspect, the viewer who is 
asked to look at newsmen discuss- 
ing the nevre will demand the 
dramatic conflict of a debate or a 
forum, the kind of show that has 
been pulling the crowds into the 
lecture halls for a long time now.. 

So ... . there's a lot of experi- 
menting to do before the perfect 
television news technique is 
evolved. In these pioneering days, 
we can see the direction some of 
that experimenting is likely to 
take. Sooner or later someone will 
try a reenactment of selected news 
stories, with, actors playing the 
roles of the people in the- news — 
the old March of Time radio pro- 
gram done for the eye as well as 
the ear. Of course, it will be more 
complicated than it was on the 
radio, everything in television is. 
Some of the reenacted incidents 
may have to be filmed in order to 
use outdoor locations at the time 
of day the news event being por- 
trayed actually took place. 

And there is room for experi- 
menting on the present-day stand- 
ard television news program, the 
one that shows the slides and 
movies to the accompaniment of 
the newsman's voice. Ways can 
be found to bring the newsman 
into these visual illustrations. I 
don't see why she cannot be shown 
on the screen with the slides, and 
maybe in some way with the mov- 
ing pictures, too, although he may 
have to go out into the field with 
the camera crew to achieve that. 
And it wpnld seem comparatively 
easy to show the newsman before 
a white board on which^ as he 
talked, he could draw elementary 
diagrams, simple visual statistics. 
He could use various objects as 
symbols; on occasion, he might 
even use puppets. 



mm Ew. 

By MARK WOODS 

(Pres., Amer. Broadcasting Co.) 

Tiiere has been considerable dis- 
cussion, both inside and out of the 
industry, ol just how television will 
fit into the radio picture, or con- 
versely, how radio will fit into the 
television picture. 

For my part, that sort of discus- 
sion brings up too many pictures. 

Television has, of course, cap- 
tured the imagination of the pub- 
lic as no other medium of' commu- 
nication has ever done. And right- 
ly so, for television will become 
the greatest medium of communi- 
cation man has ever developed. It 
IS dramatic as no other medium is 
in the combination of sight and 
sound, brought right into your liv- 
ing room, which promises to give 
you the finest in entertainment, 
music, drama, discussion, current 
events. And as a medium for the 
advertiser, it will be unparalleled 
and unrivalled. 

It is almost axiomatic to say that 
television will revolutionize the 
broadcasting picture as it is today. 

As the potential of the medium 
is further explored>and developed, 
as transmission facilities are ex- 
tended, as more TV stations go on 
the air and sets in use increase, TV, 
on a network basis, will greatly 
expand our present (system of radio 
networks. 

There will be a place for audio 
networks and it is my belief that 
such networks will consist of many 
FM stations, supplemented by 
strategically located, high-powered 
\M transmitters to serve the more 
sparsely populated areas of the na- 
tion. This belief is predicated on 
several factors: 

One of these is that news and 
niusic will come more and more 
to the fore in the sound broadcast 
field as television develops, and 
FM is ideally adapted to the 
presentation of both. While tele- 
vision, with its immediacy to the 
listener, can do a wonderful job on 
pre-arranged special events, sound 
broadcasting can still do a faster 
job on spot news events. 

Another factor that will operate 
to insure continuance of sound 
broadcasting is that many of the 
favorite musical features heard on 
radio today would not, in my 
opinion, be greatly enhanced by 
being televised. You can enjoy a 
piano recital, a concert, a chorus 
or a soloist audibly without seeing 
the artist— -witness the listening of 
any group of music lovers. FM can 
do a splendid job in the music field. 
A third factor ip the continuance 
(Continued on page 74) 



Theatre TV Now Awaits 

Only Exhib Acceptance 

By PAUl- RAIBQURN 

(Paramount Television Veepee) 

The time has come to make a i In a few case3 they have been so 
differentiation in our thinking, ] sweeping that they may turn out 
and our language. The single word j most harmful to the parties who 
television IS no longer sufficient For 1 brought the actions. Obviously 
home television and theatre tele- \ there are going to be mistakes 
vision are rapidly becoming, or ^ made, and mistakes rectified. . 
have rapidly become, two different i It is well to bear in mind that.; 
points of view; almost two dtf- ; motion picture theatre attendance 
ferent media. i fell by an estimated 15-25% in 

The material for home television many sections of the country oa 
is obviously not for the theatre, tlie night of the Louis-Waleott 

fight. On the other hand, tlie 



But proper material for theatre 
television is seen to far better ad- 
vantage in the theatre. Theatre 
television can and must be utilized 
to make motion picture theatre- 
going more attractive, the enter- 
tainment offered more vital. Cer 



capacity audience at the New York 
Paramount theatre on that night 
enjoyed the fight by full screen 
television; and enjoyed it in far 
greater detail and cpmfori: and 
even found it more interesting . 



tainly television and the motion than the large majority of those 
picture theatre have announced i in the audience at the light itself, 
their engagement. It is up to the This is a situation for serious con- 
exhibitors to arrange for the wed- templation. 

ding and nmture the marriage for i say' to the exhibitor that he 
the mutual benefit ol all con- j has forgotten the 1920s; that he 
cerned. | has become soft because his busi- 

Shortly after the Louis-Wnlcott ; ncss for the past several yeais has 
fight I had occasion to speak to been automatic; that now is the 



the Allied Theatre Owners ot isow. 
Jersey. I asked these exhibitors 
if they had attended their theatres 
on the night of the fight, or if 
they, had seen it on television in 
their homes. Sixty percent of 
these men, to whom the motion 



time for him to remember that his 
business could be, could be I say, 
in jeopardy at this moment; that 
if he and his business are to live 
in the style to which they have 
become accustomed he must reach 
the proper conclusion: television 



picture theatre is so vital, had is no bogey man out' to get hini, 

but very muchly instead another 
new and exciting teUeetioh of lUa 
progressing world'^nivhich w$ live, 
which is just waiting to be made 
an additional and exciting enteiv 
tainment attraction in the motion 
picture theatre. 



been at home, with their television 
sets, on the night of the fight. 
How could they expect their 
patrons to do otherwise? 

It is this sitting back, this wait- 
ing for the other fellow to de- 
velop the whys and the wherefores, 
the means and , the techniques, 
which is getting the relationship 
between the theatre and television 
nowhere. When radio first reared 
its young and then raucous head, 
pessimism came along with it and 
there were those who thought our 
industry was doomed. But some- 
how, through the most arduous 
process of trial anii error, the 
radio and the motion picture have, 
in reality, been a boon to each 
other. I doubt there would have 
been stars of the magnitude of 
Bing Crosby and Bob Hope if it 
had not been for the joint presen- 
tation they received on the screen 
and over the air. 



Hurdles 



True, there is something of an 
obstacle course ahead for theatre 
television. There arc mechanical 
hurdles to be overcome, and more 
than a maize of legal clearances 
to be adjudged. Pressure from the 
exhibitor < for equipment and per- 
missions will speed these obstacles 
out of the way. True, there have 
been some sweeping injunctions 
passed. They were to be expected. 



Tele Needs 
Show Biz Vets 



Animated Symbols may Be Answer 



It's quite possible that the tele- 
vision news program of the future 
may be a combination of several 
of these methods, with a news re- 
cnactment sequence followed by a 
shot of the newsman reading a dis- 
patch from the news wire followed 
by a sequence of animated symbols 
illustrating anotbec item in the 
news. 

But as we try to peer into the 
future there is one point that 
alarms an old radio newsman. All 
this experimenting seems to lead 
toward bigger and bigger produc- 
tions. And that means leading 
away from the news itself. The 
productions have a habit of getting 



in the way of the news. There's 
as we ouiT.clves normally do when i the temptation to subordinate news 
we are at work m our newsroom. | values to screen values. And the 



Also, our informal television' 
newsroom technique does not save 
us from the long hours of prepara- 
tion that go into all television news 
programs. It Is customary to start 
work on a television news show 
seven or eight hours before air 



bigger the production, the longer 
the preparation time that will be 
required. Ttou can't start re- 
hearsing actors at noon for a din* 
ner hour program and expect 
every news event the actors are 
portraying to sparkle with fiesh- 



Ume. That%ei-ipuslj-.impair^,, tlu^ ness hy^ shovy ttme.. 




UOMO VINCENT 

"You'i* IilVitPd" TV ovcry WeHnCHiiay 8 OO-S-30 PM. ABO NVtwork, 
l4irry Pn«k i>r<)(lucer, R.ilpli W'arron, dii-cctor 
c;urr(-nUyJUn>earins Bill MillPr'.s Riviera, 

Diffctjonj Mti|ic Corp. .of .Ai|»eric« 



New and amazing as tclcvisioa 
is, its ultimate success will still 
depend on show business veterans 
who's proved their experience and 
knowhow in other branches of the 
amusement industry. That's the 
opinion of A. S. Balaban, manag- 
ing director of the Broadway Boxy 
theatre and one of the founders 
of the Balaban & Katz circuit, 
Chicago. 

"Jet airplanes and automobiles 
are only transportation, just as'the 
horse and b|iggy formerly ful- 
filled that purpose," Balaban de-* 
clared. "The driver's esseiftial 
purpose,' knowledge and guidance 
IS always needed. So it is with 
television. When the screen com- 
menced to talk, those producers 
and performers with stage experi- 
ence went -along in the lead. 

"Similarly, radio's leading pro- 
grams mainly reveal the talent and 
brains of experienced and theatre- 
wise men. When television hits 
its stride, there will be some nevr 
names and faces on the .scanning 
.surface but you can depend upon 
it that the highest ratings will be 
carried by veteran show folk with 
widest and longest experience, as 
well as long-tested talent." 

This thesis, Balaban believes, 
will hold for all personnel con- 
nected with TV programming, in- 
cluding writers, technicians, etc. 
"New talent and new faces," he 
.said, "splendid though they mitjht 
be, will still have many bitter les- 
sons to learn in serving up the 
public's entertainment. W h i 1 e 
they're floundering, the experi- 
enced oldtimcrs wUl swin? easily 
into action and take a firm grip 
upon the affection of the new 
video audience. 

"The qualities that make for 
leadership or stardom, whether it 
be an actor, a writer, singer, 
dancer,r producer or showman, are 
always exactly the •same, no mat- 
ter what medium is used for ex- 
pression. Television will only 
prove again that 'there's nothing 
new under the sun,' except an 
easier and more convenient method 
of delivery service." Balaban 
stressed that TV, because it brings 
the performers into the public's 
living room, must establish and 
rigidly adhere to a stem code of 
ethics and decency. ''Beyond, 
that," he said, "the sky is the 
limit," 



S2 



RAmO^TIllEO 



Vednegday, July 28, -1943 



Guild's Lanper Gilds the TV 
. lily; Forsees Medium s Impact 
Toward Elevating Pubk Taste 



By LAWRENCE LANGNER 

(Co-Director of the Theatre Guild) 



' Now that the Theatre Guild has 
produced seven television plays in 
association with NBC, it seems 
timely to sum up the lessons 
Which we have learned. 

1. We believe we have clearly 
demonstrated, as the result of 
pioneering in this field, that tele- 
vision is a medium for stage plays 
and for the stage actor who is ex- 
perienced in the theatre, know,s 
how to learn lines, and to build 
a performance with character de- 
velopment from the opening scene 
to the end of the play. This was 
one of our main purposes in enter- 
ing the field of television, inas- 
much as we were anxious to dem- 
onstrate the correctness of our 
opinion that television belonged to 
the theatre, using dramatists and 
Hctors with stage exjierience. 

2. We believe we have also dem- 
onstrated that television can help 
to solve many of the unemploy- 
ment problems of theatre actors 
as the medium develops. 

3. In line with the above, we 
helieve that we have demonstrated 
that the center of television should 
be New York and not Hollywood. 
While many motion picture actors 
have theatre training, many others 
have had no training in building 
a theatre perSprmance. 

4. By demonstrating that tele- 
vision is a theatre medium, and its 
center should be New York, we 
believe that the artistic standards 
of television .should be consider- 
ably higher than those which exist 
in radio and motion pictures. We 
hope that we have shown by com- 
parison of our plays, with so-called 
murder mysteries, crime plays, 
etc., that tliere is an eager public 
for the worthwhile plays of tlie 
theatre. A survey made by NBC 
recently proved that one of our 
plays, "Angel Street," achieved 
the highest viewing audience, one 
which is higher than any audience 
for sports, spot news events, dis- 
cussions, etc. 

5. We have .shown that special 
writers are needed for television. 



ally, and as a work of art. This 
can apply to plays which have pop- 
ular appeal as vvell as the highest 
artistic merit. We are not snob- 
bish, however. Some of ; our best 
plays have found their best appre- 
ciation m saloons. 

11. Finally, we feel that tele- 
vision is a modern miracle which 
can be used either -to elevate pub- 
lic taste or to degrade it. The re- 
ception accorded the seven plays 
which we have given, and which 
have included the works of such 
authors as Paul Osborn, Bernard 
Shaw, John Patrick, Thornton 
Wilder, St. John: Ervine, George 
S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, 
demonstrates that the highest class 
of entertainment is none too good 
for television. This has also been 
shown by the rapid growth of our 
radio audience for "The Theatre 
Guild on the Air." In television, 
as ycith the theatre, "the plSy's 
the thing." 



♦yideo' Makes Webster 

The word "video" is form- 
ally introduced into the Ameri- 
can lexicon for the first time in 
the new Random House dic- 
tionary edited by Bennett Cerf, 
Listing is; 

"Video, adj. Television, per- 
taining to or employed in the 
transmission or reception of a 
televised image, (taken from 
the Latin; I see.)" 

[Although RH limits usage 
of the word to an adjective, it's 
been accepted in the trade as 
synonymous with "television," 
used as a noun;! ■ 



STATIONS OKAY ARMY 
PLAN ON P.R. TRAINING 

Nearly 40 U. S. radio stations, 
plus half a dozen television sta- 
tions, mindful perhaps of some of 
the headaches and shortcomings of 
the military's public relations dur- 
ing the war, have given the nod to 
an Army plan for improving the 
"manpower caliber" of the serv- 
ice's public information branch. 
Additionally, about a score of 
newspapers ha\'e come in on the 
deal. ■ 

Army next fall plans to hand- 
pick, via- recruiting stations, about 
-100 young men, 18 to 2,5 years old, 
for special p.r. training. They'll be 
sent first to the Armed Forces In- 
formation School' at Carlisle Bar- 
racks, Pa., for six weeks' prepara- 
tion. : Then, probably early in 1949, 
they will be assigned to newspa- 
persj radio and tele stations 
throughout the country for on-the- 
job training, at Army expense, but 
under management of the estab- 



Tele Is Answer to Actor's 
Dream, Or Nightmare; He 
Can See What a Ham He Am 

Already touted for its manifold, 
benefits to mankind, television has 
now become the answer to an 
actor's fondest dream— -he can mug 
to his heart's content and watch 
himself doing it. 

That's been made possible by the 
RCA Exhibition Hall in Radio City, 
N.Y. Through the combination of 
an image orthicon camera placed 
below a tele receiver, a person 
standing in front of the camera 
can see What he looks like at the 
same time. Resultant free screen 
test has been taken advantage of 
by practically every visiting celeb 
who passes the building, with tlie 
list of name personalities who have 
watched their own mugging in- 
cluding George Sanders, Sylvia 
Sidney, Bea Lillie, Walter Win- 
chell, Edgar Bergen, Margaret 
O'Brien, Tex Beneke, Beryl Davis, 
etc. 

Built by RCA at an initial cost 
of about $1,000,000, the Exhibition 
Hall has shown its radio and TV 
exhibits to more than 1,250,000 
people during the 14 months it's 
been in operation. According to 
RCA officials, the Hall has shown 
more tele programs to more people 
than would he possible at any other 
spot in the country. 

Besides the mugging done by 
actors and actresses wanting to 
test their video . potentialities, the 
camera-receiver setup has also 
given experienced TV performers 
a chance for the first time to see 
what they look like on tele. Many 
of the visiting firemen, according 
to the Hall staffers, act as though 
the tele screen was a mirror, with 
the men straightening their ties 
and the women touching up their 



Now It's a B.S. In TV, As 
Video Goes to D.C. ColWe 

By GORDON HUBBEL 

( Radio- md TV Director, The American Vniv.) 

Washington, i radio, long a mecca for starry-eyed 
Now video has everything —. in- | youngsters, keeps an open door for 
eluding a TV college degree! Start- college-trained personnel who have ' 
iig in September The American | learned the rudiments of th, pro! 
ufiversity (Washington, D.C.) will ] fesaon Witness a story i„ these 
oifer courses in radio and video ' columns a few weeks ago, report- 
leading to -a Bachelor of Science , »nf that Indiana University couldn't 
degree with a major in radio and ' the requests for radio depart- 
tellvision. Thus, for the first time. ; ment graduates. „ , 
an accredited university recognizes ' when J. stalled m radio! 
the impact that TV has made and | For three y^ars, the university 
will continue to make on our cul- has been oiTering radio courses 

■ taught exclusively by professionals 
from various. Washington stations 
and experts from the NAB and the 
FCC. Because of this unique pro- 
gram of instruction by practicing 
: professionals^ the curriculum gre* 
into a series 6f 17 coutses, TV in- 
! structidn f Sails into this testgd pat 
I tern—video work will be handled 
I by the men and women who ate 
working in TV; they will pass 
along their knowledge as Uiey 
I theinselves acquire it. 



ture. Such recognition was in the 
cards if educational institution.s 
were to fulfill their obligation to 
train and educate. 

It Is no secret that TV is in the 
market for trained people. Even 



n ADPIX A LIFESAVER 
TO 16M PRODUCING COS. 



Current video boom has come 
as a lifesaver to many of the 16m 
production outfits set up by hope- 
ful GIs after the war. Rather 
than turning out the documentary 
and educational pictures they 
planned, however, they're busy 



I During this past year, when 

i Washington gave birth to three 

i TV stations, with a fourth on the 

• way. The Ainerican University saw : 

, its opportunity. And it was in a 

, . u ,i! • i J „i» ; strategic position to act, for the 
making half-minute and minute 1 y^j^g^ ity';.3„pyg i^^gj-gj ^'■^ 



commercial spots for sponsors of 
tele shows. 

The video field didn't open up 
soon enough for many of the GI 
firms, which have dropped by the 
wayside. They discovered, to their 
sorrow, that educational films en- 
joyed every advantage except the 
principal one — there were few 
school systems or individuals with 
money to buy them. 

Units that have remained in 
business are making a fair profit 
now out of the video commercials. 
Usual package for a half-hour 
show consists of two one-half 
minute trailers tor beginning and 
end and a one-minute spot for the 



highest ridge in the District of 
Columbia. WMAL-TV, Washington 
outlet for ABC, took a look see. 
Ergo, WMAL-TV's transmitter and 
tower became an integral part of 
the university scene, through an 
arrangement livhich is proving prol- 
itable to ail concerned. WJSl^ 
TV's faciliues aire ntade availahle 
for educational use, both for in- 
sixuction and prograhutiing. That 
was tb6 kickoff we needed- in TV. 

ta^t fall, an introductory lecture 
course in TV was offered, with a 
large number of Washington's 
professional fraternity numbered 
among its 75 .students. You might 
say the calibre of the students was 
middle. Price for the group runs | Pretty high, what with the presi- 
between $2,000 and $2,500, de- 1 dent of the Evening Star' Broad- 
pending on production values de- ' casting Co., Sam Kaufman, and 
sh:ed by the advertiser. i WMAL board member Crosby 

Ad agencies, which order the I Boyd, Leo Paulen, owner of an ad 



Our earliest plays were . merely |l'shment to which they're assigned, 

ciitdown versions of stage plays. j*'*r 90 days. _ „ ^ 

Our later productions were based I Stations and papers will submit i hpstick. Not until they notice that 
«n specially written scripts and I '"^Po^ts on the men 
showed, in our opinion, consider' 
able improvement. 



I will be returned 



who afterward 
to Carlisle Bar- 



I racks for assignment to Army in- i looking at a picture and not 



6. A good television play de- 
pends on the efforts of the pro- 
ducer and director, as well as the 
actors. Good casting, appropriate 
scenery and costuming, as well as 
the proper slant on the play itself, 
are essential for a good produc- 
tion. Since television has to stand 
comparison with stage plays and 
motion pictures, considerable em- 
paasis must be placed on the pro- 
ducer and director. 



stallations around the world. 



their right and left iiands aren't 
i reversed do they realize they're 

a re- 



1 flection 



trailers, are said to- be highly 
price-conscious in shopping for 
them. This creates considerable 
competition for the business, but 
the units claim to be making 
reasonable profits. 

The TV commercials have also 
been a bonanza to tlie rental stu- 
dios in the New York area, which 
are now busy a good bit of the 
time with this type shooting. 



Rehearsals 



5 



7. Proper time must be allowed 
for rehearsal and dress rehearsal. 
The standards of radio or motion 
pictures cannot be employed here. 
At least 10 days should be allowed 
for a one-hour show, and even 
longer would assure a better per- 
formance-There is no opportu- 
nity for the actors to play, together 
out of town; and television is a 
"one-shot" affair. Therefore, ade- 
quate rehearsal is essential. 

8. One houi^ is about as long as 
the public can be expected to 
watch a play on television. This 
is because of the problem of glare, 
which will undoubtedly be solved 
in due course. The viewing of a 
play longer than this would be 
accompanied by a certain amount 
of eye strain. 

9. Allowances must be made by 
audiences and critics for the pres- 
ent technical limitations of the 
medium. Remember that when 
motion pictures and talking pic- 
tures were first introduced, there 
were technical defects which were 
rapidly ironed out. The same will 
happen with television. 

10. Our experience has demon- 
strated that we can't pleage every- 
"Ody- The denizens of the saloons 
«nd the dowagers of the drawing 
rooms cannot always be pleased 
by the same play, and to attempt 
TO reach the lowest common de- 
Wominatop would be absurd. A 
jeiesision production achieves its 
purpose when it tells a story «p- 
propnately, arUsUcally, dranjatic- 




GEOieOlE PRICE 

RECEMT GUEST M.C. ON THE TEXACO STAR THEATRE 

"Thty WM» tmt Mc« at a liiiglc witK hit tack MivMy."— VARIErY, i(«M Mf ». 



agency; representatives from the 
FCC, the NAB and practically 
every radio station in town! At- 
tendance never dwindled. Wash- 
ington TV neophytes heard first- 
hand experiences and discussed all 
phases of video with such experts 
as Worthington Minor, Paul Mow? 
rey, Bon McClure, Paul Raibourn, 
Burke Crotty, Bob Emery, Jim 
McNaughton, Harvey Marlowe and 
.fudy Dupuy. 

On the TV programming .side, 
the university is also moving rapid- 
I ly. Under our belts is ' a series 
worked out with the U. S. btate 
Dept., Called "Your Foreign Pol- 
icy" on WMAL-TV, WMAR, Wl'.IL- 
TV and WCBS-TV last sprmg. 
Another short series was developed 
with the public schools. In tne 
works is a practical science serie.s 
with help from the schools and the 
Smithsonian Institution. A series 
of child psychology programs is m 
the planning stage. A geograph c 
interpretation of the news series is 
scheduled for airing the latter pari 
of July. A TV stock company _oi 
talented students is getting under 
way, and a series in art apprecia- 
tion is being readied. Theres 
plenty of opportunity for eia«i<-a} 
laboratory experience in aciudi 
telecasting. , 

A roster of the protef 
radio and television people f htaoy 
teaching the courses at The Amci 1 
can University is a veritable 
Who of Washington Radio ana 1 v.. 
Hazel Markel, Director of PUDUt. 
Service and Public Relations lor 
WTOP fCBS) tenches a course m 
her specialty. J. Allen Brown, As- 
sistant Director of Broadcast ao 
vertising for the NAB, g'ves one 
course on radio sales and advenis 
ing and another on station manafc«- 
raent. Harbld Stepler, Ciaet m 
nouncer for WMAL and WMAL-i v 
and narsator on the ABC show, w» 
Freedom Ring," trains the buddmg 
announcers in their various tunc 
tions. Van Beuren W. deW 
writer and producer tor wMAi^ 
TV; takes the writers over 
hurdles. Eric Saxl, senior attor 
ney, FCC, explains the whys ana 
wherefores of law.s, regulations 
and policies. Larry Beckeman. 
writer and dramatic producer i" 

WTOP .(CBS), guides^.thehofX 
actors. Dramatic writing 
!Joh« MacKercher, Production 

Manager of WHtAl*. 



VcJncaday, July 28, 194» 




How to Get Rich In 
Television: Part One 

By IRVING BRECHER 

neei J i 1 Hollywood. 
UtttiaiMj, television offers some definite advantages over radio, for the 
set- owner. 

One of tlie nicest things about television is that if you have a set, 
you tan have your friends in at night and you don't have to loolc at 
th^m. With a jradio set, the room is usually lit, 
and it would be considered rude not to look at 
your guests when you ask them to please get up 
and shut off the radio. Of course* if you. happen^ 
to be a sycophant and have friends that yoti like, 
it is pointless to buy a television set. ; 

Unfortunately, television is definitely making tis 
a divided nation. Half the people are produciiig 
open-end "shoi-ts," and the otlier half are sitting 
in the dark at home staring at them; These Open^ 
end shorts seem good in tlieory, but based oh the 
ones I have seen; they should make oRen^middle 
^horts. 

Irving Brecher '^^ was and still is the case with Radio, the new 
medium is weakest. on comedy. At least that is. 
true out here in California* 

And then there is a lot of dough to be made in television, if 
one will only anticipate the needs of the future. Obviously, in the 
ilc-inand for entertainment at a price, the networks and sponsors will 
fiet some great angles. Radio has its disk jockeys, who. buy one record 
for 35 cents and get rich. Television will have book jockeys. Here's 
how niy idea works: J. P. Marquand will write a new novel. Ordinarily 
he would take a hansom cab down from Boston to his N. Y. publisher, 
lay the galleys on the desk, pocket a fat advance and sign a epntract 
for 25 cents royalty per copy, . If it's a typical Marquand effort, the 
Book-Of-The-Month ivould snatch it, it would be sold retail, hit possi- 
bly 500,000 copies, and Metro would buy the film rights for around 
$200,000, without reading it. ' 

All this, witli other subsidiary rights should bring Mr. Marquand's 
take, and this is of course a rough guess, 4q perhaps $300,000 or 
$400,000. 

Under mj/ plan, the book jockey would meet Marquand's hansom 
before he got to his publisher-^say around Moshulu Parkway in the 
Bron)£. Next Marquand would find hunself in an Isaac Gellis' tearoom 
being plied with celery tonic until he agreed to sell his new novel 
to the book jockey. 

Naturally, this being television, he couldn't afford to give Marquand 
an advance as they are still laying the coaxial cable to the Coast, but 
instead of the usual quarter, he will guarantee him 50 cents a copy 
royalty, Marquand dips his pen in tlie jar of mustard and signs! 

Now we're rolling! The -galleys are rushed to a printer, but only 
one copy of the book Is printed. Then the book-jockey beams the 
book to- the people at home, page by page. And reads the- book to 
you while you're sitting there, in case you have had to sell your eye- 
glasses to help pay for your television set. Metro's story scouts, hav- 
ing a teleset, learn what the story is about, and naturally do not buy it! 

Instead of the usual $400,000, Marquand only nets 50 cents, from 
the one copy that was printed. He forgets, the following March, to 
declare this 50 cents as income on his tax return, and goes to Federal 
prison.' 

If J. P. Marquand is smart, he won't write another line untU tele- 
vision blows over. 



83 





Sid Stroiz 



Current 'Age of Television' 
WiU Benefit AU, Says Strotz 

By SIDNEY N. STROTZ 

(iVBC Television Vice-President) 

When the historians, the backward-lookers, the reminiscence writers 
and the nostalgia-peddlers sit down at their desks in 1968 and start 
etAnias phrases to describe this period in which we're living now, I 
think they may come up with tlie phrase, "The Age of Television." 

For just as the IS'SOs in America were charac- 
terized by their mauve hue, the 1890s by their al- 
leged gaiety and the 1920s by the roar they emit- 
ted, the era in which, like a bolt out o? the blue, 
the television industry spread across America and 
became a major factor in almost every fac^jst of 
American life. ' i 

To some this may sound like a bit of hyperbole. 
To me, and I'm sure to everybody who knows What 
television lias done and will do. to our way of liv- 
ing, it is unblemished tact. For the truth is that 
television, which has suddently taken the imagina- 
tion of America by storm, represents one of the 
most significant advances that science has made in 
the history of the world. . 
HoMif will it affect us? Wliy do I throw imy arms in the air and run 
out on the lawff shouting about the "Decade of Television?" ^ . 

Because this medium, which only a year ago was a small seed in the 
forest of American industry, has already grown to one of the major 
trees and will certainly keep on growing for many years to come. In 
<(s industrial and economic ramifications alone its significance is some- 
tliine can even now be only dimly seen. The jobs it has created and 
will create, the products it is now selling and will sell in ever increas- 
Ine quantities— that is where its effect will be most immediate. 

But this economic view is only part of the story. The contribution 
that television will make to America's culture is what will serve to 
differentiate this particular period in our history from those that have 

^Took^It Uie industry last year— 30,000 or 40,000 sets, a dozen cities, a 
comparative handful of viewers. Look at it now-fast approaching 
400 090 sets more than 20 cities, millions of viewers. Look at it next 
vpar— a 1 500,000 sets, 40 or 50 cities, tens of millions of viewers. 

What does this mean? It means that the industry is sweeping the 
«>niintrv growing faster than any other industry has ever gro\yn m 
recent liistory. And most important, it means that Americans are being 
exposed, already by the millions, to this medium that will help to 

®'*FvPi^!^^veek*'the newspapers or magazines carry a story analyzing 
television's effect on -some phase of our Ufe. The coverage of this year's 
Jpntion brought out a flood of stones attempting to interpret the 
Snn's effect on our political system. Arthur Krock of the New York 
TMmes suggested that even that time*onored and seemingly indis- 
n^nsible institution, the spontaneous demonstration, might have to go 
Sut the window in deference to the electronic eye's objective glance^ 

Televiskm's effect on family life-what will it be? How will it affect 
fhe teaching and the practice of religion m American homes? How will 
it Iffect the vvay Americans entertain themselves, the way they decorate 

''^r^Z'liXl^^^'tfe^'At^^ in detail because I'd hate to 
look at my predictions 10 years from no^y. But this much I Ijpow. 
Mevfsion's impression will be stamped on America duitog the coming 
leievision * Y"** indelible Stamp, one that will make our outlook 
&?our lives easie^^^^^^ is whj'l think we are now Uving in "The 
Age of Television." 



PROF. QUIZ 

Exclusive Management 
FRANKLIN H. SMALL 
Hotel Abbey, New York 
Circle 6-9400 



Actors 
Like 
Television 



f 



By OWEN DAVIS, Jr. 

(NBC Director of Program Prepa' 
ration and Procurement) 

Though I've been at the hiring 
end of the acting profession for the 
past three years, 1 spent enough 
time before that at the acting end 
to have a pretty good idea of what 
actors want, why they want it 
and whether they get it. 

Television is something they 
want. They like it artistically and 
they're afraid to be left out of it 
financially. And since art and 
finances are the two chief concerns 
of any actor, we at NBC iiave not 
had a great deal of trouble getting 
good talent for our shows. ; 

First let's look at it ilnancially. 
All the actors today either remem- 
ber or. have been told about the 
early days of radio, when radio was 
screaming for talent and the great 
majority of Broadway and Holly- 
wood actors were ignoring the 
screams. What happened was that 
those fpw who paid attention to the 
plaintive cries got in on the ground 
floor and have been shoveling in 
the money ever since. But those 
many who gave radio the brushoff 
have had good cause to regret it. 

That's something today's actors 
don't want to have repeated. They 
see television as something that 
can coin them a lot of money, even 
if at present they're not getting 
rich on it. 

And — still speaking financially— 
they see television even now as a 
mighty potent showcase. When an 
actor goes on television he knows 
that hundreds of thousands of peo- 
ple > are watching, sometimes mil' 
lion's, in this audience, he also 
knows, are producers, casting di- 
rectors and talent scouts for the 
stage and Alms. 



Radio Dead? Don't 
Make Me Laugh 

By HARRY KOPF 

(Administrative Sales Veepee, NBC) 

The daily blizzard of publicity churned up by the wonders of tele- 
vision has just about made a "forgotten man" of the old fashioned 
time salesman in sound radio but I'd like to report that business has 
never been better. 

Our choice time periods continue sold out, there's still a lively 
scramble when a network half -hour opens up and the competition from 
our friends on the other three networks has never been keener. More- 
over, the other competitive advertising media, which still haven't openly 
begun to worry too much about television, are researching radio more 
thoroughly and more elaborately than ever before and as a result 
hitting harder for their share of the advertising dollar. THat all adds 
up to a pretty healthy situation as far as the pulling power of network, 
spot and local radio is concerned. 

There's no magic behind all this. It's Jus? a matter of good common 
sense on the part of the advertiser. 

Tliere'U always be radio as far as wf can see the future and the 
smart advertiser is making most of it. The smarter advertiser is, of 
course, also getting liis feet wet in television, establishing his fran- 
chises for the best time periods, immersing himself and his creative 
and technical people in the amazing maze of television, and getting a 
good trip on this new medium for future exploitation. 

Some simple arithmetic might explain matters more clearly. No 
matter to what fantastic heights television set production may soar in 
the coming yoars. it will be a good comfortable time before TV reaches 
the combined AM-FM present-day total of 37,000,000 radio homes and 
73jOOO,000 radio sets. Moreover, I haven't yet found any prophet in 
the industry vialling to predict unqualifiedly that if and when televrsion 
finally does achieve the set saturation which radio now enjoys that 
the new medium w ill supplant the old. So, for those advertisei-s wh* 
are interested in making liay I'd like to point out that the sun is going 
to shine for a good long time. 

The progress ot television has, however, created some special prob- 
lems or rather, I should say, re-emphasized the old ones which have 
always faced us-. Each forward step of television has increased the 
urgency for making radio still more effective as an advertising medium 
and« of still greater service to the listenisr. That, in turn, calls for new 
and ingenious techniques in the presentation of ttle sales message and 
new pioneering and adventuring in the creation of the entertainment 
programs of the future. We have come a long way in both fields in the 
first century, but I feel safe in predicting we'll go longer, farther 
and faster in the future because television will stimulate us to do so. 

Bossing both radio fifid television sales as I do at NBC, I can undeiv 
stand perfectly how many operators who have combined AM and TV 
operations can develop split personalities in this unique sitimtlon. 
There's only one way to maintain equilibrium. That's to keep yOur eye 
on the ball in radio— keep it strong, healthy and effective because it's 
here to stay and to remain dominant and superior for many good, long 
years. Tlie more dexterous of us will, of course, develop special eyes 
out of the back or sides of our heads to keep focused on television so 
that when radio's future wears out, if ever, we won't be caught napping. 



Lots of Payoffs Already 



That it does do actors and ac- 
tresses good is demonstrated by the 
list, of Broadway and Hollywood 
contracts that have been signed as 
a result of appearances on NBC 
Television. Ann Irish, Kathleen 
McGuire, Olive Stacy and Vaughn 
Taylor all came to the attention of 
stage and film people tlirough NBC 
video. Then there's Kyle MacDon- 
nell, who had appeared in "Make 
Mine Manhattan" for several 
months without achieving any great 
fame. After about seven shows on 
NBC Television she had received 
more publicity—including a cover 
picture in Life— and more bigtime 
offers than she had over dreamed 
of getting in so short a time while 
she was on Broadway. 

But actors are notoriously uncon- 
•ventional in their desire to add 
artistic satisfaction to economic 
gain. Money, they admit, is Im 
portant, but so is the pleasure of 
acting in a medium that provides 
their acting talents with full outlet 

And television is just such a 
medium. In television, an actor is 
not just a voice, as in radio; nor 
does he portray his part a few 
minutes at a time over a period 
of several weeks, as in films. In 
television he gets the artistic and 
emotional gratification of creating 
a complete, liead-to-toe character 
every time he appears before the 

cameras. 

Now let's look at it very briefly 



British Stars Prep For 

U. S. Showcase Via Tele 



Bv IIANNEN SWAPPER 



London. 

Within a year British variety art- 
ists will have the chance of appear- 
ing on 1,000,000 television sets in 
almost every part of the United 
States. 

At present •they have little or no 
chance of competing, even in their 
own country, with American stars 
made famous here by films and 
phonograph records. Never, if only 
for that reason, have they been so 
outclassed by performers from 
abroad." Indeed, many could truth- 
fully print on the posters, "Appear- 
ing by kind permission of the 
U. S. A." ■ 

William Morris, Jr., son of tlie 
outstanding agent who made Harry 
Lauder rich, returned to New York 
last week with a promise from 10 
British stars and twice as many 
novelty acts that they would have 
their' turns recorded so that they 
could be televised in variety pro- 
grams. 

"It takes perhaps 18 months of 
publicity to malcc.a film actor or 



from my position. People are 
alw^s asking , me where I get my 
actors and whether I have much 
trouble with them once I've got 
them. 

The answer to the first is, I get 
them from the stage, radio and the 
screen—in that order. And to the 
second, we have no trouble with 
actors; tliey are all too anxious to 
go on television, from the big ones 
to the little ones, to cause anyiiiing 
but minor headaches. 

The reason I put them in the 
stage-radio-screen order or pref- 
erence should be obvious. Stage 
actors, accustomed to atting with 
their whole bodies and able to 
memorize hours of script in com- 
paratively short periods of time, 
are generally preferable, to radio 
people whose voices are ' better 
actors than their bodies and who 
are better script readers than 
script memorizers. (I say "gen- 
erally," because there are, of 
course, major exceptions.) As to 
film people— we 'have had some big 
ones on our air (and with good 
results) but in general they are too 
far from us geographically. 



actress famous," he said to nw.. 
"Television will soon be able to d» 
it overnight. " 

"At present. New York's televi- 
sion performances can be seen in 
seven cities as far apart as Phila- 
delphia, Washington, Boston and 
Bdltimore. By Christmas, they will 
be visible in St. Louis. By next 
«ummer there will be television 
from coast to coast. 

"Now, we have 350,000 sets, oir 
more than 10 times Britain's. Witll- 
in a year there will be l,000,OOD,i 
Then television will rank as a great 
amusement industry. 

"Technically you now lead us. 
But, owing to your necessary re- 
strictions, you will soon be out- 
classed." 

If our acts cannot be televised 
at Alexandra Palace, as Morris 
hopes, special equipment will be 
sent over. 

Then, artists who are specially 
filmed after learning the television 
technique will earn between $250 
to $1,000 each time their film is 
used. 

"Within a year," he said, "their 
fee.? may be as high as $5,000 for 
every transmission. As a result 
fame will be theirs/' 

Morris suggest that I should in- 
troduce to America the first all- 
British program. 

To give an idea of how, already, 
television is a boom in the States, 
Morris said that such events as the 
last Joe Louis fight and the Repub- 
lican convention drew home audi- 
ences which : altogether totalled 
10,000,000 people. 

"No fewer than 50 friends some- 
times group themselves around my 
set in ray home," he said, "and ' 
twice as many sometimes 'look In' 
at my office." 

Television, like the cinemato- 
graph, was originally a British in- 
vention. Now, also like the cine- 
matograph, it is being exploited by 
American enterprise. 

And the pity of it is that 
although colored television, the 
last invention of Alexander Baird« 
the Scottish pioneer in telegraph- 
ing movement, is fit for use tomor- 
row, that, too, is held up. 



(Continued f ram page 27) 

the present' time, eqtuipped and able to do . w . shows 
that we can boast about. 

Locally, what does this mean? 

Well, it means on-the-spot coverage at sports and 
special events . . . wrestling, boxing, basketball, base- 
ball, hockey, and a dozen other Activities. 

It means news programs, film and live; th^ latest news- 
ceeis, newscasts. 

It means goad, live studio programs tliat we aie 
equipped and able to do . . . Shows that will meet the 
critici^ qualifications of a movie and stage-wise public. 

Let's get away from amateur theatricals, comy vaude- 
ville that would not attract a pay audience" of 10 .pcop)e; 
and crude attempts to copy techniques of other media. 

Let's pKsent simple, straightforward studio shows that 
we know have audience appeal and that we know we can 
do as well w iMiter iiian other medium. 

By ALFIRED H. SJECHHOFER 

{V.P., WBEW on* WBSN-TV, Bufalo) 

Buffalo. 

TbeK are i^enly of probljems in connection -with tele- 
vlaoa operation, but some -of them are being created by 
:. ourselves. . . 

We have heard so much about TV being a Uue chip 
same that lots of folks have come to feel that the way 
to prove it is to tlirow away the boss' money. 

Most of us are unprepared for televiaon operation. We 
at WBEN have been studying and preparing for nearly 
three! years, but the experience to be drawn upon is 
limited. JBven mace so is ^be fi^d ifnom wliich sou can 

get quaked personnel. There just is aot much know- 

F<)lks aecastomed to think in terms of radio presenta- 
tion, who aren't versatile and sufficiently imaginative to 
add an extra dimensioli to that, iirill not dick on TV. 

H you are in a town whei« the sports promoters -wel- 
come TV as another medium of publicity^ that will sim- 
p^[y ymir iieadaches; but dont think you can take tliat 
neat IaoJoq^ saiaMht umit and yast <drlve it aiiywto% to 
do a Job panmto. We Jeajtued differentiy. We are i<Mk- 
Ing forward t» tiw time when the tel^hone company -can 
make line facOitieE avaUaifle for quite a few of our re- 
' motes." , , , 

Don't try to over-reach yourself in programming; we 
havienlt been ai^ to hit oat stdde in studio ■aperation be- 



cause of delay in ^japeauBt arfivny, ^ w have Jearaed 
enough in two ^Xlo k«ow tbat ymi need action, 
you need showmamship and you iwed ^duc«s *vho can 
think-^and work— in two diiataiswjins. And we neeo 
urograms witti broad a^^&A. t -u^ 

FOm is a bigger lacdiJHn than probably appears to be 
the case, but it most tetve tjuality. The public is going 
to are awfully fast of the hashed-over junk now bemg 
inflicted upon it. ■ ~.t 

But don't let these iiiin^is discourage you because 'TV 
is a tnsm^ndous medimn but it will lake bnuns t« utiHae 
it. 

By n4BE¥ BAlVNISim 

{Gen. Mgr., WWJ-TV, Detroit) 

Betnoit. 

The fly in the ointment for .«;iaUon management with 
regard to television is the ability to stand Ihe gaff dur- 
ing the transitional period, or at least until the Iransition 
gets under way witli sufficient impetus to make television 
self-rsustaimiug. . , _. 

Right now, and for some time to come, television must 
rely on xadio to carry it along. Oiur current losses more 
tiian offset our radio profits. I expect that in 1949, omr 
television losses wilh be reduced by as much as two- 
thinis. In 1950, television should show its own ^fits. 
By that time, radio profits %viU drop off, pi-obaWy in 
direct xatio to the increase earned by television. 

There are between 35 and 40 million radio sets in the 
areas whirh will be ultimately served by television, The 
mere i^ysical problem of replacement will result in al- 
most a decade of double operation before tclevisioB t^es 
'Over. ■■■ ■ ■ . 

The saving grace as far as we're concerned is tbat the 
advertiser is in the same boat as station management. 
ISTeither one can afford to neglect either television or 
radio during tiie transition, and most of all, neither one 
can afford to neglect or overlook television today, re- 
gardless of what it -costs. 

To the .^vertiser, today's television is a great bargain. 
AjDy direct 'return he jn^y gamer is iusi a bonus, like 
&idifig money. Wiiat be gets, which is prii»)eas, is the 
oppoitiuifty to learn new techniques, to fit iihis great 
new mecGum into his business while circulation and cost 
are boUi low, .and tiie -oppm-tunity to teach his cniTent 
and prospecdve customers thai he is alert, progressive 
and fesponsave to p^ular reaction. 

Conversely, if be shies away from television, he be- 



comes sUfiBaatijted witb liie xcutek flf sftagnaliwi. 3w 
is a deadly impression for any seller to make on thebujep. 
We're apiwoaching the end 4tf the tJarkaess before dma 
f«r televisioa. Wiiat w<e need mow are more and faEtter 
ne(»vodc fwograms, ujore amd dheaper ^ts, new techniques 
in evaluaiing the woilh of advErtising •which look beittad 
tbe aocepbed standiirds ta mcssKuveiBent based oa ^kmt 
lalion and direct netarns. 



By CBOKCE M, BURBACH 

(Gen. Mvr,, KW-TV. St Louis) 

St.'.LogMs. 

By tlie Ume a TV station has been on IJie air for isnt 
or three yeais, )t is doubllul that mone than 20% of ^ 
air time will l)e u.sed foi- sports. Adding another 20% 
for telecasts of special news events, there remams a lag 
60% to be filled by the "Show Business" technique. 

TV stations located in communities other than New 
Yoric, Chicago and Los Ajogeies do aiot have at hand a 
isnfficiept supply of talent for a ciajlimious flow of jgasd 
quality theatrical produetions. Aiad if such a sap^ ol 
material -was available, not many stations will have 4be 
facilities to accommodate the necessary camera reheatsalb 
requii-ed for all these live shows. And even jf both taflsnt 
and facihties were available, the resulting overiiead vfmli 
be virtually insurmountable. Fortimateiy for the station 
operator, his current and potential souives of good Elm 
programs is increasing every day. And through the 
medium and turthcr development of the kint-seops 
cwder, he -will have availabte esact Tespi<o(hictions of sm»- 
«es^hil live teleeasls in addition <to an e\'er-eida3Xt^ 
volume of film productions made expressly for telecastlss. 

Tile vse of kinescope Tecordinss poses an inter^-sting 
question- "Has A. T. & T, 'missed -the boat' in networit 
television?" it already has been demonstrated that a Me- 
-vision network tan be operated by film as satisfactorii?' 
as by cable — and at considerably less cost. It is not msi 
reasonable to assume (hat many network sponsors -will 
be more than casually interested in the economy whicli 
can be effected by pnttiag their "network" sliows on kijBe- 
scope recordings rather ttum on coaxial cables. At this 
writing it appears that, exceptiung ^tion indenlificatioOT 
and test patterns, ihe most famiUjV l^ead on tetedsltn 
avreens lliroughout America will be ""This Has Be«» a 
Film Presentation.'' And Hie te]£)^:^fln set-owaets \sijl 
be gettmg jteater retums on tiior Investments becausa 

of it . 



Television Film Companies 



NEW YORK 



BRAY STUDIOS 
729 7th Ave. 

CINE TELEVISION STUDIOS 
100 E. 42nd St. 

CHfiYSTAL PICTUIMIS 
Palace Theatre Bldg. 

JEREY FAIRBANKS, INC. 
292 Madison Ave. 

FILM EIGHTS INTEBNATIONAI. 
1600 Broadway 

GENERAL FJUdS PRODUC- 
TIONS, CORP. 
1600 Broadway. 

HOFFBEBG PRODUCTIONS 
620 mJa Ave. 

INTERNATIONAL FILM FOUN- 
DATION 
1600 Broadway 

MOVIETONE NEWS 
460 W. 54th St. 

NELSON PRODUCTIONS, INC. 
341 IVIadison Ave. 

NUART FILMS 
'45 W. 45th St. 

OFFICIAL FILMS 
2S W. 45th St 

PARAMOUNT TELEVISION PRO- 
DUCTIONS SES;YICfi. INC. 
Paramount Bldg. 

BA-BEST FEATURES, INC, 
522 Fifth Ave. 

SPECIAL PUlUPOSS FIUAS 

16 E. '58th St. 

SPRINGER PICTURES, INC. 
341 E. 43rd St. 

TELE-COMICS, INC. 
247 Park Ave. 

TELEVISION SCREEN PBODtlC- 
TIONS, INC. 

17 E. 45th St, 

UNITED WORLD 
' 449 Park Ave.- 

HAROLD YOUNG PRODUC- 
TIONS, INC. 
119 W. 57th St. 

F8EDBRICK ZTV ft CO. 
SOI Madison Ave. 



CHICAGO : 

ACTION FILMS 
2901 So. Prairie. 

ALEXANDER FILMS 
410 No. JVUchigan Ave. 

ALL-AMERICAN NEWS 
2901 So. Prairie 

CHICAGO FILM LABORATORY 
18 W. Walton 

CORONET INSTRUCXIONAL 

FIOIS 
€5 & South Water 

CRAFTON BROS. 
33% W. Lawrence 

JERRY FAIRBAimS 
■221 No. LaSalle 

FILM STUDIOS OF CHICAGO 
135 So. LaSalle 



FRANCISCO F3LMS 
22Z No. Michigan 



IDEAL PICTURES COSP, 
38 E. .8th St. 

JAM HAHIDY ORGANIZATION 
2SQ No. Micbigan 

JONES DALLAS SCRIPT WORK- 
SHOP 
ISO E. Chicago 

KL1NG STUDIOS 

001 No. Fwtbanks Cemt 

LEPLEY at JOSWICS 
5121 W. Devon 

McHENRY FILM 
537 S. Dearboni 

MOTION PICTURE STUDIOS 
138 N. Clark 

PETERS' RECORDING SmMVM 
2»40 Sheridan Rd. 
Zii^t, JXL 

SPINN & ASSOOA'S^ 
17« No. WadEO- Br. 




^ BEN GRAVER 

£MCE£ "AMERICANA" FOR FIRESTONE 
REPUBLICAN AWfi IMeMOCRAtiC CONVENTIONS 



VOMS^^WEIGHI STUDIOS 
<469 E. Ohio 

WILDING PICTURE PRODUC- 
TIONS 
1345 W. Al^rle 

HOLLYWOOD 

APEX HtCaCIffiS 
971 N. La Cieniga 
Beverly Hills, Calif. 

ARGaSY TELEVISION CORP. 
ElCO-Pathe Pictni-es 
Culver aty, Calif. 

ATTWOO© tEUEVISrON PBO- 

DUCTfONS 
S739 Sunset Blvd. 

BELL-INTERNATIONAL 
5717 Sunset Blvd. ' 

BONDED TOLEVISION 
S74i9 Sunset Blvd. 

CASCADE PICTS. OF CALIF. 
3822 WaslBiiston Blvd. 
Culver City. Calif. 

CENTURY TELEVISION 
846 Cahuenga Blvd. 

ROBERT CLAMPETT J^RODS. 
7015 Sunset Blvd. 

CECIL B. DE MILLE l^RODS. 
5451 Marathon Ave. 

DUDLEY PICTURES 
9908 Santa Monica Blvd. 
Beverly Hills, Calif. 

EMERSON FILM COMPANY 
9113 Sunset Blvd. 

JERRY FAIRBANKS 
6052 Sunset Blvd. 

BEOT FINNEY PRODUCTIONS 
flal Roach Studios 
8822 Washiiigtoa Blvd. 
Culver City, Calit 

FIVE STAH PB0DUC310NS 
6526 .Sunset Blvd. 

GLOBE PICTURES 
5625 Sunset Blvd. 

MASSHAiCl, 

laoNS 

9155 Sunset Blvd. 
Beverly Hills, Calif. 

GEAY-EICHARDS 
6525 Sunset Blvd. 

HALRO PRODUCTIONS 
8822 Washington Blvd. 
Culver Cily, Calif. 

IMPBO 

Nqssotur Studios 
9746 Sunset Blvd. . 



GKANT Pfi(%DUC- 



<GE3IE LESTER 
1487 Vine St. 

LOLLY POP LANE 
Nassour Studios 
S746 Sunset Blvd. 

LONGNBCKEH-MENZIES PRODS. . 
Hal Aoach Studios 
£822 Wa«3iiiigtoH ffivd. 
Culver City, Calif. 

aURTIN MURHAY PRODS, 
Nassour Studios 
S746 SiiBset Blvd. 

NEW WQRUD PRODUCTIONS 
Naseonr Studios 
S746 Sunset Blvd. 

EOl^TS PRODUCTIONS 
S2S5 Clinton Ave. 

BOCKETT PICTUMS 
fiOeS Sunset WM. 

sELzmcac im-EVisaoN piKm 

19S0 Venaont Ave. 

ART SMITH TELEVISION CO. 
Nassour ftadios 
S746 Suniset Blvd. 

STOP, ixkm: & LisifSf 

4555^Legee Ave. 

TET^KfL"M 

€039 Hollywood Blvd. 

TELEMOUNT PICTURES , 
62-^ Santa Monica Blvd. 

TEIJiPiX ■ 

<6233 Hollywood Blvd. 

THOMAS, PALMER & COIM 

PRODS. 
846 Cahuenga Blvd. 

TWENTY-NXNS:; THIKTY, INC. 
521 N. La Cieniga 
Bevei5y HBIls, Calit 

VALLEE "VIDEO 
Nassour 'Studios 
5748 Snxiset Blvd. 

WEST COAST PRODUCTIONS 
1977 Vtxmasit Ave. 

WnLDING PICTUSES 
5981 Venice Blvd. 



Radioites to Europe 

Wesax&ea WeCambridge and M- 
^wOi Eric Baikbd last week on tne 
Mawretania tor a three-monlh va- 
tsatiwn in Italy. Everett Moane 
planes July 30 to Paris and 
proceed .to Italy to appear m uw 
"TlHs Prince ol Foxes," bemg Jiim«* 

^''SS' three are being ''vriHen out 
«f %he ^'Nora Drake" daytime seruu 
during their absence. 



W«dne8«lay, July 28, 1948 



nAnio— viDKO 



3S 



What! No 
Wrestlers? 



By dk;k pack; 



Put down Ihat Iconoscope, son, 
wnUe old pappy tells you how tele- 
vision really got Its sUi-t, TV (as 
we, used to. call iti began in the 
Window at Macy's. I know, because 
1 was there. . 

It was the summer of 1933. Gar- 
ner was vice president, I was 17 
and had a summer job as a glori- 
fied clerli and utility outfielder in 
the publicity section of the adver- 
tising deparlmcn', of R. H. Macy & 
Go. I remember I had ju,st com- 
peted an assignment which in- 
volved building circulation for a 
peculiar Macy promotional device, 
a gaudy sticker which was em- 
blazoned with an NRA Blue Eagle 
and the challenge "Millions Think 
Prosperity Is Returning! What's 
Your Guess?" 

My .job was not to paste these 
stickers personally on auto wind- 
shields, you understand; merely to 
round up the younger men who 
w6uld do thp stickup job. At the. 
time, I couldn't understand that 
slogan, nor what Macy's accom- 
plished by plastering it around 
town. Looking back, I still don't 
understand it. • 

Anyway, I now was to have a 
seemingly more purposeful and 
more important task. Publicity Di- 
rector Frank Ijahib, a lai-ge and 
amable gent who today, older and 
slimmer, has rocketed to: fortune 
and some measure of fame as pres- 
ident of the Reynolds Pen Co., 
called me and informed me that I 
was to have the opportunity of 
helping to blaze new trails in com- 
munications. 

"We're going to put on a big 
demonstration of television," Lamb 
announced. "And you'rfe going to 
have a big part in this great proj- 
ect!" 

"Those were the simple days be- 
fore anyone liad Conceived of a 
pen that could write underwater, 
so that the idea of television 
seemed thrilling to me. 

A few weeks 'after Lamb pre- 
pared me for my role as a pioneer, 
Ulysses A. Sanabria, a Chicago in- 
ventor and television experimenter, 
his staff, and his equipment moved 
lock, stock and scanning disk into 
the Macy store. 

in the window, on the 34th street 
side of the store,- a studio was im- 
provised. This was the period be- 
fore a vocabulary .of "pan," "balop" 
"dolly** and "iconscope" qualified 
' you as a television expert. There 
were' no video cameras. Instead, 
they shot the television picture 
with the old-fashioned scanning 
disk, the ' whirling disk that 
scanned the image raechanically, 
rather than electronically. (For 
further explanation^ see your sta- 
tion engineer,) 

It was quite a setup. From this 
very public studio in the window, 
wires led to a theatre on the 10th 
floor. Here, amazed thousands 
came to watch on a 6 by 4 foot 
screen the show which was trans- 
mitted by wire all the way from 
tiie studio— many floors below. 

A half -dozen haM-houv shows 
were produced daily, utilizing vari- 
ous radio announcers as emcees 
and myself as stooge, handyman 
and prop boy. Video programming, 
I recall, was still rather ci-ude m 
'33; no one had yet discovered 
wrestling. 



'Don't Underestimate the Power of a Woman' 
—Food Companies' Slant on Tele Advertising 



By JOHN 11. PL4T1^ 

(Kro/t .Food* Veepee, in Charge of Add.; 

, A year and a lialf ago Kraft decided to use television in its advertis- 
ing program because we believed that the medium had great possibili- 
ues. Already we look upon our use of the eastern television network 
a.s a major advertising expenditure, and we contemplate expanding our 
television coverage as networks add new stations and more consumers 
buy receivers. For this new and potentially powerful advertising and 
selling medium has developed to. a level of high significance in several 
markets. ■ ■. . ■ 

Our aim in the beginning was to reserve desirable time against the 
day when television might be a successful network operation. We 
started with a one-hour dramatic presentation over NBC's New York 
-stalion, and soon added Philadelphia, featuring one of our higher priced 
Hems— MacLaren's Imperial Chtese.. From the start, the reaction was 
most encouraging from the standpoint of sales. Demand for Mac- 
La rens increased materially, demonstrating the sales .effectiveness of 
television, even though coverage was at that time defmitelv limited 

Encouraged by this initial success, we booked the Krail Television 
theatre on NBC's first network of five stations— New York, Philadelphia, 
Washington Baltimore and Sclienectady. Since then Boston and Rich- 
mond, Va., have been added to the network. 

When compared to radio and publication advertising the cost of 
reaching the present limited television audience is quite high. This is 
to be expected during the present era of development, and is justified 
only on the assumption that television potentials are tremendous and 
(hat costs will be lovvered progressively as more and more "facilities for 
televising and receiving are developed. We realize fully that the tele- 
vision industry has invested great sums in the new medium, but so have 
advertisers and they will have to watch costs closely as new stations 
are added to the networks; 

Fan mail, publicity, and other reactions to the Kraft Television The- 
atre the commercials as well as the show itself, are most encouraging 
As television expands more rapidly than almost anyone thought pos- 
sible, one of the most amazing things is the high percentage of viewers 
vvhp are impressed with the commercials and can name the sponsor 

But no matter^what degree of perfection we may attain in television 
programming and in television commercials, I believe its most effective 
wIk"'',, ^f."^ combination with printed visual advertising. 

With all their great impact and animation, neither radio nor television 
give opportunity for a "second look," for checking a statement or claim, 
lor rereading the message presented. I believe therefore that nothing 
can completely take the place of the printed woi-fl and the printed color 
picture in presenting a story about a product so that the consumer can 
give careful consideration to its qualities and virtues. 



By HOWAiRD Mi CHAPIN , 

VGi'iieral Food? Director of Ado.) 

Advertisers are constantly on the alert for new and effective ways of 
advertising their products. For the past several years almost all ad- 
vertisers have been keeping a watchful eye on television With the; 
feeling that sooner or later it would be an important tool to add to. 
list of advertising implements. 

About a year ago. General Foods felt that television had developed 
sufficiently to warrant feome direct experience with it. , As a conse- 
quence. General Foods entered television on an experimental basis. 
"The corporation partially subsidized budgets for test campaigns by va- 
rious product divisions, thus giving its advertising jnanagers and' its 
agencies a practical feel of the new medium-^its difficulties, its advan- 
tages, and its production problems. 

At the same time, General Foods invested in a comprehensive survey 
of television in order to probe the probable growth of the industry in 
the foreseeable future, and the general public's reaction to televisioit 
as a medium, its prograni.s and its advertisements. 

As a result of these experiments. General Foods now believes that 
television has attained sufficient maturity to warrant its use by some 
of our products as a legitimate advertising medium. Thus we have 
purchased 8 to 8:30 on WNBT Sunday nights for Jell-O and the fol- 
lowing half hour for .Maxwell House Coft'ee. We believe that this pe- 
riod will ultimately develop into a valuable time franchise. Our Sanka 
weather spots on WABD are also in this category. As we progress, 
other General Foods product divisions can be expected to enter this 
new medium when, as, and if they are convinced tnat it will serve 
their advertising purposes. . 

We are often asked whether or not television appropriations will be 
at the expense of appropriation!! for other media. In the Ions rim,. I 
do not believe they jvill. The same question was asked when radio first 
started and there were those who predicted that newspaper, magazine 
and outdoor appropriations would diminish in exact proportion to. the 
amount of radio used: We now see how wrong this idea was. Millions 
are being spent in radio today and yet we find magazine, newsiiapeT 
and outdoor appropriations bigger than ever. 

We believe television Is a new medium in every respect with a new 
type of appeal calling for a new advertising technique that will supple- 
ment other advertising methods. It is my personal belief that througtt ' 
this new medium .we will so intensify our consomet selling impact timt . 
added sales will justify enlarged advertising budgets,. and that teller 
vision will eventually take its place as an added member ot our media 
selling team rather than as a replacement for any member at It.- 



;KOi;ci: Bower a Real Pioneer. 



■ Roger 'bower handled most of 
the emceeing. A few minutes be- 
fore show time, Roger would make 
his wav through the crowd of tech- 
nicians, assistant buyers, section 
managers and store detectives 
which cltlttered up our studio. The 
disk would start turning and 
Roger would start* talking. 

The onlv time my role, in. the 
proceedings lived up to Lamb's 
buildup, was on those few occa- 
sions when Bower showed up a lew 
minutes late. How I relished those 
rare opportunities! 1 could gei 
more than just my hand into the 
picture; I could really get into the 
show myself. 

But I could never equal Bower. 
He had two jokes he used all the 
time — (a 1 "You can tell-a-vision 
anything, but she may not believe 
you." (b) "I just came back from 
Ilollywood, where I m'''"'-' ,f«n\': 
shorts. When I got ncre, I couldn t 
sell them -nobody , was buying 
tliem...But I'm going back to 



make some more— I've got three 
companies after me -^ telephone, 
gas and electricity. 

I couldn't match Roger's timing 
or delivery, so after a while I gave 
up trying to be funny and instead 
delivered a confusing monolog' ex- 
plaining the Sanabria system Of 
televcision; I don't know which I 
did worse. (The other day I re- 
minded Roger about those two tele- 
vision jokes of his. "Boy, they 
were old then," Roger said, "And 
they're still being used today!") 

Whenever I could' manage to get 
free for a while from my duties on 
the street floor I woul hurry up- 
stairs to catch our show on the 
.screen. Compared to the product 
of today, that Sanabria image 
wasn't bad; it looked something 
like the picture on your television 
set or mine, before the servicemen 
came around for the third visit. 
And on a clear day, you could ac- 
tually see the difference between a 
$1.19 slip and a .$2.39 panty girdle. 

Sanabria 's television for Macy's 
made news. I kept a few of'the 
clippings and recently I looked 
over them. One particularly in- 
terestwg one from the New York 
Times quotes Sanabria: - ^ 

"In less than a decade," Sanabria 



prophesized "I expect to see tele- 
vision replace the motion picture 
theatre, because in thousands of 
living rooms will be the movies 
electrical equivalent--,an instru- 
ment no larger and no more com- 
plicated to operate than a broad- 
cast receiver. This machine will be 
the entertainment box of the 
family. There will be no conflict 
with the motion picture people; 
they will, be the broadcast show- 
men of the future . . . the next two 
years will witness great strides. . . 
I cannot help, feeling, that what re- 
mains to be solved will be rela- 
tively easy." 

Well, Bower .and 1 didn't have 
the vision to get into television 
then. Rtfger stayed in radio, and 
later on I got into broadcasting, 
too. The man with the real vision 
was J?rank Lamb. After he left 
Macy^s, he spent a few years in 
radio, and then gave up the broad- 
casting business to team up with 
penman Reynolds. Maybe Roger 
and I would have both been better 
otr today if, instead of being hardy 
television pioneers in Macy's win- 
dow, we* had also promoted a ball 
point pen! . 



TV Begins to Pay Off, Sponsor-^Ke, 
Chi s MB Finds; Tone 75% Sold 



By DON MEIER 

(Sales Manager, WBKB) 




Chicago. 

Television advertising is boom- 
ing. To persons in the .industry, 
that situation is so wejl known .that 
it's scarcely news? any more. To 
the public, however, which for years 
has heard the sad tale of how tele- 
vision ean't possibly pay, here are 
a few facts, based on WBKB ex- 
perience, which may revise long- 
held" opinions. 

A year ago we were pounding 
pavements and cajoling our way 
past receptionists to try to tell our 
sales story. Today, with WBKB's 
time 75% sold, advertisers are com- 
ing to us. : 

Most major advertisers have 
made a television allocation in 
their budgets/ They, and their 



ETHEL and ALBERT 



starring PEG. LYNCH !uur ALAN BUNCe 

Fiftli year on ABC ro.i.^l.-to-coast Monday through Friday 2; 15 to 2:30 
I'.Sf., KUS'T, 6:4r) to T;00 I'.M., KD.ST, \V,)'/,. 

Written by Peg Lynch, produced by Bob Cotton 



Video to Cover Philly 
Football Scene Fully; 
Munger, Riblett Inked 

. : /Philadelphia. 
Tele is getting set for . compre- 
hensive coverage of the fall fopt- 
ball season. ' Local Pontiac deal- 
ers, through the Harr.v Feigen- 
baum agency, will sponsor Paul 
Riblett, end coach of the Univ. of 
Pennsylvania. Riblett, each Fri- 
day night through the grid season, 
will give a 15-minute analysis, us- 
ing films Of tlie previous season's 
games, as well as interview rival 
coaches for the following day's 
game. 

The Atlantic Refining Co., 
through N. W. Ayer & Son, will 
sponsor all the Univ. of Pennsyl- 
vania's home football games. This 
marks the ninth con.secutive year 
Atlantic has sponsored telecasts of 
the Penn games. 

Philco • Di-stributors, Inc., has 
bought "Monday Night Quarter- 
back," featuring Penn's coach, 
George Munger, who will do black- 
board analyses and film reviews 
of the Saturday game. Account 
was placed by the .Tulian Pollock 
agency and starts in September. 



Buffalo — R. Glenn Beergower 
named assistant television tech- 
nical director for WBEN-TV, local 
NBC-TV outlet. He was formerly a 
field tele supervisor for the RCA 
Service Corp. in Camden, N. J, 



agencies, now seek means to bring 
them the highest possible return 
on that investment No one is buy- 
ing on the basis of novelty. They 
apply to television the same yard-, 
stick which they use in other media. 

Advertisers want to know how 
many sets WBKB serves, what area 
it covers, how much audience we 
can« deliver, how , many men are- 
watching sets, when yorf-can best 
attract a women's audience, how 
the audience varies at different 
times of day. Because WBKB set' 
up its statistical system when there 
were 325 sets in Chicago and can 
now account for more than 25,000 
sets, we are able to give tliem 
accurate information.! We' survey 
constantly to keep this 'datai ..cur' 
rent. : ■ ., ■ . . 



There is a marked change in the 
kind of show advertisers: consider, 
A year ago, when a high percentage 
of the sets was in bars, some spon- 
sor wanted practically every sports 
show we could transmit. Now, 
however, buyers scrutinize sports 
offerings critically. They'll compete 
for the top events we have to offer. . 
but before taking a sports show, 
they want to be certain it will be 
something the audience likes to 
see. 

Spur-of-the-moment buying has 
virtually disappeared. Since money 
is budgeted for television, we now 
work :three months in advance of 
the sports calendar. Baseball must 
be sold in December, football in 
June or July, hockey in July or 
.'August and basketball in August 
or September. 

Now that 76.1% of the sets are 
in homes, advertisers are interested 
in building the good studio show 
that will command an audience. 
Cost, once the great bugaboo of 
major studio productions, now 
weighs less heavily in their con- 
sideration. 

Major advertisers now are plan-* 
ning their fall shows with an eye 
on network. They want to have 
quality productions ready to put 
on the line just as soon as Chicago 
is ready to offer television service 
to other stations. 

Television has some distance to 
go before it yields a bonanza, but 
as of July, 1948, WBKB, at least, 
is soundly commercial and ad* 
vertisers realize a reasonable return 
on their television investment. 



(Continued from page 29) 
guarantee a tele<ost-estimate beyond close-of-busincss- - 
today, but from what we know plus what we $ee, as facili- 
ties and talent stall <mtil television's future Is more read- 
able, it seems wrong to assume- that the sponsor-pay-all 
radio precedent will be economically sound that we might 
iiot have to pass the hat to the viewer. 



r 



Everything Costs More 



Most of us believe that video is or will be a terrific ad- 
vertising medium — that everything about it will be terrific. 
This also goes for the costs. The transmitter costs more, 
the cable costs more, scripts will cost more, actors miist 
be personable and will cost more, rehearsals will cost 
more, and so on down the line. Again, the big question: 
Who's going to pay for all this? 

It is yet to be proved that television can move enough 
from retailers' shelves to justify what will undoubtedly be 
a whopping sponsors' bill. Let's not assume too much too 
quiclcly. - • • 

Perhaps this problem underlines the possibility of a 
publication rather than a radio precedent for television's 
future, ioi: it's only a step from there to the advertiser's 
dream of a souiid medium in which he can buy not facili- 
ties vrith which to malce like Billy Hose, but delivered cir- 
culation, as he now gets for most of the non-radio money 
he spends. Circulation into which lie just drops his ad, 
as he now does in magazines or newspapers. 

Could it be that, in building television to realize its full 
stature, we will have the courage to explore such new 
paths without trodding the tired, over-traveled, even if 
richly paved, roads of radio? ■ ' v 

Cost is undoubtedly going to be a key factor in the 
development of television sponsorship. Advertisers will 
use television if the costs are right— if they are compar- 
able, advertising impact considered, with those of other 
m^dia. 

Radio costs are right, and it seems unliltely to this ob- 
server that television will replace radio, especially day- 
time radio. The housewife, who is the blue ribbon cus- 
tomer for most of what we have to sell can now indulge 
her escapism and assuage her frustrations while chang- 
ing junior's diapers. But will she be' willing to abandon 
tortia for a ball game or even a National Convention? It ' 
seems possible that radio will continue to provide daytime 
entertainment at a low cost to the sponsor, while video 
moves in evenings for those who can afford it. ' 

You have ftsked for comment, and I give you questions. 
In extenuation, at this stage It's extraordinarily difficult 
to see past these questions — 'Particularly the big Ob^ 
who's going to pick up the tab? 

Beware of 'Hooper Hassle' 

By LEE COOLEY 
(Director of Television, McCann-Erickson) 

"Are y^ crazy or somethin'?" Thus spake a venerable 
radio producer to whom I had just stated that television 
was growing too rapidly. This incredulous listener ac- 
cused me of being a Benedict Arnold — ^that my point of 
view, were it to infect other television producers, would 
deprive a lot of people of work in the new medium. I 
am not sure that I ever really explained, to his satisfac- 
tion, my point of view : and the alarm felt at this tele- 
vision boom. 

Television was new to him as it is to practically all 
of us in it, but after 11 years of waiting, hoping, scrimp- 
ing and scraping, we liave at last come to a point where 
enough money is available, or will be available, to experi- 
ment with what we feel is actually a brand new medium. 
Ever since 1943 we have been saying "Don't jump to con- 
clusions labout what television is-^r how it works. Don't 
measure it by somebody else's yardstick. It is not mov- 
ing pictures because its pictures move on a screen. Its 
techniques are not the same, but more important, the 
state of mind of the viewing Taudiences may not be the 
same because their environment is not the same. It is 
not radio because it is simultaneous. Another dimension 
has been added. It has anotlier story telling tool — ^visual 
action. We need to learn how to use it — ^how to make it 
play on an 8 inch by 10 inch screen. We have got to find 
out how people at home react to it. Mayl>e a radio listener 
who becomes a televiewer undergoes a subtle psycho- 
logical change. Maybe not. Just because its actors 
learn "sides," let's not measure it with the theatre yard- 
stick or the vaudeville yardstick. Bert Williams would 
probably have made television history but the Tumbling 
Arabs would have spilled off the screen in three direc- 
tions. All of the acts and sketches that made good vaude- 
ville may not make good television. Let's find out. And 
the same thing goes for theatre drama and musicals, too. 

] ' Skirt the PrimroBe Path j 

Chief reason for our concern is the tendency on the 
part of the "ground floor set" to jump to conclusions. 

. Perhaps we are being forced into competitive formula 
programming much too quickly for our eventual good. 
Commercial^ we are growing up in the image and like- 
ness of radio because our time is parcelled out accord- 
ing to the radio blueprint. But this headlong rush to 
follow radio's rage to get the highest ratings, this tend- 
ency to brag at the exaggerated audience figures could 
lead television up the primrose path. Maybe the old 
axiom "What you don't know won't hurt you" is true, but 
It seems that for the good of an industry that is beset 
by a thousand financial and technical troubles, that every- 

" one with a dollar to invest in television programming to- 
day should dedicate that dollar to as much broad experi- 
mentation as possible, at least until audiences ha^ve grown 
to the point of being a bona fide market. 

Naturally, television's headlong rush into a competitive 

iticture makes some facilities operators happy. For a 
ong time now they have borne tiie brunt of huge de- 
velopmental expenses. This headlong rush now puts a 

food part of that burden on the commer«ial sponsor. 
Khat the adverUsers and their agencies are apt to forget 
Is that the developmental period of television Is really 
om beginning.. The networks have c&rried on the largest 
of the technical development. Program development 
. and salestecfanlque development we now «p to ti^e various 



industries who will use television as a sales tool. Tele- 
vision may fail to live up to its promise of being the 
world's most effecUve entertainment, educational and 
sales force if we let ourselves get into the Hooper 
hassle." The friction over fractions may obscure the long 
view. Soon enough the various audience measurtment 
services will begin to give up accurate pictures of the 
felative circulation of the medium, the value of tune 
franchises and the effectiveness of our programs. But 
meanwhile there is still a little time left to play— to dare 
to do something new, even at the fisk of a few raUng 
points. Maybe we'd feel easier about that if wed re- 
alize that the television audience is still in a formative 
and forgiving frame of mind, too. 

20:20 on the TV Button 

By DON McCLURE 

^Director of Television ProdMctioTt, W. W, A]/cr) 

29:20. That's not the signal for a quarterback sneak. 
That's not Macy's sale price for a Mixmaster— nor is it 
the geographic location of a secret atomic pile. In fact, 
it's no secret at all. 29:20 is exactly the amount of time 
a television half -hour network show is allowed — like 
radio, 29 minutes and 20 Seconds. On the stage, the run- 
ning time of a performance is of secondary importance. 
In a film, it is up to the film editor. On radio, you've 
cushions,'- you can speed up the show, cut, if necessary, 
to come out on the no.se. But with an original half-hour 
live drama written just for television and using as many 
as 10 different sets and from 60 to 70 camera setups, 
you've got madness, murder and mayhem rolled into the 
shortest 30 minutes on the clock. 

By now, most of you are saying, "It's obvious that a 
show such as this should be filmed." Unfortunately, the 
obvious isn't always the most advantageous nor the most 
economical. We had a formula to be worked out. We 
had to prove we had a show idea the audience would 
like and a few other points needed to be proven before 
we could recommend the additional investment in film. 

Let's flash back six weeks prior to the starting date 
of the first show. We estimated we'd need at least six 
approved story outlines and no less than four shooting 
scripts. We were" more than vaguely aware, of course, 
that we were trying to turn out once a week what Holly- 
wood wouldn't try to do in less than three weeks. Right 
here is Where we should have reviewed that time dif- 
ferential between Hollywood and a live television show. 
Some scripts jell quicker than others. All writers aren't 
as fast on the rewrite— nor does the aptitude to a new 
medium flow with equal dexterity from all typewriters. 
In other words, we were having script troubles even be- 
fore we hit the air. 

The second and very vital step, used by both Broadway 
and Hollywood, was completely eliminated. A play goes 
on in an out-of-town tryout during which time it is 
whipped into shape. A film Is never released untU it 
has had previews and an audience reaction. Just how 
this same practice could be used for a Iiv6 television 
show isn't clear. 

I ' Tacfcling the Human Element \ 

Now suppose we do a fast dissolve and pick up camera 
rehearsal for an air show. This costs money— and even 
n)ore important than your estimated budget, you've got 
just so much time in which to rehearse and polish a show. 
There are shows preceding you and others following you 
and all of you are using more or less the same studio per- 
sonnel and faciliUes. Here is where you*realize that an 
hours rehearsal time just oin't 60 minutes of efficient 
operations. Actors haven't time to make costume changes 
You need a few more lines to get camera three to the 
next setup. The mike boom can't move until camera 
two moves to the next location so you'll have to take a 
slower fadc-m on the next scene. The electrician can't 
get the front lights set until camera one moves. These 
are a few of the minor problems that must be solved— 
and quickly All the pre-planning, rehearsals and Camera 
plotting will not lick the human element when you nut 
your show together in the studio. There never seems 
to be enough time for rehearsal. 

The next transition is into the lap of the gods— the 
show. Some of these things weVe not yet faced Ind^ml 
we have-but in any case, they're in the book and will 
be as long as you are committed to a live studio show 

Lets start with the most horrible and work back%vards 
You've had a dress rehearsal and one of your actors gete 
hit by a cab while crossmg the street on his way to din- 
• ner. He gets sick— he sUps on the steps— he— well actors 
are human beings and innumerable things can happen to 
them. Is an understudy the answer? ""Pfcn ui 

You're on the air— you're on the nose-and then an 
actor blows There goes your 29:20. We're all famiUa? 
with the character actress who insisted that the rival 
commerciji^' throughout 

This failure, of course, is more disastrous on the soe- 
cific mijltiple camera show we're discussing than on other 

Hems and Hanunphs 

' By DAVE CUDEBROD 

{Manager Tetevision & Commerciol Film Dewt 
W. Ayer) . , '' 

Who does what to whom (pardon the e:^«s^on!)'aiad 
who gets paid for what is a vital question in television 
today. Paraphrased, the old. old question rfeads some- 
thine like this: "Should an advertising agency be in 
television and what program controls should it exercise'" 
.K,/ .u- fF' advertising agency man cap- 

"il""?"^ consecutive thoughts (and we un- 

the fi^ ^} ^?"lt ^'"1 answer, 

-Rlii-^fnhP. °*,that question, with some variation on 
But natch!" After all, television is a lusty infant an- 
pi-oximately nme years itut of the laboratory. Television 
is grovmig at a pace which makes advertisers' eves bue 
and their mouths water. It may Well be^n ite ww to be 



coming the world's most influential medium of mass eom- 
munication. And since the fundamental purpose o! u 
agency Is to render advice and counsel on all iaaOm 
pertaining to advertising, it would l)e folly to think that 
an advei^tising agency can long ignore television. 

The second half of the question is a little tougbei 
to answer in any such categorical fashion. It is fraught 
with "hems," "haws" and "harumphs;" because another 
function of an agency is to render service at a profit 
That poses an economic problem when you try to answer 
the flat question "to what extent Should an advertij^ 
agency be in television?" 

Time was when one man could qualify as a "television 
department." In those days, you could number all tht 
commercial television stations on one hand and edunt 
the advertisers by talung off your shoes. One man mi^ 
cover the waterfront: quote rates, order copy from ra^io 
department, buy the time, check the hilling and eWB 
have a little time left over to interview talent or write 
articles for Variety about this Great New Medium. 

Them days have gone forever! At least they Jiave If 
an agency has more than a couple of spot announce* 
ments per week for two or three clients. 

I How? When? But Prinieipaliy Why? | 

To give good sound advice to a client or three, tele- 
vision must be regarded as an advertising medium. 
Someone must plan for its wise use. Wluch clients shodd 
use television? Where should it be used? How? Whesli 
And perhaps most important of all, why should any clieni; ' 
use it at all? Will it do the job in hand better than 
radio — enough better to jii;tify the additional cost? All 
of which means that somebody has got to 'spend a lot 
of time just planning for television's commercial use 
in the same analytical way that radio, newspapen. 
magazines and other media are used ... intelligently, 
constructively. So that's at least one manl 

Now suppose we ask him to take over the functioni 
of time buyer-auditor-accountant-contract writerf The 
average television rate card today needs the full tifflt 
and attentton of a qualified CPA with a built-in slldt 
rule. It's really simple; just look up the time charges, 
add in extra studio rehearsal time, set depreciation over 
13 weeks, frequency discount on transmitter time but 
not on station facilities, plus a make-up man for two, 
and a half hours, less social security, and multiply by 
3.1416 just for kicks.' An estimator's lot is not a happy 
one— not in television anyway. An besides — urates change 
so fast he's apt to be wrong before he has a chance to 
be right. 

What about new program ideas? Just tap any six 
passersby at high noon and it's six to an even that you'U 
find four of them have simply dandy television ideas 
for sale. You can't afford to ignore all of them for fear 
you'll miss the one in a thousand which may be a 
ringer. Somebody's got to listen to 'em. 




Flynn 



Programming Opportunities 
Of the Indie TV Station 

By F. M. FLYINN 

' fPresident, WPIX. N. Y.> 

WPIX went on the air June 15. Between the time the 
New York News got seriously involved in television and 
the date of putting the station on the air, all of us can* 
in for plenty of surprises and more headaches than tm 
News has had in years. -iv 
In the brief time we've been on flit 
air, we are glassy eyed and puncn 
drunk. Television Is show bustoes* 
In a new way, and we've plenw W 
learn about show business. Getting 
out 2,400,000 Newses every weekday 
and 4,500,000 on Sunday now seena 
like kindergarten work cpmpareo 
with turning up the aflswers requiWd 
to make television a smash Wt »™ 
New Yorkersi . . 

The only thing we can brag about 
to date is what we've done for me 
New York public in the way of pro- 
gramming on other stations. The top brass on the otner 
statisns probably won't admit it, but I am convinced ouj 
plans for WPIX caused them to step up their P/o8/am 
schedule, both in time and in quality. They beat us 
to the punch on many things. We'll now have to wora 
fast to get abreast of the parade. It's clear now that vw 
talked too much about our plans. We must get to worK, 
and hard. 

From what I've seen, we've picked about the toughe* 
spot in the country for launching an independent tele- 
vision station. There are many ^pasons why key aei- 
work staUons here in New York can invest big ni<!"xj 
in establishing topfUght programs. We have very IMvb 
opportunity for getting returns on our investment inw" 
future network connections, or the sale of television sets. 
Syndication may help. We'll try it. , 

In developing our material for WPIX, we hope to oe- 
velop many programs which may be used by stations w 
other localities. For some time to come, we cant see 
extensive networking of television programs at Presen' 
costs. Top programs may be sent over the co-ax cawe. 
but there will be many interesting programs which can » 
afford to use this conveyance. Possibly, our syndicate 
Idea can fill the need in this respect, , . 

We will try for an expansion, by means of television, 
of many of the promotional ideas we had on Ihe News 
but were forced to abandon for lack of space to V^omovB 
these things. Our present promotion affairs "« "n 
Golden Gloves, Silver Skates and Harvest Moon 
Will be expanded and other similar attractions wiu w 
added to our schedule. WPIX Will carry the ban — 
hope. 

Opportunities for programming an independent station 
will be great. While we lack the experience gaineu in 
straight sound broadcasting, we also lack many oi i?a 
problems and complications when coupled with teleViSM»»< 
Our freedom in many respects wiU he a great asset 



JTwlmwday , July 28, 1948 

66,000,000 Audience For 
Com'l Plugs By End of '48 

By FRAN HARRIS 

(Director of TV, Motion Pictures, Ruthrmiff & Ryart) 

wiM^'h»'L*""iuw^®!5*^^ commercial messages of television advertisers 
m !«ri Qin nln attention of some 60,000,000 people via an esli- 

ated 910,000 "living display" windows; the television screen. These 
• rivJ;^!^,. Tf? ^^"^.^^ '^^^^ effective sales-force ever employed bv 
I.?ilwi . f*^*'"^ sales-force in the home by invitation can make 

IV^^ ^ , 5"°®'- Po^^ei'f"'. dynamic, and exciting advertising medium 
em- developed . IF properly handled. 

the criiciency of television as an advertising medium depends on the 
nfinaiing ot the advertising message lioiu the original creation through 
10 ftnal production and presentation. The medium can fulfill its bright 
piomiso to the advertiser only if commercial techniques employed util- 
ize uie dramatic advantages peculiar to the medium. 

Although television offers the advertiser sight, plus sound, plus 
nionon, not all advertisers "are availing themselves of the opportunity 
to use all of these elements. And only with all three elements working 
lor the product can the mo.st succes.sliil result.'? be achieved. 

bimply displaying the product on tctovision tells an unfinished story, 
the product should be sho'.vn in use in surroundings natural to the 
product, Ihe benefits resulting from the use of the product should not 
be overlooked in presenting the sales message. * 

The type of commercial planned for an advertiser depomis on the 
objectives ol the ^sponsor choosing television, the type of program and 
of course^ the product itseU. 



S7 




Five Plng-Tc flmique Categories 



Although every commercial should'be' de'signed specifically for the 
pi'oduet advertised, television commercials fall largely into five cate- 

■gpnos: . . . • ■■■ .•. ■. ■ 

The Documentary Commercial: Often referred to as the "Institutional 
li pe" commercial. The sponsor and not the product is spotlighted in 
it series of stones about the coinpan,y itself. Sometimes it is the story 
oj tlie product or the processes related to the preparation of the 
product. 

Tlie Integrated Commercial; The product and product story is care- 
fully incorporated into the program and presented as a part of the pro- 
gram feature. " 

Novelty Commercial: The advertising message is turned into enter- 
tainment and presented as a specially act in addition to the rest of the 
program. In this category either or both animate and inanimate objects 
ar<5 used; puppets, marionettes, dolls, cartooning, clowns, etc. 
. Demonstration Commercial: A straightforward presentation and 
demonstration of the product, its uses and the product in use. Often an 
ejtitire program can be built around the product demonstration. This 
includes such programs as would fit i,oto the "Self-Improvement" and 
"How-to-do" categories. 

Testimonials: The appearance of celebrities to give testimonials or a 
product user to sing the praises of the product. Any two or more of 
these types can be combined and mmierous variations on each are pos- 
sible. The types mentioned here apply either to "live" or filmed com- 
mercials. 

The use of film allows for a more elaborate treatment of the sales 
message. Animation or trick pliotogiaphy can be employed to empha- 
size the product trademark and packaging/ . 

. The mos6 suitable length for a commercial is debatable. So much 
depends on the type and treatment. One thing is certain. . . the com- 
mercial must be tasteful. The television commercial is a visitor in the 
lionie. And since the eye is more .sensitive than the ear, the tele-com- 
mercial must always be a well-mannered guest. Experience has shown 
that television sales messages have been accepted as most welcome 
visitors. Every advertiser will benefit by presenting the type of com- 
mercials that will keep those 910,000 "living display windows" from be- 
ing darkened by the flip of a switch. 



NEVER A DULL MOMENT! 

LURENE TUTTLE 

JiPtween rogiiiar iipuyiiranoos on 
CB«' "Sam Spaao"; NT.C's '"Ozxie 

land Ilarriet,"' and "Red Skelton"; 

[and ABO'S "Kront Page." Luroiie ha:i 
found time, to make four important 
films and ponduot a radio- dramatic 
clas.<i at U. y, t'. Nrtw she's adilscl 
IMutuaVs "tieortfe O'Hanlon" series 
to hev lively schedule. 



Other Factors 
Than Sale In 
Sponsor Payoff 



DuMont's Tele - Transcription 
Idea for Rapid Networking 

By DR. ALLEN B. DuMONT 



• Well over five years ago DuMont 
se't out to develop a system of tran.s- 
ci-ibittg television programs. At 
considerable cost we continued to 
e.KiJcriment in spite of the gener- 
ally-held opinion that television 
transcriptions were merely a stunt 
---a video gimmick for technicians 
t* play with. 
• Our system, called Tele-Trans- 
eriptions, has been demonstrated 
recently and today the importan<:o 
ot transcribed television programs 
has become apparent to almost 
evorvone connected with television 
broy'dcasting, and for very good 
reasons: 

Prc^Jictions regarding the rapid 
extension of coaxial cable proved 
over-optimistic. 

Cable charges are higher than 
antidpated— so high that in many 
areas use of the cable is not econ- 
omically feasible, at least at pres- 
ent. 

After coaxial is laid between 
New York and some other point, 
four or five networks start clamor- 
ing for the use of the cable and are 
forced to apportion the tune be- 
tween them. . 

The answer is clear: transcrip- 
tions are the best, and in many 
cases the only method of extending 
television networks. 

Tele-Transcriptions will tulhll 

two basic needs: ^ . 

J "Siii ipiying the Know-How | 
""weTre offering our transcribed 
sustaining programs to other broad- 
casters. All "^'^Z^'^'i^'^^^ 
oeriencc acquired by WABD, key 
station of the DuMont nelwoi-k and 
Bioneer N. Y. video outlet, is thu.s 
fn odiately available to sta ions 
, • iciilarlv new stations, without 
KM ow-lmw. the funds and the 
availability of talent to provide a 
u I program schedule^ 
« Sta ioM Will be considerabb- less 



than the cost for live or motign 
picture programs^ of equal merit. 

Secondly, we are suggesting to 
sponsors that they take advantage 
of Tele-Transcriptions to extend 
their coverage to other market 
areas, the sponsor buying time on 
DuMont's transcription aifiliates. 

There are other uses for Tele- 
Transcriptions, but the above are 
the chief ones. DuMont will not 
market a'hd distribute transcrip- 
tions as motion picture film is mar- 
keted and distributed. The com- 
pany will not lose control of tran^ 
scriptions nor permit the same show 
to . be aired more than once in any 
market area. 

It is our' purpose to build a new 
type of network, a Tele-Transcrip- 
lion network. The response to our 
initial proposals convinces us this 
is a realizeable objective. Fifteen 
stations have, notified us that they 
are seriously interested in using 
our transcriptions. Numerous ad- 
vertising agencies and prospective 
sponsors, entirely ,on their own 
volition, have requested additional 
information. 

Tele-Transcriptions is DuMont's 
answer to the physical and financial 
obstacles now inhibiting the devel- 
opment of "live'Vnetworks; 



Saratoga's TV Buy 

Schenectady. 

A series ot one-minute spots on 
VVRGB has been purchased by 
George R. Nelson, Inc. for the 
Saratoga Kacing Assn., in what 
niay be the first time a racetrack 
has employed television as a regu- 
lar advertising medium. 

The new agency has pi-oduced 
a 'series of telefilms featuring Uie 
voice of Clem McCarthy, NBC 
laeecaster, and portraying high- 
lights of feature races last year. 



By W. E. WALBRIDGE 

(Stttes mcena^ar, WWJ-TV, 
V>eirvAt\ 

Detroit 

Almost -two years have passed 
since we first began selling tele- 
vision over WWJ-TV. To date, 
I've talked to hundreds of agency 
account men, clients, space buyers 
and prospective advertisers. Xn." 
variably , they agree that: 

1. Television will be the great- 
est • advertising medium in his- 
tory. • 

2. The combination of sight and 
sound makes for greater impact 
and effectiveness. 

3. Television has a ready-made 
entree to the family fireside., 

4. Television is adaptable to any 
product or service^ 

5. Television rates are cheaper 
than expected. 

This sounds like a salesman's 
dream— -a paradise of lush orders. 
It indicates that the advance pub- 
licity has done all the work and; 
that the advertiser is ready to 
buy. 

Yet, in many cases he does not 
buy* He's "interested, • he's in- 
trigued, often he's fascinated and 
even eager— still, he doesn't buy. 
WHY? 

The answer isn't too difficult to 
find. Experienced buyers . of ad* 
vertising have of necessity adopted 
certain measuring devices as to 
the value of advertising. The num- 
ber one yardstick is circulation. 
The second is the known return 
on each advertising dollar ex- 
pended. 

Obviously, present day television 
is not ready to be^ measured in 
terms of circulation. It follows, 
therefore, that immediate sales re- 
turns cannot be commensurate 
with expenditures. ' 

Over WW.I-TV we have sold 
hundreds of different products and 
services, clothing, cars cigarets, 
jefrelry, can-openers, refrigerators, 
even houses and real estate. We 
have had case histories from ad- 
vertisers who have traced 25% in- 
creases on certain wares to tele- 
vision, but we have never made 
a sale On the basis of guaranteed 
sales returns for dollars expended. 

We tell our pro.sfiective clients 
that good sales figures may come, 
but they're .iust a bonus. The real 
money's worth comes in other 
categories, most important of 
which is the opportunity to ac^ 
quire know-how in the use of tele- 
vision, with ' limited audiences, at 
j low costs. 

I Television advertising tech- 
! niques for various products can> 
I not be perfected overnight. It 
I took many years for today's lead- 
ers to learn, " and in . many in- 
■ stances, it cost them plenty of 
i money. A dozen meetings of mil- 
! lion-dollar brains gathered around 
;a shiny conference table are no 
' sub.stitule for getting into tele- 
vision and actually working with 
' the medium. 



Aesop Gets TV Facelift 
— ^And the Kids Love It 



By BOB SMITH 



After eight months experience 
with the "Howdy Doody" show, 
I'm. convinced that kids' video fare 
must first determine the funda- 
mentals that have entertained kids 
ever since Aesop's first fable. Stick 
with those same fundamentals that 
spelled success in story books, 
films and radio. But oh what you 
can do with those fundamentals in 
television! 

Aired thrice-weekly for an hour, 
the "Howdy Doody" show has given 
my producer Koger Muir, my 
writer Edward Kean and myself 
an opportunity to bilend the old 
fundamentals with the new tricks. 
The stage: Eastern NBC network; 
the theatre: hundreds of thousands' 
of kids, all leisurely, strewn on 
chairs at home — no hair glossing, 
shoe polishing or admission tickets 
required. The cast: Howdy Doody, 
a puppet running for President, I 
furnish his voice. And my own too 
(I'm his campaign manager.) 
Thirty-five of Howdy's constituents, 
ages from three up, comprise the 
"Peanut Gallery" in the studio. 
And this is one studio audience 
that can be called part of the 
"cast." " • 
' The two fundamentals we adhere 
to boil down to this: kids possess 
an instinctive curiosity seldom 
matched in adults. Second, kids 
love to be told a story. In formu- 
lating, the show, we have .steered 
away from breaking it up into a 
number of acts. We tell a story. 
The- general theme is "Howdy 
Doody for President." And each 
hour is a complete plot contribut- 
ing to .the campaign. A sample: 
Mr. X, Howdy's rival, has bidder 
the world's only Swiss Cheese Hole 
Puncher in an animal-infested Al- 
pine cave. Howdy can't swing the 
Swiss vote until he acquires the 
Hole Puncher. He makes a quick 
trip to the ' Alps, intimidates the 
animals with a parody of "Toolie' 
Oolie Doolie," seizes the Puncher, 
returns to the studio (elapsed 
time' 15 min. ) where the Peanut 
Gallery and, I greet him with a 
victorious chorus of his campaign 
Song, "Howdy Doody; for Presi- 
dent." • ' ■ 



"riiinganiaeiKS Wow 'Em 



Being able to tell moppets such 
fanciful talcs on a screen in their 
own home has brought us results 
that surpass anything in my experi- 
ence. Howdy, performing heroic- 
ally right in the kid's parlor, be- 
comes a member of the family. Oc- 
casional ' outside acts are never 
used per' se — they're always made 
part of the plot. A Bingling Bros, 
clown was introduced as Mr. X's 
assistant. The reactions iti the mail 
are amazing. We asked the kids 
for "Thingamagigs" — planks for 
Howdy's platform — and the sug- 



gestions come in daily, ranging 
from "5c banana splits'' to "pret- 
tier school teachers" and "relief 
for Palestine." An artist, Nino, il- 
lustrates the thingamagigs as How- . 
dy and I r^ad them. Besides con- 
tributing planks and singing the 
campaign songs, the kids make 
' speeches on Howdy's behalf, help . 
him narrate stories, and take parts 
I in consoquence-type stunts conr 
Inectcd with the plot. Through 
I these devices, the kids both at. 
I home and in the Peanut Gallery 
become more than spectators; they 
are an impoAant part of. the show : 
— and they love the idea. 

Using a comic-strip style of story 
(minus the blood and thunder) and 
this - participation technique to 
maintain a continuing enthusiasm 
in our audience, we add curiosity- 
arouser tricks which television 
sesames. Howdy invents things 
that make life (and winning a 
Presidential Campaign) a compara- 
tively simple thing. His "Flap- 
doodle" and "Doohickey" supply 
him with everything from baseball 
scores to hair tonic and popcorn. 
An integral part of the show, these 
Martian-like gadgets stimulate the 
kids' curiosities and imaginations to 
an amazing degree. With my voice 
and puppeteer Rhoda Mann'& 
strings, Howdy has t\yo people 
working for him and is capable of 
doing more than any mere actor 
can alone! He plays the piano and 
sings. For vocal duets with me, his 
voice is recorded, but most of the 
time I do both voices live. For 
two cameras conceal our secrets* 
while the third transmits (and I 
keep one eye on the monitor!).' 
Howdy starts the movie projector 
himself. He has his own telephone, 
and occasionally he too forgets to 
wait for the dial tone. He gets on- 
the-spot reprimands when he does 
wrong, and between these and the 
Thingamagigs we painlessly convey 
constructive thoughts to our audi- 
ence. . * 

Having become convinced that 
a light-hearted adventure ^itory ap- 
proach is what the kids feast on, 
we intend tp stick with it. After* 
the Presidency campaign. Howdy 
will read a sea story and don bell 
bottoms to go chasing pirates. Giv- 
ing him a character instead of mak- 
ing him an act makes him real and 
life-like. And this, I'm avowed, is 
a "must" for all video kid shows. 
' The presentation of only puppets 
[ or only movies is ' insufficient be- 
cause it lacks the warmth and inti- 
macy that kids expect to find in 
their own parlor. A youthful, mu- 
sical comedy, story approach gives 
that warmth and permanency, re- 
ceives the sustained interest. Kids 
love to play. The kids are there. 
Why not play with them instiead of 
to themV 



Parlayinla Pnppet Into 'Superman' 



By FRANK 'PARIS 

After many thousands of years 
of playing to . small select au- 
diences in obscure places, it would 
now spem that with the aid of 
this newest of entertainment 
medium, television, marionettes 
and first-puppets have at long 
last proven worthy of the atten- 
tion of several big television sta- 
tions who are out to attract top 
money m commercial advertising 
in the big cities all over the 
country. 

Big business, in other words, is 
in general just now realizing what 
children have known for untold 
centuries . . . that a puppet is a 
very charming little salesman, 
capable of the task of a super- 
man! He can make equally con- 



definite features. A staring eye 
must be made to wink, and sealed 
lips must be made to move. 
Gaily-colored costumes, with se- 
quin and tinsel, must of necessity, 
give way to design on tlie cloth, 
and texture of the fabric, as the 
pictures are as yet in only black 
and white, and many colors reg-? 
ister badly when viewed through 
the television camera. Strings on 
the marionette must be frail and 
hair-like, rather than be chosen 
for their durability. The puppet 
himself must be constructed to be 
an all round good actor, rather 
than merely be capable of per- 
forming a few specialities. 



In my estimation, though I may 
be biased, the advantages of a 



vincing v'ords of wisdom or utter > puppet show on television by 
nonsense, and his sincerity or act- 1 far outnumber the disadvantages. 
Uig ability is unquestionable. His [Though hardly in a class with 



most tragic situation can be as 
amusing as his worst pun.. His pre- 
fabricated smile, as well as his 
humorous pathos, is the envy of 
the circus clown. So, with these 
natural attributes, he is equipped 
to deliver an absorbing perform- 
ance equally well in everything 
from a sponsor's commercial to 
the lowest of slap.stick. 

For this important role in to- 
day's commerce the ancient med- 
ium of puppetry has had to un- 
dergo a few slight changes and 
abide by a few more restrictions. 
It has been found, for instance, 
that subtle coloring of makeup 
means much less than does strong 



sports, they seem to have an ap- 
peal to everyone . . . adults as 
well as diildren, and the cost of 
production is cheaper than other 
shows with the same appeal. Time 
of rehearsal is comparatively 
short, as scripts can be partial- 
ly read, rather than completely 
memorized. Sometimes, we've done 
an entire show to a recorded 
play-back. The sets are In minia- 
ture, which makes them ine3tr 
pensive to build and fast to ex^ 
ecute. One puppeteer can play 
several roles on the same show, 
changui!» his voice for each,Avhicli 
naturally cuts down the cost of 
an elaborate "live" cast. 



8S 



WedneaJay, July 28, 



TV Research: 'So Many Want To 
find Out Iron So lew' 



By HUGH ]VI. BEVnX£, Jr. 
(IKrector of Research, iiBC) 



Television today is s technical 
achievement which has fully 
emerged from the electronics lali- 
oratory while television's program 
output is just beginning to be sub- 
jected tct the acid test of, audience 
acceptance. Television is fortunate 
in having available for ready use 
many proven radio research tech- 
niques which for the most part are 
readily adaptable to the video art. 
So in audience research, as in 
many other respects, television is 
at this stage well ahead of the 
comparable period in radio's his- 
■■tory. • ■ ■ 

In its early days radio struggled 
along without the benefit 6i the 
.imltitude of statistics which have 
by now become a necessary feature 
of it^ operation. Although I am 
,sure there will be some dissenters, 
I believe any objective student will 
confirm my belief that radio's rise 
at a successful medium of mass 
communication has been in no 
small means a result of the vast 
fund of research data available to 
thpse who make the operating and 
policy decisions. No other medium 
of entertainment, infotmation or 
advertising has such a wealth of 
reliable information on its week 
in and week out performance. 

As a new medium, television 
starts' off mth all of the questions 
which beset radio and' many more 
unique to video. All the radio re- 
search techniques — telephone in- 
terview, listener diary, roster re- 
call interview, the audimeter, mail 
ballots and audience reaction ses- 
sions^not only can be used but 
have already beat applied to tele- 
vision to some degree^ Before us- 
.ing any of these tediniques, how- 
ever, the researcher has to review 
the important features wbidi dif- 
ferentiate television 'from its older 
brother. * 



S«m Mfeeds CenteJ Aotherity 



The fiist of these Is the lade of 
3 central authority for uniform sta- 
tistics on the number of television- 
awning families. A major step ih 
this 'direction has been made by 
the Itadio Manufacturers Assn.. is 
getting .television set manufacture 
eis to contribute information attout 
current Set distribution by areas. 
TUm quarterly release of th^ fig- 
ures by BMA supiE>li€s 9) necessary 
link in compilation of the gross, 
circulation statistics for television. 
Such set-owner data serves as the 
base against winch all other re- 
search data can be evaluated or 
projected by advertisers. It seems 
likely tbat beftxre loiig Broadcast 
Measurement Bureau vnll under- 
take the job of supplying tfie in- 
dustry with uniform figures of telOr 
vision families by miirket areas on 
a regular basis. 

The second difference is the lel- 
atively small number of set own- 
ers. Since the ownership of tele- 
vision families may for some time 
still represent a small proportion 
of all families (in the New York 
metropolitan area today approxi- 
mately 5% of all families own tele- 
vision receivers) the random tele- 
phone or personal interview sur- 
vey would be extremely inefficient 
and uneconomic because approxi- 
mately 85% of all calls will reach 
non-television families. Therefore 
a list of television set owners must 
be collected. These lists are de- 
veloped in various ways— in some 
cases dealers cooperate; stations 
offer program schedules; and 
names or telephone numbers have 
been collected as a by-product of 
other survey operations. An impor- 
tant consideration in using a list 
it the necessity of Umitiiiig the 
number of surveys so as not to 
harass the viewing audience with 
too frequent interviews. Telephone 
coincidentals use up names at a 
tremendous rate. Therefore dia- 
ries and rosters have great appeal 
at this stage because the amount 
of Information obtained from one 
family is considerable. 

A third differeace revolves 
around television's newness. Be- 
gardleiss of whether you are riding 
the crest or trying to pull out of 
the trough, the stability of radio's 
listening patterns Is a fact whidb 
WW to be accepted. People's loy- 
>tty for the brand of toothpaste 
"ttten is Just as strong «s the loy- 
liity for tfaeb muA of toothpaste 
»«jr«se. On the othfechana, ae 



television audience is growing at 
such a pace that every .six months 
more than half the audience is a 
brand new audience. (In individ- 
ualities of course the pace is much 
faster.) The new set owner may 
develop quite a different pattern 
of program preferences than the 
veteran viewer. With new sta- 
tions, new programs and constantly 
changing schedules the television 
viewing situation is in an extreme- 
ly fluid state. Old and new dialers 
are busy sampling^, all the fare 
that's offered. So we can expect 
a situation where last month's 
smash show may be. this month's 
Sop. The novelty aspect of tele- 
vision is a prime factor which has 
to be taken into account in evalu- 
ating television research findings. 
'We still don't icnow how much to 
discount for this element. 

The increased competition be- 
tween stations and the rising tide 
of advertiser interest in television 
will certainly stimdlate much new 
audience researdi on thi;» medium.' 
Although some of the "fact-find- 
ing" to date has been done by 
comer-cutting methods of dubious 
validity and with obVious preju- 
diced objectives, the picture 'looks 
brighter each month. Several 
agencies and advertisers have done 
some fine pioneering work and the 
entrance of syndicated services 
into, the field gives us continuous, 
comparable data for study. With 
the quickening ' pace of television 
research, the. present day setowner 
takes on mote and more the ap- 
pearance of « s^nea pig. I can't 
resist a paraphrase of Churchill's 
famous statement: "Never before 
have so many wanted to Und out 
so much £rom so few.'^ 



Bes IMtoines — Following the ap- 
pointment of Paul M. (Luice) El- 
liott as local sales manager of 
KRNT, his place in the sales dept. 
has been taken by Carter Key- 
nolds, former continuity director 
of KRNT and former staff an- 
nouncer on KKNT and WMT, Ce- 
dar fiapids. Dick Covey has been 
Bailed to soeceed Beynolds as 
continuity diiedton 



Plenty Room Upstairs 

•'With Television such a fast 
' moving new branch of show 
business," one radio executive 
complained, "all we get are 
propositions from people who 
'want to get in on the ground 
floor.' Nobody ha« yet offered 
to start on the second or third 
floor." 



Mke Fright' 
Scares TV 
Aud Players 

By JOHN REED KING* 

Compal'ed to radio, television 
audience participation shows are 
as different as Ai-lhur Godfrey and 
Van Johnson. All the rules and 
regulations for the one are "out 
the window" when you try to do 
the other. Many factors go to 
make up this difference. 

Television calls for a greater 
variety and movement while at the 
same time limiting the speed and 
direction of action and thought. In 
radio tha "mike" can- keep up with 
the rapidly changing tenor of any 
whimsy of an emcee or contestant. 
Not so in television! The "ike" 
Can follow a planned course of tele- 
vision action, but "hit a long fly 
down the left field foul line" and 
it will be a matter of luck if the 
camera is to catch it when the ac- 
tion takes place. 

Another major problem is the 
attitude of the contestant. Just 
when we were getting them over 
much of their "mike fright" in 
radio along came television with a 
new and completely different haz- 
ard, "camera coyness." The con- 
testants veer away from the see- 
ing-eye and favor the microphone 
in the hands of the m.c. And the 
audience participation show put on 
in the labyrinth of the pres«it day 
television studios so over-awes the 
contestant as to render, him or her 
a lifeless mass of humanity^ smil- 
ing wanly as it looks around for 
the neatest exit. 

^ After struggling with this very 
serious problem for three or four 
years we shifted the "Missus Goes 
a-Shopping" on TV into the local 
grocery store, caught the folks in 
(Continued on page 40) ' 



Zenith Hails Phonevision As 
Tele Programming Panacea 



By E. F. McDonald, Jr, 

president, Zenith Rodio Cprp. 



Chicago. 

I doubt if there wer^i ever two 
great industries that needed each 
other more than television needs 
the movies and the movies need 
television. But only now have both 
industries come to realize how 
much help each can receive from 
the other. 

The biggest worm in television's 
apple is programming. Only 45% 
of today's television set owners are 
satisfied with the programs they 
see, and dissatisfaction is growing 
as the number of set owners in- 
creases. Today's purchasers expect 
moi-e in the way of programs than 
sports events and the kind of 
shows that advertisers can afford 
to sponsor. Movies provide the 
answer- 

The movie industry has proved 
itself the greatest creator of visual 
entertainment that history has 
seen. But the fascination' of tele- 
vision is so great that there is a 
sharp local drop in movie attend- 
ance every time there is a tele- 
vision program of great popular 
appeal. Remember what hap- 
pened to New York theatre attend- 
ance during telecasts of the 
World's Series and the Louis- Wal- 
cott fight? 

In the entertainment field the 
public gets what it wants. People 
want to see new movies in their 
homes, along with other programs, 
and the majority of television set 
owners are willing to pay for them. 
To date, new movies have hot been 
available for television because 
Hollywood can't afford to release 
its costly productions for the rela- 
tive pittance advertisers can pay, 
and advertisers cannot possibly af- 
ford the production costi some- 
times exceeding one million dol- 
lars per hour, that is required to 
make first-class movies. 

Until about a year ago this im- 
passe seemed hopeless. To present 
new movies and other costly en- 
tertainment television had to have 
a boxoffice so it could collect a 
fee from each person who thus, by 
television, had the theatre moved 
into his home. But there was no 
boxoffice, so the movie and tele- 
Vision industries were preparing to 
slug it out. 

Then came Phonevision, to pro- 




OZZIE and HARRIET 



" 'i«g!aniil9 tho .Kflh SmsM ' ' ' 

fw IHtBIIIAIlONAL SILVER, Smiof, Oef. 3. NtC. «:3* to 7:00 P. tiL, BT 
A SdfM* ta tfc« rellow* Who Mod* Ow Scripts PMMo 
KH.BuvtBiM'rt'-' ' ftaattM 
.tiwAFM Sol Soil] 

^ Van Genhncm Wdi Vollawla 



vide the boxoffice. 



years I had been ibarging^thje raZ 
and television industry to finH 
some method of coUecUng a fee 
for home showing of costly fm. 
tures. LitUe did I dream that U» 
solution would come from our ovra 
laboratories. ^ 



I AU Done with Buttons 7\ 

Last July Phonevision received 
its first public deraonstraUon 
Hollywood newsreels were telecast 
from our transmitter on Chicago's 
west side, and picked up by our 
demonstration receiver on Michi- 
gan Avenue. But there was somfr. 
thing missing. The picture we 
transmitted was not quite complete 
—it jumped all over the screen on 
the receiver. Then a button was 
pressed on the receiver. The jdc- 
ture straightened- out as if by 
magic, and was just as perfect as 
regular television. 

Here is what happened: 

The television picture trans- 
mitted over the air lacked certain 
key signals. These were sent from 
the transmitter to the receiver 
over, a standard telephone wire 
and the picture straightened out. 

In the near future it will be pos- 
sible for you to call the telephone 
operator, say "I want to see 'One 
Touch of Venus,'" and then see 
that picture in your own home on 
your own television set. Without 
calling the phone company to get 
the key sdgnal on your telephone 
line, the picture will be a head- 
ache-producing blur? with the key 
signal it will be dear knd sharp. ■ 
The charge for seeing the picture 
will appear on your monthly tele- 
phone bill. This charge of about 
one dollar will be divided lietween 
the telephone company, television 
station, and movie producer. 

The television set of the future 
will be a dual purpose receiver. 
It will receive conventional tele- 
vision just like any other set. It 
will also be connected to your tele- 
phone line and receive pay-as-you- 
see movies and other costly enter- 
tainment by Phonevision. 

Standard television transmitters 
can be modified at little expense 
to broadcast both conventioniil 
television and Phonevision. 

In recent months we have bad 
a constant stream of visitors anxi- 
ous to see and learn more about 
Phonevision. Included were major 
executives from motion picture 
producers, broadcasters, radio net- 
worlcs, the telephone companies, 
other jcadio manufacturers,' the 
Federal Communications Commis- 
sion, etc. With one exception, the 
response has been enthusiastic, . 
and we have been embarrassed be- 
cause some of the interests con- 
cerned want to move faster than 
we. 

I am not at liberty to identify 
the organizations and indiwduals 
with whom we have discussed 
Phonevision, but I can .tell wha> 
some of them have had to say. 

The head of one major studio 
brought 17 executives and engi- 
neers to Chicago for a demonstra- 
tion. At its conclusion he said to 
his people, "Gentlemen, you have, 
seen history in the making.'' To 
me his brother said, "Don't let 
anyone tell you that your develop- 
ment, Phonevision, is not. ■what 
television and the movie indus- 
tries need." Another, "Anybody 
who ignores this development IS 
crazy." 

During discussions with movie 
producers, I made it a pomt to 
comment about the possible elteci 
of Phonevision on their theatres. 
One said, "We need the additional 
circulation." ' A second said, 
is going to help a lot of theatres. 
Suppose the next Louis-Walcow 
fight were available on Phone- 
vision and in the theatres, but noi 
on free television. What a d*"^ 
office for every theatre that shovra 
It! There will be lolS of events 
like that," 

Telephone company engineers 
said that from a, practical, com- 
mercial standpoint they believeo 
Phonevision 'Was theft-proof, "iw 
telephone executive said 
telephone companies -already nave 
the accounting and billing set-ups 
to take care of collecting P"?"^ 
vision fees and making diftnou- 
tion to the transmitter and pro- 
vider of entertainment. "The same 
thing Is done every day," he saw, 
"With ship-tb-<shore telephone, long 
distance calls through different cx- 
I*aa8e!5k,«)a45y«9 wit* telegrams. 



VcJneaday, July 28, 1948 



Another Gold Rush 
For California '49'ers? 



By JACK HELLMAN 



* Hollywood. 

Pictures have taken on a double 
meaning along these latitudes and 
the entrenched cinema doesn't 
know which way to jump; The 
play-it-safers, eyeing television 
with both jaundice and suspicion 
are all for hopping on the band- 
wagon, on the theory that a back 
seat is better than no seat at all. 
Then there is the smug set, watch 



the field and such a condition 
dulls the edge of competition. 
There was no reason for the 
town's only other station, Don 
Lee's W6XAO, to outdraw the Par 
operation at the home sets. Noth- 
ing was coming in, fiscally speak- 
ing, so why pour money into pro- 
gramming. Lewis Allen Weiss, Wil- 
let Brown and 'Tommy Lee are 
sound businessmen so they just 



coasted until their commercial 
ing the parade with an "air of de- i license came through, a few weehs 
tached idoofn^ss. ago. The calibre of shows will now 



tached idoofness, 

Hollywood is viewing the labor- 
pained TV much as it did the 
emergence of sdund-on-film.- They 
are, however, better prepared to 
meet the eventuality that threat- 
ens their art than they were when 
the screen started to talk. Deep 
down the picture companies know 



improve on both stations and that, 
in turn, should reflect in the in- 
creased sale of receiving sets. 

Before the year is out all seven 
channels should be alive and. hop- 
ping and then the dog-fight or rat 
race will be on in lull cry. AH 
four nets will be in the thick of 



li.L^'^^^^r.Sf^P.t^^^^^^ with a strong competitive 



Video is on th^ march. A watch- 
ful wailing policy seems the safest 
to bolster their morale and they're 
also playing along with the idea 
that mistakes will be made and 
millions lost so let the other fel- 
low do the pioneering. Then 
they'll move in for the kill and 
get what they want. 

That assumption is generally 
taken, on the advice of observers, 
who say that tele Will be too ex- 
pensive a plaything for short 
bankrolls. So far they feel that 
tele in the Los Angeles area has 
yet to kick up its heels, and their 
reasoning is justified by the slow 
stride of the new art form. 
, Whether they're due for a rude 
shock or can go along being conv 



nudge from Paramount, KFI and 
the Thackrey station, which may 
of may not take a Warners pat- 
tern: There's actiyitj; in Frisco' 
and San Diego and the nucleus 
of natibnai skeins ^oUliiji be mov- 
ing before spilng. ■ i ' 

It's- too eafly to tell how the 
competition will shape up and 
Where the strength will lie but 
from the looks of things NBC 
will be up in the forefront as it 
has in all the years of sound 
broadcastings CBS was late in 
swinging into line aiid had to. b* 
content with: a pactnershijp deal 
with L. A. Times. Whether KBT, 
going it alone, can match the 
^ strides of the networks and pic- 
placent is a matter of months. By j ture companies wfth their loose 



the turn of the year, the 49'ers 
may either be in the midst of an- 
other gold strike or they'll be 
hocking their annuities to keep 
going. 

The local situation has been an 
unhealthy one for progressive ac- 
tion. Only one station^ Para- 
niounl's KTLA, has been commer- 
cially active due to its jump on 



purse strings and talent pools is 
highly speculative. Ownex" Earle 
C. Anthony, with a few. millions 
of his own, says he's in it to the 
finish and doesn't want or need 
any partners. 

The town is still not as hopped 
up on tele as New York but this 
is -the world's picture capital, the 
sprocket kind as opppsed to tubes. 



TV: Careening Ride 
To An Early Grave' 



By IIARRY 

In . George Kelly's mad satire on 
the theatre "The Torchbearcrs," 
a crackpot dramatic directoress, 
Mr-s. Pampinelli, declaims: "When- 
ever the torch of essential culture 
has been raised, there has unfail- 
ingly been the concomitant exact- 
nient of a human life." Where- 
upon a cuckoo clock sounds off and 
everybody laughs at her. 

But she's not fooling . , . When 
you get into the business of rais- 
ing the torch of culture in tele- 
vision you find yourself knee deep 
in blood, sweat and tears. A little 
piece is chopped off your life every 
time a little break comes. Like the 
time on the Hourglass Variety 
Show tlie talking crows wouldn't 
talk to Colonel Stoopnagle; or tl>e 
time the actor sprang a nosebleed 
and between every shot of him that 
went out on the air ducked behind 
a piece of scenery where a trained 
nurse doused him in a bucket ot 
ice water. For some reason it s 
always distressing to see a man 
walk past a window that's supposed 
to be 50 stories above the ground. 

But these things do happen. 

Many people, especially actors, 
complain of the long waits they 
mhst endure while a teleshow is 
being put together. But that's 
nothing compared to some of the 
waits that are endured up in the 
control room. For instance, those 
nerve wracking, silent minutes that 
dragged by while the camera was 
trained on a closed door and no 
nobody came through. An actress 
was behind the door fighting it out 
with the lacey neghgee she was 
trvine to get into for a "quick 
costume change. Or those spectacu- 
lar -waits that come when two or 
more of the cast are trying to hold 
an Interesting but deadly pose on 
camera one while camera two is 
scutiying into position to take the 
next "shot. 

Neither aspirin, nor benzednne, 
nor coffee, nor any combination 
of the three, is potent enough to 
pad the jolt that comes when the 
6 current fails in the monitor tube 
and everybody tuned into the net- 



IIERRMANN 

work sees the picture except the 
director and his T.D. They don't 
do a thing for you when an actor 
in the play forgets the business of 
turning off the prop radio leaving 
a vocalist, and Ms guitar accompan- 
ist wallowing in desperate music 
witti no cue to cut. 

But such things don't necessar- 
ily have to happen while you're on 
the- air to put the cracks in your 
dome of many-colored glass. Your 
nerves can get a tremendous kick 
out of having a Japanese tumbling 
troupe refuse to go on until some- 
body finds a wallet that's missing 
from the dressing room. Or yoa 
can ponder the inconsiderateness 
of the leading child actor in your 
touching Christmas playlet who 
stepped in front of a rolling truck 
the day before the broadcast. 

Fortunately, there are compen- 
sating experiences that put the 
brakes on a director's careening 
ride to an early grave. A fine piece 
of acting such as Ethel Owen gave 
in "The Royal Family" is medicine 
to frayed nerves. The convincing 
teamwork performance of the en- 
tire cast of "The Silver Cord" 
makes life worthwhile. And there's 
a swell feeling that comes up inside 
you when one of the fellows on 
the cameras sets up an angle that 
gives you a picture whose compo- 
sition makes It worthy of hanging 
in the Metropolitan Art Gallery, 

And yet when your wife says, 
"I think you got your sciatica from 
sitting in that wet gutter last Tues- 
day night," you know that was the 
night the performing bear put on 
his unexpected, unrehear-sed per- 
formance and the studio crew ran 
out of mop.s. How high can you 
raise the torch of culture? 




PAUL TAUBMAN 

Pianist-OrgBnist-Conducter 

"Rosiemary," "Perry Mason" 
"True Detective" 
"Mysterious Traveler" 
"Adventures of Frank Merriwell" 
RCA Victor R«cordlng Artist 



Intimacy Is The Clue 
To Television's Charm 

By JO MIELZINER 



TV in the 
Classroom 

By EDWARD STASHEFF 

(DiTCctor of Educcitional 
, Frogravis. WPIX, N. Y.) . 

Perhaps no branch of television 
programming has received as much 
lip-service, as much vague praise, 
as much anticipatory drum-beating 
for its "terrific potential" as has 
education. And (ho perhaps about 
it) no program type has been 
given as little attention in the past 
eight years, or as little air-time, 
with the possible exception of 
"how-to-do-it" shows which are ed- 
ucational in a sense, but not what 
all the drumbeating has been about. 

There are good reasons for. this. 
Educational television is about the 
easiest type of program to do, but 
one of the hardest to do well, and 
take that on the word of one who 
has been connected with his share 
of turkeys on three local stations. 
Yet, with the ' public pretty well 
hypoed on television as the great- 
est educational' medium of all 
time, with receiver manufacturers 
all set to hit school market 
but stymied by lack of suitable 
school-hour programming, increas- 
ing pressure is being brought to 
bear. So we'll have to do more 
informative shows, and we'll have 
to make them goodi We'U have to 
make sure that the old sugar-coat- 
ing aroiind the bitter pUl of knowl- 
edge is the thickest and sweetest, 
video-wise, that we can contrive. 
And yet we must be equally sure 
that the substance is there, and 
that it's a substance worth swallow- 
ing! ..: 

And well have to clarify our 
thinking about "educational pro- 
gramming." Kducational radio 
broadcasters have long been stress- 
ing the difference between infor- 
mation and education. Each has 
its place, but the former is so much 
more easily supplied via quiz pro- 
grams that we tend to fall back on 
it. What's the difference? Well, 
roughly, an information item simp- 
ly pours facts into the viewer; a 
truly educational program leads 
him out of some field of ignorance, 
brings about some valuable change 
in his thinking, establishes a new 
concept or new point of view. In^ 
short; , an educational program 
should 'make the viewer think, and 
thinking is the most painful proc- 
ess known to man. 



When a new medium Is going 
through the growing pains of ear^ 
development, it is rather dangerous 
to make any dogmatic statements 
about its future. 

It can be stated, however, that 
television will always be a basical- 
ly visual medium. No matter how 
compelling the audio element of a 
program may be, what the public 
sees will have a greater impact 
than what they may hear. It is a 
recognized fact that the' -average 
human's visual memory is much 
more developed than the oral one. 

I will risk a second dogmatic 
statement about the future of tele- 
vision. This is a medium of in- 
timate contact. Whether it is a 
sport event, a dramatic presents' 
tion, or a technical demonstration, 
it is the element of intimacy which 
will always be captured. Regard- 
less ot the. increase in the size of 
home receiving sets or video proj- 
ects in theatres, this element of 
intimacy will always be one of 
television's strong points. 

Past experience has proven that 
new inventions like the develop- 
ment of motion pictures and radio 
have not killed the legitimate the- 
atre. The theatre somehow re- 
mained as appealing as ever; 
Economically it has suffered and is 
suffering strong competition. In a 
strange way, the element which 
makes the legitimate theatre sur- 
vive so much competition may be 
the clue to one of television's 
strong potential points. The mem- 
bers of the legitimate theatre audi- 
ence are eye and ear wltiiesses to 
a performance which has a sort of 
exclusive- characteristic. The per- 
formance you see on the stage, be- 
cause of human frailties, cannot be 
identical with the performance 
that was. given the previous night 
or that may be given the following 
night. 

The little temperamental and 
mechanical accidents and changes 
in tempo or even the occasional 
lapse of memory on the part of an 
actor are characteristics, of the 
art of the theatre; they are pos- 
sibly some of the most attractive 
and charming ones. When the 
theatre audience is moved to 
laughter, tears, ' or excitement, it 
is always that feeling on the part 
of the audience that they have 
witnessed a unique performance, 
None of the new mediums of the 
20th Century capture this element 
with the possible exception of 
television. ' 

I am particularly concerned 
with the problems of the visual 



picture in television production. 
Since the great majority of shots 
ace likely to be intimate ones, 
settings in themselves must Vv^ 
considered from an entirely, dit" 
ferent viewpoint from stage .set-> 
tings or even motion picture set- 
tings, , 

Of all the mediums available ta 
enrich the visual aspect of ths . 
actor's art^ lighting and costuming 
are the most' intimate and per- 
sonal. 

I believe it is particularly true: 
of this early phase of television 
experimentation that the maximum 
effort in the visual line should 
stress the perfection of these two 
techniques. Of the two, I believa 
lighting 'is the most important. 

Effective lighting can only be 
achieved by the collaborative ef-r 
forts of both the art director and 
the engineer. It is a great mistakv 
for any television piroducing studio : 
to put the responsibility solely in ' 
the hands of either the technician 
or the artist. No matter how creat*^ 
ively inspired the art director is, 
he dare not proceed alone on this 
uncharted sea. It is equally 
absurd to assume th^t the tecbnieal 
equipment and studio application 
of either stage lighting or motion 
picture lighting can answer the 
demands of a television studio. The 
laboratory or studio engineer, 
without the creative eye of the art 
director, is equally restricted in 
the ultimate mastery of good tele- 
vision lighting, in a laboratory be 
may rule supreme, but when it 
comes to dramatization, design and 
the fuUfiUment of imaginative 
ideas, he must recognize the need 
for his collaboration with tlw. 
artist, 

I believe that entirely new light- 
ing equipment must be designed 
and manufactured to meet the 
needs of this new medium. 

Besides the collaboration o£ 
studio engineer and art director, 
I believe the studio en^eer must 
give serious consideration to the 
fact that the improvement oi mic- 
rophone booms and other sound 
equipment cannot go on simply 
by borrowing from radio tech- 
nique, nor even from audio prao* 
tices in motion picture studios. 

The greatest present danger in 
television production is the dom- 
inance of the type of technicians, 
producers, writers, and engineers 
who act as though this was simply 
another radio show with video as 
an added attraction. This Is a neve 
and visual mediumt It calls £or a 
fresh and courageous eyel 



Tek Set Prices fiD Come Down 
-^nt m Moderately Distant Futore 



WPIX's All-City Workshop i 



CUKNUTT'S KCBC EXIT 

Des Moines, July 27. 
. Miles Johns, exec vice-president 
of KCBC, Des Moines, has an- 
nounced that Allan Curnutt has re- 
signed IS general manager. Cur- 
nutt had held the post since June.. 

A successor has not yet been an- 
nounced. 



Another bet that broadcasters, 
at least in the larger cities, have 
been overlooking is the proper 
utilization of the tidy gold mine 
to be found in communities which 
have well-organized educational 
radio programs under the auspices 
of the local school system. In 
Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, 
Detroit, and Newark are groups of 
high school students, the cream of 
each current crop, who are organ- 
ized into central radio workshops. 
The New York City Workshop was 
the principal reason for the suc- 
cess, frankly, of ''There Ought to 
Be a Law," one of the longest' 
lived series of an educational na- 
ture to hold the air in this town. 
And it's no secret that WPIX has 
already enlisted the cooperation of. 
New York's All-City Workshop for 
participation as a group on one 
show and as individuals, changing 
each week, on another. 



Possibility of a reduction in the 
price of television receiving sets 
in the immediate future is ex- 
tremely remote. That's the consen- 
sus of TV set manufacturers, who 
point out that the only reductions 
made to date have been effected 
at the expense of picture quality or 
picture size. 

Situation is perhaps best summed 
up by Ernest A. Marx, general 
manager of DuMont's TV receiver 
division, who declared: "It appears 
evident that, in general, price re- 
duction of television receivers can- 
not be immediately attained with- 
out serious inroads on qualit.v. 
Sooner or later, the buying public 
always recognizes these truths and 
adjusts its buying habits accord- 
ingly. There will always be high- 
priced automobiles and medium 
and low-priced ones. All give 
Similar service, yet the market for 
a quality car will always exist." 

Marx emphasized that no one is 
more anxious to bring prices down 
than the receiver manufacturer. 
"When, as and if this becomes pos- 
sible," he said, "the consumer may 
be a.ssured he will receive the 
benefit of any such reduction. 
Momentarily this appears to be in 
the moderately distant future and, 
for all practical purposes, there ig 
no reason to believe that any price 
reduction is in any way imminent." 

Chief reasons for the present 
high cost of TV sets, according to 
a manufacturers' survey, are the 
number of drcuite necessary in 



each set and the high cost of the 
cathode ray tube,, which provides 
the viewing screen. TV set uses 
about 35 standard radio tubes, as 
compared with eight in the avep-' 
age radio. Cathode ray tube, in 
addition, must still be hand-made 
in the larger sizes. With mass 
production of radio tubes already 
effected, it's considered unlikely 
that any further savings can be 
made there, so that the principal 
basis of price reduction in TV sets 
would lie in worldng out a mass 
production system for the viewing 
tubes, which is not considered pos- 
sible in the foreseeable future. 

With direct-view sets, utilizing 
viewing tubes of 10 inches or 
larger, virtually pegged down to 
their current price, some manu- 
facturers look for- -reductions to^ 
come in projection ihodels. Latter 
can operate with cathode ray tubes 
as small as five inches and some 
manufacturers are working on two- 
ingh tube models. According to 
Hamilton Hoge, prexy of United 
States Television, the smallest of 
these tubes already will give a 
bigger picture than the biggest di- 
rect-view tube. "All that remains," 
he said, "is to Increase the bril- 
liance and clarity of projection 
sets a little more and they will 
have everything. This is being 
done every few months or so, and 
1949 should therefore see projec- 
tion television surpass direct-' 
view." 

Hoge declared that mass pro- 
duction of tubes as small as two 
inches should be relatively simple. 



40 



RADIO— VIDEO 



We«lnegday, July 28, 194» 



P^^f Ad Agency Television Personnel 

(Containing list of television directors and chief time btt«er. ) 

TELEVISrON 

AGENCY . ADDRESS TELE. No. DIRECTOR TIME BUYER 

Allied Advertising 167 So. Vermont, L. A. 4 •. .DRexel 7331 Bill Welsh .^!"r. ^ V^'""r?„„„„ 

Atherton & Currier 420 Lexington Ave.. N. Y ., LE 2-8795 John P. Atlierton r'i, \- 

Aubrey, Moore & Wallace 230 No. Michigan Ave., Chicago 1 RAn 0030 J. H-. North J. H. MOiin 

• N. W. Ayer .30 Rockefeller Plaza, N. " " " ' 

T<;d Bates 630 Fifth Ave., N. \. 20 

■ Batten, Barion. Durstine & Os- 

■ born . , . . .383 Madison Ave., N, 

B.iiten, Barton, Durstine & 0sr „ ,, . , . 

born »19 No. Alichigan Ave., Chicago 11. superior 9200 ...Russ Tolg Cora Hawkmson 

Benton & Bowles 444 Madi-son Ave., N. Y. MU 8-1100 Herb Leder George Kern 

Biow Co 9 Rockefeller Plaza, N. Y. 20 .... PL 7-4100 Wm. Morris , William Moms 

W. Earl Bothwell 600 Grant St., Pittsburgh COurt 6565 Taylor Urquhart T. Houai^ Black 

Brooke, Smith, French & Dorrance East Jeffe"r.son at Burns, Detroit 14 .VAlley 2-9700 .Tames B. Hill Herbert R. Bayle 

Buchanan & Co 1501 Broadway, N. Y. 18 LO 3-3380 John Sheehan Bill Smith 

Leo Burnett Co 360 No. Michigan, Chi. 1 CEntral 5959 Bill Weddell K- Ross Gamble 

.Harold Cabot &; Co 136 Federal St.,'Boston 10 ...HA 6-7600 Henry W. Patter.son .. Jan Gilbert 

Cecil & Presbrey .... . . 247 Park Ave., N. Y. PL 5-8200. John M. Wyatt, Jr. . . . . . D«vid MqAncny 

Conipton 630 Fifth Ave., N. Y. 20 CI 6-2800 .' . Brewster Morgan H. Clochessy 



Y. 20 CI 6-0200 .11. L. McClinton Tom jVIcDonoulih 

CI 6-9700 Thomas F. Harrington . . Edgar Small 

Y. 17 EL 5-5800 . Wickliffe W. Crider Frank Silvernail 



Jr. 



TSSiwiiiiiiSfiiiiiiiSEiiSK 



Cruttenden & Eger .64 E: Lake St., Chi. 1 

Danoer-PitzgeraldiSample 221 No. LaSallc St., Chi. 1 . . 

Doherty, Clifford Shenfleld ... 350 Fifth Ave'., N. Y. 1 

Donahue & Coe ..... . — .... 1270 Ave, of Americas, N; Y. 

Roy S. Durstine . . . .730 Fifth Ave., N. Y. . . . 



. CEntral 7830 . . . :v . , . . Edwin J. Sherwood, , ; Harry Pipk 
. STtate 380O. . . . i ; . . . . VJ^mes Neale. . . . . ; : . . . T. Carson. James Neale 
.BR 9-0445. ... ....... .Chester MacGracken. .. .Helen Wilbur 

CO 5-4252....; .;...A. Carl Rigrod. , . . . ; A. Carl Rigrbd 

CI 6-1400 . . .... . . . . .. .Maurice J. Condon, 

Richard Eastland , Bergi Boc 

Robert J. Enders ............... .141.5 K St., N.W., Washington, D. C Executive 5834 ..John Barnes .......... William Fitzgerald 

Erwin, Wasey 420 Lexington Ave., N. Y LE 2-8700 Joe Brattain Ray Simms 

William Esty 100 E. 42nd St., N. Y. 17 MU 5-1900 Kendall Foster John Esty 

•Federal Advertising 385 Madison Ave., N. Y MU 8-4200 Francis C. Barton, Jr.. . Penelope Simmons 

C,C Fogarty 307 No. Michigan Ave., Chi. 1 RAndolph ■ 7000 Norton Jonathan Alma Kendall 

Foote, Cone & Belding .247 Park Ave., N. Y. PL 5-6600 Ralph B. Austnan Lillian Selb 

Foote, Cone & Belding . , , . . . . .919 No. Michigan Ave., Chi. 11. . . . superior 4800. . . . . .Tim Fonda ......... Genevieve Lemper 

Jones Frankel .180 No. Wabash, Chi. 1 D:^arborn 5745.... ,I-,ew Sanders, .....Lew Sanders 

Gardner Adv. Co. . . . , i 915 Olive St., St. Louis .... GAr 2915 . . .C. .E. Clagfiert, . ., E. A. W. Schulenburg 

Gardner Adv. Co 9 Rockefeller Plaza, N. Y. 20 CO 5-200O ........... Roland Martini . . . tInSt.Louis) 

Geyer, Newell & Ganger 745 5th Ave., N. Y PL 5-5400 Donald S. Shaw Frederick A. Long 

Gotham Advertising Go. ... . . . .2 We.st 4Cth St., N. Y. 19 . ..... . . Luxemburg 2-2880. . . . . Arthur -A. Kroft. . . Herman Krone 

Gourfain-Cobb Adv. . . .• .400 Not Michigan Ave,, Chi. 11 WHitehall 5230 A. S. Gourfain Louise Adams 

Grant Advertising . . ... t . .919 No* $Iicbigan Ave., Chi. 11. . . . SUpqrior 6500; .... ... .Harry Holcombe. ..... George McGivern 

C. J. La Roche & Co. ,247 Park Ave., N. Y. 17.,'...' PL 5-7711. W. R. Stuhler..... Sally Mansfield 

Lawrence C, Gumbinner 9 E. 41st St., N. Y. 17 MU 2-5680 Paul Gumbinner .Tack Goldburg 

George H. Hartman 307 No. Mlchigah, Chi. 1 . . .• STate 0055 Tom KivLin Tom Kivlan ■ 

Henri, Hurst & McDonald ....... .520 No. Michigan, Chi. 1 ... Superior 3000 , . .William E. Jones. ..... Charles Pumpian 

Honig-Cooper Co. .. ..... 333 Montgomery St., San Fran., 4 . EXbrook 2-7004 ... ... Louis Honig ...John W. Davis 

Hutchins Advertising Co. ....... .19 West ,44th' St;, N. Y. 18 .....'...MU 2-0716. .. ........ . IL Pier-son Mapes ;,.. .Fred C. Brink 

Duane J6nes Co 570 Lexington A^'e., N. Y PL 3-4848 Walter Ware , . .Regina Sclieubel 

;-KaI, Ehrlich fc Merrick- .314 Star Bldg., Washington, DiC. . Executive 3700. . . .A1^^^^ Montee 

H. W. Kastor & Sons 75 E. Wacker Drive, Chi. 1 CEntral 5333 James H. West Walter Kniffin 

Joseph Katz Co 444 Madison Ave., N. Y. 22 ..Pt .5-2740 Robert G. Swan Elizabeth Black - 

Henry J. Kaufman & Associates, . .Homer Bldg„ Washington 5, D. C , District 7400. . .... Jeffrey A. Abel. ... . . . Betty Darling Gwyer 

Kenyon & Eckhardt .247 Park.Ave., N. Y. 17 .....PL 3-0700 Garth N. Montgomery. Bill Kenny 

Kudner 630 Fifth Ave., N. Y. 20 CI 6-3200 ...Myron P. Kirk, ..... ...Mary King 

Kuttner & Kuttner , ..646 No, Michigan, Chi. 11 .■ Superior 7940 ...Larry Kurtj;e. ..Ed Stern 

Al Paul Lefton . . .521 5th Ave., N. Y. .VA 6-4340 Edwin S. Friendly, Jr. .. Edwin S. Friendly 

Lennen & Mitchell, Inc. . ... . . . .17 E. 45th St., N. Y. 17; . . . ...... .MU 2-9170 Nick Keesley. , . . ; . . . , .Frank Daniels 

Earle Ludgin .....^ 121 W. Wacker Drive., Chi. 1 ANdovcr 1888 Dale Fisher Jane Daly 

McCann-Erickson .50 Rockefeller Plaza, N. ¥:*20 CI 5r7000 Lee Cooley Wm. C. Dekker 

McCann-Erickson .31S So. Michigan Ave., Chi. 4. . . . . WEbstcr 3701 . Bill Vance .... ........ John Holmes 

-Malcolm-Howard Adv 203 No. Wabash, Chi. 1 . RAndolph 7942 Art Holland Art Holland 



Marschalk & Pratt Co 535 Fifth. Ave,, N. Y. 17. . 

J. M. Mathes '. 122 E. 42nd St., N. Y 

Maxon . . . . . .570 Lexington Ave., N. Y 

Arthur Meyerhoff ... 410 No. Michigan Ave.. Chi. 11. . 

Mitchell-Faust ..... i. 230 No. Michigan Ave.. Chi 

Emil Mogul ....... . 250 W. 57th St., N. Y. 19 CO 5-2482 . . .Emil Mogul 



VA 6-2022 ; Edward J. Whitehead.. Herbert . Gesregan 

LB 2-7450..; William H. Vilas William H. Vilas 

P. H^ Pumphrey, 

EL 5-2930 .E. Wilhelm ...Edwin Wilhelm 

DElaware 7860 Ben J. Green,. Carol Perel 

STate 661,0 I . . . . Holman Faust ..Mary Poloson 



Needltam, Louis & Brorby 135 So. LaSalle St., Chi., 3 

Newell-Eitimett Co 40 E. 34th St., N. Y.- 16 ., 

Olian Adv. 35 E. Wacker Drive, Chi. 1 

Robert W. Orr , 4 West 58th St., N. Y 

Owen & Chappell .............. . 595 Madison Ave., N. Y. . 

Peck Adv. .. .............. .400 Madison Ave., N. Y." . 

Pedlar & Ryan . 250 Park Ave., N. Y. 17; :.......;■. PL .5-1500 

Prcsba, Fellers & Presba . 360 No. Michigan, Chi. 1 ; . . . CEntral 7683 



Helen Munroe 



S'?*^ ^^^^ Wallace Otto Stadelman 

MU 3-4900 ; George F. Foley, Jr. N. F. McEvoy 

STate 3381 1. J.- Wagner Kay Kennelly 

PL. 9-8050 ;........ lohn G. Hoagland John G. Hoagland 

PL 8-2400 David Hale Halpern . . . . Marc Scixas 

PL 3-0900. Charles Furey. . .;. . . . . .vCharles.Furc 

Edgar G. Sisson, Jr. 
Mark Smith 



ley 

.Mary Dunlavy 

Eeincke, Meyer & Finn ...; .520 No. Michigan, Chi. 11 WHitehall 7440. . .Frank M Baker ' Fr ^m^' r",L, 

Fletcher D. Richards : .10 Rockefeller.Plaza, N. Y. 20 ....CI 7-6383 Kenneth ' Young UJn p.,L^i t 

Roche, Williams & Cleary 135 So. LaSalle St., Chi. 3 RAndolph 9760 .-. .N J Cavanach N f rl,,^,^ „i 

EUthtauff & Ryan " 360 No. Michigan Ave.. Chi. 3 . . . . Financial 1833 ........ .Fran Harris Hniiv <?hi' 

James P. Sawyer 19 W. 44th St.. N. Y. 10 MU 7-0940 ........James P. Sawyer .'. iiii.TamL P Taw ver 

Schwimmer & Scott 75 E. Wacker Drive, Chi. 1 . • DEarborn 1815 . ...... . Earl Bron<5nn Tr„<.i,.„ ^r j , 

R«s.selM. Seeds 919 No. Michigan, Chi. 11 DElaware 1045. ...... Ifck Sson Junrjacu"orf "^"^ 

Sherman & Marquette 919 No. Michigan, Chi. 11 DElaware 8000 Louis J Tiltlpn r v i t a 

Show Productions . . 247 Park Ave., N. Y PL .5-4200 Adrian Samish rkrT iil f 

Simons-Michelson Co lllh Fi., Lafayette Bldg., Detroit 26 CHerry 3000.... Glenn Kvki>r Air 

Strauchen & McKira . , 1301 Ingalls Bldg., 6 E. 4th Cinn. . . MAin 1618 John 6 Maunin' ' * FHmnH**p 

S"Uivan, Stauffer, Colwell & . Jviaupin Edmund R. Strauchen 

B.^yles •. 270 Park Ave., N. Y PL 9-3080,. Philio Cohen t«,„ t i 

J. Walter Thompson 420 Lexington Ave., N. Y. 17 .....MU 3-2000 Howard Reillv i^nni: nT ^ 

J. Walter Thompson 410 No. Michigan, Chi. 11 Superior 0303, Hal Rorke M»r^, ,r„V 

Tracy-Locke Co.' 1307 Pacific Ave., Dallas 1 Riverside 8655 Monty Mann Mnn?.' nfi ^ ' 

Ward Wheelock Co Lincoln-Liberty Bldg., Phila RIt 6-7500 DianT BoSrbon K^rrt r"w • 

Walker & Downing Oliver Bldg.,. Pittsburgh- 22 GRant 1900 r r 9- .Y^^^^t 

Wade Adv. Agency;^ ...;. ..;.... .20.N. Wacker Dr., Chicago 6.. STa 7369. ..... 

Watwicli: & Legler .230 Park Ave., N. Y. 17 MU 6-8585 .. Tevis Hume 

William Warren 122 B. 42nd St., N. Y ;......, LExington 2-1795 Stevens P Jackson' 

W ;iss & Geller 400 No? Michigan. Chi. 11 DElaware 1124 Marvin Mann " n{ 'T 

Winius-Drescher-Brandon 1706 Olive St., St. Louis 3 CHestnut 6380. . .• Vernon L Mor*elock' " ' Ve nnn V^'l"" , , 

W^blfe-Jickling-Dow & Conkey 76 West Adams, Detroit 26 CAdiUac 1865 J A Ch^istenspn ' ' xvuu ^ forelock 

Young & Rubicam 285 Madison Ave.. N. Y MU 9-5000 ! SirlvesterL W^^^^ Jr ra.. fc f 

Young & Rubicam 333 No. Michigan, Chi. 1 Financial 0750 PhU Bowman . ' S^rfa^ £ter 



T*^™*^ ^nii"am S." Wal'fw 

Jeff Wade William B. Condon 

Lester Malitz 
. Stevens P. Jackson 



Mke Fright' 

GoBtlnued from :page 38 



B more friendly setting, found 
them more eager to participate 
and more able to have fun. 

Going at the problem from an- 
other angle about Ave years ago, 
we found considerable success in 
the use of the telephone with the 
l>a):ticipants safely at home in their 
own living rooms and contesting 
"through the looking gla-ss." Easy 
to produce, the idea has been 
widely copied across the U. S. tele- 
vision scene, and it will probably 
grow and grow as it has done in 
radio. 

Stunt shows we, of course, "at 

., ' 'irli«'f .■ . ; ,1. 



home" in television, and suffer 
only when they trespass the bor- 
ders of good taste or sound plan- 
ning. Straight question audience 
participation will probably win out, 
however, for the video field offers 
an absolutely unlimited source of 
good questions. 

Fitting itself into the whole TV 
medium, this' can be said for the 
audience participation show: It's 
an easy type show to do requiring 
little reiiearsal. With limited stu- 
dio, facilities and minimized re- 
hearsal schedules, the audience 
participation formal drifts easily 
into a schedule that is "too cor- 
seted" to allow 10 or 12 hours bf 
rehearsal as in the case of dramatic 
shows. And since news and sporte, 
while furiUshiag the backbone o£ 



TV with front page events, cannot 
"put all the meat on the bones," it 
will be desirable to have a facile 
type of show that can be done 
easily and quickly and .still come 
out with attention-getting vigor. 

Fraught with possibility, its only 
dangpr lies in thq ability of m.c, 
cameramen, directors and engi- 
neers to develop a collective work- 
ing mind that works hanijoniously 
along one track and doesn't lose 
its members along the way. Never 
before has it been so necessary to 
get everyone involved to march 
along step by step in the same 
mental tracks. One camera pointed 
the wrong way, one unexpected 
move on the m.c.'s pari and the 
whole thing is "out the window" 
mstead of over the tube. 

. ' ,v4f.'.', ;'v ■*■'■« 



More Indoctrination 

■San Antonio, July 27 
Monte Kleban, WOAI's program- 
production manager, and Charles 
Jeffers, the outlet's chief engineer 
leave Sunday, Aug. i, for Nevv 
York, where they will spend three 
weeks at NBC, working on tele- 
vision. 

Both Kleban and .Ueffers have 
been studying (elevision for some 
■time in preparation of bringing tlie 
new medium here. They liave ob- 
served and worked on video in 
New York, Philadelpliia, Washing- 
ton Schenectady, Baltimore and 
St. Louis. 



Racine, Wis.— Contract with the 
A^f^iTJ^.. Federation of Radio 
Aitists has been renewed bv q<-i 
tion WRJN, local ABC lirer. 



FCC's list 
Of Television 
iRequirementsi 



By BOB STAHL 

On what factors does the FCC 
base its television station grants 
in competitive hearings, in which 
(lie applicants outnumber Uie 
available channels? 

Methods of financing the opera* 
(ion and programming plans are ■ 
of cpurse, the two chief factocs' 
taken into consideration. Based on 
jHe several competitive hearings 
already held for such cities ia 
New York and San Franciisci 
however, the FCC has devised, a 
number of specific points oh vvhlcfj 
applicants must be able to testi- 
fy fully. For the benefit of those 
applicants who Will be involved 
in competitive hearings in the fu- 
Uii-e. Variety herewith presents 
the FCC requirements as detailed 
by Jack Paul Blume, one of the 
Commission's chief examiners:, * 

Generally, according: to Blume, 
(he requirements are the' sanie 
lor both radio and TV. Applicants 
must prove he will have, enough 
money to meet his construction 
and ojperating costs until sucli 
time that his income will equal 
his expenses. Another important 
point is whether the applicant 
lives in the community in which 
he desires a station grant, or 
whether he has some community 
identification. In other words, Ke 
must be able to prove that Ke 
knows .specifically what the com- 
munity needs in the way of pro- 
gramming. ' 

Commission also considers the 
applicant's, previous radio and/or 
TV experience, as well as the in- 
legration of ownership and opera- 
tion. FCC will usually favor, 
Blume implied, an applicant who 
plans (o operate the station him- 
self, rather than an absentee own- 
ership arrangement. As far as the ; 
(ecimical aspects are concernedt 
Ihe applicant must be able to, 
prove that his engineering plans" 
will adequately cover the area and 
will not interfere with other chan- 
nels operating in the same district. 

For television specifically, the 
applicant must be able to prove 
that he can actually secure lH,e 
( ransmitter site proposed, • that 
adequate water and power are 
available at the site and that 'il;S 
easily accessible. Applicant mti.st 
also detail all construction worki' 
including costs, for such items 
.studios, dressing rooms, etc. H 
must - present evidence to prov 
that his equipment, including that 
for use at the transmitter, studio 
and on mobile units, will be suf- 
ficient to perforin his program- 
ming plans. Costs, of course, are 
an important consideration here 
also. . ■ ■ ■ 

Applicant must break down into 
complete detail his staff plans, 
listing by number the tecliniciil 
and programming personnel w'th 
which he plans to opei-ate. Of 
special significance in thi.s cat- 
tegory, because of the acute short- 
age of. experienced video person- 
nel, is the applicant's testimony 
on where he plans to recruit his 
staff and how he plans to trairt 
them foi- TV work once he ge(s 
(hem. Salaries to be paid to s(,aff- 
ers must also be broken down into 
fine detail. 

As far as programming goes, 
the applicant must present a com- 
plete program schedule and analS'- 
si.s. Number of operating hours 
must be broken down into Hme . 
for studio, remote, network and 
film shows, with a further break- 
down necessary in percentage 
terms on program types, such as 
educational, entertainment, icj 
ligious, etc. Programming must 
then be analyzed in rel.ilion to 
the proposed equipment, to piuve 
tlie equipment will be suldiicnl 
to carry out those plans. Applicant 
must also testify as to liis pro- 
posed programming sources, show- 
ing in detail where the taieni 
will come from, where he'll ob- 
tain his film and ncwsicel.s. ic- 
inolo pickup . points, availabimy 
of sports events and what rights 
to those events will cost, etc. 



• • { SI t 



WeAwa^ay, July 21^ 1948 



IIAIIIO—VWKII 



41 



Videomentaries 

By ROBERT P. HELLER 

(Ea'ccutiue Prodacar, CBS) 

The time is now for the predestined marriage of the documentary 
to television. : 

It is now l)ecaiise, since seeing is believing, more than hearing is 
oeueving, documenlarians are eager to embrace television with the 
pentup passion of lovers who have waited patient- 
ly but too long. The producers of programs whose 
purpose is to stimulate action on social issues by 
Piteaeating a ciear;. complete pictore of r^tlity, 
welcome the new dtmensions of sight as an oppoE' 
tunity to realize the final maturity uE tte *ett- 
nuattary form, , ■■' ;■'■ .;::.;;/.'■,,<■ ■■'■:,:■:,-■ 

Gn the other side, telcMsion-— a liepar m 
approval, seeking the tosaltics of an euer esssan* 
ing BiHdienee— sfeoutd he quick to ieecogiii&e tfi«f 
documentary as. pertsraps; tlie most petfeet^ pre- 
pared o£ all existuig radio forms for imm^iate 
translation into the new medium. The documen- 
tary may well become the one area of program- 
ming in which television can find perfection 
■ ■.. : soonest. 
I don't suggest that television is made-to-order for dofcumentaries, 
In the sense that a vidcomentarian need only be given the facilities to 
come up Willi a well-rounded program. There will be plenty of prac- 
tice and plenty of bumbling, before television audiences will accept 
Videomentaries not on the- basis of their novelty but for their sub- 
stance. I suspect, however, from what I have seen and heard of so- 
called pure drama and entertainment by television, that their groping 
years will be far longer and more difficult than documentaries. 




Robt. P, Heller 



Awkward Years Ahead 



^ The great advantage of the videomentary is the lack of precedent. 
Drama and entertainment programs, developed through years of prac- 
tice on radio and in films, face the now medium with a past that is 
pretty thoroughly formulated, almost calcified. Television, reacting 
to the needs of rapidly expanding program schedules, will probably 
attempt to carry these existing radio forms into the new medium 
nodily, without too much modification. So the next few years will be 
awkward years, years of very slow transition^ as producers try to feee 
themselves of the established cliches of radio and films, searcliing tor 
the fresh devices so necessary to communicate effective drama ustA 
entertainment to the privacy of the Jones' living room. 

I predict that the producer of videomentaries will have an easier 
time of it — if he is given the chance. In the carryover from radio, he- 
does not bear the burden of history. His form is relatively new, evens 
lor radio. With all its recent successes and growing acceptance, the 
radio documentary is still experimenting, still willing to take a chance 
on a new device, a new format. Thus, the new vidcomentarian, stimu- 
lated by the gift of sight, will be more: disposed to face his problems, 
as a free creative agent, unencumbered by the memory of standard 
radio successes. 

There is only one trap into which he may be tempted t» fall. H 
he thinks that the film documentary is something to be Imitatei^ lie's, 
doomed to failure. If, by looking for precedents in this visual inie£tt, 
he takes tlie soft, unadventurous way, he cannot fulfill the lemmmef.. 
For the film documentary, despite the sinceWty of its makers anf . fbS- 
lowers, has never managed to gain the acceptance of mass axsiaesaeeSi. 
It has advanced and improved in recent years, but on the w&ole ifc 
still rides the church-school circuit. It still retains— and regrettably 
en.ioys — the stamp of the esoteric. 

The new vidcomentarian must forget the past. In the new woscid 
of sight and sound, shaped for the Jones' living room, he is at a tfires- 
hold. He is entering a new universe-^a universe that can now Be seem 
and heard as it moves through space atid time — a universe tfta* can 
be lived and believed by all Americans. He has one great responsi- 
bility. He must not copy. His imagination must equal the inventivc- 
ne.s.s of the scientists who created his new medium. He can pioneer a 
new pattern of communication, blended out of new possibilities of the i 
niari'iage of sight and sound. He ha.s a weapon that can make people i 
accept reality, and da> something about it. tie has- new pcoblemsv but 
he Itas new toelis-. The vistas o£fore^ by the inftiiite catsbiitattKins' of 
actuality, of films, of cartoons; of animation, of studio dramatizations 
—-these are enough to make a vidcomentarian drunk with the promise 
o£ his new eraiit.. 

But he can- delfve-r the goods only if television gives him his chance. 
The new industry, if it is brave and vvi.se, will soon Jet him live this 
great adventure.' Because here, by creating a novel and real. experience 
for the millions, a relatively young medium can declare its freedom 
from tradition and piwe its determination to serve the -people and 
the future. 

The videooijefflUB-s promises pubuc service beyond our jEi»idest 

liar's Belriiid-the-Sceiies 
Moves For Peace In Tele 

By RirHAIt» F. \<i'ALSH 

(.hiternational President, lA^'SE.) 
Observers of recent telifvisitia ; matle enter£ainm«it was canfine* 
developments have noted that cer- ^ stage shaws. The pioneers wfio 
tain labor jurisdictional disputes 



respecth^ teleeasts iv&ca. theatres 
have Been resolved, at least tem- 
tjorarly, by collective bargaining 
elefitions— a number of which have 
been won by the International Al- 
liance of Theatrical Stage Employ- 
ees and TWoving Picture Machine 
Operators. And last spring,, whea 
ttw "Toaigfct on B*oadiway" pro- 
gram series took video backstage 
foi- the first time, labor trouble 
wai* focetsalled through aa agree- 
ment that foiiflrf men from two 
unions running the cameras and 
handling the controls. 

Some observers (who have, given 
liUle thought to the matter) com- 
nuMit thai the Intcrnalional Alh- 
atice is "muscling in" on elevision. 
Our members don'l appreciate that 
term It implies they have enter- 
ed, fi-om a point ouLside, a medium 
foreign to their experience But 
!o us tlie opening of a new televi- 
sion station seems much the same 
as the opening of a now theatie-- 
where, naturally, we would go af- 

%:'grrp1his thinking, il is ne- 
cessary 10 understand a little of 
the I VrSK s historical background. 
Our unions started s"orUy beto^ 
the turn of the century, when dra- 



banded together in the old Na 
tional AlliatMEc included practi- 
eaUy eve«5*«ist who- wariterf be^ 
hind the scenes, day after day, put- 
ting on the . performances. These 
people, unlike the actors, directors 
and playwri,ght3. had little chance 
to become famous or even to clean 
up wiUi a hit. Their pay was 
aorni^y low. In. the hantts of ffif- 
by-night producers, they often, got 
no pay at all. A flop on the road 
could strand them far from home, 
Unionism under tne lATSE 
changed all that. The allied stage- 
hands, after many a tough battle, 
established good pay scales and a 
large measure of security. In so 
doing, tlicy established fraternal 
bonds far surpas.sing those found 
clsowherft in tlie labor movement. 
1 believe this occurred because 
the-'it 10 folks are naturally clannish 
and are drawn together by the ex- 
citement and the rigors of their 
existence. Thus, the lA became 
more than a mere union. It was— ■ 
and still is— a way of life, a proud 
inheritance, an organization rever- 
ed and defended with almost re- 
ligious fervor. 

That spirit explains something 
the public needs to realize about 
.lurisdictional disputes. TiiLs can 
best be illustrated b;;,' a contrast 



wilh what goes on in England. 
There they have a method, of ar- 
ranging labor peace by lifting men 
from one union and putting them 
in anolher. The job determines 
the affiliation. But here, by cher- 
ished custom, the affiliation most 
often determines the job. .Any 
shift from that would be a tough 
pill to swallow, for members cling 
to a union like the lATSE as they 
cling to the'ir churches and their 
families. 

In our philosophy, the Alliance 
can and must change with the in- 
dustries it serves, but it cannot 
and must not be destroyed. By 
tliat teften, when sliow businesa 
went beyond tlie realm of live en- 
tertainment and moving pictures, 
sprang up, we naturally went 
along. No matter where or how 
the show was put on, our stage- 
hands considered it their job to 
set the stage, handle the props 
and lights and take care of any 
other mechanical chores. So they 
went to Hollywood. And because, 
at many theatres, the show was re- 
vealed through I a machine rather 
than through pulling a curtain, the 
lATSE projectionist was born. 

When radio developed, we west 
along there only to a limited ex- 
tent. In our philosophy, some- 
thing you just liear and seldSom 
see could hardly be considered; a 
show — hardly a part oi show busi- 
ness. However, when the public 
comes to the studfoi im a look, 
that's a different maMer. Then a 
stage must be set. VisiiaC enter- 
tainment is iavolved — and with it, 
naturally, the lA. 

Now, with the advent <rf tele- 
■^ision, we find show busiitess once 
more extended. Visual entertaitt- 
ment got off first basse whc» ifc 
zeaelted the motion picture: sexeen,. 
and it is now getting off seMRMt 
— reaching the screen aliputat feas- 
stantaneously from sites o£ gceat 
woi^d events aaiS carryiitg; tbesBy 
plus lEollywood films,, straigbt inta 
the home.. Nabocall?, as usualr we 
of the IA3SE ace suns We 
know seopSe alw^i^ wiBi want 1w 
see shows,. regaE«ffiess v£ wb»i^ 
and our members Wilt alWass, be 
on hand, ta helir jxcovide them. 

Althoogh television, is- preAmeo- 
nately ait extension of stage and 
screen and the newsreels^ we re- 
alize- that it i.'r transmttteii m a 
manncir somewhat similai: tO; radio.. 
Thecefoce, we realize- that tlte 
unions most actiste im eaa 
make- claim to- some teSewswoa 
work. 

I am certain, however, that juris- 
dietioaal troubles will be per- 
manenittiF vtsolveA—t hope in the 
veiry aeaas fytiBBSV: Negotiation is 
the way ta do it. Already talks 
have begun between the lA and 
the Intematinnal Brotiierhood of 
Electrical Workers. Thus, so far 
as the two American Federation of 
Labor unions in the field are con- 
cerned, jab lines may soeot be 
dearly, drawn. And such- a set- 
tlement should set a far-reaching 
pattern. . 




THE LAST STAND? 

By inJBBELL ROBINSON, Jr. 

ICBS Program Veepcc) 

On the morning of June 25, 1875, Colonel George Armstrong Custer 
rode down into the valley of the Little Big Horn. By five o'clock that 
afternoon it was all over. He had made his famous "last stand" and 
■lost;.;,',, . . ,■ 

According' top the soothsayers, the crystal gazers 
and the eMer statesmen at Toots Shor's, AM broad- 
casting is acHi mmch better oft" today thto GusteiP 
Was on that bloocjy afternoon 73 years agoi Tel©* 
vision is about to; do to radio what tlie Sioux did 
to Gustor.. There is going to be a rhassacre. ■ ■- 
No one in; his Eight mind can seripnslS' doUbt 
that television is; going to be a dominant factor in 
American life. Even in its present ■ beginnings IJ 
provides satisfaetions impossible; td radio, But il 
is the heigh* oC screwbaU prophecy to argtie that 
radio will be obliterated within thfe ior«seeabW 
future. 

mmt. n»hST.««t. a» article thai will appear in Harper's this 

USD nouinsvn ggmjird B. Smith, a sane, objective commen- 

tator on the radio scene, tentatively pegs, .1953 as about the earliest 
that television can come into its own as a full scale national medium. 
Most f£ the conservative prognosticators in the trade seejn to be in 
general agreement. . ' . . , , 

In the meantime and thereafter, AM broadcasting is going to be very 
mwdit with us. Radio will, for. the most part, have to provide the 
money to nurture television uatil it attains maturity. From a purely 
Gompetitiwe standpoint, televisiea will not be available to the mass of 
the peaplR before the early SSTs. It is also fairly evident to any rea- 
a«mably constant viewer of tdiewsion that its showmanship content In 
gaaawt has a long way to gn ta catch up with radio's. 

To hfM a»ami, while it maasages the sinews of television, radio must 
coatmue developing more and masf showmanship in presenting lt« 
products aad alter traditional concepts that govern what comes out of 
tfte ton* speaker. - . , . 

At Bt» time in radio's life has the premium on creative faculty been 
as hi^ as it isi. today. It is not a simple question of money; in (act, 
showmaaeSispv ingennity and resoiaeefulness are going to have to do- 
what maOs-pBodteceis haveattOHBted to achieve by piling up dollars la 
producticB. cw s ta a pracedkEce tiat is diiiomed to failure. 

Ways mast be tBimi t» wnata^ soceessfuUy on the air many per- 
sozudities pxesented m atber fields^ bat as yet untried in radio. Another 
re^azsite iis. a &«sAiec ptfaeaiUiSm. fat- fiiose experienced performers 
wtH» lave the taleMk: hat mbu tmtt mw had adequate opportunities at 
ttie micKapboBe.' 

CBS is tijiag ta move im soeb directions. "My Favorite Husband," 
rniOk IiBcaie B^; IMEidcex Boaner. aa Master of Ceremonies of "Holly 
wooiE Sbameaair are isonnptesi oC tbr first kind of show. The "Morey 
jSuBBSeBefbam Sbsm" soA "Ouk BBiss Broaks," with Eve Ardcn, illustrate 
the secoad neett "The Little Immigrant," created by Cy Howard and 
stansBg, J'. CairoII TSiaisb,, is stiD anatber type. 

All of these shows are pcked wdl below the figures which have 
prevailed in the market for eaiapaiable properties for a long time. In 
eaeb of tbiHiE tbeeebasbeeit a eemiae effort to substitute imagination 
for dollars. Tbw is mt tesdescy ta cut back the artist's opportunity 
Scar bigr etmraiass. Ott tbe coDtcary i£ is our conviction these shows wffl 
etist. in. a maeUt txaWb^ee ecoatnidb climate than the higher priced 
sbAws of tbe psKst. BncsBse of that tbey will have a much greater chance 
ffl£ swrvivaE witb a correspondingly longer performing life for the per- 
sonalities, writers and directors involved. Over a period of years, tbeir 
eaxsings; can be greater because their security is greater. 

It seems to us now, as it has for some time, that show-wise radio 
must move along these lines. If it does, "The Last Stand" can be 
converted into a readjustment of radio and television, flourishing side 
by side, rather than a massacre. 



Oil leke&si 
ToCoaslGiid&unes 

. Hollywood; Jwly 27. 

Standard Oil has given up its 
option to sponsor 13 Los Angeles 
Dons football games this season* 
over television station KTLA, ac- 
cordiD® to BKD&O. Standard's 
how throws' open one <*f the best 
west' coast buys of the fall season. 
, Oil Company's heavy advertising 
expenditure lia.'s wiped out its video 
savings and is the cause of their 
giving up the telecast option, it is 
reported. 

Telecasting of the li5 Dons games 
was to have run Standard close to 
$22,500, it is undei-stood. Nut in- 
cludes $12,500 KTLA paid for the 
TV rights, $2,000 for film services, 
$7,.%0 for station's time and facili- 
ties and 500 to the Ro.se Bowl Com- 
mittee for one benefit game being 
played between the Dons and the 
San Francisco '49ers on Aug. . 18 at 
the Bowl. 

Arrangements have been made 
tor the telecasting in full of the 
eight Dons Ivonie games and film- 
ing the seven out of town games, 
condensing each into one-half hour, 
for videoing at a later date. 

Four of the eight L. A. games are 
played at night and the .seven con- 
densations shown at night leaving 
only four grid battles to be.tele- 
viised in the afternoon. Package 
boils down to approximately 
$112.50 per hour of air time over 
KTLA, a.s presented to Standard, 
it is reported. 



Don't Pinch Me 

By EDGAR KOBAK 

TV is show business, so is broadcasting, so is advertising— imd all , 
good salesmen are good showmen^ TV brings sight as well as sound to 
selling electronics — ■with the advantage of not having to be in the 
presenee of the salesman, who often has halitosis, bad manners and a 
total lack of terminal facilities (shut-up-ability, giving the prospect a 
chance to say "yes"). TV takes his place in your home — you can take 
him or leave him, as you please— ^his messages are kept short (you 
know — Codes) and told just as the boss actually wants his sales story 
told. All that TV lacks is a fountain pen that writes and a dotted line 
for the signature. (Guess salesmen will keep their jobs after all.) 

Everything in life is show .business^ everyone is In it — it is all a 
matter of approach and applicationr^the best showmen win out re» 
gardless of the medium used. TV will succeed for many — -for many 
others AM wil] do the job — and for others the printed word will con- 
tinue to produce opportunity for all, with competition within as well as 
between media — competition among artists and writers, all making for 
succesiE for the smart ones. TV is just another competitor for atten- 
tSoB and opportunity and that makes this a great world, ; 

I'm still one of tho.se guys that marvels at Radio and TV. I'd like 
to see a show at the Palace or the Bijou in Atlanta. The Electronic Age 
is liere — but I don't believe it yet. Maybe I've been dreaming. I'm 
a£Eai# I'll walce up and find I'm still climbing an . electric power tower 
in; North Georgia. 



Tele Promotion 



; Minneapolis, July 27. 
KSTP-TV, Minneapolis-St. Paul, 
has come out with, one of the 
more comprehensive promotional 
brochures put out within the video 
trade to date. The piece, docu- 
mented by the station's promotion 
manager. Joe Cook, starts olf with 
a review of the outlet's tele back- 
ground, describes its production 
facilities, lists its programs with 
descriptive details, recites how it 
lias been handling listener exploi- 
tation and contains pertinent 
viewer data. 



.-JWilwaukee's Survey 

Milwaukee, July 27. 
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, is dis- 
tributing copies of a second sur- 
vey made on its own by the 
Cramer-Krasselt agency of that 
city on listening habit and .other 
information. Tlie probe, made 
through an indie researcii outfit, 
£1. W. Bader, was on the basis of 



personal interviews covering 12% 
of Milwaukee's 3,780 TV set own- 
ers over a period of two weeks. 
Private sets on ranged from 62.6% 
Wednesday nights to a pealc of 
35.7 Saturday nights. Figures for 
tivern sets on, curiously, were 
lowest Saturdays, 66.7 and highest 
! Wednesday, 80%. As for the num- 
ber of viewers per set nights the 
home average was highest Sundays, 
5.6 and taverns, the expected, 
Saturdays, 33.3. 

On the question of sponsor 
identification the findings on four 
of the station's program ranged 
from 60%, for the Camel news- 
reel, to 86% for the baseball 
games and 88.8 for the wrestling 
matches. Of the 312 set owners 
who were asked whether they 
were getting as much value from 
their set as expected at the time 
of purchase, 100 answered better, 
188 said about as good as ex- 
pected and 17 not as good. Break- 
down of home listening camei out: 
31.8% women, 56.^ men and 
1 1.9% children, the comparison 
apparently reflecting the current 
position of sports on the station'^ 
scliedule. 



One significant fact^P to come out of the field of television pro- 
gramming is the active (and consistent) enthusiasm of the critics for 
CBS-TV sliowmanship. 

As each of the major CBS-originated and produced Television 
shows has hit the air (and met the critic's eye) the response has heen 
immediate— a case of love at first sight. It is applause not only for 
purpose, hut for fulfillment; for both ingenuity and technique — in 
news as in music, in variety-comedy and in "remote" broadcasting. 

Of far greater significance is this fact. In a medium which is 
still in its infancy, these CBS-TV programs emerge as fully matured 
productions on their very first airing — us the following comments 
clearly reveal. 



t 



Vedncaday, July 20, IMS" 



.ii 'IP^'. i . ii» 




Here's what the critics said: 

TOAST OF THE TOWN Sunday, 9;30-10:30 pm 

"I'elevision seemed to advance live years, at least . . . Sparked 
by Ed Sullivan hitting a new high as an affable emcee, the 
video show maintained a speedway pace...^tli this show, 
CBS moves ahead of the crowd as the leader in putting 
together Grade A Variety fare." radio DAiLt 

CBS-TV NEWS Monday tlirn Friday, 7:30-7:45 pm 

"Much better than tlie feature-type newscast employed by 
oilier video broadcasters." yARiETT 

(Also the American Television Society's annual news award 
for "the station witli tilie year's outstanding news program.") 

WHAT'S IT WORTH? Friday, 9:00.9:30 pm 

*'Prime television programming. . . It has; visoal.abd auditory 
appeal, each abetting the other. Its content is intriguing 
and devoid of monotony, and its format is pleasurably 
iuformal... There's a tremendous wealth of anecdote and 
human interest in the program." the billboaWO 

PLACES, PLEASE Mon., Wed., Fri., 7:45^:00 pm 

"This new backstage tele series, giving featured performers, 
bil players and chorines from Broadway a chance at some 
individual stuff, has a warming informal quality that makes 
atliaclive video . . . Barry Wood as producer-singer-emcee . . . 
hitsitsatisfyingly." varieti 

FACE THE aiUSIC Mou. thru Fri., 7:15-7:30 pm 

"Here's one of tlie neatest litlle musical packages to be 
wra pped up for television." (producer) . . ."has wisely dressed 
the show with sufficient visual mountings and has given the 
singers bits of business to do. Latler factor gave the show 
that all-important movement." VARiETff 



TO THE QUEEN'S TASTE Monday, 8:05-8:30 pm 

"Most TV recipe shows are as flat as stale beer, but one 
stands out like a glistening grape in a flavorless aspic. Mrs, 
Dione Lucas . . , had husbands drooling . . . is. something of a 
television sensation." time ma^^azii^e 

THE MISSUS GOES A-SHOPPING With John Reed 
King Wednesday, 1 :30-2 :00 pm 

"Best proof. . .of staging certain types of television shows 
'on location'." Television vei-sion "added plenty cif color and 
authenticity." ' VARlEiTf 

The audience backed up the critics 

Certainly of equal importance with critical acclaini 
is the response of the television audience. Here, 
too, CBS-TV. programming has already established 
clear-cut leadership. 

The most -recent Hooper Telerating Reporl 
showed that four CBS-TV programs placed among 
the "top 10"'— more than placed by any other sta- 
tion. And Gulf Oil's we the people with a 46.Q 
rating was the No. 1 program in the New York area. 

.TOAST OF THE town's first rating (9:30-10:00 
pm) won more than half the viewers with a 56.5 
share of audience. And CBS television news, only 
two months on the air, was the only news program to 
produce a broadcast with a ratjing in the 'Hop lO'** 

Praise from network affiliates 

'A major measure of effective network programming 
is its appeal in other cities. Two afiiliates testify to 
the local effectiveness of CBS-TV programs. 

"I am sure you will be interested to know thsrt; from 
the comments and letters we receive, it is clear that CBS, 
day after day, is doing an outstanding job in Television 
News. It is programming of this type that helps build large 
and increasingly loyal audiences to our station." 

G. BENNETT LARSON, WCAU-TV, PModelphUn 

"Congratulations, I think Toast of The Town' ranks with 
the top Television entertainment on the air. It's certainly the 
kind of programming stations need to build audiences." 

E. K. JETT, WMAR-TV, Baltimore 



For advertisers today these uni- 
versal tributes to CBS-TV. pro- 
gramming have sharply practical 
implications. To explore them to 
your profit call CBS Television, 




On CBS fridoy Night 

For 

GENERAL FOODS 



fMnnogMnenh 
fRANK STEft«>li 





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JtimS FOR ENTERTAWMENT. EDUCAIiON AND INDUSTRY * 

: PAUL WHITE PRODUCTIONS. Inc. : 

• MOV(CTOm$TUDIO«-4*0 WIST 54th ST.. MIWV0MK1».M.Y. COI-mb-. 6-7200 • 



Crait drama comes to television in NBC telecasts of Theatre GkM presentaHotUh 



How widm is ^^Broadway'T 



To people all over the world "Broadway" 
imeans the tlieatre. So when NBC, in October 
1947, introduced regular telecast perform- 
ances of Theatre Guild productions, an ex- 
pansion of "Broadway" began-and some 
day it will be nation-w;ide. 

Today, if you live in a television area almost 
anyvi^here from Boston to Richmond, the new; 
"Broadway" of television runs past your door. 
Now you can see great plays, professionally per- 



formed by noted actors. Tliat's news, exciting 
news, to lovers of the theatre. 

Celebrated artists run through, lines and 
action before the keen-eyed RCA Image 
Orthicon television cameras. At your end of 
ktlie picture, on an RCA Victor home television 
receiver, action is sharp, clear, detailed . . . 
and voices flawless. 

That television can make $o important a con- 
tribution to the field of American entertainment 



is in good part the result of pioneering and re- 
search at RCA Laboratories. Such researcli 
enters every instrument bearing the name RCA 
or RCA Victor. 

■• ■ , ■ ••■ • 

"When ill Radio City, New YorJc, he sure lo see ilia 
radio, tclecision and electronic wonders on display at 
RCA Exhihilhm Hall, 36 West 49th Street. Free ad- 
mission. Radio Corporation of America, RCA Build- 
ing, Radio City, New York 20. 



'.->■■ / 

) / 




I^Jk a winner.* 

{mwmOVT TAMMN6 A tMAKCB} 

Radio Sales Juts a file of 1,600,000 ttAvhalng 
au-ds that tmtell you everything aboi^ 
radio Ustening in your most important salef; 
territories. Not only for Radio Sales 

represented stations—hut slso for all 
competing stations. Not only Irom 
8:00 a.ni. to 10:00 p.m.— but also for the eiarly 
morning and late evening hours. Not only in ; 
the city— hut out of town too. "With this exclli« ; 
eive Radio Sales research— the most pene- 
trating and resourceful in the spot field— yoa 
can take the gamhle out of taking a chance 
witfayour advertising hudget. And collect! 



Ckarbll* 



iravA 



WAFM 



wcco 

A. Foil 



KMOX . 



mrop 



KNX 
CFN 



tnOmUfUm i 



won 
vcas-'n 



TEUVISION in BALTMORE 

WMARTV 




SUNPAPERS 



TELEVISION 



As Maryland's pioneer television station, WMAR- 
TV consistently covers an area from Washington to 
Wilmington (Del.) and from Pennsylvania to the 

..Jrotomac.'::' " 

The peerless propagation of Channel Two carries 
programs from THREE major networks via the 
television station of the famous Sunpapers of Balti- 
more to televiewers in the Chesapeake Basin. WMARi 
TV's own coverage of sports and special events— dvic, 
patriotic, and cultural— is unequalled in this rich, 
productive area. 



Represented by 

THE KATZ AGENCY, INC. 

500 FIFTH AVENUE • NEW YOllK 18 



Wedneaday, July 28, 1948 



4St 






coMma VIDEO 

ATTRACTIONS 



• COMMERCIALS 

• TIME SPOTS 

• WEATHER 
SPOTS 

• STATION 
BREAKS 



TITLES 



'I 




iiSiiiii 



; ptogta» w 



mmoimi, 



Vciem 

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SERVICE 

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ORDSK nOM 

ANY BRANCHi ;| 

AUANY 1M4 Iraadwoy 

ATLANTA 167 Wailcn St., N. W. 

BOSTON ?5'ki«aiiway 

BUFFAIO SOSNarlSt. 

CHARIOTTE 303 W. 3rd$|. 

CHtCASO 1307 Sa. Wabash Ave. 

CINCINNATI U3S Central Pdrkwo]r 

. CLIVtLAHO v., 

HAUAS 4012 Jackson % 

mmfM, * imiHmfiSK 

-m noiiif $. . ;* m »?sk'%v 

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MINNEAPOUS ^,...,..lTOS Currie Avs. 

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WHlAftttWIA.... Ml yi«« St 

PfTTS»llirOH^..,.,.1i27 Boulevard «r tiie Allies 
*ORTWND.',;:.>:v:.....M> ». W. Xm Ave. 
ST. MlillS ..>w,., 33W<MWeSt J 

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SAN FRANCIICO .>.140 l«iv*n*orlh St. 



SEAHIE . 




fi^O 9f/i i^ve, Home Office Telephone 

New York 19 • Circle 6-5700 



WednMday, Joly 28, 194S 



THE BANDSTAND 

STIU. 
TWICE DAILY 

WHN 



JOHNNY OLSEN 

1944— y jasi^i Soid, "Boff Video Material" 
nVi-PlSS^i Soy»r "8o« Video Material" 

JOHNNY OLSEN 
BEFOK THE CMNQMS- 

"Doorway to Femie"— WABD-TV Network 
; "Rumpus Room"-WJZ-ABC.TV Network 

AVMUWLE 

"Lodies Night" 
"Bring Your Bosket" 

THE AH- 

"Get filch Quick"-ABC Coast to Coast 
"Rumpus Room"~WJZ-ABC 
"Whiz Quis'^BC Coast to Coast 



AMERICAN PR01IUGT10NS 

PLoza 5-7123 565 Fifth Avenue 





SALUTES 

RADIO and TELEVISION 



THE MBIBERS OF THE CASTS OF 

"WHEN A GIRL MARRIES" Number 1 
"PEPPER YOUNG'S FAMIirNiimlcr 2 
"ROSEMARY" Number? 

On the July 15, 1948 HOOPBl 



Five exciting; new telev&ion 

NETWORK SHOWS 



FOR SALE on 




T TERE IS your opportunity to get into network television! 
X X ABC olFers for sale five top-notch new shows on a web 
that covers the whole central Atlantic States area: New 
York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. 
It's a iig audience— and one of these shows ought to be 
just the right one for your product. 




Hollrwood Ser««oTest. Talented young 
artists take a movie test while talent scouts 
look on! Bert Lytetl emcees as Z different 
Hollywood star plays opposite thft new- 
comers each week. Here's a video show 
loaded with thrills, comedy, drama and 
music— plus big names to give it tdded- 
appeal! Sun. 8M-S;30 PM £DST. 



You're biTited. RomoVincent greets the 
video audience at hit front door and uivites 
them in to see his lively, informal variety 
-show. Singing comedian Vincent, an expeii- 
enced Broadway musical comedy uar, ii 
an old hand at tying the acts tog^sdicr and 
keeping the show on its toes! W'td. SdHh 
S:30 PM £DST. 




Carttton Teletal««i A unique television 
program that keeps the kiddies spell* 
bound! Brother Ghuck, the cartoonist, and 
Brother Jack, the narrator, combine their 
efforts to describe the antics of their animal 
world characters: Pinto the Pony, Cletus 
the Caterpillar and Alice the AlliRator. 
Monday W Wtd. 5:30-6:00 PM EDST. 



Tbat Reaiiiid* Walter Kicmaai 

weaver of homespun philosophy and droll 
tales of life on a hundred American Main 
Streets, has as his colleagues on the show 
Ex-Governor Harold Hoffinan ofNew Jersey, 
Tex O'Rourke, swashbuckling soldier of 
fortune, and "Uncle Jim" Harkins, radio 
ictot.Mon. 9:00-9:30 PMEDST. 



11i»*AiHHit TombTwo girls and a boy 

—Phyllis Wood, Betsi Allison, and Bill Har- 
rington»^Epark this sprightly quarter-hour 
show twice each week. Aided by two spinet 
pianos, this talented trio etitcrtains with 
lively songs and exchanges gay patter about 
the theatrical world. Monday and Friday 
7:00-7:15 PM £DST. 



ABC-TV 



for what's worth watching 

American Broadcasting Company 



SO 



WcilnfMlay, July 28, 1941 




JOAN DAVIS 

ELECTED 

"QUEEN OF COMEOr 

FOR THE 

6TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR 




DOROTHY and DICK 

America's Most Popular Breakfast Team 
7 Days a Week ★ 23 Contented Sponsors 

WOR • 710 on your dial 



Bat Wings 




TDie)^Ve atop the JFCAU television tower 735 feet above the street in 
Philadelphia. . .America's third largest city and second largest in the 
number of set owners. . . - WCAU-TV with its combination of height 
and potver reaches into thousands of homes. Its program popularity 
puis pull into that reach, making television a potent advertising medium. 




you're ill PhflflMlelphia 



CBS AFFILIATE 



TUU PHILADELPHIA BULLETIN STATIONS 




Television Network 




KRON. 
SAN HtANCISC 




KNBH 
EOS ANGEIES 



A L I T Y 



NBC Network Television is a work- 
ing reality in 1948 -rather than a 
vague potential. 

Today ihere are fifteen NBC stations on the 
air. By year's, end, there ^vill be over thirty. 

Seven stations make NBC's Eastern Net- 
work. Five affiliates— WRGB, Schenectady; 
WBZ-TV, Boston; WPTZ, Philadelphia; 
WBAL-TV, Baltimore; and WTVR, Richmond 
—are connected by cable and relay to NBC's 
WNBT, New York, and WNBW, Washington. 



Served by NBC Kinescope Film programs,eigbt 
more afFiJiates are available to llie Network's 
television sponsors. These stations a 
~WBEN-TV, Buffalo; WLWT, Cincinnati; 
WWJ-TV, Detroit; WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee; 
KSTP-TV, St. Paul; KSD-TV, St. Louis; 
KDYL-TV, Salt Lake City; and WSPD TV, 
Toledo. 

IVlidwest affilliales will be directly joined with 
NBC's own stations in Chicago and Cleveland. 

* The Midwestern and Eastern Networks will 
be linked before the end of 1548. And NBC'« 



Los Angeles station will be lied to San 
Francisco to serve as a focal point for an 
expanding Western Network. 

In iehvWwn\ experimental stage'— uih^ f^^' 
initiated, championed and perfected todays 
bUak and ivhite system-NBCs coiUribulions 
tcere first in the field ...afield of great promise. 

Uroiigh all of television's development, ^BC s 
recognized leadership, and its to"'/ 
ment, helped to keep that promise alive. 

Bid a mimrh carit operate on promise 



LEGEND 



Today-drlimwig performance railwr than press 
rekuses-diis is the JSBC Tekviswii Nelicorh 

To viewers, the excitement of great 
programs . . . 

To advertisers, television''s greatest 
audiences . . . 

To affiliates, America's No. 1 Television. 
Network ... 

To the industry, ihe standard of eighi- 
»nd-sound broadcasting today . . . 



White lowers are operating stations. ' 

Block towers hove construction permits. 

Thick line refers to existing cooxiol coble (eostern MLoboord). 

Ihin lines indicote projected coble. ^ 

Efoken lines represent reloy links. 



lliis 16 ISlBC . . . America'e No. 1 TeJevifeion Nelwotlfc 

NBC Television 

THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY 



WfAicaibar, July 28, 1948 



MILDRED FENION PRODUCTIONS. Ine. 



38 East 57th Street, New York 



PLaza 5-2940 



PARTIAL LIST OF NETWORK 

^ Written by 

IfFe Tunick 

First Half of IMt 



Jan. 4 ETEENAL LIGHT— NBC— "The JBmk and 43ie Window."- 

Jan. 9 OPINION PLEASE— CBS— "Indnbtitl Baee.'^ 

Jan. 18 ETERNAL LIGHT— NBC— "Riwa J«ii«B." 

Jan. 28 SCHOOL OF THE AIBi— CBS— "«tgie.« 

Feb. 2 nBERTYEOAD— CBS— "Beinff«WMBan." 

rel>. 10 TALES OF ADVENTUEE— CBS— ^iBwi^e Washington Carver;" 

Feb. '21 "The Friend and Peter Stuyvesant"— Special Broadcast for Na- 
tional Conference of Christians and Jews — CBS'f 

Feb. 22 ETEENAL UGHT— NBC— "Certificate of Entry." 

Feb. 23 LIBERTY ROAD— CBS— "My Representative." 

Apr. 4 YOU ARE THERE !—CBS»— "The Monitor and the Ifcrrimmc." 

Apr. 17 DOCUMENTARY UNIT— CBS^— "Play Ball." 

Apr. 18 YOU ARE THERE!— CBS^— "The Last Day of Pompai." 

Apr. 28 SCHOOL OF THE AIR— CK— "C]t^la)$e to llefeat." 

May 2 "Two Lines" — Special Broadcast for American Cancer Society, 
starring Miss Katharine Hepburn — CBS. - 

May 9 ETERNAL LIGHT— NBC— "The Things I Saw." 

May 16 ETERNAL LIGHT < Repeat)— "River Jordan." 

June 6 "This Living Flag" — Special Broadcast for Americim legion 
Auxiliary, starring Mr. James Dunn — CBS. 

June 20 ' YOU ARE THERE! — CBS^ — "Impeachinent*. of Andrew John- 
son." . " . 

July 4 ETERNAL UGHT— NBC^- "An AmericMi Bailstd." 

July 4 Special Broadcast— CBS— "Seeds of Liberty." 

July 11 ROMANCE— CBS— "High Tension.*' 

July 11 RETURNENGAGEMENT—CBS«— "The Life "We lave." 

July 18 RETURN ENGAGEMENT— CBS"*— "Has Fiiead «nd Peter Stuy- 
vesant." 

Aug. . 1 REITJEN ENGAGEMENT— CBS»---"E3cperiment in Living." 

(1^) ETERNAl UGHT— Rrtl Award, Ohi* Stat* ln<t. far Glut. 1by Kadfi* 

(2) FRIEND AND PETER STUYVESANT- " " " " " " " " " 

(3) VOU ARE THERE - Prabody Award, " " " " " " " " " 
{•) CBS DOC UNIT - " " " " " " " " " " " 
(*) RETURN ENGACEMENT-Rvptot o* Prix. Winning Show» by SBS-Thrn of Four by wrttar. 

YNOTC: AuilifjaMs, lahvbivn, inliMKriplions and Ipcol* nat iiidtudMlJ 

Address; 118-16 80th Road^ Kew Gardens, N. Y. 

T«i. Ni>. Virginia 7-1Q4S3 



Films Exclusively for Television 

TELEFILM IN HOLLYWOOD 

Producing for ond Supplying TV Sfotions Hcrtioiially 

A Weekly Release-Story Material from "Ail Over the World 
Suhsctiblng Stations 

KSO-TV, WWJ-TV, WNBT, WGM-TV 
MSTP-TV, KDYL-TV, WSPO-TV 

Mow Setting Contracts for NBC 7-Sfat(on Network 

* , 

"ERSKINE JOHNSON IN HOLLYWOOD" 

Now Being Offered for Notional Sponsorship 

COMMERCIALS for Schenley, Brown Shoe Co., Phileo, General 
Electric, Snowden Chemical Co., Catolina Swim Suits 
and Others 

The Siydio With the Most Complete 
i6mm Facilities In the Industry 

TELEFILM 



[ 



1 M C O k » O « ^ T tt S 



3 



6039 Holiywood Blvd. Hollywood 2B, Calif. 

Phone HO. 7205 



ir«<1neMla3r, July 28, 1948 



S5 




GLORIA S\^ANSON HOUR ... late fashions, help 
iifor homcinukers, interviews . . . every week. 




IPIXIE PIA1fTIipi< . V iKsrl puppet Pelcr W. Pixie 
^^jg,MjbrrgK£ ibnee»a-wcek children's show. 



^4 ^ 



mW^m tHC HUUK . . . ni »s mid in-«K pi. t 
' while they're cti^ ««8i*%;.|tl*ee"^timcs daily. 





Justnaineit!,.. 

With a wide range of television remote" 
pickups and studio shows . . . helpful programs for 
the homemaker, complete news coverage, public 
service pi-esentatiohs , . , comedy, movies, drama . . . 
children's shows, sports and special events.'.. 
WPIX provides ample opporlimily for sponsors to " 
make a profitable impression on a new' major 
market— moving up fast and here to slay! . . . offers 
an unusual chance for any advertiser to create 
more conversation among customers, promote 
prestige, build business, better sales! 
, For details, production costs and advertising 
rates on programs now available for .uponsdrship 
and syndication . . . write, wire or plionc WPIX . . . 
220 E, 42nd St., New York City. . . or WPIX 
representatives oimide New York, Free & Pelcrs, 
'444 Madison Ave.. N.Y. C. 




KM'I m\\V. I ill'. I N . f«-.h«.iiis, toiid, d«nci>8 
uad oosliJiiK'*! «f tho tJ(»i)«>d Nation*, v i-t 




i 1IIFl»l{\VHN<»<.^MI l'niil/«i l*ii/i'«.iiluiimM 
Rube Coidlberg t« a wrrkiy t'ai l<»ou-c )iai ftdc mhip 



TELEPrX . . . coaiprelicnsiv^fc rovierofiioof iv.'ii"i.'t 
and iatcrnaliooal event's dailj- ap-d giirtday. 




. 8 4 <t V f!) i.> > 



*^«.* t««t t*<^<- 




to 

whom 
it 

may 
concern 

the 
ford 
dealers 
of 

america 

will 

again 

present 

the 

fred 

alien 

program 

on 

Sunday 

nights 

over 

station 

wnbc 

at 

8:30 
p.m. 
e.s.t. 

during 
the 

summer 

months 

jack 

eigen's 

name 

will 

be 

mentioned 
exclusively 
on 
the 
jack 
eigen 
program 
.from 
the 

copacabano 

new 

york 

over 

station 

wins 

from 

12:30 

to 

4 

a.m. 
nightly 

* sincerely 

fred 
alien 



Larry Starch 



Cafes 



Theatres 



*Radio 



Legit 




Television 



Managemenl-^WiHiant Monis Ageney 



Hi 



OLLYwooD Screen i est 



Te: 



American Broadcasting Company's 

Number One Television Show 

. ^ . . IP ■ ■ 

CurretMy teen on ABC Network — Sundvfs, 6:30-7 P.M., E.B.S.T, 
Boimng on WJZ-TV AuguH ISA 

A DISTINGUISHED FILM PERSONALITY CONDUCTS SCREEN TESTS 

OF THREE YOUNG STAGE AND RADIO PERSONALITIES 
IN DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL PLAYLETS 
SUPPORTBD BY A HOLLYWOOD GUEST STAR. 



LESTER LEWIS, Producer 



RALPH WARREN, Director 



Also Available for Television 



Artist*—' 
BILL STERN 
JQHN CONTE 
PATRICIA BRIGHT 
HARRIET VAN HORNE 



Writer*— i 
ALTON ALEXANDER 
BERNiE DOUGAL 
MORT LEWIS 
MARCY TINKLE 



ONE CHMSroniKIt StRGET, NEW YORK 14, NEW YORK WAiUm 4-8Stt 



Today's Television Screen 

is Already 
40,000,000 People Big ! 




MGHt NOW-— 1ODAY-'-40,000,000 people are living within reach of. daily 
Before the votes are cast in this year's Presidential election, television will reach substantial areas 
in at least twenty-one tUUes hatbnig more ^^wntwo-thirds of the nMional to^ 



WHERE YOU SEE TELEVISION, YOU SEE RCA ACHIEVEMENT 



• RCA is proud of its many contri- 
butions to every phase of television, 
from laboratory research . . . through 
design and production of transmit- 
ting and receiving equipment ... to 
installation and maintenance of tele-: 
vision in your home. 

Research . . , Nearfy every major 
advance in television has hem developed 
hy scientists ami' engineers of RCA and 
its manufacturing division, RCA Victor. 
Some of the highlights: 

1 923— Iconoscope tube, first electronic 
"eye" of television invented by Dr. V. K. 
Zworykin, now Vice President und Xecb- 
bical Consultant of RCA Laboratories. 
'1929— Dr. Zworykin demonstrated pub- 
licly tJie £f8t all-electKMiic televiuion re- 
ceiver, using the kinescope or picture tob^ 
which he developed. - 

1 936— Outdoor television pickups dcmon- 
•trated by RCA at Camden, N. J., across 
distance of a mile using 6-nicter waves. 
1 939— First all'electaranic home television 
receivers made available to the public by 
RCA. 

1^41— IRCA introduced the first anto- 
matic television relay stations, pctmitb'ng 
long-di6t«nce pickups. 
1945— IICA devcl<^ied the image ortiii- 



con tube, supersensitive "eye" of the tele- 
vision camera. 

1946— RCA produced the Eye Witnesa 
Picture Synchronizer which locks the re- 
ceiving set in tune with the sending stations. 
RCA cvttarch and pioneering never endtl 

Tube production . . . RCA supplies 

650 types of electron tubes for television 
transmitters, receivers, cameras and other 
electronic equipment. They have earned a 
reputation for the utmost in engineering 
quality, perfotittance and reliability. 

Trdnsmission equipment . . . 

RCAproduccs acompleterangeoftransmis- 
sion equipment— -from image orthicon field- 
cameras through control panels and trans- 
mitters to the most niodcrn of antennas. 
RCA transmission equipment has already 
been chosen by 43 telccastcrs in 31 cities 
froinMassachusetts to Florida, firom Minne- 
sota to Teiae, from New York to California. 

Receivers . . . RCA Victor produces 
the most complete line of lieUvision sets in the 
iii(/u5try. Prices of home receivers start as 
low as $325. Styles range from compact 
table models to magnificent consoles with 
pictures twice as'large 'as this 'newspaper 
page. The Eye Witness Picture Synchro- 
nizer, wliich automatically locks the set 
in tunc with sending stations, is just one 
of many outstanding features which make 
an RCA Victor set your best television buy. 



Prom View to You if s RCA VICTOR 



juAMsmnm 



^RCA IMAGC 
ORTHICON J 
fAMiRA 



RCA SERVKI CO. 
INSTAUAIiON AMD; 
MAiNTEHMiCI. 





'MTH AM RCA VIOTOt SCT, 
VOU'M AH KYI WITNBt 
^IN YOUR OWN HOMt 



cameras, other 
equipment set tele- 
vision standards. In 
fact, no telecast . ' 
is ever made without 
the UBc of some 
equipment designed 
and produced by 
HCA Victor. 



vision tranBmiseion 
equipment has al- 
ready been chosen 
by 43 tclccaslcrs 
in 31 cities from 
Massachusetts 
to Florida; from 
New York to 
California. . 



Every Eye 
Witness television 
set is installed and 
maintained by fac- 
tory •trained experts 
of the KCA Service 
Ca under the terms 
of the RCA Victor 
Television Owner 
Caontcacb 




MorcTlCA • 
Victor sets are in 
use today than all 
other makes of tele- 
vision sets combined. 
RCA Victor Tele- 
vision is locked, in 
fctne. See your KCA 
Victor television dealer 
for a demonstration. 



RCA Service Company . . . The 

final test of' television is your enjoyment of 
it at homCb RCA Victor assures you fine 
perfi>rmance through the RCA Service Co. 



Factory-trained experts install your RCA 
Victor set and antenna, andmaintain them in 
top operating condition under the terms of 
the RCA Victor Television Owner Contract. 



NOW IS THE TIME TO SEE YOUR 

RCA VICTOR TELEVISION DEALER 



HCA T/fCTOM 

¥ DIVISION OF JSADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA 




4^ 



S8 



Wednesday, July 28, 194S 



''€AH YOU TOP THIS?" 




SENATOR FORD • PETER DONALD • JOE LAURIE, JR. • WARD WILSON • HARRY HERSHFIELD 
\ IWy 156 W. 44th St.. New York 18. N. Y. jR, 



Here's the machine that put Ring Crosby on tape.. 




The ability of ihe Ampex Magnetic Tape Recordcr to mamlain its 
unique high-level ol fidelity has been fully demonstrated over the 
past season on the Crosby program. This "true-to-life" reproduction 
18 the result of engineering improvements by the Am^x Company 
on the high-quality German magnetic tape machines 
The American Broadcasting Company has purchased 24 Ampev re- 
corders to date and is using them from 15 to 18 hours a day in con- 



EXCLUSIVE 

Emi of the Rockies: 

AUDIO & VIDEO PRODUCTS CORP. 

681 Fifth Avetute, iVew York 22, N, T, 
T^ephone PLairn 9-6031 



MAGNETIC TAPE RECORDER 



o,n,mer,ial „et^ .peralion. The ™„1|., f „„ 

i.T he ^J^Z ""^ -^"."v 

anu ttie tost oi ABC s recordmg operation has been reduced sub 

sumtia ly. There is no >vaste of material as with discs; therrL no 

discards, and editing on tape is made simply with a pair of s Jslrs 

Based on average operation and personnel costs the full ^T 'f 

Uiis machine will be saved in a very'short tin^rWrtfoJ^uIZj. 



DISTRIBUTORS 

St?.?"^®!"*?^ ENTERPRISES, INC. 

9028 Sunset Boulevard, HoUyu,ood 46, Calif aruia 
**>Mpimm€remiewllltl 



MARY LIVINGSTONE 
PHIL HARRIS 
ROCHESTER 
DENNIS DAY 
and DON WILSON 

Writers 

SAM PERMN 
MILT JOSEFSBERG 
GEORGE BALZER 
ilOHN TACKABERRY, 

Producer 
MILLIARD MARKS 

.Agency 
B.i.D.ftO. 



Sponsor 
LUCKY STRIKE CIGARETTB 



BILL 

SLATER 



HERB 
POLESIE 



BOB 
SHEPARD 



JACKSON 
BECK 



MINNABESS 
LEWIS 



ALLAN FRANK • RICHARD SEFF • 



— Assisfecf by — 
ELLEN FENWiCK • GERRY LOCK 
DAVID P. LEWIS, Director 



• LAURA WEBER • FLORA CAMPBELL 



TELAMUSE PRODUCTIONS, 295 MADISON AVE., new york 



VIC D AMD HE'S 

20,000,000 ^euU Getn't Be W^uma! 

■ ■ - — ■ ' . ' I - .,. ^.^ \ 




VIC DAMONE 

Now in his second year as singing star of Pet Milk's 
CBS "Saturday Night Serenade," is "must" listening 
with millions of radio fans from coast-to-coast. 

His Mercury Records are among the nation's great 
favorites. 

His personal appearances established new box office 
highs all over the country, 

Teievis'ton, here's VIG DAMONE. 



PcnoRnl MancM|«neiit 
LOU CAPONE 



fmt R*l<ii{M* 
SIDNEY ASCHER 



DirtctiM 

WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY 



V«iliM»Mi«y, Jwly 28, I94« 



^1 



NBC EVERY FRIDAY AT 8:30 

starting in October WM. ESTY A6EICY 



AND 
TO MY loss 

Tom LuGkenbill 

MY ntoBUcen 

Phil Cohai 

MUSICAL DIRECTOR 

Hoy Bargy 

THANKS1 




Radio s Man of Distinction 

^^^^^^^^ 

CAMELS 

CURIHENT IVEUEASE 
METRMOLDWYII-IIIUIYCII'S 



''ON AN ISLAND WITH YOU" 

Produced by JOE PASTERNAK DtKcted by MGHARD THORK 











DIRECTION 


PERSONAL M AMAeEMENT 








LOU CLAYTON 




Eddie Jtadtaum 




Wfiti. Morris Agency 

REVERLY HIUS 



WgJntflJay, July 28, 





. . . and Buffalo expects the best from the 
planning and executive personnel that has 
made WBEN the Buffalo radio station "most 
people listen to most of the time" • Programs 
are in production and are available • Write for 
details or call your nearest Petry office. 



ne BmnmiiO Evenimg Mews TelevMon Stolioii 





Haffionttllr ^ EOwurd Petrjir ' Ii 




GENERAL FILM 
PRODUCTIONS 

CORP. 

1600 Broadway 
New York 19, N. Y. 

HAKRr A. KAPIT, fr». 

FILM 

PRODUCTION AND 
PROGRAMMING 

for 

TELEVISIOR 

Open End GopyrigjKted 
Commercial Spots 

• Kitchen Magic 

• Did You Know? 

• It's Fun to Be Fooled 

Available fo Stations 
and Agencies 

■■■ • — 

low Available! 

8Q_1943-44 

Feature Film Releases 
e Muacak 
e Comedies : 

• Oramm 

• Mysferies 
^Westerns 



Servicing Tetevision 
Agencies and Stations 
for the Post 3 Years 

Inquiries Invited 



JOHN S. MARTIN 
Exec. Prod. 

ELBERT S. KAPIT 
Assoc. Prod. 



PROMOTION - PUBLICITY 

PUBLIC RELATIONS— Part Tim* 

Th» xnmi reB|ioiisilile for Dailon^widn 
raven i-e^nrdlnir liif* display of show 
innniililp in puttlns on Hew York' 
t»ni«UH Rndio and Busliietis Oouter- 
«ni!«» Is jum In buDlness tor IiEnisvIf. 
]i«t liiin d«manstratf> his «Mlltl«», 
drive and orlgliialUr for YOVt Writ* 
.Toe 'iteal. Ban OSS, Variety, VU W. 
46th St., New York M. M. T. 



THE CONIINMAL 
SIMPHONY 



— IN PRODUOnON 

THEVINNA 
PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 



THE VIENNA 
CHOUt BOYS 



(Under Contract to CBS-TV) (Wiener Saengerktialwn) 

Shorts of Distinction->35itim^TELEyiSION-16mm 

AMBASSADOR FILMS, INC. 

1600 Broadway, New Yoifc 19, N. Y., Circle 6-6446, 5-4994 



THE VATICAN 
MASTERPIECES 



WcdiMitby, Inlj 28, 1948 




i..NOW YOURS IN 

PHiLCO 

TELEVISION 

fOR 18 years, Philco electronic re- 
search has been America's guide 
to leadership in radio quality and value. 
Now in television, a great newindustry,, 
two decades of Philco research offer 
you the same promise of quality and 
lasting satisfaction. Buy Philco for a 
brighter, clearer, steadier television 
picture. Buy Philco for easiest tele- 
vision tuning. Buy Philco for the 
quality that has made it America's 
favorite for 18 straight years. 




Eveiy PW/co Telmvkkm fiecwvci' JIms 



Click- 



there's your picf ur* 
onwi t«uiMil . ' 



This sensatjonal Pliilco 
deveiopment in^ea tele- 
vision tuning simple and 
easy . . . brings in the pic- 
ture and sound together, 
instantly and perfectly syn- 
chronized, when switching 
channels. No fumbling with manual controls 
to "find" the picture and ".Ssh" for the sound! 






. V. J . . ./. 



QUALITY TEUVISION AT THC 

lOWEST POSSIBLB PllfCff 

PHILCO 700. Gives you shaip, brilliant pictare« 
jtj'^^ on a 7-inch tube. Wide-angle 
''ifMfmCfS0} family-Size screen. Automatic 
TJf ^^"^^ Tuning. 23 tubes, plus 2 rcc- 
fUu$iS&ietiaaiT<at tifiera. Smart, richly-figured 
lni«iiB«ii«n**<n». cabinet «f mahogany venecM. 



TELBVISION - RADIO - PHONOGRAPH COMBINATION 

mi LOO lOT'S. Complete home entertainment in m 
single cabinet! Full-size television with a biighti^ 
sharpi clear picture on the face of a big 10-inch tube 
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Phonograph. H^fAi- mahogany cabinet with ampl« 
storage space for reconls. A sensational value. ; .see it! 



Kit* $B.eOFtderttlTtm 
ImUlbUian Extra 



AMERICA'S TOP VALUE 
IN QUAUTY TEIEVISIQM 

PHILCO lOOKofone). 

Brings you amazingly sharp, dear, 
steady pictures on the face of « 
10;inch picture .fube, and includes 
every feature developed by 20 yeani 
of Philco research to give you better 
pictures, easier tuning and, above 
all, dependable service. 24 tubes plus 
3 rectifiers. Housed in a magnificent 
cabinet of rich mahogany veaetxw. 

riuttl.TSFednnltiim 
■ ttuMtUUiim Xtint ■ 



All Philco Tclcvlikm rcc*tv«r> will gd any 
combination of fh* 12 tclavislon dianiMb 
vihldi will cvor wrv* any localily. 



®vit Pear Wwctmii^ 

Installation fee covers cost of standard 
aerial and installation,' orientation of 
aerial as new stations comfi on the air, 
replacement or repair of any defective 
parts of aerial or set, including the. 
picture tube, also home service and 
adjustment of television receiver as 
n^dedi for one full year wiOmut 
extra etu/rge^ 



PHILCO. ..FAMOUS FOR QUALITY THE WORLD OVER 



I Basy Terms- Iminediate Delivery! See your Philco dealer for FREE D^^^ 



laf ARfaiiGe of Thsafneaf Sfagft Ein[if oyes and If ovfag fklm Nadine Operafm 

of tho Uaitei States and Canada 



RICHARD F. WMSH, 
f nternqf }onal Pmtident 



■9m 




whlfam p. raoul, 

General Secretary-Treasurer 



circle 5-4370 




Ed Span's Toast frf tte Tom 



ABC— Saturday 9:30 P.M., LDJX 



^^^^^^^^^^^ 

Whh mora FIRSTS ta ifs crecRr 
Hmn any oth«r network pragtroml 

vox POP 

PftBKS JQHMSQtt aoil WABBEH HULL 



724 Fifth Aveitu* 
New York 19, N. Y. 
Plaza 7-8716 



Weduefldajr, July 28, 



6% 



DO THE STARS INFLUENCE YOUR SALES? 

Hundreds of millions, in their homes and in 
th^ir daily life, copy what the Stars 
wear, eat and use. . * 




Scenes froin "Sortyi Wrong Number'' -^a forthcoming release of Paramount Pictures Inc., starring Barbara Stanwyck tutd Burt Lancaster, 

A Hat Wallis production— watch for it! 



The quickest way for you to interest the Stars,' and the motion picture writers, producers 
and directors, is to sell them via. KTLA. For television is Hollywood's hottest interest 
—and in Hollywood, television means KTLA . ; . on the air every afternoon and evening.' 
Sell Hollywood and you sell the world ! 





KTLA 







Hollywood Studios * 5451 Marathon St. • Hollywood 6363 
New York OfRce • 1501 Broadway • BRyant 9-8700 





A KEY STATION OF THE PARAMOUNT TEiEVISION NETW^ORK 



«.'#.«. w. fli * v «. -■■■»■ V k 



BREAK THE BANK 

Radio's OuHtanding Audience Show 



IN ITS 3rii YEAR AND STRONGER THAN EVER 



Climt 

BRISTOL-MYERS 
Agency 

DOUGHERTY, CLIFFORD & SHENFIELD 
Producer 

WOLF ASSOCIATES, Inc. 
An ED WOLF Production 



FOR liApiO— FOR TELEVISION 

MAP OPPER and IRVING LEVIN 

Owners o^id Origlnqtors of 'a Copyrighted Radio Show 

-'TAKE A NUMBER' 

Hove Just Written a New ond Exciting Show for Radio 

TMWAITINGFORYOURCALl 

f A ^uii Show with a Sensational Twlstl 

Two Give-Away Prizo Shows with Home Listening 
Aiidience Participation 

Both Pacfcoges Now For Safe 
Write or Call 

H. KALCHEIM 

83 N. La Salle St.. Chicago 
Phone: State 2897 



SID STONE 

"THE CRIFTER" 

America's Lovable Pitchman 
NOW PITCHING FOR 

TEXACO STAR THEATRE 



ITELCVISIONl 



tli««m and eeir«s 

vmm oiTsoN 



Taltvtttea osii Madto 
LARRY WHin 




^BEN tb«r luT* aten la thcb 
«yes and Mk your advle* abaat 

iMinUir ladla and TV . . . t*U 

'em about Th* Amerl«iui VnlTW* 
■Ity'i aeendlieil courses in Badlo* 
T«l«Tlaloii for a coIleKe dcarea, 
T«n 'cm oobodr coinci oat a pol- 
ished pro, bat they set the ckllli 
and teclinlcs, plaa a B. 8, It's iiolld 
stuff. Time spent now learning 
the abe*s Is yood bis for radio and 
'XV':I«i$efids.'' ■ 

COURSES: • wiitbtg * tptath aiii 
imk* tMbnIf * music * nsws wrih 
Ing • sding f announcing • pr». 
(fuction * sabs • monagcnisnt 
• pubfic sarvfca programming • 
policies and ngulaUoia * rclolnl 
courses in public rc/afions, journal. 
)smr business aifminlslration, adver* 
lising and the sociaf sciences. 

TEACHERS: ai( premiAcnf pros In 
IVas/iingfon Radio-rV. 

FACIllTIESt complcfety aquipptit 
studio, control room, neording 
•quipnwnl * ttsM mirf •tworvMioii 
trips to contmcrclar Kwfo ami TV 

tluditui, 

DATIS: Ml, Ipclng mud Summer 



hr compfofa ilcfatt^ 

«^ writ* Oittaot of 

Rodib and r*f«visf*i| 

JHMii#i'icciii 
University 

1901 F St.H.W,Wasliia{toii 6,D.e. 



BILLY K. WELLS 

. . . AND NOW -TELEVISION 

ELEANOR (MRS. BILLY K.) WELLS 
TELEVISION 

GEORGE WELLS 

MOTION PICTURES 
(M-e-M) 

BILLY K. WELLS, JR. 

RADIO-TELEVISION 
KAY WELLS 
SONGS 

BILLY K. WELLS, 3rd 

(1 YEAR OLD] 
COMEDIAN 




IN $Ai»T mmrnmammm^^mmmmim^' 



>f * j<. >j 

Notional Reprasentativ«: ' 
40HN BUIR & CO. 




1 



♦ » )»- X- )f >f 



* 4 



BROKE ALL TIME RECORD— 

January, 4 wetks LAST FRONTIER. 

Los Vegas, N*v« 

SENSATIONAL 6 WEEKS^ 

Febrnary thru March, BAL^TABARIN CAFE. San Francisco 

April. 2 WMks, MAPES HOTEL, Reno. 

ONLY ARTIST EVER BOOKED FOR 6 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS— 
May thru June, BEVERLY HILLS COUNTRY CLUB. 

Newport, Ky. . 

JULY— TWO CLICK WEEKS AT THE "CLICK" IN PHILADELPHIA. 
DEMAND RETURN ENGAGEMENT. 
OPENING AUG. 22 [OU WAITERS' lAJIN PMTER, new YORK 
' BOOKED BY M.C.A. Ted Lewis Show Transcribed 

745 FiiFth Avenue, New York City, N. Y. CHARTOC^OLMAN PRODUCTIONS 



360 No. Midhigan Ave., Chicago, 



Pictures— Recordings 

WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY . Exclusively foafured on 



COLUMBIA AND DECCA RECORDS 



Personal Representative: ADAH LEWIS 

Thanks Managers in Europe and Florida for Your Fine Offers- 
Previous ContAiffments Mafce It Imposahle to Accepf. 



«8 



Weilnesday, July 20, 1948 




^ The choice of discriminating women 



The man itJ?io says 
It is the wan who is it: 

\Ed Herlihy. 




LISA KIRK 




"Love thot soothing Lisa" 
soy fans from coostpfo- 
coasf yrho itedr h«r as guest 
star on top networii radio 
programs.' 




Lisa was the nurse in "Al- 
le<|ro" who introduced and 
featured the Rodger* and 
Hammcrstein hit song. "The 
Gentleman is a Djtpe." 




As easy to look ot as she ts 
to listen to, televiewers 
think Lisa is an optical iliu- / 
sion-*-a gorgeous gal whose ' 
Voice mAtches her looks. 



".e ' - e 




At the Copacabana and Versailles, Lisa 
was giamour personified as she sang 
her .way into the hearts of capacity 
crowds. 



Personal Managemenl 
LOU CAPONE 

Press Relations 
SIDNEY ASCHEIt 

looking 
WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY 



SniANSCIIIBED SHOWS 



[Tommy Dorsey Disc Jockey Show 
Red Ryder 

Murder, AT Midnight 
(The Smiths op Hollywood 
David Street Song Shop . 
OTheatbe of Famous Radio Playebs 



LOUIS O. COWAX, INC. 



Quiz Kids 

Stop the Music. 

R. F. D. America 

.The Elmo Roper Show 



NBC 
ABC 
NBC 
.CBS 



» 



MEW YORK 



CHICAGO 



HOLLYWOOD 



MS Maditoi AvMWM 
ilaw Yfirk 22. N. Y. 
ffl 1-9700 



Ciiecige X, III. 
lANdvlph 2022 



Hollywowl 2^1 Col. 
s HilWd* S331! 



«33t Hollywood 1Mb 



70 



Wediiesdajr^ July 28, 1!M8 



"Cleveland 
Mushrooming 
Video-Wise" 



"Faster Than 
Any Other City- 
According to 
Video-Dealers 



These quotes from the J une _ 
24th edition of TELE- 
VISION DAILY tell tiie 
Television story in Greater 
Cleveland and Akron. More 
people are watciiing WBWS 
Television than ever before! 



'Wy 10,000 
Sets After Only 
6 Monttis" 

/Siaiion Mm{t\ 
\ 7,100! / 

Latest figures from Tele- 
vision Distributors indicate 
more than 7,000 sets in 
. Northeastern Ohio ... a plus 
value for WEWS advertisers 
... as T e 1 e vision forges 
ahead on the double! 

WEWS-The ONLY 
Video Outlet in 
Cleveland— Akron 



The 

SCRIPPS-HOWARD 
RADIO SIATiONS 

• WEWS Talcvision— WEWS-FM, 

Cl*v«land, Ohio. 

« WCPO, Cincinnati. Ohio (Now 
building T*l*vision). 

• WNOX. Knexville, Ttim. 

Al\ Ihtst tialions repreienfed hy 

THE BRANHAM COMPANY 




TELEVISION 

First jfl Cfevdondf 



i 



He who 




For the first time 
m Television History 



An Organization to Counsel as Well as Represent Television Stations 

All Across America 



Television has needed one, now 
ADAM YOUNG is organizing one 
... the first staff of television rep- 
resentatives, all ready to take your 
story to every advertiser in Amer- 
ica. ADAM YOUNG is getting to- 
gether a staff composed of experts 
specializing exclusively in televi- 
sion . . . and selling time and pro- 
grams is only part of ADAM 
YOUNG service to TV Stations. In 
addition' our television director, 
Sam Cuff, will assist any TV sta- 
tion we represent with their plans 
•for laying out equipment and 
studios to work with maximum 
efficiency. He will assist them 



with personal problemSj program 
problems and all union problems. 
The stations we represent have 
saved many thousands of doU^iv 
thru his expert advice. Our re- 
search on program sources is avail- 
able to you for the asking. Re- 
member— our men pushing _ your 
programs and station and our 
knowledge of TV's complex com- 
mercial and technological prob- 
lems can mean the difference be- 
tween tlie success and failure of 
your station. Write us today for 
complete details on the "YOuug 
Plan for Specialized Television 
Representation." 





11 WEST 42nd STREET 
THE FIRST TV STATION. REntESENTATim 
NEW YORK • CHICAGO . • LOS ANGELES ■ SAN FRANCISCO 



and on WATV it's the merry 
jingle of cash registers 
when your product reaches 
the thousands of JUNIOR 
FROLICS television fan* 
who daily at five line up to 
follow Uncle Hal's film fun- 
nies and cartoons. 



WATVl 

channel 



ADAM HATS • MARLIN BLADES, 



"JINGLES 

thot don't 

JANGLE!" 

with 

Soloitts, Daof, Groups, 
Harmonicas, Uhtt, Singiag 
Bosi, Etc.. 

Our l>raduction Sarvic* i< now 
availobi* to oil. rour Jinglv 
>ung, or written, packaged, 
producad, 

Merita, Wir« or Phen* 




LANNYandGIKGERGREY 

Radio— Video 
Programs & Jingles 

1352 Madison Avo., N. Y. 3« 
/^Twatar 9..4020 



o K4INUTE.MAID ORANSE JUICE 



AS HE APPEAIIS ON 

"TAKE IT OR LEAVE IF' 



N« Oa 



AS HE APMEAES ON 

"BREAKFAST IN 
HOLLYWOOD" 

A. B. C 



aaju| ii | ii || i |f i ttji 8iq^ 



71 



Wednesday, Jnly 28, 1948 



S^l^f Said- 



"ABC variety program early Sunday «venings, thi» last 
one picked up from Washington unveiled a strong video 
•potential in Danny Webb . . . with his comedy," 



Tbamhk t» ALEC GERIEIt tv; 

Chase & Sanborn— "Hour ' Glass 
Show" (WNBT). 

U. S. Rubber Show— (WFIL-TV). 
Admiral Corp. Show (WMAR-TV). 
"Television Fashions on Parade" 
— (WABD). 

"Your Invited"— (WJZ-TV)fc 
Kraft Theatre— (V/NBT). 
Tele-Varieties— (WNBT ) , 



DANNY 
WEBB 



ThaiilH fa: 

M«MN. ROIERT L. eOK «HHi 
HARVEr MARLOWl 

the wonderful staff at WPIX, whose 
splendid cooperation has been a 
tremendous help. ■ 

Directors Sherling Oliver, Ed. 
Stasheff, Cl^dge Roberts and their 
assistants. 



Thanks to The ° Daily News for petmissibn to read their comics to millions of kid and adult followers. 



VALtEE-VIDEO 
INC. 

FILMS 
FOR TELEVISION 



First to Announce 
the Titles 

First in "Songfilns" 
aHd Featarettes 



(To Attract the Attention of 
the Set Owner Who Is Listening 
But Not Looking) 



1384 No. Von Ness 
Hollywood 28, California 




ERNIE 
SIMON 

"Say Good 
Morning to 
Your Neighbor" 

Four Hours Daily 

WJJD-^HICAGO 
50.000 Walls 



In Chicago 

LINN 
BURTON 

For Certain 

Thanks to 

NATIONAL FOOD STORES 
COOK COUNTY 
DISTRIBUTORS 
ATiAS PRAGER 
LtPTON'S TEA 
LIFEBUOY 
COLGATE 
EVANS FUR CO. 
UBBY FURNITURE 
T-W-A 
Tfiaqfcf Abo to 

WENR-WCFL-WIND 
WAAF-WBKB 



PEGGY MARSHALL 

AND 

THE HOLIDAYS 





SALESWISE 
SHOWMANSHIP 



DESIGNED FOR TELEVISION . . . 

ly Veterani el Ovw 2.000 Tclevlfien Show* 

• Live Shows • Film Shows 

• Film Commercials • Consultation 

TELEVISION ADVERTISING PRODUCTIONS. INC. 

3M N. MiehlgoB Av«., CMcago, UKmU 
Mom State 5941 



BARRY WOOD 



"PLACES PLEASE" 

Mon..Wed.-Fri., 7:45.8:00 P.M., EST 
CBS-TV 




Who Was the Top Guy in the Hoqperatings, July 21, 1947? 
Modesty Prevents My Saying It Was - - _ 

COLONEL STOOPNAGLE 

Radio • TelevisiM • Scmm • SkMH 



P.S. Dear Mr.»Hooper: 
I ibvt you. 

Celeiiel Sl«epiia<gile. 



WeJneBtlay, July 28, 194^ 



7S 



r 




LET'S LOOK 

FACTS 





There is only one combination —Telenews-INS — that 
offers complete TV news packages embracing five distinc- 
tive services that make for the simplest, foolproof pro- 
gramming in television: 



• Daily 10'minute newsreeU 

• Weekly 20-minute newsreels 

• Packaged combinations of above elements 



• Spot news and news photos 

• Teletype news for television 





• # # 



fiflAi UBftARY Rl&H7S —ATNOB(7Wi COST 

All Telenews-INS newsreel clients automatically re- 
ceive—free of chatge— accumulating library rights to 
all film furnished on a daily and weekly basis. This pro- 
vides a daily flow of fresh, up-to-the-minute newsreel 
footage \yhich cliicnt stations can file in their libraries 
and use at will whenever news events warrant. This 
vital film library can be used very effectively to illus- 
trate and document daily news events and dispatches. 



A 7£Sm> AND BSTASl/SNBD SifCCSSS PROM COAST TO COAST! 

More than two-thirds of the presently operating TV sta- 
tions are already carrying various Telenews-INS shows as 
an integral part of their news programming: 



CBS Television Network 
WBAL-TV, Baltimore 
WBEN-TV, Buffalo 
WBKB,Chico9o 
WBZ-TV, Boston 
WFIL-TV. Philadelphia 



DuMont Television Network 
WLWT. Cincinnati 
KSD-TV, St. Louis 
WMAR-TV, Baltimore 
WPTZ. Philadelphio 
WRGB, Schenectady 
KTLA, Los Angeles 



Don Lee, los Angeles 
WTMJ-TV, Milwaokc* 
WTT6, Washington 
WTVR, Richmond 
WWHV, Detroit 
WSPD-TV, Toledo 




INTERNATiONAL 
NEWS SERVICE 



TELENEWS 
PRODUCTIONS, INC. 



INTERNATiONAL 
NEWS PHOTOS 



74 



tTcdnesday, July 28, 1948 



'Don't SeU Radio Short Yet' 



. Continued f rum page )1 j 



of a system of sound broadcasting 
is the economic one. There are 
areas throughout the country 
where, at least for many years, it 
will be almost physically impose 
sible or financially unprofitable to 
oft'er television service. All of these 
areas, however, are now served by 
AM broadcasting and can and .will 
be served by FM outlets, or by the 
high power AM transmitters I men- 
tioned earUer. 

Nonetheless, the broadcast pic- 
ture of the future is that' on the 
television screen. And broadcast- 
ing techniques and thinking will 
have to be geared immediately to 
the potent new medium. 

Certain types of radio programs, 
I think, will be readily adaptable 
for television and will be consider- 
ably enhanced by the combination 
of sight and sound. * A "Breakfast. 
Club," for example; a Fred Allen 
or a Fred Waring program will un- 



doubtedly have i^eater entertain- 
ment value in video than in an 
AM broadcast. Drama will really 
come into its own with the addi- 
tion of sight to sound and so will 
comedy. You'll see* the antics that 
produce those studio-audience 
laughs which sometimes puzzle you 
when you merely hear them. 

Television undoubtedly will be 
a powerful stimulus to all other 
mediums of entertsdnmetat. I rea- 
lize that there are those who are 
apprehensive of its effect upon the 
theatre and on motion pictures, but 
X do not share that apprehension. 
Rather, by helping to develop , new 
talent and by opening up greater 
audiences to established talent, 
video will, emphasize and increase 
their appeal to tbp public in the 
older entertainment fields; 

For television will, I think, fol- 
low the pattern that has eharacttir- 
ized all of our. advancements in the 



applied sciences— rit will open up 
new fields of endeavor, achieve- 
ment, application. The telephone 
has not put the postoffice out of 
business, nor did radio eliminate 
the phonograph, the movie, or the 
theatre. Television simply means 
more opportunity for everyone in 
the entertainment world— for pro- 
ducers, directors, performers, writ- 
ers, engineers and technicians. 



Sponsors 



!■ : : 

To the advertiser, television off- 
ers the greatest conceivable med- 
ium for his message. Television's 
impact will be tremendou-Sly great- 
er than that of radio, up to now 
the most potent of the mass media. 
To utilize it to its utmost capacity 
will call forth new advertising 
tenhniques which will open up new- 
opportunities In the advertising 
and merchandising fields. These, 
in turn, will evoke new advertisers 
and advertising revenues by which 
the medium will be supported, as 
has our current system of network 
broadcasting. 

All of us in that system of broad- 
casting, networks and independent 
stations alike, are moving forward 
steadily in the development and 



refinement of the vWco medium. 
The American Broadcasting Co., 
for one, will have ABC-owned and 
operated television stations on the 
air in New York, Chicago, Detroit, 
Los Angeles and San Francisco by 
the end of this year. We are adding 
TV affiliates steadily. We are al- 
ready programming to a television 
network on the eastern seaboard. 

Our plans call tor the establish- 
ment of three regional TV net- 
works—one on the East Coast, one 
in the Midwest and a third on the 
Pacific Coast — which eventually 
will be linked into a coast-tb-caast 
network. We are determined to 
achieve and to maintain a dominant 
position in the television-broadcast- 
ing picture. 

For television, in my belief, will 
become the catalyst which will ac- 
celerate the whole field of com- 
munications and of entertainment. 



WNAC-TV'S GRID PACIS 

Boston, July 27. 
WN AC-TV has recently signed 
exclusive rights to televise 20-night 
high school football games and 10- 
day games ixotA Manning .Bowl, 
Lynn. 




First in Television Music 

MUSIC IS HEARD AND NOT SEEN. THIS SIMPLE 
POINT OF VIEW IS THE REASON BMI MAKES 
NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE USE OF ITS 
MUSIC BY AN AUDIO STATION OR A TEU- 
VISIQN STATION. 



AVAILABILITY AND ASSURANCE 

Since 1940 BMI has been teieviston-miaded. 
It grants the unrestricted right to telecascccs 
to perform its music from any source— live, 
filmed or recorded— with assurance that BMI 
music, recorded or filmed now, may be used 
in the future. 

From BMI you can get long term performing 
rights to a vast catalogue of music of every 
typa— television music today for television's 
tomorrow. 



SIMPLE LONG TERM LICENSE 

The BMI television license runs until March, 
1959. Broadcasters afe thoroughly familiar with 
its terms and conditions for it is the same as 
our audio license. Its cost, similarly, is based 
on tdentioil perceotages of the revenue from 
net time sales. 



FULL SERVICE FOR TELEVISION 



BMI's many services to the broadcasting iti- 
dustry have already been adapted to video 
requirements. In addition, we have created a 
new Television Service Department to take 
care of special needs. We are constantly in 
touch with station and agency personnel so 
that BMI iriay Jkeep pace with every phase of 
the day-to-day progress by the industcy. 



AN i N V I TAT I ON 

BMI cordially iiivites Inquiries on the sub- 
ject of Mitsic in Television, in its broadest 
or most specific applications, at any time. 




Broadcast Music, Inc, 

580 FIFTH AVENUe, NEW YORK 19 
CHICAGO • HOLLYWOOD 




KLAC Sets Sights On 
Sept. Preem; Accent To 
Be on Disk Jockeys 

Hollywood, July 27. 

KLAC Will have its television 
station in operation by the latter 
part of September, according to 
Don Fedderson, v-p and general 
manager, and will be largely a disk 
jockey operation, according to 
present trend \t gtation. 

Fedderson stated that station is 
spending $68,000 on the Mt. Wil- 
son video site, on which construc- 
ion has already begun, and $15,000 
on their TV etudio, which is being 
added to station's present broad- 
cast building. AH construction is 
expected to be completed in from 
12 to 16 weeks. 

KLAC-TV's technical equipment 
is all on hand, and engineers are 
in the east along with program 
personnel, studying video workings , 
of operation stations. 

Four platter spinners at the sta- 
tion, Al Jarvis, Bob McLaughlin. 
Dick Haynes and Don Otis, are 
churning tele >ideas as applied to 
records. 

Jarvis may us? his "Squeeky 
the Oat," standari, broadcast airei% 
on TV fare, and station feels Mc- 
Laughlin's "Picture Album" is 
videoperative. Don Haynes' "Stu- 
dio Frolics" will be worked into 
ftLAC-TV programming, and Otis 
reportedly i$ shaping up an idea 
of his own. ■ 

Meanwhile, Warners is awaiting 
a decision from the FCC regai-ding ' 
ihe sale of the Thackery stations, 
KLAC and KYA, San rr.",ncisco. 
Fedderson would not comment on 
negotiations between studio and 
Thackery's, but general feeling is 
that sale is much more likely to 
include TV channel if KLAC has 
its video station in operation. 



Raleiffh— WGNI at Wilmington 
has been purchased from General 
Newspapers, Inc., and formally 
taken over by the New Hanover 
Broadcasting Corp., headed by 
President J. S. Brody of Sumter, 
S. C. Effective July 7, Brody took 
over the operation of the .station 
as active manager, succeeding H. 
A. (Gus) Jones, Gadsden, Ala., 
who is returning to Gadsden, 
where he will continue in the em- 
ployment of General newspapers. 



... OF THE 

ENTIRE KANSAS 
CITY TRADE AREA 
by the 

Team! 

You can reach your 
audience most e0ec* 
tively, more completely 
and more economically 
with The Team's cusr 
tom-built coverage. 

Your message has a 
potential audience of 
3,659,828 listeners in 
the rich Heart of Amer- 
ica market. 



KMBG 

of Koosos City '-^r;; 

K F R M 



Wetlnesday, July 28, 194» 



7» 



THE SWIFT SHOW 



8:30 P.M., Thursdays 







Associate Producer - 

Director ------ 

Assistant Director - - 

Technical Director - - 

Script Writer - - - - 

\JOHN FRANCK 

Assistants BILL DUFFY 

jOLLIE TUCKER 

NBC TELEVISION STAFF 

And th* Cast 

SANDRA GAHLE IMARTHA LOGAN 
HARRY SIIMEONE 
AND THE SWIFT ORCHESTRA 



TiMiikt t* 

MARGARET ETTINGER 
Ami H«r Nblic Rclatiom Sl«C 



MoBoqamciit 
WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY 



7» 



Weilncsday, July 28, 1M« 



Daytimer^ Up h Anns, M 
Congress Apeal Orer STA Ban 



Washington, July 27. 

A substantial area of the country 
will be blacked out from, local vot- 
ing results on election night next 
November unless the Federal 
Cbinmunications Cominission 
amends its recent cancellation of 
all Special Temporary Authoriza- 
tion (Sl'A) for daytime only broad- 
cast stations. 

The low-watt' daytiniers have 
been able to present special events 
only by authority of STA'3, and in 
some small town and xtaal sections 
ittey are the only stations which 
v/ovM report local election results. 

The wee watters are up in arms 
against the STA ban, with about a 
dozen of the approximately 300 al- 
ready on record at FCC. 

Being prevented from handling 
election results is regarded as a 
l)ody blow by many of these little 
outlets which want FCC to make 
an exception at least for that event. 
Several stations bave- isdicated 



that they will carry their problem 
to Congress. Congress is notably 
on the side of small business in 
situations like this, and it is prob- 
able that considerable Congres- 
sional pressure will be placed on 
the Commission to alter its 
stance. 

Still anotheer angle is what hap- 
pens to; important non-commercial 
stations like New York's munic- 
ipally operated WNYC. Tliis is a 
daytime station running nights un- 
der a Special Service authorization. 
The next logical step, one radio 
lawyer points out, would be for 
FCC to kill oflf the Special Service 
authorizations, and put WNYC 
back in short pants as too young 
to stay up nights after 6 p.m. 

FCC has received a protest to 
the cancellation from Iowa State 
College of Agriculture, which says 
that recently an Iowa college cele- 
brated its 80th anniversary with 
extenisive services featuring; 



speeches by prominent graduates. 
Iowa State broadcast this event, 
but under the new rule such an 
occasion would go without airing. 
About 10 other daytimers have 
registered a protest with FCC. 

Radio attorneys who attended re- 
cent hearings before the Commis- 
sion on whether or not to continue 
the ST As feel they have a loud 
squawk. All argument and testi- 
mony was in favor of continuing 
STAs, with none of the clear chan- 
nel stations appearing in rebuttal. 
With all testimony for the.authori- 
zations, and none against, the FCC 
issued its order against the authori- 
zations. Lawyers ask what good 
are hearings if testimony is not 
considered. One attorney said the 
ruling made ai "hollow- mockery" 
out of hearings, and said this move 
was a dangerous precedent. 



Boston— Hub's WCOP, cooperat- 
ing with Boston University's Radio 
Education Workshop and New Eng- 
land, Committee on Radio in Edu- 
cation, has thrown open its stu- 
dios to students for daily morning 
diasses for six-week period. ' Rep- 
resentatives from all major Hub 
stations will act as consultants, 
briefing students on broadcasting 
functions and techniques. . 



KEYD Hits Air in Oct 

Minneapolis, July 27, 
Family Broadcasting Corp. an- 
nounced its new 5,000-watt station, 
KEYD, will begin broadcasting in 
October here. 

Centrally located studios two 
doors from RlCO-Orpheum theatre 
are now under construction. AM 
transmitter will be located m 
Golden Valley, a surburb. Project 
will cost $150,000, George S. Eng- 
land, executive director, said. 
Heading staflE of 30 wiU be Lee 
L. Whiting, former manager of 
WDGY. 



Mower's 



WPTRPost 

Albany, July 27. 

De Witt C. Mower, former west- 
em sales manager for Mutual, has 
been appointed to the staff of 
WPTR, 10,000 - watter which 
Schine's Patroon Broadcasting Co. 
wUl put on the air soon in Albany. 

Mower will work on audience 
programs. He is forming an inde- 
pendent radio production organiza- 
tion m assodatioa with WPTR. 






SMQRE 



lisleneri than my other 
iliitioii in the CINCINNAfl wea! 



HERE'S THE 
PROOF FOR 
THIS RICH 
MARKET! 





WCPO 








HAIION 








29.0 


116 


t8i5 







MTternoon 

1 2:00 n. - 6:00 p. m 



9i9 



13.4 



•30 p m. 



12.0 19.5 



WMiiday Affarnoent 
12:00 n 6:00 p. Ri. 



lYeoAc/ciy Morniny% 
Mon -Fri 8n m.-12n. 



m 





11.0 




18.7 




17.8 




19.1 



13.2 



Reprosented by THE BRANHAM GO. 



Affiliated 
with the 
CINCINNATI 1 
POST 



mESCRIBERVON 

WSPD-TV PREEM 

Toledo, July 27. 

Hit of WSPD-TV's opening-night 
show last Wednesday (21) was a 
"telescriber," invented by the Fort 
Industry station's staff, which per- 
mits writing or drawings, to be 
done "live" on the tele screen with- 
out showing the artist's hand or 
pen or any shadows from either. 

Lines or letters appear as if from 
nowhere and form themselves be- 
fore the viewers' eyes. Opening- 
night telelookets were mystified, 
many thinking it was done with 
film. Gadget was designed by pro- 
duction director Steve Marvin, ait 
director Jerry Peacock and floor 
manager Al Ruhfel, and has many 
uses. It's possible, for instance, to 
move the paper on which the draw- 
ing or writing is appearing, up, 
down or sideways, smoothly while 
the telescriber is on the air. 

Maryin is planning to use it for 
a weekly cartoon show, for live 
commercials, ' for the station's 
nightly "coming attractions" seg- 
ments and elsewhere. Name "tele^ 
scriber" is being copyrighted and 
the gadget itself is to be patented. 



500 Sets in Toledo 

• Toledo, July 27. 

When television iMwed in at To* 
ledo last Wednesday (21), most of 
the spectators, saw the show from 
outside the windows of furniture 
and appliance stores. WSPD-TV, 
first video station in Toledo and 
third in Ohio, operated by the Fort 
Industry Co., will be on the air' 
nightly Monday through Friday, 
starting at 6;30 pjn. Station has no 
network commitments. 

There are approximately 500 re- 
ceiving sets in the Toledo area, but 
it's estimated this number will be 
increased to aboi^t 6,000 by next 
July 1. 




The iirst seashore resort hotel to 
employ television for advertising.- 
the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall, Atlan- 
tic City, has inaugurated a spot 
campaign on WPTZ, Philly, 
through the W. Wallace Orr 
agency. 

Arrow Stores, Philly luibei-- 
dashery chain, launches video 
advertising with a spot campaign 
over WPTZ, placed by the Hany 
Feigenbaum agency. 

Esslingers, Inc., who sponsor INS 
news before the Athletics and 
Phillies games in Shibe Park, 
Philly, have contracted for a simi- 
lar format for the coming football 
season. .Through Lamb & Keen, 
Inc., the brewers have taken 15^ : 
minute telecasts of INS news be- 
fore the Penn football games. 

Evans Fur Co. bankrolls the 13- 
minute "Fashion Quiz" thrice 
weekly on WBKB, Chicago, start- 
ing Aug. 16. Furrier also will par- 
ticipate thrice weekly on WBKB's 
"Woman's World," beginning Aug. 
2. State Advertising, Chicago, is 
the agency. 




CorporaUon 



Animated Film Service 

at new low rates 

Dress up yoar Uve TV allow or fliiii 
mmmercial with «nr siiiier-iiunllly 
tl»e«-aimenaloDaI "scramble hittW 
animated titles . . . at unlienra-M lutr 
prices! 

Sound track and pliotocraiililc facili- 
ties .for your longer films. 

TV Stations— 'AKencIec 
Write lot Complete Informntlon 

TELEPIX CORPORATION 

«233 HollywMKi Mvd.. 
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Currently At The 

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MUSIC CORPORATION 


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OF AMERICA 



78 



Wednesday, July 28, 1946^ 



TV and Music Business 



Continned trom page 30 j 



rights, or if we set up hair-splitting 
distinctions as to when music in 
TV is dramatic rather than non- 
dramatic in character. 



By DR. JOHN G. PEATMAN 

(Directcr, Office of Research) 

Will television be as important 
in the exploitation of popular mu- 
sic as raclio has been and is today? 
WiU television largely supplant ra- 
dio in the exploitation of popular 
tnusic? These two questions are, I 
am sure, in the minds of most mu- 
sic publishers, who may wonder 
what is going to happen to the- big- 
audience talent programs -"On net- 
work radio and to the many disk 
jockey programs throughout the 
counb:y.: For television has arrived 



and will come of age in a much 
shorter time than racHo did. 

■ Television's effect on the life of 
our people will reach down into 
the nooks and crannies of niillions 
of homes — rand within a very short 
time. At the beginning of this cen- 
tury, when I also began, the visual 
impact of people and events was 
quickly spotted across our nation 
by the motion picture. But, as^ in 
the centuries of the stage, we still 
had together at the local theatre 
to see this novel medium of mass 
communication. A quarter of a 
century later, the impact of peo- 
ple and events began to hit us in 
the ears, right in our own living 
rooms. And on the heels of radio 
came the talking picture. By this 
bisensory medium, the impact ot 



people and events was extended to 
both the eye and ear. 

What about popular music and 
television? Will television be as 
important as radio in the exploita- 
tion of popular music? Yes. And 
eventually television will be even 
more important, once we have na- 
tional television networks, permit- 
ting artists to carry their songs 
simtiltaneously into millions of 
homes. Television motion pictures 
may even do the trick before na- 
tional networks are in operation. 

But the role of music on tele- 
vision will be somewhat different 
from the role of popular music on 
radio. Music has been the great 
filler-in of sustaining time for ra- 
dio. Music may of course prove to 
be a filler-in for the dead televi- 
sion screen— as an accompaniment 
to the television station's signal on 
the screen. In fact, t^s device is 
already in use. Instrumental music 
is now being heard over television 
dhannels prior to or as aa interlude 



a a 



TELEVISION IMPRESSION 



Frankly, we don't know . . . and we doubt, 
at this early stage of OHnmerciat operation, 
whetliec anyone really knowsl 

Vffe know that television encompasses many 
factors which mankind has tried for years' to 
combine in order to make an indelible adver- 
tising impression. In television we have sight, 
sound, animation and the ability to actually 
demonstrate our products and services. '"VJet 
today there is no set yardstidc x>n die value of 
$uch a television impres»(Mi. 

TTiat is why, here at WLWt, we are direct- 
ing all of our efforts toward improving the 
technique in presenting these television im- 
pressions at the lowest possible cost— both for 
the direct advertising impression as well as the 
entertainment vehicle necessary, to carry this 
impression to the audience. As a result, we 
have developed interesting, action-packed pro- 
grams at an exceedingly low cost, at tihe same 
time retaining a high entertainment value. 

In producing our rate card, we have toita 
pages from the history of AM broadcasting as 



to the trend in listening habits . . . and we have 
endeavored ta meet the issue head on. It is 
for tliat reason that the WLWT rate card in- 
cludes summer discounts as high as 40 per 
cent. We feel sure that the number of viewers 
is less during Ihe summer months than during 
the winter naonths. "Maybe not 40 per cent less 
.... maybe more. But we feel in presenting our 
first rate card that, while there might be some 
technical errors, the basic concept is correct. . 
Further, we feel that it is a direct approach to 
a basic probleim in endeavoring to estabU^, as 
quickly as' possible, the true value of a fele- 
^vision impression. - . 

think it i^ important that agencies— and 
clients as well — learn now, at relatively low 
cost, the proper technique in presenting tele- 
vision programs. WLWT oflFers a larg^st^ 
of competent tethnical, programming and mer- 
chandising personnel, as well as one of tiie, 
most modern, completely equipped television 
stations ia the country. 



Complete infotmation may be obtained 
at any of d>e,WL.WT offices: ' 

630 Fifth Avenue Crosley Square 360 N. Michigan 
New York 20,N.Y. Cincinnati 2,Ohio Chicago 1, III. 



WST) 

CINCINNATI 



Circle 6-1750 



CHerry 1822 



State 0)6$ 



On the West-Coast, contaa Keenan 
& £ickelberg offices in Xo$ Angeles, 
San Francisco and Pottland, Oregon. 



TELEVISION SnVia OF INE NATION'S STATIOH 



to the presentation of television 
programs on the screen. Whether 
or not popular music becomes an 
important filler-in for television, 
the great exploitation value of this 
medium will come through the ef- 
fectiveness and prestige of person- 
alities appearing in revues and va- 
riety programs, as in NBC - TV's 
"Texaco Star Theatre." Showman- 
ship will play a dominant role, and 
the music industry will be in for 
days of vaudeville and theatee, but 
with a telrlfic difference in impact 
value as compared to the old days. 
The artists will be seen and heard 
by millions on television. Popular 
music will also be exploited over 
amateur and novelty programs, as 
for example on programs such as 
WABD's "Original Amateur Hour." 

Music without showmanship will 
be flat on television, whether live 
or on film. Apparently many of the 
present television channels have 
yet to become acquainted with this 
fact. Showmanship is essential-*- 
photogenic singers, telegenic per- 
formers. 

What about the recording indus- 
try? Jt will of course continue to 
turn out platters, but it may also 
go into the motion picture business 
and turn out reels. When the top- 
flight artists, who: appeal both to 
the ear and the eye, record a song, 
the imprint may go both on a disk 
and a sound film. Television may 
even see the emergence of the reel- 
jockey, competing with his im- 
mediate ancestor, the disk jockey. 



WCAU-TV LICKS HEAT 
PROBLEM IN STUDIO 

Philadelphia, July 27. 

Top brass of the CBS-TV" net 
were in town inspecting the cool* 
lighting system at the WCAU 
studios which has given it one of 
the more comfortable telecasting 
setups in the industry^ 

Vice President Jack Von Volken- 
burg and George Moskovics, of 
CBS-TV, made the study for the 
purpose of incorporating the idea 
in the new Columbia studios in 
New York. 

WCAU engineers have counter* 
acted to a great extent the heat 
problem by an airTConditioning 
system geared to the TV lighting. 
At the station they feel they finally 
have the heat problem licked. Alt 
the lighting is done from grids 
running along the ceiling, thereby 
dispensing With cables. 

The ait-cAn^tioners are in the 
ceiling above the lights and work 
on the principle of clearing out the 
heat as fast as the lights generate 
it. 



ntoDBcnoN «Etn< wanted 

Xew T«>k or UaU^nood, by y«nui( 
Mdlo-tele tlirector, Avallabls Sept. 1, 
for nny Int«rci8tlnit asRtcninont, (rc«- 
luictt orntaff with station or ngency. 
XOp credits all phases. Able to Iniiid 
new shows and hyiio old ones. Money 
seeoadmr to oppwtvuUy. l>caft-ex- 
eaapt Teteroir. Bn SOT, Variety, USt 
V. «Mli St., Mew Toik JS. N. ¥. 




ON THE 4IR Coast to Coasf 
"CAVALCADE OP MUSIC" 

Lang-Worfh Tranierlptions 

"D'ARTEGA PRESENTS" 

AtMcidtcd Traascriptiain 



Masieal Dfreefor ; 

U. S. RUBBER CO. 
TYSHOW 

Thursdays 8t00-8:1S P.M. EOST 
WNST NETWORK 

PERMA)«EMT CONDUCTOR 

(Summer Series) 

BUFFALO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 



Sp\n With Me On 

WJJD and WAIT 

Highfly 
Spinningly Yours 

CHICAGO 



NEW YORK HOUYWOtD 

TEL-AIR Associates ^ 

366 Mddiion Ave.r N. Y. C 17. VA 6-3417 ' 



Tefevtsion 
Representative . 

ALEX GERBER 
507 Fifth Av*. 
New Yorfc. N. Y. 




available 
FOR TELEVISION 

. Joe Howard'* "Say Nineties 

Revue" 

"Lady Be Beautiful" (in asiocSa 
Hon with Mri. Wm. Faditnanl 
Oswald Jacoby in "Cards and 
Spades" 

Dagmor Godowshy's "N«w York' 



FOR RADIO 

"Th* Book Farad*" 
Ireprescnted by Sam Jaffa) 

Jo* Howard's "Gay NiiMriM 
Ravine" 



leonard gaynor 

270 park avenue 
new york city 



prodneers of . . • 

lOmm filiiis for 



• indmrttry 

# tel^viilon. 



9 jMlBictntioit 



telepie 



plaza 5-9000 
plan 9-3089 



^pudity 0ms produced urith shounmauMp 



7f 



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National 
Variety 

Artists, /„c 



"''"■iw, .• ■ — — —.^3- 






A NIGHT AT 
THE PALACE 




, >h* officer* ,edafon *ot ^^.^^ 




C 0 F V R ! C, H T 
APPLIED FOR 



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80 



Wedaesaay, July 28, 1948 



A Business Man Looks at Show Biz 

By EAWBENCE PHOUPS 

{The writer came from th* industrial sphere to VSO-C<mp Shows, as 
executive vice-president, and is now networfc director for DuMont 
Television.) ♦ ■ •. i 

Some ot-the things live learned: 



If you're wedded to the five day 
week — don't get into show business; 

If you're a 9 to 5 boy; 

If you don't want to get there an 
hour before the curtain goes up and 
stay until the show is- loaded— any 
day in the week or every day in the 
■weeic; ■ 

If you don't like people— lots of 
people and all kinds of people, sad 
and gay, old and young, staid and 
screwy; 

If you haven't got warm sympathy 
tor the other guy and an understand- 
ing of what makes him tick and the 
•patience of Job; 

IE you think you know it all; that 
it's all done with numbers and the 
fellow across the desk can only make 
two and two sound lilce laughter and 
tears, and the hopes of youth, and 
the lemerabrances of old age, instead 
Of a, cold, hard, logical four; 

Above all, if you have no patience 
with the dreams and emotions that 
stir us all when we take time out to 
wonder what all this hustle and 
.bustle and living is about; 

Dottt Get Into Show Biutaiess! 

,. But— ■ ,v 

If you're willing to give yourself 
to it body and soul; to labor and 
sweat towait^ perfection; to believe 



that man does not livt by bread 
alone; then get into show business — 
for its rewards are rich and varied 
and the profits not only measured in 
cash. 

Sure 'it's a tough business; a risky 
business; a cold business. So is all 
businessi It has to be, lor only those 
can provide for others who first can 
provide for themselves. 

It's tough because its product is 
appraised quickly by its buying pub- 
lic. Success or failure is a matter 
of minutes or hours — not weelcs or 
months. And it has room only for 
succe.ss. 

It's risky because it deals wholly 
with intangibles — moods, and emo- 
tions, and imagination, and mass 
psychology. And these the analyst 
fares badly with. The "unknown 
factor" weighs the'4ice. 

It's cold because its fewer suc- 
cesses must carry its more numerous 
failures. If it is to survive at all, it 
must cut its losses and let its profits 
run. 

But it's a business— not a game. 
The same principles that apply to 
other businesses apply to show busi- 
ness^my the results are more ob- 
vious. But the details! Oh, boy! 

Costumes, designs, fabrics, colors, 



props, lights, leases, scripts, rights, 
authors. pubUshers, Jigents, directors, 
musicians, guilds; unions, railroads, 
hotels, Insurance, ilre regulations, 
police' regulations, accounts; and— 
last but not least— actors, ethics and 
morals.* . 

Details? Where do you find any 
business with such a variety of de- 
tails and such a challenge to ingenu- 
ity, perspicacity, imagination and 
judgment? In wbat other business 
does a suave, personable, innocent- 
looking guy come and tcH you: 
"I've got an act that is out of this 
world?'' And when you look at it, 
you. find a tired old character that 
would lay an -egg in Keokuk. But 
he's a nice guy and you never know, 
maybe some day he will turn up with 
the answer. 

In what business would you find a 
group of individuals laying $150,000 
on the line to bring out a new prod- 
uct, untried, untested, without mar- 
ket research, without customer sur- 
vey, without sampling, and without 
test campaigns in restricted mar- 
kets?— Simply the hunch, or per- 
haps inspiration that this is the 
great ishow; the sure-to-be success of 
ithe season; the new twist to the old 
line that is bound to be stupendous, 
tremendous, the smash hit of the 
year! , 

No. These aren't the details of or- 
dinary business, but they are the de- 
tails that make show business the 
magnet that carries show people 
year after year through the ups and 
downs that x^ult firom these details. 
The principles ate there all right. 
Careful , planning, pays oS; sound 



judgment is worth its weight in gold; 
understanding human nature and the 
willingness to deal with the other 
fellow as you would be dealt by, 
bring their reward; and, best of all, 
courage to take the plunge when the 
plan is laid. All . these are sound 
principles of all. business and show 
business has benefited when tbey 
have been brought into play. 

So, to quote the well-known first 
line: "There's no business like show 
business." 

'Voice of Clniia' Beamed 
To Western Conntries 

Chungking, July 27. 

Known round the world for Its 
service Jn the war years, station 
XGOY, "Voice of China" in 
Chungking, is continuing its world 
service in peacetime by broadcast-, 
ing programs of Chinese cultural 
subjects to the western world. 

For the past yeat "The Sym- 
phony Hour" has been on the air 
from XGOY and has resulted in 
a renewed interest in Chinese 
broadcasting on the part of listen- 
ers abroad. "The Symphony Hour," 
one of XGOY's several feature 
programs of western . music, is 
heard on the 19 meter band (15.- 
170 mc.) and the 41 meter band 
(7.153 mc.) and is broadcast daily. 
More than 1,000 letters from 
listeners all oyer the world are 
received montlily. 



IN BALTI^IORIE 



and onlif 



OFFERS BOTH! 



Tke Greatest Sliows 
in Radio 
are on 

1090 Kilo<!ycle« 5(1000 XTatts 
NBC Attiliate 



Tke Greatest Skows 
in Television 
are on 

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Channel U • NBC Affiliate 



Ga.Tedi$500G 
Bli^.forWGST 

Atlanta, July 27. 

Expansion program, of WGST, 
owned by Georgia School of Tech- 
nology, moved a step nearer last 
week when State Board of Regents, 
operators of station, called for bids 
for construction of a $500,000 
building to house station on 
Georgia Tech campus. Bids will be 
received until Aug: 10. 

The building, scheduled to be ' 
completed by July 1 , 1949, will be 
of brick construction, two stories 
high, and will contain six studios . 
for AM, FM and television pro^ 
grams. One of the six studios wUl 
embrace a 350-seat auditorium, , 
much larger than any Atlanta sta- : 
tion now possesses. 

WGST at present Is building a 
new FM station at a cost of $150,- 
.000, six miles northeast of Jaspov 
Ga. This station, to be programmed 
from Atlanta, is scheduled to be 
ready for operation by Jan. 1, ac- 
cording to Ben Akerman, ass't mgr. : 
of WGST. It will cover both At- 
lanta and Chattanooga, Tenn. 

WGST, Columbia mouthpiece 
here for years, will join Mutual 
chain this fall, when WAGAj now 
an indie, takes over CBS net lo- 
cally. WAGA, Storer chain station, 
gave up its ABC affiliation a year 
ago, which was taken over by 
WCON, Atlanta Constitution's new 
station. Mutual web at present is 
heard over WATL, which will go 
independent when net switches its 
afliUation. 

Don Mitchell, recently voted Ati 
lanta's No. 1 disk jockey, has sev- 
ered his connection with WCON, 
Atlanta Constitution station, t» 
join commercial staff of WGST. 



Wert, ITelson Resign in Cincy 
Cincinnati, July 27. 

Ben Werk, in charge of WKUC's 
morning programs from its Farm 
55 for several years, resigned last 
week. He is considei-ing affiliation 
with a station in central Kentucky. 

Lou Nelson, promotional and 
special events director of WSAI 
since January of 1946, has exited 
from radio to. become advertising 
and publicity chief for a finance 
company with headquarters in 
Cincy. 



HAVE 

YOU 
HEAUD 




HONEY 

mmm 



• A.B.C. 
* Mercury Records 
; • Televisioa 

• Ncival Air Rcmnr* 
Show 



ART WARD 



Dineetfon 
MCA 



DAVID SEVERS 

. Creator of 
' "IT'S A HIT" and 
"IT'S A TOUCHDOWN" 
KSD-TV 
"OrigiiMd and solid 
showimmship" 

BillE>oard 
VErmont 81911 HoHytMMd 




Wcdne«dar, July 28, 1948 



81 ^ 



■10) 




TO ALL 
TLLEVISION 






C;OOD WISHES 




American Society of Contposerfi, Authors and Pulilniliers 

39 RoekeleUer Plaza, New York 20, N. 



<2 



Progressive Party in Bum Over 
Webs' Philly Convention Coverage 



f^^etlncgday, Jwly 28 , 194» 



Monroe's Fall Status For 
Camel Stfll in Doubt 



By JERRY GAGHAN 

Philadelphia, July 27. 

Progressive Parts' spokesmen 
were bitter about the radio cov- 
erage given the Philadelphia con- 
clave and were particularly salty 
over the scant treatment allegedly 
handed them by CBS during the 
opening sessions. 

Edward R. Frisbie, radio and 
television director foi', the Na- 
tional Wallace for President Com- 
mittee, bitterly assailed the CBS 
bosses. 

"They exercised their so-called 
editorial and managerial discretion 
to convince themselves that our 
convention- lacked color." Frisbie 
said, shortly after the pander 
monium that marked tlie appear- 
ance ot Candidates Wallace and 
Taylor with their families^ Satur- 
day afternoon. 

"NBC gave us the fairest break," 
Frisbie ssid. "Each of others were 
progressively wcfi"se. Special events 
were completely lacking. All the 



. /Philly Boxscore 

Here's the recap on network 
coverage of the Progressive 
Party convention: 

ABC — Eight hours 30 min- 
utes of AM coverage; 26 
hours, 30 minutes of TV time; 
$26,619 .in AM commercial 
program cancellations and 
$30,000 operating costs. 

CBS — Six hours 55 minutes 
of news programs originated 
from Philly; 25 hours, four 
minutes of TV time; cost fig- 
ures not available. 

DuMont— 10 hours 15 min- 
utes Of TV time, entirely fed 
by pool; no commercial can- 
cellations; web shared pool 
costs. 

■ Mutual— Nine hours of AM 
time; no commercial cancella- 
tions; $5,730 in operating costs. 
. NBC— Nine hours 35 min- 
utes > of ^ AM, time, including 
. seven hours, five minUtes . of 
convention, proceedihgfe; esti- 
mater $75,000 in costs for can- 
cellations and operation. 



Fate of ■ the . Vaughn Monroe 
CBS show hi the fall is still up 
in the air. It's currently doing 

, summer duty for R. J. Reynolds 

over the Saturday night mixup m j (Camels) in the Screen Guild Mon- 
acceptance speech tnne. ! nigjn time on CBS, but ap- 1 

Candidate Henry A. Wallace i|)arently William Esty agency! 
was scheduled to address the | hasn't decided as yet on whether 
Shibe Park thousands at 10 p.m. i it returns to a regular fall berth, 
and all four nets planned their [ Ciggie outfit has bought Jimmy 
evenings on that listing. ! Durante for the fall, which, if 

The nets again pooled for the 1 Monroe stays, gives it four net- 
convention and Mutual was in work programs, others being 



How NBC CBS FaH Schedule Lines Up 

The between-season jockeying among sponsors is practically ended, 
ivith most of the changes involving bigtime personalities on the NBC 
and CBS kilocycles. While there will proboblj/ be a few additional 
changes on top, here's Ji'6w tlie NBCCBS commercial . programmingi 
picture shapes up for the 'iB-'i9 ride. 
■ ■•• CBS 



NBC 



Sunday 



local Stations pulled out shame- 
fully, their, rooms are e^npty' and 
there was not an attempt at cov- 
erago; ' ' 

'n'hese are the same people, 
x\li'i are boasting about the job 
radio did at the other two conven- 
tions." 

CSS, afeeording to Frisbie, didn't 
pui on a single live program frpm 
the convention until the Wallace 
acceptance speech in Shibe Park, 
Saturday night. • . . • 

''That sanie network ; gave up 
hours of time and cancelled valu- 
able commercial progi"ams . to 
show the machine-made demon- 
stration in favor of dark horses 
and favorite sons at the other 
conventions,'.' Frisbie said. 
Says CBS 'Welched' 

"Well, the American people are 
just as curiou.s about this new 
party. They want to know what it 
stands for, who are its leaders, 
what its delegates have to say. It 
was a public service to bring this 
convention to the people, and CBS 
welched on that public service 
co'Tipletely." 

'.^'.\dio coverage the opening 
n". It of the convention ran as fol- 
' lov.'.'i: N.BC covered from 9 p.m. 
until 10:30. ABC came in for the 
keynote address of Charles P. How- 
ard. Iowa publisher, from 9:30 to 
10:30. Mutual came in for key- 
noie at 9:30. but cut it oft at 

10 p.m. 

.'^^cording to Frisbie, Mutual cut 

011 the convention because of its 
"I'cc't the Press" show. "They of- 
fei'od to let me put Sen. Glen 
Taylor on 'Meet- tlie Press', wanl- 
ias me to go into competition 
with my Own keynote speaker," 
Fxjshie added. 

dBS, according to the log, ran 
commentator Quincy Howe, from 
11:10 to 11:15. Saturday altev- 
hoon, three of the networks fABG, 
MBS and NBC) stayed with the con- 
vention from 2 p.m. until 5 o'clock 
and after, CBS was still laying 
oft' and didn't pick it up until the 
10 o'clock acceptance speech in 
* Shibe Park, when all the others 
wei'e again with it. 

If Progressive Party people did 
* bum, the radio crowd used 
some iancy expletive (off the air) 



charge for this one. NBC did the 
GOP; CBS handled the Demos. 
At 9:30 Cliff Harris, technical su- 
pervisor at WIP in charge of the 
field setup, got word from the 
Progressive stalf that Wallace 
couldn't appear until 10:30 as the 
program was running far behind . 
schedule. 

Whether it was planned or not, 
the delay proved a great break 
for the Wallace followers. Mutual 
had to pick up the show anyway, 
and ■ at that particular moment 
William Gailmpre was making a 
special pitch for funds. It lasted 
most of the haU' hoiir. $50,000 
was collected from the audience. 

The long arm of coincidence no 
doubt, b''id Mutual sacrifice its 
Chicago Theatre, of the Air (Col. 
Bertie McCormick's show)' in favor 
of the convention collection. 

Coincidence didn't rest well 
with the WIP and MBS crowd 
present, who were shortly to hear 
Gailmor tell ' the crowd that the 
reason they -had to- dig- in .and 
contribute was that radio pro- 
grams had to be paid for. Gailmor 
later clarified "the reniark by ex- 
plaining he meant radio programs 
after the present one, which was 
for free. 

Physically, . none of the nets 
turned out in the force tliey dis- 
played at the previous conven- 
tions. Although there was plenty 
Of brass around. Davidson Taylor, 
CBS vice president in charge of 
public affSrs, headed that chain's 
contingent. 

Thomas Velotta, vice president 
in charge of news for ABC was 
on the .Shibe Park infield with his 
crew. .BiU, Brooks, ivp ip . charge 
of news for NBC, found 'two - Con- 
ventions too much, and ducked 
out on' this one. Frank McCall, 
NBC's director of news operations, 
took over in his stead, with the 
help of Ann Gillis, Brooks' girl 
friday. • 



Screen Guild and Bob Hawk. | 
Camels, however, may decide to 
cut back to three shows. 

Tom Luckenbill, Esty radio vee^ 
p-ce, ' is also undecided as yet 
whether Hawk, currently ' heard 
Thursday hights on NBC, switches 
place's with Screen Guild. 



NBC To Cover Commies' 
Convention, So Other 
Webs Will Go Along 

What to do about covering the 
Communist Party • convention in 
"Madison Square Garden next Mon- 
day, (2i had . the • networks' news 
chltefs in a .tizzy this week; The 
CP had requested coverage of all 
of the ; webs. But was the party 
still legal? What ' with its top 
echelon under Federal indictment, 
charged with advocating overthrow 
of the' Government, could the webs 
justify airing talks by CP Pres- 
idential candidate, . William Z. 
Foster - and other indicted party 
members? 

On Monday (26) the nets were 
unanimously undecided. ABC and 
Mutual had told .the CP they'd 
have to know in how many states 
the party would be on the ballot; 
both nets had received "ambigu- 
ous" , replies, and had reiterated 
their request, but received no 
answer. It was a case all around, 
it seemed, of none of the webs 
being anxious to commit itself un- 
less the others did. 

I.ale Monday (26), however, NBC 
let it be known that it would give 
the convention "some" coverage^ 
didn^t say how mi)ch. Whether this 
included TV also wasn't immedi- 
ately indicated. Yesterday (Tues.) 
ABC. announced it would pick up 
15 minutes of F'oster's keynote ad- 
dress;; CBS said it would carry the 
CP candidate's acceptance speech, 
"if- they nominate somebody." And 
Mutual said it also would give the 
Commies "some" coverage. 



CorwinBackTo 
Radio With 1 
Series for CBS 



The question of wliether Nor- 
man Corwin was returning to radio 
or had decided on a career in 
films was answered by Corwin 
himself • last week, when he 
checked in at CBS hdqs. in NeW: 
York for a several weeks' series^ 
of huddles with web execs on his" 
'48-'49 plans. 

Corwin, who has been living on 
the Coast for the past year, where 
he did a screen treatment of "All 
the King's Men" for Columbia 
Pictures, discloses that he's not 
only returning to radio and CBS, 
but is projecting an ambitious 
series for .the, network's upcoming 
semester. rPlanS for the series are 
be<ng . crystallized during bis stay 
here. 

On Aug. 18 Corwin leaves for 
a three-week trip to Europe as 
part of the One World organiza- 
tion's contingent whicli will spread 
out on "the Continent to dedicate 
a series -of' FioreUo' LaGnardia 
'memorials in the capitals and to 
scan the t'adio ahd 'other cultural 
horizons. 

After his European junket. Cor- 
win returns to the Coast to start 
work on a filih adaptation of his 
"M.ary and the Fairy" radio play,, 
which , he'll do with Charles Feld-: 
man. .As for '*King'S :Men," which 
deals with the Louisiana political 
scene, Columbia is apprehensive 
about it, says Corwin, because of 
"pressure" from' 'the southern 
state. 



6 P.M. 


Family Hour 


Catholic Hour 




(Prudential) 


(Sustaining) 


O.oU 




Ozzie & Harriet 






(Int'l Silver) 


7:00 


Gqxiq Aiitry ■ 


Jack Benny ' 






(Lucky Strike) 


7:30 




Phil Harris 






■ (Rexall) 


8:00 


Sum Sp^do ■'■''■■■ ' 


Edgar Bergen 






(Standard Brands) 


8:30 


Man Called X - 


Fred Allen 






(Ford Dealers) 


»9:00 




■ Mnn Merrv-Go-Hound 




fF.lppfrif* Puis > 


' ' ' \ xyf ■ AO/ 






.fVlPJUIlA \JX XVXVIOAV 






10:00 


Strike It Rich 


Take It—Leave It 




(Ludens) 


(Eversharp) 


10:30 


For Sale 


Horace Heidt 






(Philip Morris) ' 


Monday 






7:30 


Club 15— Ed Murrow 


Kaltenhorn. 




(Campbell Soup) 


(Pure Oil— 15 Mins.) 


8:00 


Inner Sanctum 


Cavalcade of Amer. 




(Bromo Seltzer) 


(DuPont) 


8:30 


Talent Scouts 


Voice of Firestone 




(Lipton Tea) 




9:00 


■Lux Radio Theatre 


Telephone Hour 




.■ ■ (Lever) 


(Bell System) 


9:30 


'Lux Radio Theatre 


Dr. I. Q. 






(Mai'S Candy) 


10.00 


My Friend Irma 


Contented Hour 




(Swan Soap) i 


(Carnation Co.) 


10:30 


Screen Guild or Uob Hawk 


For Sale 




(Camel) 





Tuesday 



CBS Old-Faithful 
Cancels Sat Hme 



One of the "old faithfuls" on 
CBS,' which over the past decade 
has been spending approximately 
$250,000 a year in CBS time for its 
"Stars Over Hollywood" Saturday 
matinee show (12:30), has decided 
to cancel out. Outfit is Bow- 
cy's, the dairy operation, and al- 
though the program has consist- 
ently paid off with a solid rating 
(latest is 6.1, topping every other 
.show in the; Saturday daytime 
i sweepstakes), the company is re- 
ported bowing out because of the 
current price squeeze. 

' Stars" fades after the Sept. U 
broadcast. It's an MCA booking. 

CBS' plan is to move up the 
succeeding shows. "Grand Central 
Station, ' "County Fair" and "Giv;e 
and Take," in order to make the 
2 p.m; period available for 'spon- 
sorship. 



CBS' Judy Holiiday Show 

CBS last night (Tues.) auditioned 
a domestic situation comedy star- 
ring Judy Holiiday, with Charles 
Irving in the role of her husband. 

Thirty-minute house-built pack- 
age is being produced by Irving 
Mansfield, with Ed Downs direct- 
ing and Sidy Zilenka handling the 
scripting assigntnent, • , 



7:30 


Club 15— Ed; Munw 


Kaltenborn 




(Campbe II Soup) 


(Pure Oil-^15 Mins.) 


8:00 


Mystery Theatre 


Philip Morris Show 




(Steriing) 


8:30 


Mr.-. & Mrs. North 


Date With Judy 




(Colgate) 


(Tums) 


9:00 


■ We, the People 


. Amos 'n' Andy 




(Gulf) 


(Pepsodent) 


9;30 


Hit the .lackpot 


Fibber & Molly 




(DeSotoi 


(Johnson Wax) 


10:00 


For Sale 


Bob Hope 






(Rinso) 


10:30 


For Sale , , 


People Are Funny 






(Raleigh) 


Wednesday 






7:30 


Club 15— Ed Murrow 


Kaltenborn 




(Campbell Soup) 


(Pure Oil— 15 Mins.) 


8:00 


Mr. C ha melon 


Dennis Day 




(Bayer) 


(Colgate) 


8:30 


Dr. Christian 


Great Gildersleeve 




(Chesebrough) 


(Kraft) 


9:00 ' 


Your Song & Mine 


Duffy!s Tavern 




(Borden) 


(Bristol-Myers) 


9:30 


Harvest of Stars 


Mr. D. A. 




(Int'l Harvester) 


(Bristol-Myers) 


10:00 


Whistler 


Big Story 




• (Household Finance) 


(Pall Mall) 


10:30 


For Sale 


Curtain Time 






(Mars) 



HAWAII CHARMS HYAMS 



After 13 Years With CBS Mnsicol- 
ogist Is Not Returning: 

Ben Hyams, for 13 yeai-s staff 
musicologist with the CBS pro- 
gram department, has resigned 
and decided to spend tlie balance 
ot his life in Hawaii. He went 
there nearly a year ago on leave of 
absence for his health but lias just 
elected to waive right of return. 

In Honululu Hyams is directing 
a Sunday night symphony broad- 
cast and has joined the staff' of 
a local advertising agency. Hoist 
& Cummings. ' 

Present CBS staff musicqlogist 
is David Bamdolph. 

, ■■. . ■■■■■■ ■. .• •, . , . . <1 1 <: t.Jia 



Thursday 






7:30 


Glub 15— Ed Murrow 


Kaltenborn 




(Campbell Soup) 


(Pure Oil--^15 Mins.) 


8:00 


FBI Peace & War 


Aldrich Family 




(P & G) 


(Gen. Foods) 


8:30 


Mr. Keen 


Burns & Allen 




(Whitehall) 


(Maxwell House) 


9:00 


Suspense 


Al .lolson 




(Auto-Lite) 


(Kraft) 


9:30 


Ci-ime Photo,({rapher 


New Show for Sealtest 




(Toni Co.) 




10:00 


Hallmark Playhouse 


Boh Hawk or Screen Guild 




(Hall Bros.) 


for Camel 


10:30 


First Nighter 


Fred Waring 




(Canipana) 


(Gen. Electric) 


Friday 






7:30 


Club 15— Ed Murrow 


' Kaltenborn 




(Campbell Soup) 


(Pure Oil— 15 Mins.) 


8:00 


Mr. Ace & Jane 


Cities Service Show 




(Gen. Foods) 




8:30 


. ■ Jack Carson 


Jimmy Durante 




(Gen. Foods) 


(Camel) 


9:00 


Ford Theatre 


Eddie Cantor 




(Ford Co.) 


(Pab.st) 


9:30 


Ford Theatre 


• Rod Skelton 






(P & G) 


10:00 


Everybody Wins 


Life of Riley 




(Philip Morris) 


(P & G) 


10:30 


Spotlight Revue 


Bill Stern 




(Coca-Cola) 


(Colgate-^15 Mins.) " 



Saturday 
7:30 

8:00 

8:30 

9:00 

9:30 • 

10:00 

10:30 



For Sale 

Sing It Again 

(For Sale) 
Sing It Again . 

(For Sale) 
Morey Amsterdam 
(For Sale) 
Pays To Be Ignonint 
(Co-op) 
For Sale 

For Sail! 



Sat. Night Serenade 

(Pet Milk) 
H'wood Star Preview 
(Anacin) 
Truth Or Conseq. 
(P & G) 
Hit Parade 
(Lucky Strike) 
Can You Top Xhis 
(Colgate) 
Judy Canova 
(Colgate) 
Grand Olc Opiy 
(Prince Albert) 



WedncMlay, July 28^ 1948 



BAJHO US 



BIG SPENDERS' WEB JOCKEYING 



CBS"Rii^ It Agam' 

With vacationing at its peak, the slump in home listening has hit 
such a state of doldrums that the telephonic giveaway shows on 
the networks are finding it tough going reaching contestants. It's 
particularly true of the weekend shows, such as GBS' "Sing It 
Again" and Mutual's "Three for. the Money," both heard Satur- 
day nights, and to a lesser degree with ABC's Sunday night "Stop 
the Music," although hy 8 p.m. Sundays a large percentage of the 
weekend vacationers are back home. 

It's not lust a case of failing to find stay-at-homers who are list- 
ening to the radio; worse than that, nobody answers the telsphone. 
It's reported, in the case of "Sing It Again," sometimes it's neces- 
saty to put in 10 telephone calls around the country before any- 
one answers. 

Oddity, too, is the type of letters 'the webs are receiving from 
listeners. One guy in Florida protested to CBS, in ttiC case of 
"Sing": "What's the matter you never call a Florida number? YOtt 
might think we've seceded from the union." " 

A woman in Fort Worth, Tex., squawked: "How come all this 
discrimination? You call Dallas and never give Forth Worth a 
tumble." 



fmcy's $1,352,11 K-FP<^«tf For 
iB'dcasts Makes Ifim Rictust Sngle 



Hollywood, July 20. + 
The deal Walter Winch ell signed 
wiGi Kaiser-Frazer last week 
makes liim the highest paid single 
in show business history. For two 
years, or exactly 90 broadcasts, he 
will be enriched by $1,352,000. And 
should the sponsor decide to tele- 
vise him, that figure will take a 
considerable hop. 

Winchell goes under K-F spon- 
sorship Jan^ 2 next after he has 
■wa^eid up his commitment with 
Andrew Jergens Co.; and holds the 
same Sunday night time. Contract 
signatured last Thursday, (22) by 
WW and WUliam H. Weintraub, 
negotiating iVr the sponsor, calls 
for, $650,000 the first year and 
$702,000 the second. For the first 
45 weeks" he will be paid approxi- 
mately $14,445 per broadcast and 
that's net to him as there are no 
deductibles by agent or agency. He 
gets seven weeks off in the summer 
and is permitted eight broadcasts 
from Florida. In fact, Winchell 
got everything he wanted includ- 
ing complete control of his broad- 
cast material except on items that 
might be considered on the fringe 
of libel, at which time attorneys 
wiU be called in to pass judgment. 
Both ABC and Kaiser-Frazer will 
maintain a hands-oif policy as re- 
gards c^sorship and just for safe- 
^'s sake the sponsor will Idemnify 
botli ABC and WW against any 
possible libel action with an in- 
surance policy of $1,000,000, 

Deal was negotiated by Wein- 
traub, head of his own agency, and 
Winchell in Hollywood. Robert 
Kiatner, executive veepee of ABC, 
was the third party as Winchell is 
under direct contract to the net- 
work, which guaranteed him $520,- 
000 a year so as' to hold its ace pro- 
gram. Kistnef was advised of the 
negotiations by long distance 
phone. 



Owen D. Itmg 
Ob ABC Board 

Owen D. Young, retired indus- 
trialist and original board chair- 
man of RCA, was elected to the 
board of directors of ABC yester- 
day (Tues.)^ board chairman Ed- 
ward J. Noble announced. Young 
becomes the eighth member of the 
web's board. 

_ Industry tycoon headed RCA's 
board from its organization in 1919 
to 1929, lata: was chairman of the 
executive committee of RCA and 
of the advisory council of NBC. 
He was veepee of General Electric 
unbl 1922, then board chairman 
until '39, a position which he re- 
sumed briefly during the war. 

Younrs election to the ABC 
board is seeii as adding a'solid fig- 
ure in the field of capital to the* 
W(rt»s topranks at a time wiien the 
n« wist scrape up heavy dough to 
«any out its extensive TV commit- 



This Is wOR 

WOR, N. Y., execs noticed 
how effectively Anne Wagner, 
phone switchboard operator at 
the station, pronounced the 
station call letters in answer- 
ing calls. She didn't put much 
accent on that common W but 
she bore down: plenty onihe 
OB. 

Result : instructions have 
gone, out to all WOR an- 
nouncers to speak the callJet- 
, tcrs on the air "with a rising 
inflection." 



Hooper To Hike 




C. E. Hooper is calling in the 
trade press today (Wed.) to unfold 
plans for incorporating his U. S. 
Hooperatings (projectables) into 
his twice-monthly program rating 
service — at a hike in fee 'to sub- 
scribers — starting next Jan. 1. He'll 
break the news to subscribers in 
the "Highlights'' accompanying the 
Pocketpiece to be mailed out, this 
weekend. 

Whole- project, it's understood,. is 
contingent upon industry accept- 
ance, but it is intimated that 
Hooper has sampled industry reac- 
tion to the proposals sufficiently 
to be assured of a go-aj^ead. The 
projected ratings are expected to 
be issued only periodically, per- 
haps semi-annually or quarterly, 
but certain "continuous" features" 
also will be offered. 

Hooper also will release, as 
added underpinning for his pro- 
posals, results of five comprehensive 
analyses on basic statistics of his 
operations, such , as findings on oc- 
cupations, incomes, family sizes, 
etc. • 

Amount of Hooper's proposed 
rate hike is under wraps and 
whether all four networlcs^ will go 
for it is problematical, since CBS 
has been reported considering let- 
ting its Hooper Subscription go. It 
was just a year ago, July 1, 1947, 
that Hooper doubled his network 
bills, upping CBS' and NBC's from 
$9,000 to $18,000 annually, and 
ABC's and Mutual's from $7,200 to 
$14,400. He pleaded greatly in- 
creased operating costs, saying his 
operation was running more and 
more into the red. 




'Voice's' Larynx Cost 
American Tobacco $83^ 

Hollywood, July 27. 
Frank Sinatra's larynx backfired 
Friday night (23) and it cost Amer- 
ican Tobacco $8,300. With all 
hands on deck at studio center for 
commercial film to plug Luckies, 
swooner called to say he had 
trouble with throat and asked for 
week's postponement. 
- Bill for talent was $8,300 which 
had to be written , 'off against an 
$18,000 budget fojr film. 



T ISKST 
FOR iSKSr 



. Regardless of what, television 
holds in store for the program 
bankroller, right now the sponsor 
is concerned with solidifying his 
hold in radio. The average night- 
time network sponsor is plunking 
down from $750,000 to $1,000,000 a 
year in time and talent (with the 
Benny^AUen— Hope — etc., bigtime 
productions representing a $1,500,- 
000-$2,000,000 yearly time-talent 
nut), and he's primarily concerned 
with getting' maximum results from 
that kind of 'an investment. 

That's the motivation behind the 
constant jockeying that's been go- 
ing on in recent weeks, particularly 
among the NBC and CBS program 
clients. The shifting in pro- 
gram schedules (see separate chart) 
and acquisition of new properties 
and personalities by such outfits 
as General Foods, Procter & 
Gamble, Colgate, etc., are designed 
to strengthen their position in 
■radio. 

It's the reason, for example, why 
P&G, with radio billings of $20,- 
000,000 a year, has established 
a firmer beachhesd in the 
comedy sweepstakes by buying 
Red Skelton. It accounts for the 
revamping of the Colgate program- 
ming roster and its purchase of. the 
Sunday night 9:30 time on CBS, 
with indications that it will acquire 
the CBS-buUt "Our Miss Brooks" 
situation comedy. It explains the' 
recent General Foods program 
maneuvers, with its new 60-minute 
Friday night CBS parlay of Jack 
Carson and the Goodman Ace "Mr. 
Ace & Jane" show. It accounts, 
toOi for Camel cigacets going on a 
spending spree and bringing. Jimmy 
Durante back into the B. J. Rey- 
nolds camp. 

Further reflecting the "getting- 
the - bcstest - for - the - mostest" at- 
titude of the radio bankroller today 
has been the wholesale jockeying 
for new time segments which, for 
example, changes drastically the 
complexion of the Friday night 
rosters on both NBC and Colum- 
bia. This reshuffle now finds Eddie 
Cantor (Pabst), Jimmy Durante 
and Skelton bracketed in the Fri- 
day NBC lineup along witli P & G's 
"Life of Riley" and "Ford Theatre" 
upping its budget and. making a bid 
to dominate the dramatic field with 
its Friday night CBS 60-minute 
show. 

Kaiser-Fra.ser's ,heavy plunge 
into radio, with its' bankrolling of 
Walter Winchell, and the Electric 
Companies' sponsorship of the new 
Helen Hayes series on CBS are 
cited as evidence that the so-called 
heavy goods clients' continue to re- 
gard radio as a vital and potent 
medium. This despite wholesale 
moaning of an alleged slump in 
radio and show business generally. 
The top spenders in radio appar- 
ently don't share the pesamism. 

LADY ESTHERS^ 
TOP-BUDGETED Wm 

Chicago, July 27. 

Lady Esther, which dropped 
"Screen Guild Theatre" last-season 
after sponsoring the series for sev- 
eral years, is again shopping for a 
radio show. Understood the cos-, 
metic firm is looking for a major 
program, preferably a star opera- 
tion on which it could hiing a 
"glamor" advertising campaign. 
Ruthrauff & Ryan, agency on the 
account, is beating the Hollywood 
bushes for a suitable buy. 

In giving up "Screen Guild" and 
relinquishing its potent Monday 
night time spot on CBS last season, 
Lady Esther indicated it intended 
concentrating on space modia in 
future. 



UJS. Army Yields to Mere£th, Pays 
HimOffon'RollCaHVNBCFadeoiit 



Tempus Fugits 

Hollywood,^uly 27. 
It wasn't so many years ago 
that the public was reading 
about FDR's favorite grand- 
children, "Sistie and Buzzie." 
Recent prints carried the news 
of Sistle's marriage and now 
the other member of the White 
house act, Curtis BooseweJt 
Boettiger, gets into the act via 
radio. 

Latter is learning the ropes 
as assistant producer of ABC's 
''Bride and. Broom." 



Exec 'h»de CSS' 
ToKOVCwmmuid 

The CBS high command has set- 
tled on the executive from with- 
in the network's ranks who will 
take over the management of 
KQV, San Francisco, but the 
designee won't be disclosed until 
the Federal Communicatiion Com- 
missions has okayed the purchase 
of the station from the Ralph Brun- 
ton interests. 

The report that the job was go- 
ing to Arthur Hull Hayes, pres- 
ent gen. mgr. of WCBS, the web's 
N, Y. release, was described as 
"away off base," even though 
Hayes and the missus, while on a 
recent visit to Frisco, looked the 
housing situation over. The quest, 
it was explained, was made in, be- 
half of the intended appointee, 
since one of the major problems 
of the network in transferring 
execs was finding a place for them 
to live. 

Deal on KQTSr entails acquiring 
the remaining. 55% of the station's 
stock. Web figures that the FCC 
approval on the sale of its WTOP, 
Washington, to the Washington 
Star, will come through at about 
the same time. 



Frigidaire Eyes Kyser 

Frigidaire Division of General 
Motors is showing interest in the 
new Kay Kyser show being pro- 
jected for the fall; 

Kyser, whose Saturday night 
NBC program has been cancelled 
by Colgate, Is revamping the entire 
format and building the new show 
to embrace talent scouting. 



Burgess Meredith last week took 
on the U.S. Army, Music .Corp. 
of America, NBC and N. W. Ayer 
agency single-handed and came' 
out approximately $13,000 richer. 

It all started when the NBC 
production dept.j after four broad- 
casts of the U. S. Army-sponsored 
Thursday night "Roll Call" show, 
which Meredith emceed at a re- 
ported $1,500 a week, decided Qtat 
the program needed streng^ening.^ 
It felt that Meredith, despite bis 
talents, just wasn't the right per- 
sonality for the show and sug- 
gested that he withdraw. Meredith, 
in turn, pointed to a 13-week con- 
tract and insisted that the network 
fulfill its obligation. 

The Ayer agency, which handles 
the Army account, then stepped 
in and suggested thai the show 
be moved to the Coast, with Dor- 
othy Lamour to head up a new 
cast and format. Again Meredith 
stood his ground and said that 
cither he be paid off or sent out 
to the Ccrast along with the show., 

By this time the Army itself, 
it's reported; was jg^ttiqg munQred 
and through the auspfces n{ MCA, 
which handles Meredith, tried to 
persuade him to bow off and 
chalk the whole thing up as one 
of those things. 

But Meredith refused; he had 
nine weeks to go on the contract 
and insisted on being paid- Every- 
bodji concerned decide4 to call off 
the whole, thing, with the show 
fading after last Thusesd^y^ (22) 
broadcast: Meredith was jMiid off. 



StasterswFl 



4 Tfa^' Tryonts In 
Ecmee Sweepstidies 

' Johnny Olsen, Bill Gar^n.'Jay 
Stewart and Jack McElroy, are 
slated to try out' for the emcee 
spot on "Breakfast in Hollywood," 
from which Gary. Moore has re- 
signed. Each of the four will 
handle the show for . several Asys 
during the two weeks starting 
Monday (2). 

Jay Stewart will do the Monday 
and Tuesday (3) broadcasts and 
Olsen is flying out to Hollywood 
Monday (2) to' m.c. the next three 
programs. Gargan and McElroy, 
who is the announcer on "Bride 
and Groom," will split the stibse- 
quent week's show between them. 
It will then be decided which of 
the quartet gets the job perma- 
nently. 

Olscn's ' trip will necessitate his 
withdrawal 'from his various New 
York radio stints and- the "Door.? 
way to Fame" telecast on WABD 
for that week. 



WOR's Siesta Format 

Nigbttime Pace Not For Daytimers, 
Listener Pulse Shows 
These are enlightening days 
around WOR, N. Y. The station 
recently began taking its own pulse 
via invitations to listeners to write 
in their frank comments on the 
Mutual key's programs. 
Some of the results to date: 
All daytime programs have been 
ordered to slow down their pace. 
Femme dialK'S complained about 
the "express train speed" of most 
shows. They said they didn't get 
half of what was said; news was 
read too fast, too, etc. Station 
execs have concluded that night- 
-time pace is not for daytimers. 
. Quiz show emcees have been 
ordered to cut out asking women 
contestants if they live alone. 
Listeners think it's too much of a 
tipoff to burglars and mot^stets; 




'VtTashington, July 27. 

FM broadcasters invested more 
money during the first quarter of 
this year in transmitters, studio 
equipment and antennas than did 
television or AM broadcasters, ac- 
cording to the FM Assn. 

FMA declared that FMers pur- 
chased $2,854,662 worth of equip- 
ment for new sttttibn operations^ 
with tele interests spmiding $1,- 
682,015 and AM broadcasters $1,> 
179,014, 

FMA executive director Bill 
Bailey said: "Manufacturers' sales 
figures are good evidence that FM 
is looked upon in the radio indus- 
try as, radio's future. Of the total 
broadt;ast equipment sales'reported 
by the Radio Manufacturers Assn., 
FM stations accounted for 49.9%, 
television for 29.4% and AM for 
20.7%. These are dollar-volume 
figures." . • 

Bailey added: "As we view, the 
future of radio we see a three-fold 
service: FM for sound, replacing 
AM because it is better; television 
for visual broadcasts, which might 
be termed the rotogravure or 
feature section, and facsimile for 
the printed word and picture." 



i^'s HAYM£S' mm 

Benton & Bowles agency, last 
week cut a-45-minute audition pro- 
gram with a musical comedy idea, 
starring Dick Haymes, for sub- 
mission to the Assn. of American 
Railroads, one of its accounts. Also 
.spotted in the audition were Mar'- 
ion Bell and an orchestra batoned 
by Al Goodman. 

Musical used for the audition 
was "Roberta" with Haymes doing 
the m.c. as well as the lead. Format 
calls for booking male stars for 
parts beyond Haymes' vocal scope 
whenever such musicals deem it 
advisory, with Haymes confined on 
such occasions to an m.c. role. 

Test platter was 'produced at the . 
Ritz theatre, N. Y.„ ABC studio. 
The time of the pro-am, when and 
if accepted, bas not been, deter* 
mined. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ^ 



84 



RAmO RKVIRWS 



Wcdnesflajr, July 2», IW8 



SUMMER jrOUItNAIi . I MR, CHAMELEON 

With Ariene Eranbis, Ben Graiicr, With Karl Swenspn, Dave Arnold, 



guests; Hush James, announcer 
15 Mlns.i Sun., 9 p.m. (EDT) 
JERGENS ^ 
ABC, from New York 

(Robert W. Orr) 
This is strictly filler stuff, with 
Jergen» retaining its franchise on 
the valuable Sunday night at 9 slot 
;on ABC while Walter Winchell va- 
cations (although Kalser-Frazer 
takes possession of WW and the 
time Starting Jan. 2). 

Ben Grauer (long identified with 
the WW program as the announcer) 
takes over the first five-minute 
stretch for a capsule roundup of 
. the news (major emphasis last Sun- 
day (25) was on the windup of the 
Progressive Party convention in 
Philiy) and Ariene Francis devot- 
ing the remainder to celeb inter- 
views and show biz chit-chat. Her 
broadcasts will Originate from the 
Stork Club in New York. 

The Grauer treatment is a re- 
mote cry from the bangbang edi- 
torializing that's projected Win^ 
chell as radio's major phenomenon. 
Grauer ■ does it straight, with re- 
straint: if he has a gripe, the lis- 
tener would never know it. But aj 
a straight gabber, he's good. 

Miss Francis is natural and likc'- 
able.. Her three-way chatter With 
playwright Ferenc Motaar and 
Louis Calhern, currently starring 
in a revival of Molnar's "The 
Play's the Thing" oh Broadway, 
offered some diverting ofl:-the-cuft 
banter although thie magyar drama- 
tist was rather difficult to under- 
' stand betimes. 

Hugh James has taken over 
Grauer's usual announcing chore 
and handles the commercials ef- 
fectiyelj^ . Eo—. 



JEWISH LIFE 

Pr«»ducer:''IrvhiK Lichtenstein 
30 Mins.; Sun., 2 i>.m. (EDT) . 
JOSEPH WILNER CLOTHING 
WQQW, Washington ' 

, Foi'htat and fast pace of this 
newcomer to the local air' makes; 

.; it click . as a top drawer program 

' frankly exploiting the current in- 
terest in Jewish affairs. In a town 
which normally gives such strictly 
racial airers the cold shoulder, this 
one, the .brain child of Irving 
Lichtenstein, local freelance radio 
producer and writer, debuted with 

' a sponsor a few months ago and 
has beeii steadily building in ap- 
peal. 

Half-hour show is a dignified 
presentatiton of . current Jewish 
news and'tradltional as well as con- 
temporary Hebrew music and folk 
tales. Highlight is an interview 

■ .with a prominent person, gener- 
ally, but not necessarily.. Jewish, 
and consistently a national figure. 
Accent' is on racial understanding, 
'though pitch along these lines is 
tactfully implied, rather than open- 
ly touted. 

.Show is along documentary 
lines, carefully, avoiding the. pit- 
falls of the borscht circuit jokes 
or routines. The dramatic portions, 
handled by station staffer Reuben 
Brown (though Lichtenstein, rather 
than WQQW, owns the show) dis- 
plaS", on 'the whole, restrain, with 
a minimum of corn and sob stuff. 

Format is standard, opening with 
a short blurb, then, in keeping with 
this "Blue Book" station policy, a 
.brtef commercial. Three, musical 

« numbers are used, though not in 
succcission. These, all recorded, 
cons' "' of 'cantorial- music, Hebrew 
or ■ "Ish folk tune, and current 
Isr -olk melody. 

Harry Breger* a national officer 
in B'nai B'ritU and new to radio, 
does a short roundup of Jewish 
news of the week and also handles 
the interview chore, which is un- 
scripted and normally recorded. 
Breger has a good voice, thorough 
knowledge of his subject, and a 

, deft way with an interview, though 
at times he reveals his amateur 
status. This is not too noticeable. 

. however, and is being ironed out 
by experience.. Interview, which 
takes five to seven minutes, has 
featured such names as Golda My- 
er.son, newly-appointed Israel Min- 
ister to the' Soviet, who was drafted 
en route to .her ne^ post, Harold 
("Best Years") Russel, and Her- 
man Edelsberg, Civil Rights Divi- 

. sion head of B'nal B'rith's Anti- 
Defamation League. Interest in in- 
terview varies with subject, but op- 

• portunity for wide selection keeps 
level high. Limit of l,V6-minute 
Commercial time helps sustain eon^ 

, ■ tinuity and temjjo. 

■ V Show, which is currently shop- 
ping for outlets in other cities, 
could foe easily adapted almost any 
place that has enough Jewish popu- 
lation to support it. It would be a 

- natural as a public service for a 
. sponsor or a station. Commercial 
nsed here is pitched from that 

■ point of view, with name of spon- 
> sor and his product mentioned, but 
.- not elaborated on. National angle 
. makes it particularly adaptable for 

: U$e elsewhere. Interesting side- 
light is large proportion of non- 
Jewish maU response to program, 
•ltd hypoing of sale of cantorial 
*nd Jewish ttSk plattfers locally. 

Lowe. 



Richard Keith, Mary Jane Hiffby, 
Audrey Egan, Ethel WHson, Alex 
Scourby, Charles Webster, Grace 
Valentine; Howard Claney, an- 
nouncer; Victor Arden, musi0 
Writer: Marie Baumer 
Director: Richard Leonard 
Producers: Frank and Anne Hum- 
,, mert'- 

30 Mins.; Wed., 8 p.m. 
BAYER ASPIRIN 
CBS, from New York 

iDdncer-FitzgeraXd-Smnple) 

The chameleon, as everyone 
knows, is a lizard-like creature 
which can cliange its color to dis- 
guise itself; Mr. Chameleon is a 
crook-chasing character who em- 
ploys all sorts of disguises (even 
that of a charwoman) to fool evil- 
doers and bring them to brook. It's 
another variation on the private- 
eye formula, Mr. Chameleon being 
a first cousin of such w.k. opera- 
tors as The Whistler, The Shadow 
and The Green Hornet. 
.This new . Hummert-created 
series, which took over the '-'Amer- 
ican Melody Hour" billing on CBS 
last Wednesday (21), ought to do 
all right In Hooper's stakes. It 
embodies all the Hummert know- 
how, which means it has all the 
tested, svirefire ingredients of 
slick mystery fare. (Including the 
standard' crime-doesn't-pay dis- 
claimer, inserted to salve that 
segment of dialers inclined to 
squawk about crime stuff on the 
air. In this case, the line is: "the 
innocent must be protected; the 
guilty must be punished.") The 
accent is on suspense; the culprits 
seem to know in advance that Mr. 
C. is going to get them, but they 
figure this time they'll outsmart 
him. But of course' they don't 
They jiever recognize him until too 
lute. In the initialer, ''The Case of 
the Dead Woman's Eyes," he 



Carl- 



COUNTY FAIR 

With Win Elliot, emcee; Bill Gals 

Orch, Bordenaires 
Producer-Director; Leonard 

ton 

Writer: Robert Quigley 
30 Min.s.; Wed., 9 p.m. 
BORDEN 

CBS, from New York 

(Kenyon & Bcfchordt) i 
After three years as a Satui'r 
day matinee attraction, Borden's 
"County Fair'' moved into the 
Wednesday'- night at 9 segment on 
CBS as the summer replacement 
for the company's "Your Song and. 
Mine" musical. It has a quality 
of lightness and breeziness that 
merits the nighttime showcasing 
and, since its basic format is along 
the lines of the q & a giveaway 
shows (but with a frequent public 
service-consciousness as an added 
come-on), it naturally fits into the 
established pattern of program- 
ming today. To the nighttime-only 
listener, "County Fair" will shape 
up as a johnny-come-lately in the 
giveaway sweepstakes. Actually, 
it established a lot of the features 
currently riding the kilocycles. 

For the initial nighttime presen- 
tation (21), emcee Win Elliot 
turned, the show Into a satirical 
playground on the multiple "you- 
refrigerator- me-and-I'U-automatic- 
washing-machine-you" shows that 
are now the vogue. His "Start the 
Music" byplay for a miniature 
jackpot payoff and the reverse 
technique requiring wrong answers 
was Strictly fun-slanted, although 
those visual antics aimed strictly 
for studio audiences and too fre^ 
quently distracting to the home lis- 
tener should be put on ice for tele- 
vision. Ro^e. 



From the Prodnction Centres 

m NEW YORK CITY ... 

Speculation i.s that, if Dewey's elected, his radio adviser will be his 
Pawlinx neighbor. Ford Bond. (Of course, Lowell Ihonias and M 
Mun ow also are neighbors) .... Blow agency has the Demo campaign 
account again, but the Repubs haven't handed out their billing . . ABC 
so cramped for studio space, with WJZ-TV commg on the a.r in a few 
days that the web Is leasing a studio from mdie WMCA so Studio 3-F 
in Bidio Citv can be cleared for TV programming. AM sian/as o.ig- 
inaUrvg in S^F are being shifted to 3-C....W0R toying with a Hi 
Stranger" stanza tape-recorded Dy Bill Berns on the Empire State 
building observation towers. Interviewees would spin a welcome 
wheel" giving them 30 choices of a free LrTV aSlu^^^ 

WSEE, St. Peteisburg-Tampa,. signed as ABC's l4th IV ainiiaie. 



caught xip with' a couple of swin- 
dlers who'd done in a dozen trust- 
ing femmes. 

Production is Grade A through- 
out, and the cast, with Karl Swen- 
son in the title part, turns 'in 
graphic characterizations.' 

Bayer (Sterling Drug) plugs are 
the lisual, stressing the claim- 
which seems a little dubious— ^that 
this brand of aspirin tablet, but 
presumably no other; dissolves in 
the stomach as speedily as when 
dropped in a glass of water. 

Stanza has so little network com- 
petition at the moment that, it 
ought '. to get away to at flaring 
Hooper. Doom, 




SERENADE IN RHYTIDI " 
With Ray Norris Quintet, Eleanor 

and Fernie Quinn 
Announcer: Pet^r MacDonald 
30 Mins.; Sat., 6:30 p.m. 
Sustaining 

CBC, from Vancouver 

True jump rhythm is hard to 
find lately, but giving, out with.it 
these days on CBC Trans-Canada 
net is a little combo which keeps 
the listener's foot a-tapping and 
ear glued to the radio. 

Combo under Ray Norris' direc- 
tfbn has ^been beating out for 
about two years in . a 15-minute 
slot, but audience reaction was 
such that it was extended to half- 
hour. 

The theme, "I Got Rhythm" 
gives program a good se'ndoff , as 
does continuity delivered in a 
sparkling manner by announcer 
Ray MacNess. 

Despite fact that boys deliver a 
particular type 'of music they are 
lable to put' enough variety in 
show to keep listener interest 
high. Foi instance, they slipped 
with great facility from the strict- 
ly jazzy "Beanstalking" to a sym- 
phonic in jazz of Duke Ellington's 
"Caravan" with Femie: Quinn do- 
ing .a class-A job on the oboe. 
Number was- 'arranged -by Phil 
Nimmons, Juillia'rd man who likes 
to get wet in jazz "with topnotch 
results. 

In vocal spot. is Eleanor Quinn, 
whose voice far surpasses anything 
offered by name bands in the way 
,o£ thrushes. Putting a dash of sex; 
a dash of rhythm and then mix- 
ing all with the tuneful quality 
of her ' voice-, a sound results 
which is well coated with sugar. 

The combo stays within its own 
limitations. They don't try for 
large band efl'ects. They take the 
music, add a few of their own 
licks and what happens with the 
aid of smart ivorjr-tinkling by 
Doug Parker,, who is the pivot 
around which group works, is 
some down-to-earth music which 
is bound to be picked up by the 
large Yank nets' in the near future. 

Alien. 



Shenandoah, la. — The ' new 
owners of KFNF, Shenandoah, took 
over management of the station on 
July 15. Earl Williams, formerly of 
Lincoln, Neb. and .station KFAB, is 
local manager. Little change is be- 
ing niad^^ b{ personnel at the Station 
at this time. 



PARTY LflsiE ~ 
With Lockbourne Air Force Band 
' and Glee Club, Party Liners, 
Etta Wilson, Sgt. Joe Stonghton; 
Tom Gleba, announcer. 
Producer: Ed' Sprague - 
30 Mills., Mon., 9:30 p.m. .. 
ARMY. AIR FORCES 
WCOL, Columbus,^0. 

This folksy show with a strictly 
personal appi'oach aimed at luring 
boys to the khaki and the wild 
blue yonder is the brainchild of 
Etta Wilson, of the public relations 
staff at the Army's Fort Hayes and 
formerly on the Cleveland Press 
staff for 14 years. Starting as' a 
Saturday a.m. airer last Oct. 11, 
the program switched to its present 
nighttime spot on' March 29. So 
far as is known it is the only regu- 
lai' weekly recruiting show on a 
regional basis in the nation. In 
Winter the string of stations has 
gone as high as 22, but time sched 
ule shifts have reduced the Ohio 
statewide network for the summer, 
Army pays no' tolls for its half 
hour— only line charges 'and small 
local production costs. 

Main idea of the show is to pre- 
sent an "Army Wife of the Week'' 
or "Army "Mother of the Week,' 
who, when ' interviewed by the 
Party Liners, relates how happy 
her'husband or son is in the serv- 
ice. On show caught (19) Mrs. 
Ralph Currx, as Mother of the 
Week, told how her four son^ were 
getting along in the service, where 
each one was and what he was do- 
ing. This had a direct appeal in- 
asmuch as hundred of local 
draftees remember . taking- basic 
training under one. of the Currys 
at Camp Shelby in 1-941. , 

The program- was a remote from 
the Strand theatre in nearby Dela- 
ware. The town turned out and 
even the mayor was on hand. 

The interviewing and News 
Notes section (veterans'' organiza- 
tion election results, lawn fete 
dates, etc.) are handled by Mis.s 
Wilson, Sgt. Joe Stoughton and 
Tom Gleba, but the going gets con- 
fused as the 'ball is passed back 
and -forth. More rehearsal is 
needed to tighten up script de- 
livery, cut out awkward pauses and 
halt stuttering. The idea is to 
toss the lines airily back and 
forth to relieve the monotony of 
■solo speech, but often what is 
tossed is seldom caught very ex- 
pertly or speedily. 

Most penetratihg comment on 
the show is "Throw out everything 
but the band and it'll be a good 
program." This is so nearly right. 
The band, composed of colored 
soldiers from the air base, is big, 
brassy and expert. Its dance 
orchestra, which fills in on occa- 
sion, is another story. It- is., a "per- 
fecr example of a combo trying to 
get hep when they havent 'got the 
stuff it takes. Quartet heard on 
the show was unblended and 
flatted in the extreme. 

Despite this weight of evidence 
that the, production is amateurish 
and ungainly, the idea is still good 
and packs considerable appeal. By 
mentioning local names, persistent- 
ly sticking to provincial items and 
letting, the band have a generous 
portion of the show it is aa effec- 
tive audience puller. 



manager and continuity director of WMPS, Memphis og ing .Gotham 
before heading lor the Coast by motor. .. .David Allen (David Ross 
Jr) and Shelly Stuart added to WNYC's news editor-announcer staff 
John Garrison exiting Radio Best mag to freelance. 
Larry and Ginger Grey, who have confined most ot their activities 
the past year to commercial jingles, auditioning a Mr. and Mrs. break- 
fast show for a local indie this week, doing time, weather, simulated 
plugs all in 1 ingle form .... Robert A. White, ex-WOR account exec, 
narked sales manager of American Institute of Food Products, which 
produces "Ladies Man" (WOR), Ted Husing's "Grocery Lour '.vi..v; 
and the Ella Mason show (WHN) . . . . WOR's "Answer Man may 
be expanded to a half-hour cross-the-boarder, annexing an Answer 
Lady" Russel Walker, Jr., checked out of WHN as account exec to 
join the John E. Pearson station rep outfit. . . .Helen Coule a newconjer 
in the "Second Mrs. Burton" cast. . John W. Hundley, acting director 
of CBS Shortwave, back at his desk after attending funeral of his 
mother at Granville, O. u - u j i - 

George Petrie, lead in Lever Bros.' "Call the Police, has had his 
option picked up for remainder of summer run and sponsor is report- 
edly prepping a show for him for the fall. . . .Miles Shoe Co. audition-, 
ing a Red Benson-Arty Malvin half-hour quiz show prepped for WOR 
airing. . . Lou Hazam, scripter of NBC's "Living 1948" series, planed 
to Ann Arbor last week to guest-lecture on documentary radio writing 
before the Univ. of Michigan speech department's annual conference 
and '.reunion. • . ■ 

Ed Kobak back from Pine Orchard with a ruddy vacation glow 

Burt Hilber, "Tele Fashions on Parade" leading man, calling commu- 
nity square dances at Lynbrook, L. I., Saturday nights .... Gabbers in 
a parade to Europe: ted Malone, H. V. Kaltenborn, Arthur Gaeth. 
Al Sohacht oft on a clowning tour Of midwest ball parks. , . .Mary 
Caparelli of CBS Pre-ss became the bride of William Emmett BoUz of 
Buffalo Sunday (25) . . . Next Lssue of Frontpage, N. Y. Newspaper 
Guild's sheet, will cany a piece by Post radio ed Paul Denis razzing ra'- 
dio's stereotyped portrayal of newsmen .. . Bill CuUen, returning a sim- 
ilar favor^ to sub for John Re^d King on nine shows during latter'3 
vacation .starting Sunday (1). . Ace Ochs' switch to Coast from CBS-TV 
to Ward Wheelock delayed by illness. Patti Clayton (Mrs. Ochs), who 
joins him, replaced on "Sing It Again" By Fran Warren, ex-vocalist 
with Claude Thoi-nhill orch. 

Friends and listeners extending sympathy to Alfred and Dora 
McCann, whose five-year-old adopted son was found drowned*tn the 
family pool at Yonkers last Thursday night (22) .... Symphony Sid 
moves his WMCA mike into the Royal Roost on B'way for Sunday mid- 
night jazz ses.sions starting Aug. 8. ...Frank Pulaski, ex-WN,YC an- 
nouncer, now narrating the daily "United Nations Today" program for 
the UN's radio division. 

tlS HOLLYWOOD ... 

Andy Haley got his hew AM station in Pasadena on the air last week 
to supplement his year-old- FM operation. Wendell Williams, onetime 
NBC 'censor and' later producer, is his program director, and Pete 
Watts, former manager of KYRO, San Diego, iiins the station. . . .Tied 
up at Metro on a picture, Frank Sinatra decided to postpone his six- 
week layoff' from Hit Parade to a later date when he can get away. 
Beryl Davis and Maestro Axel Stordahl, however, are taking their 
sabbatical Aug. 7 — Ted Bates shutters Aug. 1 so all hands can take 
their vacation at the sahie time. . . .John Guedel in Louisville to chat 
With cigaret sponsor of "People Are Punny"^. i .Singer Kay Starr is 
getting an ABC buildup with her own show. . . .Joe Bigelow building 
a half-hour comedy show around Dick and Gene Wesson, nitery zanies. ., 
He'll write, direct,- produce and have package rights for a fall sale. It's 
his first I'adio venture since he departed J. Walter Thompson, where 
he was v. p. in charge of production. 

. John Hamm here from New York to work over the replacement list 
with .Tack Runyon in case arbitration hearing decides against Phil 
Baker on the morality charge. Decision is expected within two weeks 
.... Wade agency has made no decision yet on Alka Seltzer's strip in 
the Lum and Abner time, although Bob Dwyer, local manager, has 
sampled nearly all availables . . Alan Young's manager, Prank Cooper, 
has tulned down "Breakfast in Hollywood" because of other hopeful 
commitments. He recently recorded his own half-hour show, has pic- 
ture work coming up and is a possibility, along with Vera Vague. f6r 
the Jimmy Durante show . . Johnny Murray, who has been "talking 
it over" on KNX for the past three years, moves over to KFI undef 
sponsorship of independent distributors of 13 natibnal magazines and 
the mags .themselves. His commentary will be confined to contents of 

the mags with occasional guests from the pages of the periodicals 

Walter Bunker passing his vacation at Tahoe and the Bohemian Grove, 
where the annual' hijinks are now in progress, 

m CHICAGO ... 

Bill Joyce shifting from WHPC to the production staff of WLS . .. 
"Report Uncensored" set for a reprise on WBBM early next year. ... 
Jim Hanlon, now vacationing in the east, replaces Bruce DennLs as 
.flack chief of WGN Aug. 2, when Dennis ups to assistant program 
director Baseball game between the Chi Cards gridmen and Radio 
AU Stars brought in $5,500 for the Spastic Children's Center . . . Harry 
Elders reelected prez of Chicago AFRA; ditto Ray Jones as exec sec* 
retary. Cliff Norton, D^iap Reed, and John Gannon Were elected veepees 
along with Eleanor Engle as recording sec and dare BSum; treas, . ; . . 
Commentator Lowell Thomas originates his Aug. 3 newscast from local 

studios Marge Fiedler of NBC communications weds Richard Crema 

Oct. 16 John Harper, chief of Mutual's midwest co-op sales, away 

on a two-week, hike with the Marine Corps NBC tosses its annual 

picnic for the help July 29 at Medinah Country dub , . . .Morris Thomp- 
son, formerly with the Food and Drug Administration, is the newest 
recruit on WBBM's sales staff. 
"Ladies Be Seated" originates at the state fair, Springfield, 111., week 

of Aug. 1« Bill Anson, onetime local jock who went west to Los 

Angeles, would like-to switch back to Chi. Anson offered ii> work out 
a. transfer with Ernie Simon» WJJD'S topflight spinner, but Simon 
negated . . . Ed Borroff, former ABC veepee in charge of midwest oper- 
ations, has a hefty bid from one of the bigger station reps Jack 

Owens, "Breakfast Club" crooner, will intro his 13-year-old daughter, 
Mary Ann, to the spotlight when he plays fhe ona Park^eatre, 
Grand Rapids, Mich., July 30-Aug. 1. 



WedncMlar, July 28, 194« 



8S 



RADIO'S PEAK $38,000,000 NET 



Mo. Rde' Hea^ for U. S. Supreme 
Court as NAB, ANPA Intervene 



Washington, July 27. + 
The American Newspaper Pub- 
lishers Association is teaming with 
tlie National Association of Broad- 
casters to buclc the free speech 
and free press gag in Baltimore 
which resulted last week in five 
radio stations and a news com- 
mentator being cited for contempt 
of court. 

The stations:— WITH, WFBR, 
WGBlkf and WBAL, aU of Balti- 
more; and WSID, of Essex, Md.-— 
and James P. Connolly, Jr., news 
editor and cbmmentator of WITH 
were cited by the Baltimore 
Supreme Court for certain broad- 
ca'sts in connection with the de- 
fendant of the double rape and 
murder case. j 

The situation is headed for a 
showdown which may take it to the 
U. S. Supreme Court; Support of 
the newspaper • industry is just 
what the broadcasters want, since 
it will help to prove that broad- 
casters are in the same position 
as the press, and rate the same pro^ 
tection under the First Amend- 
ment. NAB prexy Justin Miller 
' has reached out for such support 
ever since he has headed the broad- 
casters. 

ANPA moved in via the action of 
Elisha Hanson, association general 
counsel, who announced he was 
asking the ANPA board for au- 
thority to file a petition with the 
Maryland Court of Appeals attack- 
ing legality of the Baltimore court 
code. 

Hanson predicted that he would 
get such an okay, and asserted 
flatly that the Baltimore Code was 
"absolutely in conflict" with U. S. 
Supreme Court decisions on free- 
dom of the press. 
■ The Hanson action was greeted 
with this statement by Justin Mil- 
ler: "We of the National Assn. of 
Broadcasters are gratified that the 
American Newspaper Publishers 
Assn' has joined the fight against 
abridgmen'; of freedom of speech 
and press in Maryland. 

"The prompt action of the ANPA 
to such a threat to the fundamental 
liberties of radio and press ;^dds 
to our a.ssui'ance that justice will 

rs%?^red'"th*afevr^fuJoVn^t^ tola. ^^^^^^ 



The Hard Way 

How to be a radio writer- 
director-producer for 13 weeks 

on .saeo: 

Melvin Baily, clerk in the 
m'ailroom at Mutual's N. y. 
headquarters before the war, 
decided he wanted to be a 
radio producer. Later, in the 
Army, he started saving his 
money. Back in the mailroom 
after the war, he continued 
saving, started attending night 
classes on radio at N. Y. Univ., 
and talked to people like 
Wyllis Cooper, whose "Quiet 
Please" stanza he admired. 

Last week Baily, now 21 , 
took his $260 bankroll and 
bought 15 minutes weekly for 
13 weeks on WGYN, FM indie, 
to showcase his talents; Preem 
of his series was aired Monday 
(26). at 10 p.m., with an 
N. Y. U. student cast enacting 
a dramatic fantasy— written, 
directed and produced by 
Baily. 

P.S.— This week Baily was 
promoted to an apprenticeship 
in Mutual's program depart^ 
ment. 



LOm TUXES 
REFLECTEi III '4J 



FCC Wets To Questkm Webs Oh 
Their 'Sales Rep' Pitd To Affiliates 



lStu#1BeA 
Humdii^er: Feltis 

White Sulphur Spgs., July 27. 

Broadcast Mea-surement Bureau 
prexy Hugh Feltis, again hitting 
the regional-meeting trail as ad- 
vance agent for BMB's March, 1949, 
survey, told the Fourth District 
NAB meeting here today (Tues.) 
that the forthcoming study will be 
far-and-away more useful than the 
1946 No. 1 measiu-ement. 

For, he noted, in addition to 
measuring scores of new stations 
plus FM and television audiences 
for the first time, the survey most 
importantly will supplement sla- 



Washington, July 27. 
The year 1947 was the fattest 
in the history of broadcasting, with 
.stations and nets earning $38,000,- 

000 after taxes, according to fig- 
ures just released by the U. S, De-: 
partment of Commerce. 

This compared with .$37,000,000 
in 1946 and §25,000,000 each in 
1945 and 1944. 

Actually the corporate profits 
before taxes were not tops. That 
peak was hit in 1944 with $72,000,- 
000. In 19^5, the figure was $67.- 
000,000 and in 1946 and 1947 was 
only $63,000,000 annually. 

What made 1947 so big was the 
lower state a(nd federal taxes. Last 
year was also the biggest in busi- 
ness done. Station time sales 
grossed $37»;000,000, compared 
with ^S!)? ,000.000 in 1946; $327,- 
000,000 in 1945; and $307,000,000 
in 1944-. However, since many more 
stations have been coming on the 
air since the end, of the war, indi- 
cations are that the take per sta- 
tion is on the way down. 

Broadcasting stockholders re- 
ceived $13,000,000 in dividends 
last year, the same as the previous 
year, bettering the $12,000,000 for 

1944, and the $10,000,000 for 1945. 
At the end of last year, the broad- 
casting companies held in bank 

1 $25,000,000 in undistributed prof- 
its, a new record. This was up from 

Ithe .$24,000,000 of 1946 and the 
$15,000,000 of 1945. - 

The broadcafiting industry, ac- 
cording to Government figures, 
contributed $226,000,000 to the na- 
tional income, as against $212,000,- 
000 for 1946 and $116,000,000 for 

1945, The broadca.sters, last year, 
paid out 8157,000,000 in wages and 
salaries to, an average of 40,000 full 
time employees over the nation. 
This brought the station workers 
an average of 53,925 apfece. In 

1946, wages and salaries of $143,- 
000,000 went to about 36,000 full 
time employees, an average of | 
$3,972. Tlius, there Is an indication 
that salaries in broadcasting may 
be on the way down. 



Brotherly Love 

H. V. Kaltcnborn tells it 
himself. When he arrived in 
Philly for the GOP conven- 
tion he received a giiest card 
from the exclusive Union 
l^eague Club inviting him to 
use its facilities. He didn't 
get around to the club during 
the Repub meet, but did drop 
in while the Demos were in 
session. The club's clerk in- 
formed him his courtc.sy card 
was issued for theJ30P con- 
vention. Well, he asked, 
where could he pick up one 
for De^io confab? 

Clerk drew himself up stiffly 
and . replied: "We aren't i.ssu- 
ing any for the Democratic 
convention." 



an affair, with its overtones of 
Constitutional violation, has made 
it possible for this association and 
the ANPA again to make common 
cause. It emphasizes once again 
that the basic freedoms are really 
indi;tisible." • 

NAB stepped promptly in the 
Baltimore situation following the 
citations last Tuesday afternoon ---- 

(20) by sending Don Petty NAB | tion which believes that although 
general counsel, to Baltimore to I as many families in its market may 
consult with the station operators, listen to a distant sUtion as to the 
At that time, Justin Miller com- 1 local station in the course of a 
mented: I week, more of the families listen 



with daily audience totals. Daily 
fi-equency-of-listening already has 
been sampled via test ballots, Fel- 
tis reported, and indications are 
that BMB will -report this informa- 
tion as a station's daily audience. 

This data, he pointed out. will ll^ug"?' .'as', week in Wjlmington 
make total weekly audience figures 
"more meaningful. It answers the 
needs of the small and medium sta 



Armstrong Accuses 
RCA, NBC of Lifting 
His Basic FM Patents 

Radio Corp. of Americai and its 
subsidiary, NBC, were named de- 
fendants in an infringement suit 



Del., federal court by Dr. Edwin 
H. Armstrong. The action charges 
the defendants with infringement 
of five of Dr. Armstrong's basic 
FM patents and also alleges that 
RCA has been attempting to effect 
a monopoly in the licensing of ra- 



Control of Show 



Lou Cowan Productions is drop- 
ping the Tommy ■ Dorsey disk 
jockey show from its list, with the 
maestro himself buying up the 
package, in a move which has two 
interpretations in trade circles. 
One is that the show isn't doing 
so well and Cowan decided to 
shake it; the other that Dorsey is 
merely exercising an option in the 
original agreement that, ' if the 
show was successful after one year, 
he could buy control of it. Sum 
involved in the transaction isn't 
known. 

Staff of the stanza, including one 
of Cowan's top salesmen, will be 
moved over to Dorsey's N. Y. of- 
fices. AI Hollander, Cowan exec, 
will continue to supervise the show 
as a favor to TD. 

Hollander says the transcribed 
hour-long, eross-thc-board show is 
currently on between 135 and 1.50 
stations, and more than 50 have 
already renewed for a second year, 
although most of their non-can- 
cellable 52-week contracts won't 
expire until Sept. S. Show is still 
on Radio Luxembourg also, accord- 
ing to Hollander, and deal is still 
cooking for it to go on the Austra- 
lian radio. . 

Another report is that many sta- 
tions have beefed about the ,^2- 
week non-cancellable clause and 
aren't renewing because they don't 
want to be tied down to another 
full year's commitment. It's re- 
ported almost certain that WMCA, 
N. v., on which the show first hit 



Washington, July 27. 

The major radio and television 
networks, are being called on the 
carpet by the FCC to answer some 
questions regarding their relations 
with their affiliates. . Hearing has 
been set for Oct. 25. Summons 
went out quietly, at the request 
of the National Assn. of Radio Sta- 
tion Representatives, a group or- 
ganized last year to fight the in- 
roads of network spot sales. 

FCC is concerned, it's said, with 
possible violations of network 
regulations via tie.-ln agreements 
between the webs and their out- 
lets for the sale of national spot 
advertising: and other commercial 
time. • .■■ 

Since there is a possibility of ex'* 
tension of such practices to 
and television, the- Commission 
said the hearing would consider: 

li Nature, scope .and 'effect of 
present practices and agreements 
lor the representation''of broadcast 
licensees for the- sale- of national 
spot advertisings 

2. Whether any contract, ar- 
rangement or understanding l^e- 
twcen broadcast licensee and net- 
work with which the licensee is 
an affiliate, by which- the net se- 
ciu-es any rights, exclusive or non- 
exclusive, to represent the licen.see 
in the sale of national spot or any 
other advertising or commercial 
time over facilities of such licensee 
when not engaged in chain broad- 
casting are in violation; 

3. If such is -not against i-egiila- 
tions, whether 'the-, making,, of these 
arrangements with nets by licens- 
ees are in any way contrary to 
the public interest and amend- 
ments should be made. 

NARSR and ABC, plus CBS, 
NBC, Mutual and DuMonf Were 
made parties to the hearing. 
Others wishing to participate- must 
file notice with the fCC- by Sept. 
30. 

At the same time it issued the 
hearing call, FCC sent a letter 
to ABC stating it had received 
a number of complaints alleging 
ABC was makipg affiliates take 
all available commercial net pro^ 
grams under threat o£ losing af- 
filiation. The letter added that re^ 
sponsible persons, including net 
prexy Mark Woods, had discussed 
this policy openly at several meet- 
ings during 1947. 

Stations programming 1 o c a 1 
shows when ABC bad a net stanza 
available have been sharply told 
to change their policy, FCC .said 
it was informed. The commission 
pointed out that this was not the 
picture the net had presented to 
itias its policy, and asked ABC to 
submit a complete statement of 
policy immediately. 

The question was brought up 
during renewals of affiliation with 



the air, won't renew it. This stems, 

it's said, however, not so much i WING, Dayton; KPRO, Riverside, 



dio patents, 

„ 1 . ii. ! f„"*h« ct-.iinn than fn the dis- 1 I" ^ling the suit. Dr. Armstrong ' from dis.sati.sfaction with the .stanza ' Cal„ and 'WJW, Cleveland, the 

.Hie Supreme Court of the i to the local stdl.on than to tiit ciis , ^j.,^^^ ^^^^^ damages and a tem- : as from a change in programming letter reported. 



United States already has indicated I la nt station on the average day. 
in several decisions that the old j Experimental ballots have -shown, 
Ensiish rule with regard to con- 1 he said, that "one station's average 
tempt, as practiced in Baltimore, i dailv audience may be almost as 
does not have proper application j large as its weekly audience, show- 
under the Constitution of the i ing that almost every family that 



concept iit this indie. Heavy ac- 
cent on disk, jockey shows is re- 



^•jij-ed States." I listens to the station listens to it . clined to do .so." He added that as 

_ The Baltimore rule^ established | almost every day. Ajiother station ! a result it became necessafy ' for 



porary injunction pending trial of 
the case. In a .statement issued 
last week. Dr. Armstrong said that 
both RCA and NBC "were 

the firet opportiinily^o put the i ^" Vj;;|3.s"^iskjlig session slated lor 
new invention into use but dc- ■ 



ABC Denies •Coercs«Hi 
In New York yesterday (Tues.) 



portedly being tossed out the win- , an ABC top-level exec denied the 
given ; dow, vvith ,Duge Kllington's as well ■ w^b had in any way coerced af 



in 1939 by the Supreme Court of 
that city, forbids broadcast or pub- 
lication of statements an accused 
man makes after his arrest. It also 
makes it improper to comment on 
a pri.soner's conduct, to tell what 
evidence the police have discov- 
ered, or to discuss the accused 
man's past criminal record. The 
prisoner's picture, taken while he 
IS under arrest, may not be pub- 
lished without his permission. The 
rule is invoked for Uie fir.st time 
m the Baltimore contempt case. 

Don Wilson Returns To 
'Variety' Radio-TV Staff 

Don Wilson has rejoined Variety 
after a year's sabbatical. He will 
resume -his duties as national radio 
and television representative with 
a roving assignment. 

Wilson left yesterday (Tuesday) 
for a three-week tour of midwest 
stations, headguarterinK in- CIu- 
cago. 



may have a far greater weekly than-; him as a private indivdual'to con- 
averase audience, indicating a large I sti-iict his own station at, Alpine, 
turnover of listeners from day to ; x. .1.. at a cost of "several hundred 
day and less- duplication of listen- jthou.sand dollars." 
ers from one day to the next." Blach Even after his station was oper- 
type of station, he noted, may be j ating and demonstrating FM's "su- 
"~ ' " "'' perior service,". Dr. Armstrong 
charged that both RCA and NBC 
''continiied ' to Show lack of inter- 
est in improving .the public's ra- 
dio facilities, and if was left to the 



preferred by different advertisers. 

Stang, Mnrray Paid Off 



axing. 



Barber, Stricken in Pitt., 
Cancels Olympics Trip 



filiates to take web feeds on-.sta-- 
(ion time, but he frankly admitted 
that the. net had had occasion re- 
cently tp"reroind the stations that 
they^i»e network affiliates and that 
we can't run a network when many 
of them refuse to clear network 
option time." 

said that many stations had 
„ i,^ ,^ ,. , be<?fi getting "capricious " in the 

Barber won t cover the ; matter and that at one point last 
Olympics for CBS He was felled | year, when the web was booking 
last Friday (23), while playing golf a good deal of new commercials. 



Pittsburgh, July 27. 



Red 



n..A.Un ' Alkni-l' Eftlili .small independent broadcasters to 
UeSpite AlDert row , Mrry on in the pioneering of PM, 



ivo many stations were "asking us 
to- let them do delayed playbacks, 
at times like II or 11:30 at" night, 



Although the CBS situation com 
cdy sustainer "It's Always Albert" 
faded last Friday (22) after a fogr- 
wcek run, the network found it- 
self saddled with eight-week con- 
tracts 

Jan Murray, who were co-featured 
in the program. 

Stang was down for $400 a week 
arid Murray for $250. CBS was 
obliged to pay them off for the re- 
maining four weeks. It's the first 
of the summer comedy casualties. 



here, by an intestinal attack and 
is under treatment at the Pres- 
byterian Hospital. lie was sup- 
posed to take off for London yes- j oi- a " wiek 'iat'cr,~or"j'us"t "refusing 
He now estimates that there are . terday (26). ! to dear time that it did seem 
"nearly 600 FM stations on the | He's .sore about the untimely ail- necessary to point out to them that 
air in the U. S. and set production jment and feels he has let CBS ; they had certain obUgations tons." 
is in the millions per year." idown, but . everybody at CBS from i 



Once FM's success was assured j board chairman Bill Paley and 



by the efforts of others. Dr. Arm- | prexy Frank Stanton on down have D'ArCV^ AffCV. FOUEder. DieS 
w.tu "='^7""- strong claims that RCA did an been phoning him to a.ssuie him, ftvj. . w«««vi , 

for both Arnold Stang and i » ^.^^^^^ ^jj.^ ^ J'^ JhT^' *'!i'/^'u 

- ■ ■ (Slepbentaird, Of the web's Lon-, William C D' Arcy 74, who 

don staff and a hurdler on the . fi'unf'ed t.he DArcy Advertismg 
rse U. S. Olympic team, will cover Co. m 1906 and was president of 
the games, as.sisted by John Derr, I l^e firm from that date to 1945, 
Bapber',s assistant.) died. July 21. 

Barber's ilhicss, at first was very j His agency is best known to 
seriously regarded, but he's now fadio as the pilot of the gigantic 
on the road to recovery.' iCOea'Cola account, 



and "not only began manufactur- 
ing FM equipment on a large scale, 
but offered to license others to pro- 
duce an 'RCA' brand of FM." Plain- 
tiffs legal battery is Cravath, 
Swaine & Moore, as well as Bycrly, 
Townsend & Wat.son and William 
Prickett of Wilmington. 



86 



TBUBVISION . RADIO 



Wednesday, July 28, 1948 



U. S. Dept of Agriculture Plans 

Use of Tele as MkI Medium 



Washington, July 27. ♦ 
The Dept. o£ Agriculture plan.s 
an exploratory study ol the use of 
television as a means of bringing 
to farm and city people the benefits 
of agricultural and home economics 
research. The study will be made 
under the Research and Marketing 
Act, with the Radio Service in 
charge. 

Television may be very eflfective 
in encouriaging the' use and greater 
'consumption of agricultural prod* 
ucts, the department said. One 
phase of the study will seek to de- 
termine what kinds of information 
and types of programs will be 
feasible, and the adaptability of 
films, still pictures, demonstrations 
and other educational techniques 
to television. 

A listener survey on reaction to 
difCerent types of programs and 
presentations is contemplated. In- 
vestigations, at first, will be on 
programs designed for the general 
tele audience, but with the exten- 
sion of tele service and receivers 
into rural areas, investigations will 
be conducted on programs of direct 
service to farm people, shippers, 
p r o c e s s o r s, merchandisers and 
others.' 

The department will seek the 
cooperation of tele networks and 
stations. State extension services, 
and other public and private agen- 
cies in this project 



Tele in '49 To Hit 
Chi Maturity 

Chicago, July 27. 
■ Promotional parlay, here this, 
fall will, if properly spaced, boom 
the sale of sets and see Chicago 
video off to a mature year in 1949. 
Hypos will come via the bows of 
two net affiliates, ABG's WENR- 
TV and NBC's WNAQ,. plus the 
Electrical Living Show, Sept. 18-26. 

WENR-TV is set for a late 
August or early September teeoff, 
with WNAQ fanfaring shortly 
afterv Electrical Living Show, with 
the accent on tele, expects to 
draw 250,000. More- than 75% of 
booth space already has been sold. 

Final impetus for the year will 
arrive with completion of the Chi- 
New York co-ax cable in Decem- 
ber. Possibility of a black mar- 
ket developing in tele sets al- 
ready is seen in some quarterst 



TV STILL GRID POSER 
FOR CHI CARDINALS 

Chicago, July 27. 
To be or not to be televised is 
the poser' still facing Ray Bennig- 
sen, chief of the Chi Cardinals pro 
grid team, and George Halas, 
prexy of the Bears. Both empha- 
size that their main concern is 
not with immediate income from 
tele rights but with the larger 
problem of whether video will 
bring long-range benefits to their 
clubs. 

Halas and Bennigsen will hud- 
dle tomorrow (28) to work out 
their final answer. If they okay 
tele, they will insist on acceptance 
as a combined package of 12 
games, six by the Bears and six 
by the Cards. 

Ultimate decision is eagerly 
awaited by local telecasters, 



American Tobacco's 
lOG Grid Sked in E 

Chicago, July 27. 

Univei'sity of Illinois trustees 
last week (22) okayed American 
Tobacco's bid through N. W. Ayer 
for exclusive tele rights to five 
home games of Illini gridmen. 
Contract calls for $2,000 per game 
and does not include film rights. 

Games will be microVvaved be- 
tween Memorial Stadium, Cham- 
paign, 111., and Danville, 111., where 
co-ax will feed to St. Louis and 
Chicago. Kickoff is Sept. 25, with 
Kansas State as foe. 



Vogel, 



X)es Moines Arthur 

member of the football team 
. of Drake University, from 1943 

through 1946, has joined KRNT 
, as a staff announcer and color 

njan of - the play-by-play sports 

team wtth Al Coupp^e, 



Dick Goggin to Coast 
On ABC's TV Programs 

Dick Goggin checked out of 
ABC's N. Y. headquarters Friday- 
afternoon (23) on his way to the 
Coast to set up office as TV pro- 
gram, manager for the web in 
Hollywood and begin assembling a 
staff for a fall programming teeoff. 

Expectations are that by the end 
of the year the Coast end of ABC's 
TV operations will have annexed a 
staff of 50 in programming and 70 
for engineering. (KECA-TV, Los 
Angeles, is due to hit the air by 
November and KGO-TV, San Fran- 
cisco, the following month.) 

Goggin will report to Don 
Searle, the web's Coast topper, 
and work closely with J. Donald 
Wilson, AM ^ program manager in 
Hollywood. Until there's a coast- 
to-coast co-ax or relay; blueprints 
call for filming of most of ABC's 
N. Y. TV originations for air ship- 
ment to Coast affiliates. Programs, 
of course, also will be built and 
produced at that end and filmed 
for eastern outlets. 

ABC is taking over the old Don 
Lee plant originally built for NBC. 
Under lease to RKO, plant when 
vacated by Don Lee was to have 
been taken over by studio for ex- 
ecutive offices, but Howard Hughes ' 
decided to let it go because of the 
added overhead. 

Understood that ABC will use 
Melrose Avenue studio for its tele- 
vision operation departments now 
sheltered at NBC. 



GENE AUTRY INTO TV 
FOR WRIGLEY RIVAL 

Chicago, July 27. 
Gene Autry, whose CBS airer is 
bankrolled by Wrigley gum, will 
be viewed on local tele receivers 
under the aegis of a rival chicler, 
Leaf Gum. Latter will sponsor 12 
episodes of an old Autry film 
serial, "The Phantom Empire," on 
WBKB. 

Serial will hit national tele for 
Leaf, if it pulls an audience on 
WBKB showings. Turner Adv., 
Chicago, is the agency. 



Barbara DeMott's TV 
Program Prod. Agency 

New television package agency 
has been started by Barbara De- 
Mott in association with the Max 
Richards talent office. Agency is 
currently working on a variety of 
shows, including dramatic serials, 
variety programs, how-to^do-it 
shows, one on contract bridge, etc. 

Miss DeMott's husband, John 
DeMott, incidentally, is production 
designer for WCBS-TV, N. Y. 



RheingddBeer 
b Tele Splurge 

Hheingold Beer is turning to 
television for the first time to plug 
its annual "Miss Rheingold" con- 
test. Brewery has pacted with 
four New York stations to run a 
pair of five-minute films for a total 
of 13 times on each, with -the films 
presenting the six conttistants for 
the "Miss Rheingold 1949" title. 

Despite the fact that its strictly 
an eastern outfit, the brewery firm 
has allocated a total ad budget for 
the jjoming year of over $2,000,000, 
which equals that spent by many 
national advertisers. Greater part 
of this will reportedly go into TV 
and radio spots, in a switch from 
Rheingold's n s u al reliance on 
newspaper . and magazine copy to 
carry its message. 

Brewery will spend over $10,000 
for time charges on the four sta- 
tions, including WABD (DuMont), 
WCBStT V ( CBS ) , WJZ-TV ( ABC ) 
and WPIX (Daily News). Total 
budget for the show, . including 
production costs on the film, was 
not released by either the sponsor 
or the Foote, Cone & Belding ad 
agency. " 

Possibility that the TV audience 
might tire of seeing the two films, 
which will .be run an average of 
six-and-a-half times each on the 
four stations, starting Aug. 9, was 
scotched by FC&B tele veepee 
Ralph B. Austrian. Pulchi'itudin- 
ous appearance of the contestants, 
who will be introduced to the pub- 
lic by emcee Tom Shirley, he said, 
will make them welcome in TV 
homes. 



Inside Stuff-Radio 

Bangup Campaign to raise coin for the Central Polio hospital being 
built in Greensboro, N. C, is being waged by the WBIG, Greensboro, 
staff Via Bob Jones' show on the station. Given added impetus by the 
Current polio outbreak in the state, the CBS affiliate's fund appeal 
was kicked off with a $25,000 goal, but has already passed $31,000 and 
is now aiming at $40,000. . 

WBIG's "Everything," a weekly published by the staff, is devoting 
its entire issues to listing thousands of names of donors. This week's 
edition Jhas eight pages of names. Contributions have been received 
from tourists passing through Greensboro and from dialers as far away 
as Portland, Me., and Dallas. Several groups of workers have donated 
a day's pay. Contributions of food, clothing, jewelry, etc. — even live 
rabbits and a cocker spaniel pup — are beini auctioned off. 

In Raleigh, WNAO and WNAO-FM last week went all out to enter- 
tain children being kept at home because of the polio epidemic. For 
"the duration" the stations are block programming the three-hour pe- 
riod from 2 to 5 p.m. with juve entertainment, including a telephone 
<luiz, variety show, story session and disk jockey stanza complete with 
"mystery melody" contest. Group of Raleigh's civic leaders is serving 
a$ an advisory committee to help Dudley Tichenor, WNAO -manager, 
program the period. , 



WOR, N. Y., is readying a set of albums for use by university classes 
studying how radio programs are conceived and put together. Two 
Mutual shows originjited at WOR, "Juvenile Jury" and "Twent^r Ques- 
tions," probably will be used as examples. i t , 

The disks, which Will run ^at least two half-hours in length and be 
available to college^ and universities for the asking, will incorporate 
simulated conference^ aiid rehearsals as well as narrated explanations 
of the problems met ih building air shows. 



G. L. (Jerry) Taylor, veepee in charge of tele at KMBC, Kansas City, 
has been blanketing industry circles with a brochure ballyhooing his 
St. Mary's Glacier Lodge in the Colorado Rockies as an ideal retreat 
for "tired radio men." The spot is described as highly inviting— for 
certain people. Some of the "tired fellow broadcasters" to whom the 
literature has been addressed have noted with more than a little cha- 
grin that while Taylor's accompanying letter underlines, "You, too, are 
invited," the enclosed rate card plainly states: "Restricted Clientele." 



Paul A. Porter, former chairman of the Federal Communications 
'Commission, and Judge Samuel Rosenman, counsel for CBS during the 
recent hearings on Frisco video channels, have been aiding President 
.Truman prepare his proposed price control and rationing program. In 
addition both have helped with Pres. Truman's speeches. 

Rosenman was a guest on the Presidential yacht past weekend while 
Pres. Truman" worked on hi.s message to Congress. Rosenman for- 
merly helped to "ghost" speeches of FDR and Porter is a former pub- 
licity director for the Democratic National Committee. 



Three-way tieup between N. Y. indie WOV, the French Broadcasting 
system (Radiodiffusion Francaise) and Italian radio for spreading of 
down-to-earth better understanding between U.S.A. and western Eu- 
ropean countries is in the works. 

^^Xi^^.^™"^** Hartley and RDP's Pierre Cr«nesse and Ed Gruskin 
T'*'. arrangements for swapping transcriptions. 
WOV has a large foteiga-lan«;iiage audience. 



Television Reviews 



TELEVISION FASHIONS ON PA- 
RADE 

With Adelaide Hawley, commenta- 
tor ,, ■ ■ 
Director: Kay Nelson 
30 Mins.; Fri., 8 P.m. 
PROCTER & GAMBLE 
WMSO, New York 

(Benton & Boioles) 
Procter & Gamble has a prop- 
erty here that should do a crack 
merchandising job for it, when and 
if the program adopts a, continuity- 
frame which would not only tie the 
show into a coherent and cohesive 
pattern but give it snap, fluidity 
and specific Character. The account 
is also faced with the problem of 
int(!grating its commercials but 
that's something which will require 
far less strain and ingenuity than 
the other task. 

"Parade" is P & G's first dip into 
television. The program, basically, 
is solid fare for the medium; the 
feminine pulchritude that goes 
with the fashion display is invari- 
ably topnotch, the settings reflect 
good taste and Adelaide Hawley's 
descriptive commentary is adroitly 
documented and engagingly deliv- 
ered, the late Florenz Ziegf eld's 
fame largely rested on the fact 
that he proved that clothes-horsing 
could bj} made an important facet 
of show business if properly inte- 
grated with entertainment. In 
television the fashion show, if it is 
to have staying power, will likely 
have to abide by some variation of 
this principle. 

In the six months "Parade" has 
been on as a sustaincr the pro- 
ducers have had to wrestle with 
two elusive elements; One is a 
continuity idea that would not only 
bo appropriate to the program but 
smartly ,tie the ingredients to- 
gether. The other involves the 
choice and apt inclusion of enter- 
tainment bits, so as to break up 
the inescapable monotony of pa- 
rading mannequins and collaterally 
inject a change of pace. Neither 
angle showed signs of a solution 
on P & G's initial consort with the 
program last Friday night (23) hut 
it's pretty much of a safe bet that 
before the 13- week cycle is passed 
the account and the agency con- 
cerned will, out of their combined 
fund of radio know-how, come up 
with satisfactory solutions. 

The two P&G products currently, 
assigned to the show are Ivory 
Snow and Prell. The commercials 
have eye and sales appeal but the 
integration is way off base. For 
instance, the soapsuds pitch, though 
cleverly contrived as a unit by it- 
self , fades in without a word, or 
sign of introduction. The viewer 
IS ^ treated to th^ incongruity of 
falling snow immediately following 
a scene of bright sunshine and 
summer attire. The Prell commer- 
cial fares much more effectively 
from the integration viewpoint, 
and on top of that is attractively 
projected. odcc. 

QUIZZING THE NEWS 

With Allen Prescott, emcee; panel 

of experts 
Producer: Robert Brenner 
30 Mins., Thurs. 9 P. M. 
ABC-TV, from New York 

Almost since its inception, tele- 
vision has proved n happy hunting 
ground for the artist, cartoonist, 
sketcher, illustrator and anybody 
facile enough with pencil and char- 
coal to make a reco7nizable pic- 
ture. "Quizzing the News," which 
made its debut over the ABC-TV 
last Thursday (22) evening, proved 
a sort of combination "Information, 
Please" and the graphic arts. 

Opening show (22) offered an 
attractive panel of experts and, 
lor competition's sake, teamed 
them. Thus Grover Whalen and 
author Merle Miller were pitted 
against Eleanor Pollock, editor of 
Cue, and Robert Lawrence, conduc- 
tor and musical authority. 

In .some ways, the charade angle 
pi the illustrated quiz made it even 

ll?'^?^^, ^'^^ ''I'al posers of 

Into. For instance, the opener- 
teaser was a sketch of a man tied 
up, As an added clue a gun was^ 
put on him. This was said to be 
related to a news event. To give 
you a rough idea of what it takes 
to be an expert— the answer was 
John L. Lewis and his coal miners 
hamstrung by the Judge Golds- 
borough decisions." 

Just how far the pictures can 
lead one astray was evidenced by 
another query which stumped the 
panel. The experts were shown 
three pictures of doors each bear- 
ing the initials "D.D.S." This was 
supposed to be clue No. 1 and you 
had to identify the man who was 
the hero of the All-Star game this 
year. The experts didn't know it 
but the three dentists' doors were 
intended to mean ''Yankee." . 

For the second clue they were 
shown the position the fellow 
played on the field, with the red 
hen-ing advice tiiat "lie didn't win 



it this way." Third clue was a pic- 
ture of a bat. The answer was Yan- 
kee Rookie Pitcher Raschi, who 
came through with a double in the 
baseball classic. 

The experts were scored, getting 
three points for guessing the ans- 
wer on, the first clue, two for the 
second and one for the third and 
last clue. The Whalen^Miller team 
won by 12 points to 10 on the open- 
ing telecast. Although in fairness . 
to Miss' Pollock, it should be 
stated she . was exceptionally quicks 

Show has an audience participa' 
tion gimmick. There is a picture 
of a notable completely disguised 
with false hair, mustachios, eye- 
glasses, etc. There were two dues 
given. If viewers can identify the 
personality, they are asked to write 
in. Along with that to compete the 
viewer must supply three draw- 
ings, or an idea for three drawings 
for the next quiz show, and also 
take a picture of someone in the 
news and completely disguise it, 
Best offerings submitted, win a 
room-to-room Motorola* TV seti 
. Gagh. 



Tele FoDow-Up 



Television came up with a couple 
more potential stars in CBS' "Toast 
of the Town" Sunday (25) night in 
the persons of Jane Kean and Jan 
Murray. Both are already estab- 
lished vaude and nitery names-but 
they demonstrated that their top 
peak may yet be found in the TV 
medium. As such, they'll join per- 
sonalities like Kyle MacDonnell, a 
featured singer in the current 
Broadway revue, "Make Mine Man- 
hattan," but a star in her own right 
on her NBC-TV show. 

Miss. Kean, former lead in "Call 
Me Mister," was standout in her 
group of impersonations and 
comedy songs. A blonde looker, 
her expressive face is especially 
well-suited to TV closeups and she 
socked across that requisite rap- 
port with home viewers. Murray 
was on for a full 15 minutes of the 
hour-long show with some very 
funny bits which had the studio 
audience yocking as 'much as the 
home audience must have laughed. 
As with most nitery emcees, the 
strain to avoid blueish patter was 
easily apparent but Mureay carried 
it oft" okay. With the rival "Texaco 
Star Theatre" on NBC-TV on the 
prowl for suitable emcees, Mur- 
ray's a cinch to get a bid — and for 
more pay, too. 

Other acts, including double- 
talker Al Kelley, terpers Son and 
Sonny, Golden Gate Quartet, and 
Duval the Magician were good. 
Production, plus columnist Ed Sul- 
livan's emcee work, still left plenty 
to be desired. Way the six-girl June 
Taylor line often danced out of 
camera range indicated either more 
rehearsal is required, or else the 
line should be dispensed with. Di- 
rector Roland Gillett also evi- 
denced, indecision in his shot-call- 
ing, utilizing an almost worthless 
long shot too often and switching 
from a medium to a closeup Witli 
little apparent reason. ' . ■ 



"Texaco Star Theatre's" surefire 
vaudeo formula is a simple gim- 
mick—just load the show with per- 
formers who can provide a steady 
stream of laughs plus some fast 
acts in-Detween to give the listen- 
ers' diaphragms a rest. 

Last Tuesday's (20) layout pro- 
vided a prime example of the sue^ 
cess of - this formula. A comedy 
emcee who knows how to pace a 
show, plus two other zanies, along 
with the opening act of the Whirl- 
winds, the skating act; the Chandra 
Kaly dancers for an artistic touch, 
and Sharkey the Seal resulted in a 
smooth and fast session. It's a dif- 
flc'uU pace to maintain inasmuch as 
there may not be as many top com- 
edy acts around at all times. 

Henny Youngman's fast chatter 
cued a smart pace for the layout. 
He punched across good lines at a 
last clip to keep audience atten- 
tion occupied. The same speed was 
continued by Jack Carter, a brash 
and hkable zany, who excited ab- 
dominal glee both in the gag -line 
or impressions. Jean Carroll com- 
pleted the buffoon triumvirate with 
a similarly top display of japeries. 

Ihe Whirlwinds in the opening 
spot provided a fine warmer-upper 
and Sharkey the Seal's antics are 
as effective in this medium as 
theyve always been In theatres. 
1 he sole retard of this session was 
the mability of the cameras to ef- 
fectively pick up the wide sweep 
of motion needed to capttire the 
full value of dance acts. The 
Chandra Kaly dancers, consfr- 
quently. were not as effective as 
they might have been. 



WetfaesdaUt July 28, 194S 



87 







Westinghouse Seeks Pitt's Channel 8 
For Stratovision in New FCC Hearings 



Washington, July 27, 

The television channel realloca- 
tion and redistribution hearings re- 
sumed yesterday (26), with West- 
inghouse urging the FCC to allo- 
cate channel 8 to Pittsburgh and 
allow them to experiment with 
stratoviislon on that channel. 

E. T. Morris, Stratovision man- 
ager, said the proposal was made 
at this time because "experimental 
flights show that the major tech- 
nical problems in the stratovision 
broadcasting system have been 
solved." , ' ^ 

The question of weather inter- 
ference was brought up. One enr 
gineer testified that he did not be- 
lieve weather would affect Strato- 
vision with planes flying at 25,000 
feet where only thunderheads are 
encountered. He pointed out that 
"aerial video" was not restricted 
to a flight schedule, such as airlines 
use, and therefore would .be an 
easier operation. If one ; field was 
aboui, to be weathered in, the plane 
could take off for another field and 
still reach its objective. 

Channel 8 was requested because 
it would cause less interference 
to a station on the same frequency 
and also to stations on adjacent 
channels. A radius of 250 miles 
has been proven, ' Westinghouse 
said. A Westinghouse man told 
Varietv that it would be possible 
with- Stratovision for light air- 
planes to carry programs of nine 
network across country between 
New York and Hbllywood. System 
is just projected at this time. . 

ABC testified on tropospheric ef- 
fect, asking the Commission to i-e- 
vise its tele rules to regulate and 
limit the permissible radiated 
power of stations. 

Still to be heard are television 
Broadcasters Assn., DuMont, CBS 
and NBG. Attorneys estimated the 
hearing' could be' completed in 
three days. TBA will probably re- 
quest the commission to drop this 
whole proceeding from the record 
In view of the September hearings 
on: high frequency television^ 

Kinlner Projected As 
ABCsTopkickinTV 
Administrative Setup 

Trade is noting emergence of 
Robert E. Kintner, ABC's exec 
veepee, as the top' figure in that 
webs rapidly materializing tele- 
vision setup, in much the same way 
as Frank Mullen was identified as 
topkick of NBC's TV operations ^ 
before his r e c e n t departure. 
Whereas important announcements 
and pronouncements on ABC's AM 
operations have always come from 
prexy Mark Woods, all major dis- 
closures on the net's video expan- 
sion now are being issued by Kint- 
ner. • 

Also, it's learned that while 
.Charles (Bud) Barry until recently 
carried the title of vei^ee in 
charge of programs "and tele- 
vision," he is now over only the 
programming side of the TV pic- 
ture and Paul Mowrey, director of 
television, reports directly to 
Kintner except on programming 
matters. Fred Thrower is veepee 
over sales for TV as well as AM: 
Murray , Grabhom is v.p. over AM 
ftud TV owned-and-operated sta- 
tions; Tom Velotta is veepee over 
news and special events for both 
TV and AM, and so on— all repoi t- 
Jng to Kintner. . 
■ While Kintner all along has been 
the top-level operating executive 
of the web, his new position as top 
spokesman for ABC-TV suggests 
that he will be projected into 
executive limelight much mote con- 
spuuously in the days to come than 
he has been in -the past. 

Whether this development pres- 
ages some kind of realignment in 
ABC's upper echleon as the dual 
AM«TV operation expands, how- 
ever, hasn't been indicated. 



Frieda Takes Over 

Washington, July 27. 

FCC Commissioner Frieda 
B. llermock sat in on her first 
hearing yesterday t26) when 
the television channel reallo- 
cation and redi.slribution hear- 
ings resumed. Miss Hennock 
was chic in a navy outfit. She 
voinoved her hat during the 
sessions and ' seemed self- 
conscious on- the rostrum. 

The entire Commission; with 
the exception of Robert Jones, 
were present in tribute to the 
first woman Commissioner. 
The hearing was so dry and 
technical that Miss Hennock's 
first session was uninteresting, 
although she attempted to 
seein engrossed in the exhib- 
its^ hiding her yawns. 



DuMont Scoffs At 
$33.0M Sale 



Persistent trade reports that the 
Crosley Broadcasting Corp. had 
purchased a majority stock interest 
in DuMont Television for $33,- 
000,000 were denied this week by 
top executives of both companies. 
They emphasized that the only tie- 
in between the two companies is a 
cress-licensing agreement under 
which Crosley makes use of Du- 
Mont tele patents in the manufac- 
ture of receiver sets. 

According, to Commander Morti- 
mer Loewi, exec assistant to Du- 
Mont pre? Allen B. DuMont, stock 
control in his organization is not 
for sale, lie pointed out that any 
organisation might buy stock 
across the counter, but declared 
there aren't enough shares avail- 
able to permit an outside outfit to 
take over control. "Why should 
DuMont sell out now, after 15 
years of struggle, when' television 
is just shoM'ing signs that it might 
pay off soon?" Loewi said. 

He stressed that DuMont's re- 
fusal to sell is not a question of 
price, quoting Dr. DuMont as de- 
claring that he's "having too much 
fun" running the organization to 
pull out at this time. It's noted, 
meanwhile, that any sale of a con- 
trolling interest in DuMont would 
have to take into consideration 
Paramount's holdings in the com- 
pany. Par owns all the B stock, 
plu.s an undisclosed number of A 
shares, which gives it a reported 
40% interest in the organization. 



THOMAS TO WOIC 
AS GENERAL MANAGER 

Eugene S. Thomas, sales mana- 
ger of WOR. N. y., for the past 
10 years, is returning to his former 
home in Washington. D. C, this 
Fall to become general manager of 
WOR's D. C. television station, 
WOIC. Appointment, announced 
yesterday (Tues.) by Theodore G. 
Slreibcrt, WOR proxy, is effective 
Sept. 1. 

WOIC is slated to put its te.st 
pattern on the air Sept. 1 and to 
begin programming Oct. 1. 

Thomas, who is prcxy of the 
Sales Executives Club of N. Y. and 
a past prez of the N. Y. Advertis- 
ing Club, has been with WOR since 
1934. lie lived in Wasliington for 
23 years, during which time he 
was successively a reporter on the 
Washington Herald and the Daily 
News and a feature writer on the 
Washington Star. At another 
period he managed the Atwater 
Kent national radio auditions. 



Blodgett'a Philco Post 

Philadelphia, July 27. 

Robert Blodgett, former man- 
ager of product design in the ac- 
cessory division, has been ap- 
pointed television product manager 
for the Philco Corp. 

Blpdgett joined Philco In 1936 



IT ill BEPENiS 
iili GIllLS SHOTS 

By DICK DOAN 

Showdown is inevitable, as tele- 
vision's coverage of news and 
special events progresses, on ques- 
tion of whether newsmen or pro- 
gram directors shall have final 
.say-so on the way such TV shows 
are done. It's inevitable, too,, that 
the medium soon must determine 
how it is going to avoid criticism 
that it editorializes via its camera 
angles, choice of shots, etc. 

While coverage of the recent 
political conventions brought nei- 
ther of these questions to a head, 
it pointed both up in the minds Of 
many concerned. ; It's generally 
acknowledged that tele is so novel 
at this point that viewers will for- 
give i( most of its .sins and slip- 
ups. And it's generally felt that 
a formula for smooth-working co- 
ordination between • commentators 
and camera directors will have 
to be evolved before long. 

But the twin problems of edi- 
torializing and say-so, linked up 
in the minds of the newsmen be- 
cause they feel they • are better 
qualified than directors to judge 
news and to play it impartially, 
are looming up more and more in 
shoptalk. . 
Harried Time In Philly 

Operation of the TV pool at the 
Republican and Democratic pow- 
wows highlighted the two prob- 
lems in several ways: 

The TV pool director (the as- 
signment was rotated, day to day, 
between the networks) .sat before 
monitors showing what five differ- 
ent cameras were picking up and 
called the "takes" tot the pool 
feed. In a separate booth, with 
only a monitor of what was going 
on the air and no way of telling 
what .scenes were coming up next 
or of cueing the director, sat the 
pool commentator. The director, 
concentrating on the visual pick- . 
up, and wearing inter-cora ear* 
phones and mike ito direct the- 
cameras, couldn't follow the com- 
mentator. ResuU was that the gab- 
ber had a harried time of it, rac- 
ing to keep up with the camera 
switches and often finding him- 
self midway through a remark 
about something showing on the 
screen when a different shot 
flashed uito view. He was left to 
try to squeeze in his commentary, 
catch as catch can. 

The director, concentrating on 
visual effectiveness and variety in 
contrast to static pickups, couldn't 
be blamed for constantly shifting 
camera angles and views. For 
viewers, one of the most enliven- 
ing aspects of the TV coverage 
was the camera's intimate, prying 
eye, wandering over the hall and 
spotting delegates, spectators and 
others, sleeping, reading papers, 
etc. Nevertheless, this camera 
ambling often distracted from the 
proceedings, It was almost as if, 
in effect, TV wasn't paying any 
more attention to the speakers 
than the delegates, even though 
the aural pickup remained at the 
rostrum. It was possible, as far 
as viewers were concerned, for 
TV virtually to nullify the effect 
of a speaker's remarks by switch- 
ing to shots of the gallery or floor 
during a speech. (A woman prom- 
inent in politics cracked at one 
point during the Demo convention 
that she felt a Republican must 
be directing the TV pickups.) 

Still another means of editori- 
alizing observers noted, was the 
use of unflattering closeups. In 
one case, comment was aroused 
by the use of extreme doseup 
shots in an interview of a prom- 
inent legislator Whose complexion 
is unattractive, even in makeup. 

Newspapers, magazines and 
newsreels have never had to wor- 
ry particularly about impartiality 
in their selection of pictures. But 
TV, presumed like radio to do a 
straightaway reporting job and 
beholden to the ECC if it doesn't, 
is seen as being in need immedi- 
ately of some rules of practice 
which will safeguard it from view- 
ers' beefs in news and special 
events coverage. 



Field Day for TV Camera 'StdBes 
At Progressive Party GMiv^tion 



Goscli's 'General Store' 
5G Package for Ives 

"General Store," situation com- 
edy with music, to star Burl Ives, 
is being readied as a filmed tele 
show by Martin Gosch. It'll be bud- 
geted at about $5,000 and will be 
submitted to agencies in presenta- 
tion form. 

Hiram Sherman has been set as 
m.c. of a dramatic series built | 
around the Neighborhood Play- 
house drama workshop in New 
York, also being produced by 
Gosch. Ruth Adams Knight will 
script the series. 



MuH TV Only' 
Writers Guild 



Whether to set up a new Tele- 
vision Writers Guild or continue 
to handle the video medium 
through 4ts special.television com- 
mittee will be one of the questions 
considered today ( Wed. ) at a 
meeting of the Authors League of 
America council. There has been 
some agitation in favor of forming 
a new guild, but the expense of 
such a project may be a deterring 
factor. 

The problem of handling the video 
writing field has two aspects. As 
yet, there is relatively little script- 
ing done directly for tele. There are 
few staff TV writers and, with the 
medium still in its infancy, not 
many originals authored directly 
for it, Much of the dKamatic ma- 
terifil for video is adapted from 
stage plays and short stories, par- 
ticularly the former; 

Thus, the Authors League prob- 
lem is .still largely a matter of try- 
ing to control the sale of TV rights 
to material originally written for 
other media. The League tele- 
vision committee is working on 
this, chiefly by trying to educate 
the organization's membership to 
lease single-performance rights to. 
their material, instead of selling it 
outright. An effort is also being 
made to raise the general level of 
prices for video rights to written 
material. 

When enough staff writers are 
employed in TV, and enough origi- 
nal material is bought, the League 
will presumably have to organize a 
new Guild to represent the script- 
ers. Meantime, the video commit- 
tee, including representatives from 
the Dramatists Guild, Screen Writ- 
ers Guild, Radio Writers Guild and 
Authors Guild, may continue to 
deal with the situation. 



Philadelphia, July 27. 

The Television pool gave the 
Progressive Party virtually the 
same inquisitive attention it had 
.spent upon the Republicans and 
the Democrats. 

The TV setup Was coverage for- 
mula by this time and followed 
the identical pattern it- established 
in the earlier meetings. - Video 
found in the Wallace adherents a 
rich field for individual investiga- 
tion. •■. 

Younger and more vociferous 
than their elders with the' more 
established political faiths, the:' 
Wallace delegate's were also vastly 
more spectacular. 

The television cameras caught it 
all, the beardless youths, the girls 
in the batik blouses, peasant skirts 
and sandals, the seU-appointed 
saviors of the cotmtry, with 'a hun- 
dred and more nostrums — ^the 
cameras ■ picked up everyone of 
them. 

The pool used WPTZ equipment 
at Shibe Park to cover the Wallace 
acceptance speech. At a meeting 
of the TV networks it was agreed 
that WPTZ .technicians and equip- 
ment w6uld handle the entire tele- 
casting of the giant rally. 

The WPTZ setup is used t6g»- 
larly to cover the home game,<; of 
the Phillies and Athletics, ball 
clubs. Immediately following the 
Athletics-Detroit game, Saturday 
afternoon, WPTZ began setting up 
new camera positions on the play- 
ing field, microphones and pool 
hookups. 

According to Adolph Schneider, 
coordinator of tele and news for 
NBC, evei-y word and gesfure of 
the Progressive Party's candidatcji 
was carried to the same stations 
that covered the earlier confab. 

In addition^ to the lighting Shibe 
Park employs for its nfght hall 
games, the newsreel .and video men 
had an additional lyiO0,000 watts 
in floodlights on the field, placed . 
by Charley Ross, New York light- 
ing expert, engaged by the Pro- 
gressives. 

Ross said Shibe Park required 
three times as much lighting us the 
hall. Much of the lighting, was -for 
the use of the newsreel boys. Of all 
the units who worked aU three 
conventions, -the news photog6 re- 
mained most nearly the same. 
There were 35 men covering the 
Progressives' show, a difference of 
about to less than at the first two 
conventions. 



AUDIENCE SEES PLAY 
LIVE AND ON TELE 

Ann Arbor, July 27. 

The audience at a three-set dra- 
matic show at the Lydia Mendels- 
sohn theatre at Michigan Univ. last 
Saturday (24) also saw the play si- 
multaneously by television. The 
performance was picked up by a 
mobile unit from station WWJ-TV, 
Detroit, sent by coaxial cable to 
the college's carrillon tower and 
transmitted by microwave 40 miles 
to Detroit. The WWJ telecast was 
picked up by a special antenna 
erected at a local TV store and 
piped to various receivers in the 
theatre auditorium. It's believed 
such a stunt has been done only 
once or twice before. 

Setup for the demonstration was 
worked out by Garnet Garrison, 
associate professor of speech at the 
college; Harry Bannister, WWJ-TV 
general mariager, and Thomas 
Riley, production manager of the 
station. The play used for the oc- 
casion was an original dramia, 
"Walls of Glass," by Vance Si- 
monds and Patricia Merritt 



Liquor Control Board 
Modifies 10-Yr. Lawyers 
TV for Detroit Bars 

Detroit, July 27. 

So long as patrons -continue to 
watch TV shows in an prderly. 
fashion, no attempt will be made 
to regulate or exclude the sets 
from bars, the Liquor Control 
Commission ruled Friday (23). 

In reality the action was modi- 
fying a 10-year-old policy outlaw- 
ing films in bars. 

Meeting: with officials of the 
Police Chiefs Assn. and enforce- 
ment oft'icers from various com- 
munities, the commission an- 
nounced it had no case on record 
of any disturbance in a bar in con- 
nection with a TV broadcast. 

The policy on TV may be altered, ; 
Commission Harry Henderson said, 
if the size of pictures is increased 
so greatly that they attract un- . 
controllable crowds Inside or out- ° 
side the bars. "But we will m«et 
that problem if and when it 
comes," he said. 



Luckman Mulls TV 

Danny Thomas Show 

Chicago, July 27. 

Charles Luckman, Lever Bros, 
topper, has Danny Thomas in mind 
for a possible television feerles* 

Pair will huddle sometime in 
August with video uppermost ' for 
mulling. 



nA OBCVIKSTItitS-MUSIC 



Wednesday, July 2S, 1948 




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Mem- 
phis 


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We<1neBi1ay, July 28, 194< 



Big Public Interest Behmd CoL s 
New Long-Playing Recording 



There's been a marked public in- 
terest manifested in Columbia Rec- 
ords' new L,P (long playing) record. 
Advance stories in the national 
mags were capped by a large ad- 
vertising campaign by Philco and 
Columbia in the dailies heralding 
the new micro-groove platters and 
the special $29 attachment which 
is necessary to reproduce the 
disks. Another $2 usually covers 
the serviceman's ;fee for. attaching 
the separate reproducer to any 
phonograph (and even the pos- 
sible utilization of the speaker of 
ati brdinary radio for such pur- 
■■■ poses), 

While revolutionary, the appeal 
of the LP platters, which permit 
an entire symphony or score to be 
conipre.«ed on one 12-inch disk 
(as much as 45 minutes' playing 
time ) , has sparked interest among 
disk buyers. The economic factor 
is also important; because of the 
comparable savings. 

In addition there is the element 
of space-saving, requiring much 
less room , for comparative repro- 
ductions on the orthodox 78 rpm 
platters. Col's LP disks play at 33 
revolutions per minute. 

Philco is allied with Col in the 
new venture in that the former is 
merchandising the separate repro- 
ducing machines ( $29 retail ) . Ad^ 
ditionally, Philco is. merchandising 
a Combo radio-phono set which has 
two tone-arms; one for the ortho- 
dox records, and the other — at the 
reduced 33 rpm, of course — for the 
LP platters. 

Demand for the special stylus has 
already ' hastened Col into i^ushing 
through a separate tone-arm which 
can^ be attached to elaborate ma- 
ehines like the Capehart, which 
plays at both 78 and 33 rpm. The 
Gapehart's lone-arm, however, is 
too heavy for the sensitive micro- 
groove disks, but this supplement- 
ary stylus will be capable of at- 
tachment, on an inexpensive swivel 
arrangement, for usage within the 
.elaborate and costly combination 
machines already on the market. 

The 40-60% saving in space for 
records, which will be of the un- 
breakable type, is also said to have 
a comparable economic savings in 
cost. For example, an elaborate 
symphony costing around $13 can 
be bought on LP for $3.50-$4.50. 



MCA to Expand 
On Bands in Eng. 

Music Corp. of America is plan- 
ning to expand its London oilice, 
now under Jimmy McHugh, Jr., 
and for the first time since it estab- 
lished a beachhead in England in- 
tends to go into the bandhandling 
field in that country. .Larry Har- 
nett, head of MCA's band division, 
leaves New York for London next 
Sunday (1) on a four-week trip. 
Now in N. Y. after a long swing 
through U. S. MCA offices, Burnett 
will spend three months in the 
east when he returns. 
. In addition to setting up a band- 
booking branch with McHugh in 
London, which will, of course, be 
confined to the handling of British 
bands only since the British Mu- 
sicians Union bars the entry of 
U. S. orchestras, Barnett will also 
lay the groundwork for expansion 
of act-booking. 

Finishing in London, Barnett 
will go into Prance, Sweden, 
and Switzerland to size up the 
entertainment booking situation 
>n those countries. It's pos- 
sible_that during, or as a result of 
his stay in Paris, MCA will open a 
branch office in that city. 

BANJOISTS UNION WANTS 
MODERN RECOGNITION 

Minneapolis, July 27. 
. Approximately 750 members of 
55® :^1?erican Guild of Banjoists, 
Mandolinists and Guitarists, in 
convention here, decided on a pub- 
licity campaign to acquaint the 
public with the fact that the in- 
struments "are not just a hillbilly 
monopoly." 

One of convention's features was 
« concert that included music 
ranging from a symphonic ar- 
lantfement to a banjo arrangement 
Of "twelfth Street Hae." 



Terpery Op Asks Lift 
Of AFM's 'Unfair' Tag 
To Resume Name Bands 

_ Hollywood, Julv 27. 

_ Joe Zucca, operator of Mieadow- 
bropk ballroom. Culver City^ has 
asked American Federation of 
Musiciaris' Local 47 to lift black- 
list applied by union five months 
ago when terpalace used non-union 
men for short, ill-fated policy 
helmed by Harry Schooler. Zucca 
has told local he wants to restore 
name band policy used for years at 
site, providing he can get a clean- 
bill, and Schooler will not be in oh 
the deal; 

Local told Zucca that spot is on 
national "unfair" slate of AFM 
hence his plea will have to be an- 
swered by .Tames C. Petrillo, to 
whom 47 execs have sent Zucca's 
request. 



Tops of the Tops 

Retail Dish Seller 

"You Can't Be True, Dear" 
Retail Sheet Music Seller 
'iTou Can't Be True, Dear" 

"Most Requested" Disk 

"Love Somebody" 
Seller on Coin Machines 
"Woody Woodpecker" 

British Best Seller 
"Galway Bay" 



ORCHBSTRAS-MUSIC 



89 



Bxcelsior Publications of Holly- 
wood assigned "I'm Lost" by Otis 
Rene to Mills Music. 



Kenton Concerts 
Draw $209,156 

Hollywood, July 27. 

Stan Kenton band pulled out of 
home-base here after a month 
restup yesterday (26) and tonight 
opens five-day stand at Lagoon 
ballroom. Salt Lake, thus starting 
new season on the road that will 
se^ orchestra essaying probably 
more jazz concert dates than crew's 
record-setting 41 of last season. 

Between last Feb. 8 and June 30, 
Kenton grossed $209,156 from 
those 41 bashes. Of that amount 
he pocketed $125,490. His biggest 
(Continued on Page 92) 



5-Day-Week jldea for Local 802 Draws 
Fire of Band Bookers in Election Fite 



Red Ingle, Spike Jones 
HitbyAFM'SRuleOn 
Comedy-Tooter Scales 



Hollywood, July 27. 
American Federation of Musi- 
cians has dusted oif an old union 
by-law and notified local bands that ^ 

its tenets hereafter must be ! musicians in New York. 



t Dogfight between parties aiming 
at the reigns of New York local 
802, following the pecembei' eleo<» 
tions, is even drawing band-book* 
ing agencies into the squabble. It 
seems that the legislation bein(( 
promised voters if one or the other 
party is helped to win has caught 
the attention of bookers. For ex- 
ample, the Unity group, which is 
battling tooth and nail to pust the 
incumbent Blue Ticket, has prom- 
ised to try for a five-day week for 



heeded. Rule, is that sidemen who 
put on comedy routines in niteries 
must be paid extra — 25% above 
scale wherever they work. 

Local: 47 here has specifically 



This has so disturbed agency 
men that executives of at least 
one major outfit is discussing the 
problem with leaders it has under 
contract. These maestros are being 



notified Red Ingle that when he ! "'Sed to get into the fight in be- 
takes his next nitery date, at the i half of the Blues, and to see to it, 
Zamboanga here in Augugt, he ^'^^^ can, that their men do the 
must tilt pay of his men. i same on the theory that a five-day 

week would, even in good times. 



Union believes that when musi- 
cians caper in comedy routines 
they are putting on a show addi- 
tional to. the sheer music-making 
called for in scale contracts and 
also are saving the management 
salaries of straight acts, hence 
should get more coin. 



RHAIL DISK BEST SELLERS 







y^mfr — - 




O 






Q 


3. 


Sherman-Clay) 




















Survey of retail disk best 
sellers, based on reports ob- 
tained from leading stores in 
12 cities, and showing com- 
parative sales toting for this 
and last week. : 




;rty Music Sh 


n-Ross) 


H' - 


nkins Music O 


m&l's Mus. Sh( 


Music Co.) 


Kresge Co.) 


n-Clay) 


in Leary) 


:ller & Moelle 


:arson) 


o 
A 


National 
Ratine 


Week Ending 
July 24 




York— (Libf 


ago — (Hudso 


oit — (Grinne 


>as City— (Jei 


Q 

I 

V 

u 

M 

5 


Francisco — ( 


»n — (Boston 


M 

CO 

i 

'3 
o 


ile — (Sherma 


leapolis— (Dc 


ha — (Schmoe 


inapolis.^(Pe 


Li 

' r 
o 

N 
T 
S 


This 
wk. 


Last 
wfc. 


Artist, Label, Title 




New 


Chic 


Detr 


Kans 


Losi 


San 


Bosti 




Seatl 


Minn 


1 
O 


India 


1 


2 


K. GRIFFIN-J. WAYNE (Rondo) 
"Yon Tan't Re Trii« n«ar": . 


3 




5 


2 


1 


2 


1 


4 


2 


2 


2 




86 




















2 


1 


KAY KYSER (Columbia) 
"Woody Woodpecker" ....... 




2 




6 


1 






2 


1 


.'! 




3 




57 


























3 


3 


DICK HAYMES (Decca) 
"Little White Lies"....;.... 




5 






4 


S 


4 




5 


. 3 


.■i 


6 




51 




























4 


6 


DORIS DAY-B. CLARK (Col.) 






2 


7 


6 


S 


4 


6 




10 




2 


46 


3 


7 


PEE WEE HUNT (Capitol) 
"12th St. Rag" 






I 


1 








7 


2 






4 




40 


6 


8 


PIED PIPERS (Capitol) 




I 




3 






e 








4 




8 


33 


7 ■. 


5 


BLANC-SPORTSMENSCapitoW 












' i -: 








1 






28 


8 


11 


AL TRACE (Regent) 

"You Call Everybody Darline'^ ... 


6 


2 










6 


3 










27 


9 


11 


GORDON JENKINS (Decca) 
"Maybe You'll Be There" .... 






10 










S 






9 




1 


26 


10 




SPIKE JONES (Victor) 
"WiUiam TeU Overtnre". . . . : 








10 


'■■s,- 




8 






6 




10 




23 


11 


15 


YAUGHN MONROE (Victor) 














3 






8 




8 


■4.: 


21 


12A 


7 


JON-SONDRA STEELE (Damon) 








3 


^ , 




10 


10 






i 




20 


12B 


11 


DORIS DAY (Columbia) 






3 














1 




9 




20 


13 


12 


DICK HAYMES (Decca) 










10 


2 




3 












18 


}4A 


15 


TEX BENEKE (Victor) 

"St. Louis Blues March" 






5 








0 




8 . 


7 








1,^ 


14B 


.9 


ELLA FITZGERALD (Decca) 






7 






7 








4 








15 


15 


13 


KING COLE (Capitol) 












4 


7 














11 


16A 


15 


KING'S WAY SYMPH. (London) 
























3 


8 


16B 




VAUGHN MONROE (Victor) 






6 


a 




















S 


16C 




ANNE VINCENT (Mercmy) 


























8 


17A 


16 


ART MOONEY 






V 
















8 




» 


7 


17B 


16 


tommy' bOItSEY (Victor) 








4 
















*■ 




7 


17C 




RAY McKlNLEY (Victor) 






7 




8 
















7 


17D 




FRANKIE LAINE (Mercury) 










t : 














7 




7 


ISA 


10 


P ATTI page (Mercury) 
"Confess" 












9 










V 






6 



8B 



8C 



"Caramba, WsJb'L????!'??!! 
~VIC~"DAM6nE (Mercury) 
"Haunted Heart" 



FIVE TOP 
ALBUMS 



ISONG HITS OF OUR 
TIMES 
(7 AHmiids) 

Decca 



PROGRESSIVE 

JAZZ 
Stall Kmtan 

mmJ^i^mLmm 



BOOGIE-WOOGIE 
(VpI. ») 
.Eraddi* Slatii 
• Capitol 



EMPEROR WALTZ 
Mng Cr«<by 

Decca 



ALBUM NO. 3 
Al Jaltm 

Decca * 



go a long way toward scuttling a 
lot of work now available, and 
musicians themselves would suffer 
more in the Anal accounting. ' 

James C. Petrillb and his AFM 
executive board is also keeping a 
close watch on the shenanigans be- 
tween the Blues and the Unityltes. 
In this election year, jt's pointed 
out, he can hardly allow the battle 
between the two factions to reach ■ 
the point 'where it can erupt into 
national proportions as could have 
happened two weeks ago when fist 
fights broke out during a member- 
ship meeting. 



BBC Music Sbfte 
(MflArbitratumOii 

London, July Zf, 
. Strike of the British BroadT- 
casting Corp.'s ttiuslclans, due - 
to take effect the end of this 
week, has been oallcd off pend- 
ing arbttratlon. 



London, July 27. 

Premier Attlee has asked the 
Ministry of Labor to immediately 
prepare a special report on all as- 
pects of the threatened strike of 
broadcasting musicians due to 
take eifect July 31. 

This follows the Minister of 
Labor's offer to' mediate in the dis- 
pute in the hope of preventing 
strike action. Both the BBC and 
the Musicians' Union answered 
this offer with a "Door is still 
open" statement, but neither has 
shown any willingness as yet to 
modify their stand. This means 
that from Aug. 1, the BBC will be 
partially forced off the air. Within 
the next few days, the corporation 
will announce its plans for the re- 
grouping and reorganization of all 
its progi*ams and setvices. 

Newspapers here are just begin- 
ning to bring the tadlo crisis home 
to the public, and the union has 
been busy issuing press announce- 
ments that all their members are 
solidly oehind the action. Thi? is 
not true/ 



ASCAP IN HOLLAND 
ROYALTY AGREEMENT 

• American Society ot Com- 
posers, Authors and Publish^.f; 
has completed, an arrangement's^ 
with BUMA, of the Netherlarvts.^. 
under which the two countries ^Jlf 
exchange perfomance earnings. 
For years, Holland and ASCAP 
have had no sort of deal, and U, S. 
music was in the public domain 
within its borders. Agreement calls 
for the deal to start as of Jan. 1 
last, including a lump retroactive 
payment covering a period prior to 
that date. 

Agreement was worked out by 
Herman Finklestein, ASCAP resi- 
dent attorney, who made a side 
trip to Holland from Brussels, 
where he attended the Berne copy- 
right convention last month. 



Silver, Davis to Europe 

Recording ban and general in- 
activity in the music business 
caused songwriter-publisher Abner 
Silver to sail last week on a two- 
month European vacation. Accom- 
panying him are songsmith Benny 
Davis and his wife. 

While abroad Silver and Davis 
expect to visit London, Paris; tta* 
Riviera and Switzerland^ 



Wednesday, Jnly 28, 19iS 



JockSf Jukes and Disks 



By Ben Bodec 



Chicago 



Jolnmic Johnson^" Ah, But It 
Happens," "Judaline" (M-G-M). A 
couple of Ugbt ditties that gain 
much from Jeltnson's siogular 
conuoerciat touch. His ease of 
pheasing -and grace with, a ipetody 
stand a& models for the balladeer 
fraternity. Sonny Burke's back- 
ground does handsomely by the 
catchy lilt of - "Happens' and the 
Crew Chiefs perk, up the under- 
side's rhythm. 

Helen Forrest^ — "Ain't Doin' Bad 
Doin' Nothing," "Help Yourseii to 
3\Iy Heairf' (M-G-M). "Help," a 
so-so torcher, lias the benefit of 



My Favorite Five 

IKA COOa 
(KFAC, los AnffCies) 
"I Let a Song Go Out of My 
Heart" (Dnke EHington). 

"Lover, Come Back to Me" 
(Aliidred BaaleyL 

"Nice Work, If You Can Get 
It" (Tomniy Oorsey, Edythe 

"Holiday for Strings" (David 
Rose>. 

''Stnok& Gets in Yoor. Eyes" 
fArtie Shaw-Graniercy Five>. 



tion at the counter as well as extra 
spinning from the jocks and the 

jukes,. ■ ■: 

Pkitter Poifiters 

Jolinny M«rcet and Fied Hpers 
(Capitol) whip up a snappy assort- 
ment of rhythm with "Love Tliat 
Boy" and put an att:ipctive shine 
on the oldie, "LouisviUe Lou." In- 
eluded in an amusing dash of dia- 
log .. . Shep Fields Oreli (Masi- 
craft) has an exciting variatioB.oii 
exotic harmony in "Moon Mist" 
and the chances are that It will 
gamer more favor- than the reverse 
side's "Where Flamingos Fly," also 
3 decidedly coinmerciai work ... 
Te.x Bcneke (Victor) quavers a 
likeable version out of '''Hanker- 
in' " and the band puts over 'T 
Don't Care if It Rains AU Night" 
with plenty of toe-tapping appeal. 



about the best tbtng, in expressive 
vocalizing that Hiss Forrest has 
etched mtder tbis label. Talent 
outs in a big way through the slow 
rhythm drive of the "Ain't Doin* 
Bad" blues. With the right exploi- 
tation breaiks, tliis blend of velvety 
phrasing and subtle s.a. could glide 
up teto s sweaat. 

Freddy Martin Orch — "The New 
Moon," "Shangri-La" <Vieter>. 
''Moon" is elothed with a typically 
Martin brand of suave harmony, 
but it's the instrumental rnate that 
earnji the platter more than pass- 
ing note. Up-and-coming ISarcIay 
Aileq. now on his' own, weaves into 
"Shangri-Iia'' a swell batch of bis 
keyboard wizardry, with the brass 
imparting a tantalizhig riff. 

Masgaiet WbitiBS — "There's 
SesMttuBg About Midnight," 
"ZiOok. toF the Silver Lining" 
(Ca^tol). Tfeere isn't much" to get 
excited about in Miss Whitings, 
treatment o£ "Midnight," 'but she 
does inject a bright sparir into the 
attached oldie; Beat and phrasing 
bears the stamp of her periiotialitjr. 
Frank DeVoFs support is tiptop on 
both counts. ' 

Martha Tiltoa— "Where Flamin- 
gos Fly," "On the Waterfall" (Capi- 
tolk Pairing of these same tones 
by various recording artists sug- 
gests an. odd coiBci([enc& How- 
ever, Miss Titton'a style and voic- 
ing add up to an appeal which 
makes her pla;tter a solid candidate 
for this "!aatucail tHstory" sweep- 
stakes. ■ ■ ■ 

Tansbn Hume — ^•'There's Music 
in the Land," '^very Uay I L»ve 
You" (Vietor). A flavorsome tat 
of hack-to-backing frotn the Sam- 
my Cahn-Jule- Siyi^ score of "Two 
Guys from Tcjsas." "Music," witli 
its lusHi harnKmy, rates a notch or 
two above the arrangement of 
"Day," even though the ifatter is 
rich, in sparldiiie temiiio. 

SportsoKn aaA Btel BlaoM! — 
•'Woady Woodpecker," "I'd Love 
to Live in Lovelaad" . (Capitol). 
Blanc's version of the novelty could 
prolcmg its jiopularitsr appreciably, 
Capitol ■ entry, because of itsf 
imaglpation ' and huntor, should 
have Quite sn appeal for the small 
fry.' 'The crash effects at the fin- 
ish, simulating a tree'i^ demolificm 
by ' the woodpeek's frantic biB^ 
work, may in most instances nuss 
the mark. The Sportsmen, who 
background for Blanc, take over 
the coupling by themselves for a 
smooth job of barbershop harmony. 

Jack Smith and the Clark Sisters 
— "You Call Everybody Dar^g," 
*'Cackoo Wahz" (Capitol). Smith 
and the Sisters have apparently 
become this label's favorite band- 
wagon-hopping combination. With 
a harmonic group maintaining the 
beat, both tunes come through 
in persuasive fashiim. 

G«rdon MacKae— "Win or Lose," 
"At Your Comukand" (Capitol!.. A 
deuce that fits in snugly with the 
baritone's flair for this heavy 
heai-t-throb type of ditty. While 
he does build "Win" into a con- 
vincing case of breast-beating, the 
melodic side of his laryngeal equip- 
ment, finds a more ingratiating 
«pd»^$(Cd fa the levival of the 
Banis-CSirosllV'-fdbias composifioB. 



e Old Disks 
He for Jnrgefls, Obei 

GhicagOi July 20. 
Eddy Howard has sttbmitted it 
bid for a long string of unrele^sed 
Majestic masters and pressings fit 
the receivers for the finaneiaUif 
troubled Majestic Record Corpi 
Howard ui the past couple months 
has had to stand by and watch 
Decca and Columbia Records reis- 
sue disks he made as vocalist with 
the George Olsen and Dick Jurgens 
bands, to take advantage of his 
currently greater popularity. He'd 
much ratber.fulfill demands for his 
talent with cUsks of his own. Majes- 
tic hasn't pressed a irecttrd io s<Mne 
time. . 

Legalites -here don't see much 
hope for Howard's bid to acquire 
his own material If the recovers 
okay his move, it then must be 
approved by Chi Federal-. Judge 
Fhtllip Sullivan and then passed 
upon by the creditors. 

Among the unrelcased record- 
ings made by Howard am* tied up 
in the company's legal difficulties 
are many current pops and some 
for the immediate future. If ^they're 
not marketed Uaw they never vriU 
be since the- tunes, mostly pops, 
will be dead. ' Among them are 
"Boy From Texas, Girt from Ten- 
nessee," Shapiro-BeiTistein's cur- 
rent plug, "Flower Seller," "Love 
To Live in Loveland," "Bella Bella 
Marie," Leeds Music's forthcoming 
plug, "Slow Boat To China,' '"Lit- 
tle Girl" aud "Put 'Em lii,a Box," 
bofli of latter current, and many 
othersi'' ■ • ■ ■ • ■• 



Desi Arnaz opens two weeks at 
the Oriental theatre Sept. 9 . AI 
Fiore, of Harmonicats, weds Marion 
Miofsky here Aug 8. . .Billy Bishop 
reprises at Bismarck hotel Aug. 10 
. . Hal Derwin, at Muehlebach 
hotel, K. C, shifts to Carnival 
Club. Minneapolis, late August. . 
Frankie Carle to Orpheum theatre, 
Omaha, Sept. 10, then week at 
Riverside theatre, Milwaukee, 
Sept. 23 . . Stan Myers. BMI chief 
here, in N. Y. for huddle , . Jay 
Burkhardt orchestra inked to GAC 
contract . . Louis Jordan into Regal 
theatre Sept. 3, following stand at 
Northside Rag Doll . Sonny: Dun- 
ham at Claridge hotel, Memphis, 
Friday (30) for three weeks . .Bert 
Braun heading' Bobby Mellin office 
here. . . Buddy Hisey into Neil 
House, Columbus, Aug. 9, for five- 
weeks . .Elliot Lawrence opens 
two weeks at Peabody hotel; Mem- 
phis, Aug. 2. Chuck Foster follows 
Sept. 27-Oet. 31 . Phil Maxwell, 
who bandies the Chicago Tribune's 
Chicagoland Music Festival, penned 
"Wheels A'RoIlin' '' as the theme 
song for Railroad Fair. . Jerry 
Murad, Harmonicats' maestro, pub- 
lishing a tome, "How to Play the 
Harmonica" . . Ray Antiiony starts 
indefinite run at Deshler-Walliek 
hotel, Columbus, Sept. 27. 



Band Reviews 



HoIIsTMrCKMi 



General Artists Corp. packaging 
Fr ankle Laine and Ike Carpenter 
band for coast: .one-niters in Oeti»- 
ber. Will ask" ballrooms $1.'750 per 
night against 60% . . .King Cole 
Trio booked for six-days at Kono 
Clab, EI Cerrito, commencing Aug. 
17 at flat $4,500 . Spike Jones 
playing Cal Neva Lodge, starting 
Aug. 27 . -Frankie Masters inked 
for five months at Stevens hotel, 
Chicago, starting Nov. 17. He 
plans disbanding the Local 17. We 
he currently is batoniug at Aragoa 
ballroom and will form a pturely 
Chi local 10 crew for the Windy 
City stand 



DICK jrURGENS ORCHESTRA 
'With Jinuny CasUc, Al Galento, 
Jack Eaton 

Astor Hotel, N. Y. 

No better testimony to the com- 
mercial rise of Dick .lurgens' band 
could perhaps be cited than the 
fact the Astor flagged the combina- 
tion for a five-week stand within 
three months after closing at a 
competitive spot, the Pennsylvania, 
where it had made its New York 
bow in a dance booking. Band 
seems to have started at the Roof 
with lots of favorable regard, and 
the stay should not only prove 
quite a click at the cash register 
but do mueh to intrench Jurgens' 
welcome hereabouts. 

Versatility, imagination and a 
sharp feel for giving the customers 
what they want appear to be the. 
qualities that activate the Jurgens 
organization. It combines the char- 
acteristics of a vei-y danceable 
band ivith that of a group that can 
tee off into a -/.any novelty without 
breaking up the joint. Ensemble 
vocal numbers are as a rule taste-; 
tully pitched and the aggregation 
is as handy with a Latin-American 
tune as it is with sentimental ditty, 
or a rhythm number. 

The personable maestro employs 
none of Uie jumping-jack tactics 
frequent in the trade. His is the 
manner of a sound musician always 
in command of the book and the 
stage management and capable of 
making it all look smooth and pre- 
cise. 

Jack Eaton partly carries the 
romantic facet of the vocal depart- 
ment with a full-bodied baritone. 
On occasion Jimmy Castle doubles 
from sax to scdl a baUad, while Al 
Galante shows up as solid guy 
under a novelty. Gdec. 



Kansas City 



Don "Kffi, former Tower theatre 
orch leader, now has his band at 
the Broadmoor hotel. Colorado 
Springs, Colo. He's due to play 
there through September. Bob 
Mc'Grew band currently is playing 
the dining room of the hotel . . 
Jerry Biesen at the organ and Vera 
Clair and her marimba booked in- 
to the Tropics, Hotel Phillips, for 
its ninth birthday edebration . . . 
Mickey Bride band playing a few 
resident dates at the Pla-Mor 
baUroom . . . Kenny White crew 
on the bandstand • at Fairyland 
Park . . . Dwight Fiske holding 
forth with the Bill Snyder band in 
El Casbah of the Beilerive hotel 
. . . Jon and Sondra Steele of "My 
Happiness" fame currently playing 
the Ca!-NeVa Lodge, Lake 'Fatioc 
. . . Myra Taylor, singer- and com- 
poser, out of the Plajfhouse after a 
long run here and into the Pad 
Club, Springfield. IQ. 



SONNY KIPPE ORCH (7) 
Tavem-on-the-Gcccn, N. Y. 

Makeup of this combo is along 
the conventional lines of dining- 
spot society dance bands. Ag- 
gregation of piano, bass, drums, 
accordion and three horns plays 
competently, and gives out with 
danceable and listenable rhythms. 
Combo, led by Sonny Kippe oa 
accordion, makes a good appear- 
ance and fits neatly into such pop- 
priced eateries as Tavem-on-the- 
Green. 

Kippe has a broad repertory 
with accent on old and pop favor- 
ites. For the rhumbaddicts, band 
also furnishes, south-of-the-border 
tunes in . acceptable style. Aiv 
rangements are standard and don't 
furnish much material for com- 
ment one way or another. Herm. 



no programs during the summer 
months. Outfit runs the gaimit 
from sweet to Spike Jones "Old 
Black Magic" replete with wigs 
and pistols. 

Masters is using five saxes, three 
trumpets; one doubling on f rench 
horn, two trombones, bass, piano 
and drums. Crew is sparked by fine 
dauce arrangements which keep 
the patrons smiling and viewers 
happy. B^ass is well handled in 
large hall permitting customers 
freedom of speech. 

Phylis Myles handles ballads 
very competently, dueling a few 
numbers with the maestro. Tommy 
Traynor measures the "beat" tunes 
squarely. Bob Parker registers well 
on his first band vocalizing chore. 
Masters also use^^his vocalists and 
part of band in the formation of 
the Swing Masters iu: keeping the 
night's offering lai%ely vocal. 

iFree. ■ > 



FRANKIE MASTERS ORCH. 
With PhyBs Bfyles. Tommy T^ay- 

nor^ Bab Parker 
Arason BJt, Santa Monica, Cal. 

Frankie Masiters' newly formed 
crew brought in the largest open- 
ing week b.o. terpalace has had 
Since the war. Masters' new band, 
formed six weeks ago, is made.up 
iaigely of radio sidemen who have 



,„f^?^...l(l Best Mm on (Jlil^^laci^^BK.!^,r!,i':?,?f. 



1. WOODY WOOOPECKEK SONG (9) Oeeds) . 



YOU CALL. EVERYBODY DARLING (4) (iMayfair) . 
YOU CANT BE TRUE DEAR (IC) (Biltmore) 



4. irS MAGIC (S> (Wttmark) 



5. MV HAPPINESS <1I> (Blaseo) 

6. LOVE SOMEBOnr (6> flSnmet-W.X . . . 

7. WM. TELL OVERTURE (8) (Tune Town) 



.8. UTTLE WHITE HES (,?»> (BVC) 



1*. 



TOOLIE OOLIE BOOLIE (14> fCbas. K. Harris) 
MAYig^^ YOU'LL B£ THES£ (t> <BVC> ........ 



IKoj/ Kijser Colnvibia 

{ Mel Bianc Svortsmen Capitol 

Trace Rcgemt 

Grif/iw-Waifne Rmdo 

(Dtc(.: Haymes Decca 

( Doris Daj/ . . . Columbia 

I JoM & Sofidm Steele Hamxm 

XPiei Peters Copitol 

D. Doi^B. Clftrfc ColKinbio 

Spibe Jones Victor 

^Ihcfc HaWls Decca 

I Tamtm Dorseyi , Victor 

\Andrem Sikfers Dpcca 

I Vaughn Horton Continental 

Gordoii Jenkina Decca 



CfHning Dp 



RUN, JOE, RUN (Pirevie*> Louts Jordan Decca 

PUT 'EM IN BOX (Rcmick) King Cole Capitoi 

BLUEBIRD OP HAPPINESS (T. B. Harms) Art Moottey JW-G-M 

TREE IN MEADOW (Shapiro-B) .., • Margaret Wftittwg .V.. , Capitol 

MAHARAJAH OF MAGIDOB (Mutual) • Vattshii Monroe Victor 

TEA LEAVES (Mftrirte) 1 S?,"' JS*** " ' ; ; i.Colwmbio 

•i Etta Pit2isrerald i . i . . » . , ; Deem 



BLUE SHADOWS (Santls-Jey) Bittff Crosbjr 

BABY DON'T BE MAD (Paramount) Franfcte Lohte 



. Mercury " 

HAUNTED BBART (WilKamsoB) ' 'Stafford Capitol 

I Penrxf Como , ....Victor 

TELL MK & STOBX (Lawel) ) Smnma IQtye .VtcttSr 

] Ames Bros,.. Decca 

f 18TH STREET RAG (Sbaphfa-B> , Pee Wee Mimt Capital 

: : DICKEJ BIRD SONG CRobbins) .[ J^reddy Martzn , . .Vtctm- 

' lliarry Citnion ,..^,,.i..i.Deeea 

1 CONFESS (Oxford) . , , t ^se ., Mercury 

■ " l^immg Dors*!/. ... .... .M-G-M 

[Fiflures in. parenthcse.-! indscote nmnbcr of weeks song has been in the Top 10.1 



ERNIE HECKSHER ORCH (11) 
Muehlebach Hotel, Kansas Ciity 

Ernie Hecksher is virtually a 
newcomer in the midwest, but the 
band is fairly well known on tiie 
Coast, especially around Frisco. 
Outfit more than holds its own 
musically in the Terrace Grill of 
the Muehlebach ' and, for the iirst 
time in town, band's biz is: fair 
enough. It couldn't be much btrtter 
during the sultry summer without 
a top name crew. 

Band is heavy on the sweet side 
and drams up. a good dancing beat. 
Brace of pianos, three violins, three 
reeds, one trnmpet, drums and 
string bass is the instrumentation. 
Library is well sprinkled with 
standards, imps and Latin tunes, 
and now and then the crew turns 
to unusual arrangements on faves 
such as "Jalousie" and "Sleepy 
Time Gal." Hecksher frants the 
crew 'tram the keyboard; be also 
works on electro-faarp doubling 
from the ivories. 

Vocal work is handled by Harry 
Dupraw, of the saxes, who bari- 
tones ballads in smooth fashion. 

Following its date here the 
Hecksher band heads for Saratoga, 
N. Y.. and will play other midwest 
dates before trekking b^ck to the 
Coast in the early winter. Quirt, 



AL TRACE ORCH (9) 
With Jackie Van 
Blackhawk, Chicago 

About 15 years ago Al Trace was 
writing and playing -songs that had 
wide circulation and popularity— 
that is, among the hillbilly and 
corn lovers. Now, throughout the 
country his tunes and type of songs 
are the current style. What tliey 
are is the simplest basic melody 
with an iiccented beat. 

All of Trace's men double, 
mainly in the comedy vein, which 
is an inherent part of each show. 
Skits and comedy songs are the 
major part of each set, with mem- 
bers- of the band seemingly taking 
off, in an unrehearsed manner, in 
some bit of foolery. None of it is 
loud, but it's all com and clean, 
which rcftistets well in this family 
spot. The whole orch participates 
in such favorites as "Mortgage 
Man." "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," 
and otliers of the same ilk. 

After musical intro of "Sweet 
Words and Music," Frankie Ra.v- 
raond, .sax, steps down to do 
"Turkey in the Straxv" with tin 
flute, Vincent Eckholm, trumpet 
man, gets more sadcbarine than 
Clyde McCoy can on "Sugar Blues" 
after which the entire group gets 
miniature instruments and does the 
storj of the "Toy Town Bnnd." 

Bob Vincent, male vocalist, gets 
a big hand with singing of Trace's 
No. 1 hit, "You Call Everybody 
Darling," but doesn't get the same 
response as he crowds the mike to 
.get sentimental with the "Whiffcu- 
poof Song." 

Red Maddox, drummer, does a 
fine drunk with Request for more 
"BlacJc Collee" and femme singer 
Jackie Van goes through three 
oldies, "Zing, Went the Strings of 
My Heart," "29 Palms," and "Tic- 
Toc-Ta," which she emhcllislies 
with pic stars interpretation. Neat 
looker could do with more pops, 
especially on the bounce side, 
which she put.<i across well. 

Dance numbers are well ar- 
ran.gcd by Johnny Alladin. pianist, 
who scores mainly for the sa.x sec- 
tion, but produces steady be.it 
tempos. Much of the credit is due 
to the fact that band men have 
been together for many years. 

Zpibe. 

FIRE SINGES CAN. MLLBOOH 
Regina, Sask., July 27. • 
Damage estimated at $4,500 was 
done to the Trianon ballrodm here 
last week by a fire which Started 
in the refrigerator unit of a re- 
freshment stand. 

Overheated electric mot«r .was 
blamed. 



Wednesday, July 28, 194B 



rhiflys Robin Hood Den Foldo Hay 
Have to Adjust 27G Salary Gaims 



: ■ Philadelphia, July 27. 

Frederic R. Mann, who was 
named president' of the Robin 
Hood Dell Corp., following the col- 
lapse of the outdoor concert season 
here a week ago, will meet tomor- 
row with members- of the executive 
board of Local 77, American Fed- 
eration of Musicians, to iron out 
pay difficulties. 

The orchestra musicians have a 
total claim against the Dell of 
|27,000 in wages for the unexpired 
three weeks of the summer season, 
Which ended abruptly July 24, 
when the organization ran into 
financial difficulties. 
: Mann said that the management 
of C. David Hocker had drawn 
contracts with the musicians int 
such a way as to make this claim 
ipossible. The new Dell president, 
who is head of the Seaboard . Con-^ 
tainer Corp., is also a member of. 
Local 77. He will try to work out 
a compromise with the musicians 
union over the contested wages. 

The new president took office 
last Thursday (22) following the 
resignation of Henry E. Gerstley, 
and one of his first official acts 
was to, effect the resignation of 
Hocker, vvho is also vice-president 
of the Davidson Agency, New York 
artists representatives. 

The feud between Hocker and 
Mann is a long-standing one that 
has provided some extra excite- 
ment for local musical circles. 
Hocker, one-time "boy wonder" 
manager, had Mann deposed as 
vice-president of the Dell in 1945. 
Hocker, who became general»man- 
ager of the al fresco concert series 
In 1941, had remained in that post 
until Mann asked lor his resigna- 
tion last week. 

Jfhe new president has ordered 
an independent audit of the- Dell's 
books for the last three yearis. The 
audit will cover the Dell operations 
since he was deposed as first vice- 
president, Mann said. 

To bring the Dell within the 
pocketbook range of more Phila- 
delphians, Haqn said he planned 
to reduce prices next season. « 



Rondo Hopes to Repeat 
True' With New Dubbing 

Chicago, July 27. 
Rondo Records, will try to re- 
peat its initial success with Ken 
Griffin's "You Can't Be True." It 
has dubbed duo singing of Marian 
Spelman and Johnny' Knapp into 
Griffin's organ work on "Cuckoo 
Waltz'; and "Every Little Move- 
ment." 

Rondo is doing voice insertions 
on all Griffin selections. Knapp 
sings on two other Griffin sides, 
"If I Had You"^ and "Brown Jug 
Polka," 



Jukebox-Maker Tarns 
To Running Own String 



Columbus, July 27. 
An expIoslQ^i tore out part of a 

wall at the Young Distributing Co., 
makers and distributors of juke 
boxes, early Sunday morning US); 
A stick of dynamite laid on a win- 
dow ledge caused the blast, which 
broke windows in nearby homes. 
Detectives believe the blast a 
threat against the concern for its 
change in policy in . dealing out its 
music machines. 

Firm began delivering its .own 
machines directly to business 
places a week before, instead of 
placing them through operators. 
Operators consequently were left 
out in the cold. Company also 
operates in Cleveland and Cincin- 
nati and is . owned by James R. 
Yottng, of Cleveland. 

No further incidents have oc- 
curred since to support officials' 
initial fears of a jukebox gang war. 



Eddie Oliver orchestra is at the 
St. Anthony Hotel, San Antonio. 
Steve Kisley crew, there the past 
four months moved to the Baker 
Hotel, Dallas. 



British Best Sheet Sellers 

(Week ending July 22 ) 

London, July 23. 

Galway Bay . . . Box & Cox 

Heartbreaker ..... , Leeds 

Ballerina Maurice 

Pour Leaf Clover F.D.&H 

Time May Change. . .Connelly 

Nature Boy . , , , , Morris 

Golden Earrings Victoria 

Toolie Oolie Southern 

Dream of Olwen Wright 

Near You ; Wood 

After AU Cinephonic 

Laroo Laroo ■ Dash 

Second 12 

My Achin' Heart .... Connelly 

Teresa I«eds 

Society , Kassner 

Serenade of Bells. , . ^ , . Morris 
Tree in Meadow. .... Connelly 
Civilization , ... ...... .Morris 

I'd Give Million Connelly 

Reflections on Water . Maurice • 

Miranda Kassner 

Silver Wedding Waltz. . , ,Unit 

You Do Chappell 

Ask Anyone . . . . . . . . .Feldman 



ORCMRSniAS-mSIC 



91 



Name Bands Back 

■ - ■ ' ■ ■ ■ .. . 

To Panther Room 



Chicago, July 27. 

Panther Room, Sherman hotel, 
Chicago, which dropped its name 
band policy some time ago, will 
resume the use of major bands in 
October. For months the Panther 
Room operated with name singers 
backed by small jazz combos; small 
groups in tandem, and other acts 
along that line, while band agen- 
cies did everything they could to 
open the spot up again to top com- 
bos. . 

In the boom days of the band 
business, the Sherman was a key 
booking, carrying great prestige. 
Currently, the Pantlier Boom is 
undergoing a remodelling, which 
will be completed in plenty of time 
for the October debut. Meanwhile, 
every major booking outfit in the 
country is endeavoring to sell dts 
best narne^ for the periods that are 
open. • 



Publicity-Conscious Batoneers, Who 
Rap Band Biz, Draw Ire of Agencies 



Lecuona Band Set 

For San Juan Nitery 

Lecuona Cuban Boys band has 
been booked for a two-week stand 
at the Escambro beach club, San 
Juan, Puerto Rico, starting Satur- 
day (31). Band takes off in a 
chartered plane tomorrow. 

Agent Lenny Green, who's ac- 
companying them, will line up 
some Puerto Rico theatre dates 
after the club stint. 



Top Bands Booked For 
Ohio's Largest Dancery; 
Larry Clinton Preems 

Cleveland, July 27. 

Built to accommodate 5,000 
dancers, the Dance Theatre be- 
came the biggest open-air ball- 
room in Ohio, if not the midwest 
when it was opened by Larry Clin- 
ton's band last week In the nearby 
town of Elyria, O. 

Unique dance pavilion covering 
13!/^ acres was erected by Albert 
W. Jewell, former theatre operator, 
as the nucleus of a proposed 
amusement park. In addition to 
having an 88 by 128-f06t floor of 
concrete with a synthetic surface, 
it has a domed theatre stage 25 by 
46 feet, rigging for scejery, dressr- 
ing rooms and equipment for the 
showing of films. 

Finishing touches are still being 
put on the grounds and a film pro- 
jection booth. There weren't 
enough seating facilities for danc- 
ers at the preview but promoter 
claims he will have enough chairs 
and refreshment tables to handle 
about 4,500 people for spot's offi- 
cial premiere tomorrow (Wed.) 

Bay Anthony's orchestra came in 
Monday (26) for the flag-raising 
and a one-week engagement. Dean 
Hudson has been inked for Aug. 
2-8, Sonny Dunham Aug. 9-15 and 
Tony Pastor for an early Septem- 
ber date. 



Bandleaders, who go into long 
detail in newspaper and magazine 
interviews over the collapse of the 
band business, are drawing the Ire 
of band agency executives. In the 
past few months there have been 
repeated instances of maestros 
playing various key cities who 
have, as a means of saying some- 
thing fresh and newsworthy to help 
get their names in . local papers, 
pointed out that . . . modern young- 
sters are no longer music conscious 
. . . that the band business has 
come apart at the seams ■. . , that 
it no longer occupies a place of 
glamor in the minds of teen-agers, 
etc. 

Agency execs burn every time 
such an interview comes to their 
attention. They feel that the band 
business-, similar to other indus- 
tries, is feeling the pinch of infla- 
tion, and that there's no reason to 
believe it has tobogganed into the 
depths for good. And, they point 
out, bandleaders who give such in-^ 
terviews are doing additional dam- 
age to the business by rubbing oif , 
more of the glamor that has already 
become faded by postwar economic 
conditions. , " 



Mercury to Put Accent 
On Disk Jockey Platters 

Chicago, July 27. 

Mercury Records has resched- 
uled its disk release dates with ac- 
cent on disk jockeys. From now 
on d,j,'B'wlU receive plaUers ,thre9> 
weeks before retail outlets, Fur^ 
thermore twice monthly shipments 
will be cut down to once in the 
same period to reduce shipping 
costs. Diskery is also working out 
a deal with gift certiflcates where- 
by platter turners will give out 
script instead of iilbumsi and . rec- 
ord shops will set full credit from 
the factory. Method - redueeft 
shipping costs and breakage, 

Jimmy Hillard, v.p. in charge of 
artists and tunes, starts midwest, 
tour this week to hypo platter pro- 
motion. , 



THORNTON PIN-UP GIRLS 
Name RICHARD HIMBER and his Orchestra 



F/ftVn'^iTP FOR 



Thornton Pin-Up Girls— alwoys being chosen "Miss This" or "Miss 
That" — hit on something new they chose Fred Astaire as the 
"Mister" to be stranded on a desert island with! And dancing with 
Fred calls for "topflight" music— -so they chose Richard Himber and 
his orchestra their "Favorite." As a bevy of Thornton Pin-Uptuous 
bedutios look on. Mrs. Walter Thornton presents «t statuette of the 




"Goddess of the Dance" to Mr. tHimber at the Biltmore Hotel in 
New York. 

"Get a Pin-Up Girl," the Walter Thornton Models' favorite song, is 
played by Richard Himber and his orchestra, heard nightly from 
the Cascade Room of the Biltmore HoteMn New York and aired on 
NBC and CBS networb. Coast-to-Coost/ 



92 



ORdHBSTRAS-MUSIC 



WfAnr^nj, July 28, 1948 



Top Name Bsds Mating Thonsehres 
Right Out of die Coik^e Market 



' Bloomington, Ind., July 27. 

The big name band is inflating it-^ 
self right out of the college dance 
picture where a steady string of 
boxofiice deficits .are 'driving so- 
cial organizations into taking on 
cheaper, local or campus bands. 
Lyman Smith, contact man with 
the agenciesi. at Indiana University, 
says the other schools around the 
midwest are finding it tou^ going 
also to keep out of the red ink with 
high-priced name outfits. 

"Back before the war," says 
Smith, "You could get a name band 
for anywhere from $800 to $1,500. 
Now it takes from $1,500 to $2,000 
for just an average band and the 
topnotchers run as high as $3,000. 
The kind of prices you have to 
charge with an overhead like that 
Is too steep for most students." 

Only in traditional "must" affairs 
are name bands drawing enough to 
show the sponsors a profit. 

In the last year Del Courtney, 
Sam Donahue, Blue Barron, Ray 
Eberle. Gene Krupa, Tony Pastor 
and Ted Weems played the' Indiana 
campus and only two dance; 
broke even-, or made any money. 
The remainder lost anywhere from 



$400 to $t,20Q. As a result dance 
sponsors are giving nearby com- 
binations jobs which formerly went 
to name bands, operating on the 
theory that even if the cheaper 
band won't draw as well, it still 
won't lose them money. 

Concerts are paying their way 
but still are not setting any rec- 
ords. Norman ; Grantz's Jazz at the 
Philharmonic filled only 2,600 seats 
out of a 7,572 capacity and Carmraa 
Cavallero pulled about the same. 
Reliable Fred Waring established 
himself and the Pennsylvanians as 
a big favorite, however, by drawing 
7,100 when he appeared on the con- 
cert series. 



IHEftTUftED BY ftie 
TH«EE SUNS (YtCTORl 

mm 
LOVE-eftrr 

Y0U TEL 

EAWIN H. MORRIS ft CO. 

lew Brwdmir, Mew Tork 
AU MAtulal AmUable 



Words and Music by 

BERNIE WAYNE 
AND 

BEN RALEIGH 

YOU WALK BY 

CAVALIER MUSIC 

Ulf B'wny. N*w York If 



Pianist Soothes Meat 
Buyers UntflMpkAFM 
Head Cleaves iitunt 

Minneapolis, July 27: 
Local meat market called oft its 
stunt providing piano music to 
sooth the savage breasts of cus- 
tomers, irked t>y high prices, wlien 
George Murk, American Federa- 
tion of Musicians' head here, noti~ 
fied the establishment that the 
tmtchers' union would be requested' 
to call out its members there if the 
store persisted in employing a non- 
union pianist. 

Pianist in question was Eugene 
Young, youth,, who had gotten pub- 
licity in cpn^quence of winning a 
$2,200 scholarship on the Cedric 
Adams WCCO "Carney Carnival," 
radio talent-hunt show. Before be- 
ing. dismissed at Mui^'s insistence. 
Young worked on an elevated plat- 
form and' dispensed classical music 
along with boogie-woogie. He'U pot 
be replaced by a union musician 
even though the store management 
says that "psychological effect on 
customers was good." Spot got lots 
of gratis publicity .and many pats 
on back. 



Scoggins in I^ew Post 

Dallas. July 2"/. 
Chick Scoggins, formerly Texas 
representative of Mus-Art Corp., 
which has now merged with Gen- 
eral Amusement Corp., has been 
named representative of the 
McConkey Music Corp. for Texas, 
Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi 
and Arkansas, with headquarters in. 
Dallas. 

Organization has offices in Lon- 
don, New York, Chicago. Holly- 
wood, Kansas City and Cleveland 
handling dance bands and night 
club acts. 




HEEDS 
THIS BOOK 



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♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»»f »♦♦♦» ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦♦♦♦»t »**♦♦♦-. 

\ Songs wlA Lug^t Rs^ Autee 

Thirti/ songs of the week (more in case of ties), based on the 
^ copj/riff?ited Audience Coverage Index Survey of Popular Mwsic 
Broadcast Over Radio Networks. Published by th$ Office of it«- ; 
search, Inc., Dr. John G. Peatman, Director. 

Survey Week of July 16-22, 1948 
A Fella With an Umbrella— T"Easter Parade". .. . Feist 
A Tree In the Meadow . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . , Shapiro-B 

Baby Don't Be Mad at Me. ............ . i .... . Paramount , 

Baby Face Remick 

Best Tilings In Life Are Free . . .... j . . ; Crawford 

Beyond the Sea Chappell 

Blue, Shadows On the Trail— t "Melody Time" SanUy-Joy ; 

Haunted Heart— *"Insidie U.S.A." . . . . . . . . . . . ; . . Williamson 

I May Be Wrong . . i . . . . ; . . ; . . . . . '■. . , , . . .... Advanced , 

I Went Down To Virginia Jeffei-son 

Only Happens Dance With You— t"Easter Parade". Berlin 
It's a Most Unusual Day ... . . . ..... . . . . . . Robbins 

It's Magic— 1 "Romance On High Seas" Witmark 

Just For Now .....Advanced 

Little Girl I,eeds 

Little 'White Lies BVC 

Love Of My Life— t"The Pirate" T. B. Harms 

Love Somebody . . . ... . . i . . . . . ...... . Kramer-W 

My Fair Lady . . . .... ... . . ; .United 

My Happiness Blasco 

Nature Boy Barkc^VH 

Now Is the Hour . , Leeds 

P. S. I Love You LaSalle 

Put 'Em In a Box— t"Romance OA High Seas" Remick 

Rhode Island Is Famous for Yon— *"Inside U.S.A." . Crawford 

Serenade (Music Played On a Heartstring) j . . . Duchess 

Toolie Oolie Doolie C.K.Harris 

Woody Woodpecker ............... i . 1 ........... Leeds 

You Can't Be True Dear : . . . . ... . , . . . . .... Biltmore 

Yours /. : . . . . , . . . , .; ....... . . ... . . ..Marks 



The remaining 21 songs of the week, based on the copyrighted 
Audience Coverage Index Survey of Popular Music Broadcast 
Over Radio Networks. Published by the Office of Research, Inc., 
' Dr. John G. Peatman, Director. 

A Bed Of Hoses . . . . .... ............. .Tohnstone-M 

A Boy From Texas ^ Shapiro^B 

Better Luck Next Time— f'Easter Parade" Feist 

ChUlicothe, Ohio ... , . . . . . . . Mellin 

Confess Oxford 

Dolores Famous 

Ev'ry Day I Love You . . . , ...... . . . . . . . . . , . Harms 

I'd Give a Million Tomorrows Oxford 

It's You Or No One , , . . . Remick 

Judaline— i"Date With Judy". Robbins 

Just Because .... Leeds 

Maybe You'll Be There Triangle 

Nobody But You ..... Duchess 

Rambling Rose . . . . ..... ; . . . . . . . . ; . Laurel 

Spring Came Republic 

Steppin' Out With My Baby — t"Easter Parade". . . . Berlin 

Take It Away Femora 
Tell Me a Story .... . .'. .... ... ....... . ; . . . . . , . . . . Laurel 

Time and Time Again London 
You Call Everybody Darling . i Mayfair 
You Were Meant For Me ..... ... . . .'. . ..... . Miller 



Legit Musical, t Filmusical. 




Since then there have been a num- 
ber of test cases, up to tte U. S. 
Supreme Court several times. 

The current issUe, however, is 
somewhat b e clouded in that 
ASCAP is functioning under a 
U. S. Supreme Court consent de- 
cree. 

There is awareness of the new 
American trend to combat any^ 
thing or any organization which 
fixes prices, acts In concert, and 
the like. 

Of the notable music usersi quite 
obviously a group like the broad- 
casters would be least likely to 
want to deal with individual copy- 
right owners, and rather prefer to 
license all its rights from a central 
source like ASCAP. But there are 
other music users, running the 
gamut from dancehalls to niteries, 
who have always rebelled at the 
music licensing system, not to 
mention the theatre ownets. 

Sundry phases of the present 
issue are covered in the Pictures 
dept on Page 5). 



Aiiti-AS€AP 

S Contlmied from page l 

attorney, Herman Ifinkelstein. Big 
legal names of the calibre of Jotm 
W. Davis, Judge Joseph M. Pros- 
kauer, a member of the Simpson, 
Thacher & Bartlett law firm 
(which jreptesents Paramount), 
have been brought up. 'pie need 
for strategic public relations in 
high governmental places is also 
accented anew. 

Meantime, the film company at- 
torneys interested in ASCAP— 
notably the Paramount, Metro, 
Warner Bros, and 20th-Fox groups 
■have been invited to sit in on the 
masterminding. 

There is no question but that 
Judge Leibell's lengthy and in- 
telligently written opinion is a 
bombshell for the entire amuse- 
ment industry, to a greater or less- 
er extent. His knowledgeability of 
show business litigation, as evi- 
denced in the past, is so expert, 
that even the pro-ASCAPers con- 
cede his negative opinion should 
not be taken lightly. 

Artiele 3 the 'KUIer*^ 
That Article 3 is really the "WU- 
er" for the Society. Instead of rul- 
ing on the seat tax issue, whitih 
was challenged by Han-y Brandt's 
Independent Theatre Owners of 
America, the plaintiff in this major 
test case, Judge Leibell went out 
of his way to conclude his findings 
lo the effect the entire ASCAP 
structure was generally in violation 
of the Sherman act; a combination 
of copyright owners acting in re- 
straint of trade, etc. 

It is therefore not a simple Issue 
of whether theatre owners may be 
compelled to pay license fees to 
film producers, as an alternative to 
the seat-tax; but that the entire 
ASCAP system may be challenged. 
To showmen— and that Includes 
the Theatre Owners of Amertca— 
that is inconceivable, Of course, in 
view of the manifold test cases 
ever ?ince' Nathan Burkan first 
helped found the Society with that 
higtotie Victor Herbert test case. 



Kenton's Concerts 

«Antlnuea from page S9 ;s=, 

gross was that $26,Q00 in Holly- 
wood Bowl June 12. : 

On only seven of the 41 concerts 
did band lose coin. The losei-s and 
grosses were: Syracuse, N. Y., 
$1,972; Johnson City, Tenn., $1,645; 
Joplip, Mo., $1,725; Decatur, 111., 
$1,429; Wichita Falls, Tex., $l,2p5; 
CoOs Bay, Ore., $1,100; Boise. 
$1,870. . 

As disclosed in 'Variety two 
weeks ago, Kenton this fall will 
play 32 concerts under aegis of 
Norman Granz, although batoneer 
cannot, under terms of agreement, 
bill himself as the promoter and 
he will not appear on dates. He'U 
merely act publicly as the advance 
flack. 

These dales will all be played 
in large towns as K«nton is con- 
vinced that small towns cannot 
.support bashes. He points out that 
his few losing engagements last 
year all were played in tank towns. 
He'll still play the whistle stops, 
but will dish dansapation. 

This year Kenton also will be 
cajTying two libraries. The stuff he 
dispenses at concerts will not 'be 
tried but in hoofing halls, and his 
dance book selections will not he 
sprayed at bashes. 

Kenton pooh-poohs random ter 
ports he'll part with General Art* 
ists C^orp. when pact ends shorOyi 



*(iiL UmU PICKS: 

(taoils'Dhc kdily KWK'St. Ml 

yuKiKiini 

*' Ihe tenclion oul licie hos been tcemenJoiH on 'Ardin'. 
Will unlinue lo ploy this regiilaily on all shows! ' 

#23S 




EvcryoM't SOLD o* . . . 

I SOLD MY HEART 
TO THE JUNKMAN 

LET A SMILE BE 
YOUR UMBRELU 

F«»tnml In ■30th Cen(nry-Pox*« 
"iiivK Mj- Uegnnls to Bnutilway" 

MILLS MUSIC lac 

161» Broadmur • < New Xeik U 



I STILL 
LOVE YOU 

Catdimg on ftist both Pep 
and Folk. 

Watch for Paragon llcfcord 
fo be released «oon. 

ntOFESSlONAt COMES fREE 

AriingtM,MisiePib.Cf.fBlin 

4431 S. 3ith StM AriiiiglMi. Va. 





Musk in fhe Morgan Manner 

RM MORGAN 

And His Orchestra 

CASCADES ROOM, Biltmore. New York 
Openrng Aug. 3 (indef.l 

DECCA RECORDS EXCLUSimY 
WORLD TRAMSeRirnONS 



EXCLUSIVE MANAGEMENT 

ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP. 

JOE GLASER, Pres. 



745 Fifth Ave, New York 22 
PI. 9-4600 



203 No. WabOish 
Chicago 



Weilneeday, July 28. 1948 



oiiciiiL«imAs.i»iii$ic n 



RETAIL SHEET BEST SELLERS 



Survey of retail sheet music 
sales, based on reports obtained 
from leaditig stores in 12 cities, 
and shotoind comparative saje^t 
rating for this andjast week. 



National . 
Ratine . 

This Last 
wk. wk. 



Week Ending 
July 24 



Title and Pnblisher 



1 
o 

T 
A 
L 

P 
O 
I 

N 
T 

S 



"You Can't Be True" (Biltmore) . 



2 "Woody Woodpecker" (Leeds) . . . . 



1 109 



"My Happiness" (Blasco) ...... 3 1 2 



. 2 2 



10 



"Tree in the Meadow" (Shapiro) . ; 6 5 



2_10l 
"4 100 



8 6 



"TooUe Oolie Doolie" (C.K. Harris) 5 
"Little White Lies'V (BVC). . . 



JO 
6 



9 8~rTo 



45 

I** 
37 



7 A .. "It's Magic" (Witmark)....^.... 4 6 



10 



7B 13 "Yon Call Everybody DarUne" (M) 



70 6 "Nature Boy" (Burke- VH) 7 



8 



"Put 'Em in a Bos" (Remick) 



9 9 



28 

28 
23 



8 "Haunted Heart" (Williamson). 



10 5 10 9 



5 10 



10 14 "love Somebody" (Kramer-W) 



10 3 



11 12. "Maybe Yon'U Be There" (BVC) 3 



17 
15 



12 11 



"Tea Leaves" (Morris) . 



12 



13 



"C^koo Waltz" (C. Fisher) . 



Bands at Hotel B.O.'s 

, t.'overi' I'etal 
' IVcDlcn Part' C«T»r« 

Kuml llnlrl l>lli.vad - On nat* 

GuyLombardo Waldoi'f (400; $2) 7 2,935 21,700 

Skitch Henderson. , Pennss^lvania (500; $1-$1.50) , , , ^ 3 ...1,205 3,950 

Ray Eberle* New Yorker (400; $1-$1.50> ... 11 1,020 14,70? 

Dick Jurgens Astor (700; $1-$1.50) 2 2,475 5,990 

" New Vorker, ice show. 



Sterling Answers $15,000 
Suit Vs. Jinuny Wakeley 

sterling Records last week an- 
swered a $15,000 damage suit 
brought against it in N. Y. federal 
court by film cowboy Jimmy 
Wakeley witli a general denial that 
it had wrongfully reproduced four 
of. his masters whicl* he had cut 
for the defunct American Record- 
ing Corp. 

Waxery claimed thqt it had pur- 
chased the quartet of platters from 
ARC'S trustee in bankruptcy. Com- 
pany also asserted that a Los An- 
geles court had authorized the 
trustee on ,Tuly 10, 1947, to coun- 
t(;n;«i(;t! the deal. 



Inside Orchestras-Music 

Recent reissue by London Records (the U. S. counterpart of the 
British Decca firm) of two 16-y earmold George Formby disks recalls 
Jack Hylton's battle with E. R. (Ted) Lewis, board chairman of the 
English recording company, about utilizing Formby on' wax. Lewis 
balked that "Formby may be OK as a visual comedian but never on 
wax," and refused; so Hylton, to prove his point,- waxed "Chinese 
Laundry Blues" and "Vododeo" as being by the Hylton orchestra, 
"Vocal chorus by George Formby". This was a technicality Lewis 
couldn't regulate, in view of-Hylton's contract with Decca of London. 
Eventually, of course, Formby clicked to the degree he was given the 
stellar billing he deserved and the label changed to "with the Jack 
Hylton orchestra." Thereafter he made many more platters, under his 
own recognizance and featuring his own specialties. 



Chicago 

George Olson (Beachwalk, Edgewaier Beach; $1.50-$2.50 min.), Rain 
three nights cut grosses to 8.500. 

Benny Strong (Boulevard Room, Stevens, 650; $3.50 niln.-$l cover). 
Warm weather melted ice revue take to 3,300. 

Florian ZaBaoh (Empire Room, Palmer House, 550; $3,50 mjn.$l 
cover). Holding up well ogain^t heat spell. Neat 3,600< 

Los Angeies , 

Frankie Lfline, Shelp Fields (Ambassador, 900; $1.50-$2). Very strong 
2,980 tabs. 

Jan Gather (Biltmore; 800; $1'$1.50). Good 2,700 covers. 

. Location Jobs, Not in Hotels 

iCliicaijo) 

Marts Gould (Chez Paree, 500; $3.50 rain.). Danny Thomas sock 
6,000. 

Henry King (Trianon; $1-$1,15 adm.). King's final W6ek here; closed 
with light 7,000. George Winslow switches back.' 

Al Tr^ce (Blackhawk, 500; .¥2.50 min.). Railroad Fair outrOf-towners 
making this a headquarters; fond 3,000. 

Georse Winslow (Aragdrn; .$1-$1,15 adm.>. Closed fairly strong .with 
10,000. „ ■ • 



(Los Angeles) • ' 

Buddy Rich, Helen Forrest (Palladium B., Hollywood, 3rd wH.). Sickly 

*? 100 CAUGI'S " " • ' ' 

' Frankie Masters (Aragon B., Santa Mpnica, 2hd Wk.). Gpnd 7,000 tab&. 



RAMBLING 
ROSE 

By JOE BURKE and 

JOE McCarthy, jr. 
LAUREL MUSIC CO. 

liH IrvfHtwoy, Naw York 

TOMMY VALANDO 



Manie SacHs. director of artists and repertoire for Columbia^ Rec- 
ords, played host to some 60 music and band agency men on a day's 
outing last week. Gang left N.Y. at 8 a.m. in a chartered bus and 
drove to the Green Valley Country Club, outside Philadelphia, where 
Sachs staged a golf tournament, then to Frank Palumbo's C & R Club, 
Philadelphia, for dinner, and thence to the Ike Williams-Beau Jack 
fight at Shibe Park. After the fight the group went back to Palumbo's 
Click Club, then home. There were golf tourney prizes of a television 
set (won by Paul Barry, Morns Music), golf clubs, etc. Green Valley 
clubhouse, incidentally, was formerly Sachs' home. His father owned 
it and the land which the course occupies. It Was the second straight 
year Sachs staged such a junket. 



LWD BESI6NS IS CLEVE. 

Cleveland, July 27. 

Howie .Lund, key disk jockey at 
WJMO, has resigned from the staff 
for an indefinite period. 

Bud Weddell has replaced him 
on the lush-sponsored six-after- 
n6on stanza from 3:30 to 5 and on 
the hour-long evening stanza from 
7:05 to 8. Weddell also takes over 
the Sunday hour-long :Top lO 
Tunes show,. 

Gene Carroll adds a half-hour of 
the Ltmd show to his trick, taking 
on' the 3 'to 3:30 stanza. 

Details of the Lund resignation 
have not been disclosed. 



Midwest Ballroomers 
In Sept Chi Confab 

Chicago, July SH, 
Midwestera Ballroom Operators' 
Assn. will hold its annual eOnven' 
tion in Chicago Sept. 21-22. . For 
the first time, the operators are in- 
viting executives of baAd-Uookitog. 
agencies to speak at the gathering, 
which will . take up econbntic probr 
lems of the field. 

Howard Sinnbtt, denieral Artists 
Corp, one-night hooker, is among 
Ihose.invitedto taHc 



Fentareil !■ M-fi-ITs 
"Bl© CITY" 

DONT 
BLAME 
ME 

Music by. . . 
JIMMY UeHVGU 

ROillNS . 



The Nafien's 
t'lggest Request SoMf 

I'd Give 
A MUlion 
Tomorrows 

(For 'Just Om Y«sf«rri«y} 

OXPORB music CORrORAIiON 



RCA-Victor has already begun to make modifications in the applica- 
tion of its plan to have a committ-e of eight executives listen to and 
decide the merits of new sqpgs submitted for recording by publishers. 
According to pubs who took new material to Victor's New York office 
Monday (19), the day of the week reserved for them, tfiey were told 
by Victor's .lack Hallstrom that from now on pubs can drop tunes at 
the disker's office on any day they choose and do not necessarily have 
to appear personally on Monday to demonstrate them or explain their 
exploitation aims on a particular melody. It seems that in confining 
contacts with pubs to Monday, Victor's men haven't enough Ume to 
give all song men the correct attention. 

"Tenement Symphony," dormant since 1941 when it was .lust another 
tune in Metro's "The Big Store" (Marx Brothers) is due for a plug ride. 
Tune, written by Hal Borne and Sid Keller, is being done nightly at 
Slapsy Maxie's by Tony Martin. Splm'ge will come on a soon-to-be- 
released' disking by Martin. Singer, who introduced it in picture, 
relearned the tune in England during his recent Palladium date, m 
answer to many requests. Number caught quickly and Martm 'etched 
it for HMV RCA-Victor British label, with the backing, pf a 30-piece 
band "Symphony" covers both sides of a 12-incher, which will be 
released shortly and is due for heavy exploitation. Feist publishes. 

Ohio Automatic Phonograph Owners Assn..has tagged the Connie 
Haines-Alan Dale version of "Darktown Strutters Ball" as its "hit tune" 
for Augu.st, which puts the platter in 3.000 jukes. Dale's "Tea Leaves," 
also Signature, got the same group's designation for June. ^ ^ 

ViS Cuts June Loss To 
$1,000; Avoids Chapter 10 

Chicago, July 27. 
Vitacoustic Recordsv C5hi indie, 
last week filed a financial report 
with referee in Chi federal district 
court, which disclosed that com- 
pany has cut loss in operation to 
$1,000 for the last month. Over 
prior three months outfit lost 
$10,000. 

Creditors committee also gave 
the statement the double-d arid 
referee, who previously stated that 
if company could not operate at a 
profit he would ask for a bank- 
ruptcy action, indicated that im- 
proved position of the diskery 
would not make such action neces- 
sary. . • ., , 

Vita is negotiating with several 
artists and record companies to 
sell" maiSters. Among those Inter- 
"ested in' getting back pressings are 
Ifnaa, E^wardA and 1^ pijtmond. . 



Fox Sued by Jordan 
On ^eat the Ban Tune 

Harry Fox, agent and trustee for 
the Music Publishers Protective 
A.ssn., v/as named defendant in a 
novel suit filed in N. Y. federal 
court last week by songwriter 
Thomas Jordan. Plaintiff claims 
that in November, 1947, he and 
Jimmy Franklin wrote a song, 
"They All Recorded to Beat the 
Ban." 

, Subisequently, Jordan charged 
Franklin obtained control of the 
tune through Royal Music Publish- 
ing Co. of Hollywood which is al- 
leged to have no corporate entity, 
Meanwhile, Jordan asks the court 
for a temporary rejstraining order 
preventing'Fox from paying royal- 
ties to Royal or Franklin until i 
declaration of his rights are made 
as half ovmer in the piece. 



The 




LOGGING SYSTEM 




That is why 
ROBBINS, FEIST, 
MILLER, Etc., have 
ALL SUBSCRIBED ! 



94 



VJK^WmUMM 



WdLnesday, July 28, 194» 



Loew's, WaFiM»^ N;Y. Latin Quarter 
Won't lend' Talent to Tele Siwws 



Two New York theatre circuits-" 
and. one major nitery have for- 
bidden performers working its 
shows to double into television. 
The lioew and Warner circuits to- 
gether with the Latin Quarter has 
written into its contract a clause 
forbidding acts playing there to 
yfork any. video shows while play- 
ing for them. 

Other theatres and niteries are 
studying similar moves, and net 
result is likely to ^stymie source of 
acts for such shows as the Texaco 
Star Theatre (NBC) and "Toast of 
the Town" (CBS), both, of which 
rely to' some extent on acts current 
in N. Y. spots. 

The Paramount circuit and the 
Rosy theatre have as yet taken no 
action in the matter. Baramount is 
still undecided while Samray 
Bauch, Boxy booker, feels that, it 
one of his topliners contributes 
•only a briefie to a video show, it 
will serve as a trailer. He's doubt- 
ful that he would permit any act 
playing for him to Jdo his entire 
Stint for video. 

. The Loew^ circuit is said to have 
aslced its attorneys to insert the 
television provision to clause III 
of its contract after Ed Sullivan 
got Lena Horne and Paul Winchell, 
both in the current Capitol, N. Y., 
to go on his "Toast" show several 
weeks ago. Clause III forbids acts 
from appearing at cafes and bene^ 
fits club dates while playing a 
vaude theatre. 

Lou Walters, operator of the 
Latin Quarter, inserted the tele 
clause some weeks ago. He nixed 
' appeacaoce of Landre and Verma, 
Who opened at the LQ Sunday (25), 
on the Texaco, show last night 
(Tues.). 




'America's 
Foremost' 
Marimbwt 



mmEm 




leer's H.O. in Ft. Wayne; 
Comedy Team Injered 

Fort Wayne, July 27. 

"Holiday on lee", which played ^ 
here for six nights, (July 16-21) 
had so many tumaways show was 
held over for two additional nights 
(22'23) in the Zdllner Stadium, 
outdoor arena. 

Fred Holly and Bob Day, com- 
edy team with the show, were 
hurt during act Saturday night 
(17) but returned to cast Monday 
evening. 



Det Niteries flh By 
Worst Summer Slump; 
Bowery Cuts Prkes 

Detroit, July. 27. 

Frank Barbaro, Bowery proprie- 
tor, has started a onesrman war 
against high jtrices. He's out to 
woo back customers by returning 
to ptewar tariffs. 

Most bistros are in doldrums. 
Shows have beejr cut. Cafe Bur- 
gaiidy has put in a music group 
for: the summer, likewise the Town 
Pump. Only spot spending any 
coin is the Club 509, and they're 
packing them in nightly. 

Barbaro argues "maybe if we 
have the courage to cut prices, the 
butcher, the baker and others will 
leam that something has to be 
done to ease the strain on the pub- 
lic pocketbook and follow suit." 

He slashed food and drinks 
prices 25% starting Monday (26), 
also door charges. Other opera- 
tors are watching results before 
following his idea. 



Calbhan Sells Interest 
In Ky. Nitery hr lOOG 

Cincinnati, July 27. 
Thomas J. Callahan reportedly 
received $100,000 for his interests 
in the. Latin Quarter, nitery near 
Newport, Ky., which he sold last 
week to the Licking Realty Co., 
which operates the spot. 
■ Callahan, who came here from 
Chicago several years ago, is suc- 
ceeded as manager by George S. 
Gebhart, on the club's staff for 
15 years, and his place as prexy 
passed to Ernest Brady, former 
veepee. 

Continuing its floorshow and 
dance policy, club now has Radio 
Ramblers, Johnny Bachemin, Mar- 
tingales, June Taylor Girls and 
Verne Vorwerck's orch. 



GUEST 



Antrfs Rodeo Sock TOG 
III 6 Days at Salt Lake 

Salt Lake City, July 27. 
Gene Autry's rodeo recovered 
from a mild start to jackpot with a 
solid gross of $70,000 on six-day 
stand. 

Autry's cowpokes were the first 
such outfit to get socko b.o. here 
this year. 




HoUenden H., Cleve., 
Lining Up Name Acts 

Vogue room of the Hollenden 

hotel, Cleveland, is lining up series 
of name shows. Already pacted 
are the Ink Spots starting Aug. 5; 
Joey Adams, Tony Canzoneri and 
Mark Plant, Aug. 19, and Belle 
Baker starting Sept. 2. 

Harry Kilby of General Artists 
Corp. is booking the spot. 



3As Rcfflistide S^al But fhm 
AGVADealas Cause d Qmhg 



Maime Siban's 
LiHidon OvidwB 



London, July 27. J 
U. S. acts continue to dominate 
London variety houses. Casino bill 
which opened Monday (26) has two 
American imports -which received 
top ovations. Maxine Sullivan, Ne^ 
gro singer, had to deliver eight 
numtbers before audience would let 
her off stage. Senor Wences, hold- 
ing over, scored another hit of bill. 
CaAipagnons de la Chanson : also 
clicked. 

Tbe Palladium, opposition house, 
has Jack Benny as topper. 



Judy Canova Loses Suit 
To Null Lyons Agcy. Pact 

Los Angeles, July 27. 

Judy Canova's suit to break her 
contract with the Arthur Lyons 
-agency was tossed out of L.A. su- 
perior court when Judge Clarence 
Hanson sustained a demurrer by 
Lyons' attorneys. 

It was the second time the ac- 
tress' suit was taken off the cal- 
endar. 



Femme Aerialist Faints 
Atop Pole at A.C. Pier; 
Rescued by Fireman 

Atlantic City, July 27. 
While a crowd of some 3,000 
watched, Joseph Hackney, 50-year 
old city fireman, climbed to the 
top of a 150-foot pole and rescued 
Marion Foster, aerialist, who was 
clinging to the^narrow pole in a, 
semi-conscious condition Thursday 
afternoon (22) at the end of Steel 
Pier. 

The accident was attributed to 
a shift in the rigging supporting 
the high mast which caused her to 
strike her head and almost fall. 
Miss Foster, onljr. partly conscious, 
had already slipped out of a foot 
strap. Hackney said, when he 
reached ber. When be arrived to 
her side after the long climb she 
faintedl At . the hospital doctors 
said that it would be several days' 
before she would be able to resume 
her aqt. 

Last year she suffered a similar 
experience at the pier when a high 
wind caused the tall mast to sway 
so much that she fainted. She was 
brought , down after being sup- 
ported by her companion in the act 
until help arrived^ ' 



Nitery Trailer for Book 
By Lee Mortuner- Jack Lait 

A nitery trailer for Jack Lait 
and Lee Mortimer's new book, 
"New York— Confidential;" was the 
party given by Lou Walters at his 
Latin Quarter, N. Y., for Mortimer. 
Latter is the N. Y. Mirror's nitery 
dnd film critic, and Lait, of course, 
is editor-in-chief of the IVUrror. 
Lait was not present at the Tues- 
day night (20) all-star turnout 
which was a two-ply deal: a send- 
off 'for the book and a personal 
tribute to Mortimer who, as one 
of the prominents on the saloon 
beat, is congenitalIy"pro" niteries. 

This cafe switch on literary teas 
and cocktaileries was put to good 
use by 'Mortimer who had promin- 
ent bookselliers arid buyers of "de- 
partment and book stores as his 
guests^ .Jackie Miles doubled from 
the Eoxy as emcee, and guest en- 
tertainers like Cab Calloway, Jan 
Murray, Vivian Blaine, Chandra 
Kaly, £ddie Davis, Henny Young- 
man (who came over from his own 
opening tiiat night at the Riviera, in 
Jersey), Nancy Donovan and others 
did stints as part of the salute to 
Mortimer. This was on top of the 
regular LQ revue headed by Ina 
Ray Hutton, Willie Shore and 
Cross & Dunn, 

Sophie Tucker and Joey Adams, 
as cafe performers, have sold their 
autobiogs from the saloons they 
worked for charity purposes, but 
it is unlikely Mortimer will ditto 
with "Now York— Confidential." 

Incidentally, the film rights have 
been sold to an independent prO' 
ducer. 



Clii Casino Reopening 

Chicago, July 2T.- 
New Casino, Chicago, formerly 
the Latin Quarter, which folded 
six months ago, will reopen. Labor 
Day with name band policy. 

Si>ot, taken over at aucUon by 
Arthur Blumenthal, wiU operate 
similar to CiUi^ FhUadelphia, 



Coast AGVA Organizing 
Little Theatres Using 
Mellers, Olio Acts 

Los Angeles, July 27. 

Little Theatre outfits playing in, 
this area have been notified by 
Florine Bale that their talent will 
be organized within 10 days by the 
American Guild of Variety Artists. 
Among the legit companies, some 
of them established for years, are 
"The Blackguard," "The Drunk- 
ard," "Turnabout Theatre" and 
"Under the Gaslights," 

Through an agreement with Ac- 
tors Equity covering this division 
of jurisdiction, AGVA will draw 
up future contracts with so-called 
legit shows in this territory. Miss 
Bale announced that AGVA regula- 
tions wUI not be "so severe that 
anyone vrill be driven out of busi- 
ness." Usually AGVA covers: per- 
formers in vaudeville and night 
clubs. 



Saranac Lake 

By Happy Benway 
Saranac, N. Y., July 27. 
Eddie and Lucille Roberts, men- 
talists, in to visit Carl Kessler (The 
Amazing Mr. Ballantine) and. put 
on a show for the gang at the 
Rogers. 

Bill (Decca) Lalis, after 18 
months in infirmary, upped for 
meals. 

Eugene Reed, legit actress, in for 
rest and observation. 

The Henry Mayers in for annual 
'vacash at their Lake Flower camp. 

John S. McCusker will summer 
here while ogling Alice Dudley, 
who's doing nicely at the Rogers. 

Medical department of the 
Rogers has added Dr. John Fei;kger 
to its staff of specialists. 

Betty (Par) Blessing, who took 15 
months to beat the rap, leaves the 
Rogers soon to resume as secretary 
to Dr. Edgar Mayer in N.Y.C. He 
was formerly medical head of the 
old NVA Sanatorium. 

Margaret Dougherty, ex-nitery 
entertainer and Edna Hagan, legit 
actress, in for checkup and okayed 
to retiu:n to work. 

Dr. Harold Rodner, Will Rogers 
Fund exec, accompanied by Sam 
Shain (20th-Fox), Ed Serlin, and 
Jimmy SUeo in to take shots of 
the patients for film short to be 
used in drive for funds for Will 
Rogers Memorial hospital. 

Benny Ressler and frau left for 
N. Y. C. for an extended stay, 
whUe Jack Hirsch returned to the 
colony after spending .10-day fur- 
lough in Boston. 

Eric Groething, former Rogersite, 
planed in from N. Y. to help sister, 
Ines (Loew's) Groething, celebrate 
receipt of all-clear and back to 
work papers. .. 

Mary Lou Weaver checked in for 
rest and observation. 

Tony and Christine Mandracchia 
m from N.Y.C. to bedside Tom 
(lATES) Curry, who expects dis- 
charge soon. 

Mary Klimick in visiting sister, 
Lee (Loew's) Klimick, who's prb- 
gres»ng nicely. 

Write to those who are ill. 

Frank Ubnse starts at the Lake 
Tahoe, Crystal Bay, Nov., tomor- 
row (Huirs.). 



^ Jack Segal, booker of mountain 
spots. Was restored to membership 
in Associated Agents of America 
last week. Decision was mado 
after Hymie Goldstein, prexy of 
agent group,' learned that Ameri'^ 
can G^ild of Variety Artists had 
given Segal a waiver on the five- 
mile limit in resort contracts, 
which nullified the cause of oust-; 
ing several weeks ago. 

Goldstein, however, blames the 
situation on AGVA, claiming it is- 
used the waiver without consulting 
AAA or other agent groups in- 
volved in mountain bookings. 
Goldstein claims the union grant 
was made "imder the table" and , 
also charges AGVA with failing to 
comply with Clause Nine in modus: 
operandi of mountain bookings as 
laid out last year. That stipulated 
that all acts playing such dates be 
roomed and boarded at place of 
employment, or when such is un- 
available, they mhst be housed and 
fed within five mUes of places of 
employment at the expense, of tKe 
employer. In Segal's case the 
union waived this, which aroused 
pyrotechiKics among other booker- 
members o£ AAA. 

"AGVA's suspiciously high- 
handed dealings with Segal has, 
embarrassed us no end and we : 
mean to have a showdown on the ' 
matter pronto," said Goldstein. 
"They have violated their code of 
ethics in not notifying us < of the 
Segal relax, instead of arbitrarily 
granting him special privileges 
without placing the matter before 
the AAA. That's required under 
the rules. If the 4A's conmtittee 
running AGVA has decided tO 
amend them they are required to 
notify us. That was not done." 

Prior to AAA's lifting of Segal's 
suspension, the latter brought suit 
against the agent group for illejgal 
dismissal. Suit has since been 
withdrawn. 



Willie Shore, current at the Latin 
Quarter, N. Y., pacted for the Car- 
nival, Minneapolis, Sept. 16, and 
the Beverly HiRs Country Club, 
Newport, Ky., Sept. 22. 



NICK LUCAS 

Now AppMriag 

"KEN MURRAY'S 
BLACKOUTS OF 1948" 

B Capital UbMlm 
HeirywoodtCM, 



COMEDY MATERIAL 

For AR tiandiM jIf llwaliinii 

PUN-MASTER 

"Th« ORIGINAL Show-Biz Gag nb" 

Not. 1 to 22 @ $1.00 each 
3 DIFFERENT. BOOKS OF PARODIES 
(10 in tach booh) $10" par book 

SSf,?' OP "HITMOB BBSI- 

MiSS." Xhe 8I«kw-Bix (Bamine with 
each ¥3.00 mlnlmnm order. 
Send lOo for Usta ot other cnmcdr 
matarial, oeoKg, parodies, mlostrel 
patter, blaek-onta, etc. 

NO CO.D.'S 

SMITH 

«0O W. MUi 8trM^ Nm York M 




WILLIE 
SHORE 

Latin Qaarter 
New fork 



fiEORBlE KAYE 

Now 5th Week 
PARAMOUNT, NEW YOmC 

Direction: GENOAL ARTISTS CORPORATION 



WxbeiKhjr* Ju]]> 20, I94S 



Toronto Tootkrs Join Supper Club Ops 
To Cornkt lust' on Dancing Ukase 



; • Toronto, July 27. 

'Musical Protective Assn. has 
Jiiied up legal counter-acfion to 
combat decision of the Liquor 
Control Commission to ban all live 
niusic in bistros unless 20ro of 
the floor space is given over to 
dancing. Surprise move saw Com- 
mission inspectors walking in to 
advise night spot proprietors of 
the new regulation, with notice 
that, otherwise, musicians and 
singers v/ould have to be dis- 
missed. 

•Apart from fact that customer.^ 
in ,the smaller spots, including 
lounges of the big hotels, do not 
want to dance and would , not be 
in these smaller quarters if they 
did, the new ruling sees the dis- 
missal of trios, sola pianists and 
singers who provided an unob- 
trusive background for customers 
who only want to talk and dine. 

"Bonifaces, meanwhile; have noti- 
fied the Commission that several 
■ of these small musical unit-s and 
singers have been on the payroll 
for lengthy periods and that most 
are still under contract for a year 
or more; that, according to the 
JiPA, all such musicians are union 
members. Proprietors have also 
notified the Commission that the 
entertainers cannot be fired, be- 
cause they are under contract; that 
it- would be unprofitable to oper- 
ate if one-fifth of the floor space 
were devoted" to dancing. Com- 
mission Ijas promised not to take 
any immediate action until the 
musicians union's legal depart- 
nient submits their brief of pro- 



test. 



($hio Liquor Chief Asks 
Ops to Blow Whistle On 
Shady Deals of Agents 

Sandusky, O., July 27. 

Tavern and nitery operators in 
the Sandusky area were urged by 
Don T. Geyer, state liquor control 
enforcement chief, to "tell all" if 
they have knowledge of irregu- 
larities in enforcing action by 
state officials. Geyer promised 
liquor retailers that they would 
not be cited for past violations of 
the state liquor code, and would 
retain their permits, if they gave 
this information. Geyer's action 
came after an investigation of 
statements that slot-machine sel- 
Jers were controlling some liquor 
licenses in Sandusky. He urged 
dealers to file all information they 
possessed on possible collusion be- 
tween enforcement officials and 
eamwing device operators. 

The Top Hat nitery lost an ap- 
1, u"", ^''^ ^Vior department. 
Which had refused to renew its 
license on the grounds that the 
Jisted owners were "fronting" for 

police' record's. """^"^'^ 

Beckman & Pransky 
Up on AGVA Carpet 

S^ckman and Johnny Pran- 
shy, resort bookers, are being 
Drought up on a series of charges 

Artiift ^T"^^" °f Variety 

V^'^^'^S^-'' include breach of 
contract with Rex Webber for 
" mountain hotels; 

booking acts to a, free performance 
Thlr^* i"** cleared by AGVA nor 
i.nfro and having two 

?hi™ " »Sents working for 

(29?' « set for tomorrow 

*^'**'rs^ considered by 
the union is the free-act booldng. 
<« they solicited acts 

mnn^^rf at Yankee Stadium testi- 
Acvf ^"^ Robiffson. When 
wfll „o '^'^*5*«^> only one paid act 
luutl fu " ''^"'te's are found 
Ph i/' '''•-'y may have their fran- 
chise suspended.* 

ih^^fu!^^^ ^ Pransky declared 
uiat there's no truth to the charges, 
tiinfe ® ^vorking for them get con- 
anH I '''^ P^"^ instructions, 
and none was issued to Webber. 

unfranchised agents 
hv A^^'Tr'^"^** believed to be agents 
"y Ai;rVA are secretaries and are 
^'"Ppwered to submit acts or 
sign contracts. 



a»d Wins into the Shanghai 
WUD, fcian Francisco, Friday (30), 



Nazzaro Seeks to Enjoin 
Negro Team's London Date 

London, July 27. 

London court last week isiSued a 
temporary injunction to Nat Nuz- 
zaro, N. Y. talent manager, against 
Moke and Doke (Rivers & Brown), 
the Negro comedy team. Nazzaro 
through his British attorneys. Les- 
ser & Fairbanks, stated- that the 
team was under contract to him, 
and had gone to London without 
his knowledge and consent. 

Court stated that it was unwill- 
ing to grant a permanent injunc- 
tion inasmuch as it would de- 
prive the performers of their live- 
lihood. Temporary injunction ex- 
pires Thursday (2?), when hearing 
on permanent injunction . will be 
held. 



U.S. Name Acts 
Hike Grosses In 
Aussie Vauders 

Tivoli circuit, Australia, having 
hit top grosses with booking of 
Chico Marx and Ben Blue, is mak- 
ing an all-out drive to get top U.S. 
names for its ^theatres. Latest to 
be signed is Gil Lamb, Who is set 
to open at the Tivoli, Melbourne, 
Aug. 23, and will play the circuit's 
houses in Sydney and elsewhere. 
The loop is negotiating for other 
top American names. 

The monetary restrictions in 
Australia are not particularly 
severe inasmuch as an act is 
able to take £1,000 out of the 
country. At current quotations, a 
performer is able to leave with 
about $3,250. 

Boxoffice magnetism of U.S. acts 
is such that Blue during his recent 
stand at the Tivoli, Sydney, was 
surrounded by one of the poorest 
support bills there in » long time, 
but nonetheless did terrific busi- 
ness. He's likely to play there 
again before returning to the U.S. 
Circuit is trying to have him ex- 
tend his stay in that country and 
also make a tour of New Zealand. 

Showbusiness generally is good 
in Aussie. Vaude houses are doing 
very well, while legit business de- 
pends on the attraction. The Old 
Vic troupe playing Sydney is at- 
tracting sellout houses. However, 
"Marinka" failed to click in Mel- 
bourne and withdrawn after seven 
weeks. 



ADAMS, NEWARK, SEEKS 
NEW POLICY; BANDS NSG 

The vaude industry is watching 
with interest the developments at 
the Adams theatre, Newark. This 
house is currently mulling a change 
in policy because of the faUure of 
band packages to pay off in many 
instances. 

House is currently shopping 
around for a new format. Whether 
it will be a straight vaude policy 
with as many as 10 acts per bill, 
a line production, or a name per- 
sonality format is still to be set. 

Adams management figures that 
according to last season, there were 
only a handful of bandshows that 
earned their salt. They figure that 
they'll have to get new type pres- 
entation if they're to remain in 
business. 

The house closed June 17, can- 
celling shows for July and August. 
Reopening is slated for Labor Day. 



VAtWIITlULM 



95 



Frankenstein Takes Cut 

Indicative of how bookers 
leel about salary hoists these 
days is accentuated by incident 
in a mountain booker's office 
last \veek. A dance team who 
had been working many sum- 
mers for agency asked for an 
increase because of being low- 
est paid act on the books. 

Booker excitedly called in 
partner and shouted "Look! 
We built up a monster." 



Walters Fronting 
Syndicate Angfing 
For3H'woodSpots 

Lou Walters, of the Latin Quar- 
ter. N. Y., left for Hollywood yes- 
terday (Tues.) as representative of 
a syndicate seeking to take over 
Karl Carroll's, Slapsie Maxie's and 
ilie Florentine Gardens there. 

Should the syndicate acquire 
trio of cafes, according to Walters, 
they will operate them with poli- 
cies that would not conflict with 
each other. Otherwise, the least 
profitable would be shuttered. 

E. M. Loew, Walters' partner in 
the Latin Quarter operation and 
head of a New England chain of 
theatres, is interested in the venr 
ture. 

Walter has long been eager to 
operate a Coast nitery. During the 
war he acquired a plot on which 
he was to build a theatre-restau- 
rant. However, high, building costs 
dela.yed that venture. 

It's figured the Florentine Gar- 
dens will be easiest to acquire be- 
cause of its recent failure. Other 
cafe operators, including Moitite 
Proser, of N, Y. Cop'acabana, is 
said to be 'interested, in that spot. 
Mrs. Jesse Schuyler is now in con- 
trol of Earl Carroll's. Long a 
partner in that cafe, she was willed 
additional shares by the late show- 
man. Walters figures a deal can 
be made for Slapsie Maxie!s as 
well, inasmuch as many nightclubs 
can be bought at the right price. - 



Versatile Acts With New Material 
' Hypo Can Map Career in TeleWsion 



Sophie Tucker Due Back 
In U.S. After Concert Tour 

London, July 27. 

Sophie Tucker will 'sail for the 
U. S. Aug. 14 on the Queen Eliza- 
beth following completion of a con- 
cert tour. Miss Tucker' by Aug. 8 
will have done 13 concerts in 15 
days. She'll play Blackpool, Scot^ 
land, Newcastle, Manchester, Lei- 
cester, Sheffield and Bournemouth, 
She did .six weeks in the Casino, 
London, before going on tour. 

Soph will take a brief rest before 
opening at the Chez Paree, Chi- 
ca era, Sept. 3. She goes into the 
Lalin Quarter, N. Y., Oct. 31, until 
early January and will go to Flor^ 
ida afterwards, 



Atlantic City Hotels, 
NiteriesDoTurnaway 
On Balmy Weekend 

Atlantic City, July 27. 

It was a record breaking week- 1 
end here, with the resort packed | 
and niteries turning them away i 
Saturday and Sunday nights. I 

Night spots offered 'mid-season , 
shows, not the tops that come with 1 
an open town, but good, and I 
whether they were in the $6 mini- 
mum class or no minimum, they 
jammed them in. Spot check at 
500 club, Babette's and Harlem 
club, sepia spot, verified capacity 
biz. 

Spots off shore, in suburban 
Somcrs Point where a number of 
them draw from arid Ocean City, 
also were jammed. Visitors were 
estimated at more than 300,000. 



Mixed Drinks 
Ban Annoys 
Atlanta Cafes 

Atlanta, July" 27. 

Temporary niixed drink drouth 
that last week threatened . exist- 
ence of. Atlanta nite spots has 
abated. . • 

Dry Spell was brought on by 
opinions 'of . John I. Kelley, solicitor 
of Fulton County Criminal Court, 
and Atlanta City. Attorney Jack 
Savage that sale of mixed drinks , 
in Atlanta is illegal. ' I 

Panicked niteries and supper , 
clubs suspended gale of mixed 
drinks while spokesman for At- 1 
lanta Hotel A.9sn. stated that 'en- 
forcementr -of law would result in 
doling of dine and dance' , rooms 
oper^ed by hotels in city. 

Kelley and' Savage both stated 
that Georgia liquor lawrs specifi- 
cally bar, sale of mixed drinks. 
Kelley declared: ., ' 

"The only legal way to sell 
liquor (in Fulton County) is in an 
unbroken package." 

This . rule applies to private 
clubs as well as Iiotels and supper 
clubs, he said. 

Up to the present time no citizen 
has- come forward, to file an accu- 
sation .against any of the bar op- 
erators charging them with violat- 
ing the liquor laws. 

Under the law, the- solicitor, who 
is charged with the prosecution of 
such cases, cannot draw an accusa- 
tion. The making of an accusation 
is a job for some citizen or the 
police, Kelley pointed out' 

So, the mixed drink status has 
returned to quo insofar as the 
restaurants, supper clubs and 
hotels are concerned. The private 
elubs, whieh never did pay any 
attention to the law, are still ig- 
noring it. 



Despite prevailing belief that 
acts will wear themselves out with 
one television appearance, most „ 
turns can be repeated so long as 
they bring new material with each 
show, according to video bookers. , 
Top comedy acts, it's said, have 
sufficient material to last an hour 
or more, and if they parcel out 
their blighter bits in small doses 
and acquire added material as 
they go along, there's little reason ' 
why they cannot be shown on tele 
indefinitely. 

The four-week stand of Milton 
Berle on the Texaco Star Theatre 
is a prime illu.stration. He'll prob- 
ably return to;the show in the fall- 
as emcee for a protracted run. 
Harry Kichman's two appearances 
on show- is similarly cited and 
Georgie Price, who was on it last 
week, is set to repeat Aug, 3. . 

In the case of top comics, It's 
seen that a good first appearance 
whets the appetite of tele-viewers ' 
for more. With several successive ' 
clicks, tele can develop its own 
stars who will be able to' register ' 
lor long-runs so long as new iR'a- 
terial is added. 

It's felt that the same applies to ' 
singers. It's a coQiparatiV^Iy sitti*< 
pie matter for a warbler *tb' add 
new songs weekly. Problem is more 
difficult with dancers, but since 
most terpers have routines of 15 
minutes duration,' the hoofers can 
do three sliots before augmentinjg 
stint with. new routines.'. 

One-Shoters: 

The one-shoters are. considered 
the highly specialized turns who 
have spent their entire careers per-, 
feeling a single routine. Novelty 
and acrobatic «ct$ ^re in miSt cate- 
gory. At thatt.niost can be repented ' 
at least twice during the year. 

Tele bookers will even take tal- ' 
ent that's been shoXvn on cDmpet" .. 
ing shows. For example, ' IVIactih ' 
and Lewis, who appeared on Ed ' 
Sullivan's "Toast of the To\*n," are 
slated for Aug. J3 on Vexaco 3tar . 
Theatre. Jackie Hites will also bfe ' 
given . a ditte on that show. Tbe ' 
Whirlvfinds, on last nlghf s (Tues.) ' 
Tej^&cp- program, have -made sev-^ 
eral appearances on various video 
stations. ; i . . 
. Tlie tele bookers say essential 
factor in booking shows is the 
amount of 'i]ui^lity tnatcrlal q tui^n ' 
has. If there's enough to' last in-- ' 
definitely, the, chances are he'll get ' 
a chance to show it all on as, many 
shows, as necessary. • . 



Aldrich Ankling Sherman 

Mickey Aldrich has resigned as 
booker with the Edward Sherman 
agency, N. Y., effective end of Au- 
gust. Future plfins haven't been 
formulated as yet. His book will 
be taken ovej by Lawrence Golde 
in addition to current chores. 

Aldrich had been with the Sher- 
man agency on and off since 1940. 



STONE'S CHEZ DEBUT 

Harvey Stone has been set for 
the Chez Paree, Chicago, .starling 
Oct. 29, his first date at that cafe. 

Prior to that, he goes into the 
Lake Tahoe, Crystal Bay, Ncv., 
Aug. 13, and foUows with El 
Rancho, Las Vegas. 



LIONS CONVENTIONEERS 
BOOM HOTEL, NITERY BIZ 

Lions' convention in New York, 
might have been perfect for nitery 
owners— if they didn't have so 
much activity planned. The Lions' 
pai-ade Monday (26) on Fifth 
avenue ran overtime and preclud- 
ed any business cafes and clubs 
might have gotten. Show being 
lined up for them at Madison 
Square Garden tonight (Wed.) 
will again cut into bistro biz. 

Conventioneers gave niteries a 
terrific lift Sunday (25) when they 
jammed east side as well as Broad-' 
way spots. 

Confabs such as the Lions, ac- 
cording to nitery operators, are the 
best for them. Members are gen- 
erally business men who seek en- 
tertainment. However, the full 
schedule lined up for them makes 
it unlikely they'll have much time 
for nocturnal festivities. 

Hotels are the greater benefici- 
aries. Inns are booked to near- 
capacity with the estimated 25,000 
attending the convention. Meet, 
which opened Monday, winds up 
tomorrow (Thurs.). 



AGVA, AFM RENEW 
INTERCHANGE PACT 

Reaffirmation of an agreement 
between the American Guild of 
Variety" Artists and the American i 
Federation of Musicians was made 
this week on the question of 
whether a musician^singer must be- 
long to both unions. At conference 
between AGVA and AFM execs, 
Monday (26) it was ruled that 
AGVA has right to solicit for mem- 
bership any musician who sings or 
dances. Sideraen who stick to 
musicking need belong to the AFM 
only. 

Question arose when Ina Ray 
Hutton, singer-bandleader at the 
Latin Quarter, N. Y., queried Local 
802 execs on course of action after 
she had been approached to join 
AGVA. Conference between both 
unions was subsequently set up and 
officials dusted off the old decision 
which was agreed on some, years 
back. 



Louisville Solon 
Nixes Kid Am Shows 
On Saloon Circuit 

touisvilfe, July 27. 
■ Saloon operators were warned 
la.st week that their licenses may 
be forlcited if they present chil- 
dron in amateur night perfohn- 
anccs. Exploitation of children tq 
promote sale of liquor must stop 
according to local alcohol lievcrage 
administrator, Lawrence Dunciin. 
He said 10 night spots were trying 
to hypo biz with amateur vaude, 
some of the performers being as 
young as six years of age., - One 
spot put on a direct-mail' cam* 
paign plugging talent from Uni. 
of Louisville Music School, from 
a private music school, and from 
three ^private dancing schools. 

Duncan said he was not.opposed 
to the amateur .shows as such, but 
would not allow youngsters to per- 
form wh^e alcoholic beverages 
are sold. 



The Colstons have been signed 
for the Palladium, London, Sept. 
27. Elsa & Waldo go into that 
house Aug. 2. ^ 



Radio's Giveaway Shows 
Still Invading Vauders 

The giveaway ci'a'.se of radio is 
spreading into vauders, "Win- 
ner Take All" has been booked for 
Strand theatre, N. Y., starting Aug. 
27. Bill Cullen and the regular 
radio cast will participate in it. 

Radio's top passerouter, "Stop 
the Music," opens at the Capitol, 
N. Y,, tomorrow (Thurs.) Prizes up 
to $5,000 will b e awarded for 
guessing mystery melody. 



AGVA Rep Asb VHCS 
To Rescind Piermont Ouster 

Further, protest to replacement 
of Benny Piermont as head booker 
of Veterans Hospital Camp Shows, 
was made last week by Harry 
Dunn, American Guild of Variety 
Artists delegate to Associated Ac- 
tors and Artistes of America. Dur- 
ing the war, Dunn served as AGVA 
representative to USO - Camp 
Shows. 

Dunn in a letter to Abe Last- 
fogfl, VHCS president, declared 
/that as AGVA rep to USO he di.s- 
agreed with VHCS' move of replac- 
ing an able booker. 

Piermont is being succeeded by 
Phil Lampkin, former Army 
special services officer. 



96 



WcJnfegchqr, July 28» 1941 



Le Raban Bleu, IV. Y. 

JCingr Odom Qiiartet. Naomi 
Stevens, Edo I^upicH, Louise Houv 

ord, JVormoTin Paris Ttio, Lee Mele; 
$^ minimum. 



Tony Mele has a good show this 
layout and iii$ son, Lee Mele. who 
is debuting «s emcee, dws an ade- 
quate job of introducing the vari- 
ous turns of which Naomi Stevens, 
personable songstress, and Edo Lu- 
bich, singing' gnitarist, are under 
New Acts. 

: Socko holdover is the King 
Odont Quartet with their styliaed 
harmonics to self^instmmental ac- 
companiment; Colored combo are 
in the Ink Spots^MiUs Bros.-£ing 
Gole idiom, and, with a good record- 
ing or two, vdnch time and Petrillo' 
may solve, should break through 
importantly. They bespeak class 
without being too mud) so. Their 
showmanship is innately expert as 
they whip up "Four-Leaf Clover," 
"Sad Eyes, Glad Eyes," Stephen 
Foster's "Kentucky Babe," "Basin 
Street Blues," "Shadrack" and 
other spirituals, and the like. Two 
of the quartet are straight singers, 
inchiding Odom, but the string bass 
and guitarist likewise join in the 
vocal-harmonies, the former par- 
ticularly registering with his basso. 

The other standout is Louise 
Howard, a real personality among 
the intime songstresses. A looker 
who evidences close tutelage in her 
chores, she manifests fin^ show- 
manship axtd pace changing with 
special material such as the "Whif- 
fenpoof Song" done via a varie- 
gated assortment of impressions; 
a«satire on Elizabethan 'folk sing- 
ers; a "Cocktails for Two" conceit, 
■which permits, for some good fun, 
and a fetching stew routine, plus 
"Don't Let It G^t You Down" for 
the opener, etc. 

Besides being an attractive chlr- 
pef, with a particularly fetching 
pair of optics which show to good 
advantage in an intimate room of 
this type, Miss Howard wisely 
segues more and more from 
straight songaloging to impression- 
istic and comedy numbers. She 
has been around, notably at No. 1 
Filth Ave. and Spivy's Roof, but 
Somehow shows to peak impression 
at this East 56th street iOass spot. 

The Normann Paris Trio contin- 
ues with their expert instrumenta-' 
tion for interludes and general ac- 
comps. Biz OK. New maitre d' 
is GeorgCi vice Carlo who ventured 
into bis own Encore cafe. Abel. 



Cfro's, Iloilywoofl 

Hollywood, Julu 21. 
King Cole Trio. Phil Ohman 
Orch (14); couer $2.50 weekdays, 
$3.50 Saturdays. 



^ This booking is a little off the 
beaten track for. this plush Sunset 
Strip nitery but a slight adjust- 
ment of policy could make it a 
clever switch. King Cole Trio is 
in on a regular show basis, doing 
two stints nightly when, for a room 
of this sort, a continuous on-and- 
off policy during the night would 
be better. 
Patrons would thus- be granted 




HEOiandHOWilRD 

"Comtar Danes Antics' 

RADIO CfTY MUSIC HALL 

NEW YORK 

and flflubUtis "TEX/VOO TV" 



what they seek — an almost unend- 
ing supply of the Cole entertain- 
ment. As it stands, each of the 
shows means some disappointmeut 
— even though eombo finally begs 
oSf after half an hour of work. As 
expected. Cole's now classic "Na- 
ture Boy" arrangement is sock, 
with the guitar and bass combo 
simulating effectively the string 
bridge that backed his dislung of 
the hit. At the other end of the 
musical ladder, trio whams across 
heated rhythm arrangements of 
such numbers as "Put 'Em In a 
Box," "Now He Tells Me," and 
"Straighten Up and Ply Right." 
And for a change of pace, in addi- 
tion to "Boy," there's "Portrait of 
Jennie," which might well become 
another smash. 

Terp chores' are handled by the 
Phil Ohman crew, rapidly becom- 
ing a fixture here. The Ohman 
music is easily handled and aimed 
at keeping Ciro's bigname custom- 
ers on the floor. Kap. 



Bi»ul«varfl lEooiu, Chi 

(STEVENS. HOTEL) 

Chicago, July 20. 

Jean Arle'n. Marion Spelman, 
Bob & Florence Ballard, Bohby 
Turk, Manuel Del Toro, Jerry Reh- 
field, Charles Caxtanaugh, Johnny 
Flanagan, Boulevar-Dears (6), 
Benny Strong Orch (13), vnth 
Doris Donovan; Dorothie Littlefeld, 
choregraphy; John Baur, costumes; 
Hessie Smith, arrangements; Nor- 
man Krone, orchestration; $3.50 
r/iin., $1 cover. 



COMICS 

I'll write you a new act or doctor 
.rour old. - KituMinable rate». Ko lll« 
Jokex. Orl;;inal material only. Over 
tun ywirn*' cxiierlellce wrltlUE all tynes 
of iMiincidy. 

Scit* tOl 
274 W. 43rd St.. N«w York City 



New ice re'vue improves on forc- 
rmmer, which bowed here last 
spring and drew well throughout. 
Holdovers are Marian Spelman, 
who handles songs and introes, 
plus ringsters Jerry Rehfield, Man- 
uel Del Toro and Jean Arlen. Line's 
costuming has been bettered via 
shorter skirts that, unlike the volu- 
minous longies of the previous 
show, unveil sightworthy leg ac 
tion and remove the hazard of low 
hemlines. 

Show is in four segments more 
or less eued to the major points of 
the compass. In the Dixie opener 
Bob Turk, Manuel Del Toro and 
Jerry Rehfield, garbed as ante 
helium dandies, panto gallantry 
while the hoop^kirted line co- 
quettes. Charles Cavaniaugh skims 
comically as an Aunt Jemima and 
Johnny Flanagan romps as Topsy 
in a game of blindman's hluff. It's 
moonlight and magnolias in- the 
deep freeze, sub. . 

So-called Northern Light's num- 
ber brings the line back for well- 
received ballet blading, followed 
by Jean Arlen who scores with 
leaps and pirouettes in danseuse 
style. Bob and Florence Ballard's 
adagio stint draws prime returns: 
via overhead lifts. Femrae, pin- 
wheeled by one arm, stams the ice 
with her cold wave. 

Western sequence is teed off by 
Bobby Tiu-k, paced by heavy drum- 
ming, hops like an injun. brave and 
wins big hand. Bladier's recovery 
from a tumble on deteriorating ice 
was tops in aplomb. Line, in pony- 
girl regalia, is joined by cowhands 
Manuel Del . Toro, Jerry Rehjield 
and Charles Gavanaugh in square 
dance sets. 

Last and best sequence, labeled 
"The East in Manhattan," opens 
with the ornycay business of hav- 
ing Johnny Flanagan planted in the 
band as a faulty fluter. Comic hits 
the ice with eccentric blading and 
prattfalls that bring neat returns. 
The Ballards' fast jitbug routine is 
followed by zoot-suited Manuel Del 
Toro^s okay bit as a swoon-crooner, 
with the line supplying ooh's. Jean 
Arlen and Turk, wrap it up via 
waltz-tempoed gliding. 

Miss Spelman's trilling is okay 
throughout, but the vocals lose 
impact because they're incidental 
to the skating. Lyrics are super- 
fluous to the fast action on the rink 
at some points, with obscure cor- 
relation at others. Incongruities 
creep in when, for example, song- 
stress races through "It's a Good 
Day" to keep pace with Miss Ar- 
len's leaps and twirls as an ice- 
going cowgirl. 

Orch backs nimbly during 45- 
minute show .and fills the fltMir dur- 
ing dance sets. fiozt. 



MAXIM E 




CittWENTLY 



LONDON CASINO. ENGLAND 



JOK MAMOLAiS 



(FOLLOWUP) 

The addition of Cross and Dunn 
to the Latin Qtiarter layout pro- 
vides added strength to the fore- 
part of the show. The current dis- 
play, while abounding in entertain- 
ment qualities, is late in hitting its 
stride. Consequently this vet 
comedy-song team's efForts are 
timed to hit the crowd just at the 
point where the. audience interest 
needs tlie hypo ol a change of pace 
to vocal fare. : 

Team has a sizable amount of 
special material, which is gener- 
ally clean and cleverly constructed. 
They know how to work to every 
typo of audience thus earning re- 
warding mitts. On show caught, the 
duo bad to punch particularly hard 
inasmuch as a crowd, generally 
alien to niteries, dominated. They 
reach their highpoint with a recital 
of Gershwiniana after setting 
themselves in solid with their 
Comedy songs. Their diary num- 
ber and the "lazy" tune make for 
solid exit. 

Rest of the layout is similarly of 
top cut, with Ina Ray Button and 
Willie Shore holding the top spots. 
Clever with his hoof ery. Shore has 
Uie pedal know-how to point up 
his dance accomplishments with 
excellent comedic values. As a re- 
sult. Shore's leaps and spins are 
consistent applause wirfners, even 
offsetting some of the relatively 
weak gab .that suffers in compari- 
son. He has a high number of 
laugh-lines of juvenile.calibre, but 
if his linguistic eSorts parred his 
terping he would rate with the beat 
comics around. 

The CoStello Twins, lithe-look- 
ers, have a choice line of aero 
terps which are smoothly executed 
and excellently routined. Their 
turn is fast and ahomds with in- 
terest and according to their cur- 
rent display should make quite a 
splash for a few years. 

Another terp-tum on the bill are 
the Martells & Mignon, who have 
frequently offered some breath- 
taking tricks. However, on show 
caught the trio seemed unsure of 
themselves, but recovered toward 
the end to get an okay palming. 
They were replaced Sunday (25) 
at the expiration of their contract, 
by Saridre and Verna. 

Ina Ray Hutton on the podium 
certainly gives the bandstand a 
sexy decor. She femmecees a nice 
show and does her specialties in 
the production numbers to good 
effect. 

The Walters spot is lutting ex- 
cellent grosses despite the offish 
season, an apparent reward for the 
consistent quality 'shows at this 
spot. Jose. 



other acrobatics along with splits 
and dance routines, on roller skates 
to good hand. Three strings are 
combined with two brass, three 
saxes and the same number of 
rhythttv to constitute the band 
fronted by the personable Nick 
Stuart, once of films. It leans to 
the sweet, but also dishes out 
swing acceptably. Outfit features 
pianist Nick Phillips who opens 
the floor show with rousing ar- 
rangement of Tschaikowsky's "Pi- 
ano Concerto." In Lorraine Daly 
band has a vocalist who's a stun- 
ning looker as weU as first-rate 
warbler. Rees, 



Oub Carnival, Mpis. 

Minneapolis, July 24. 
Lind Brothers (3), Dolly Barr, 
Nick Stuart orch/,^12) viith Lor- 
raine Daly; $2.50 min. Saturdays. 

Launched about three months 
ago on the site: of the burned-out 
former Happy Hour, this new spot 
probably takes its place among 
the . country's most attractive and 
elaborate niteries. And with a 
policy of traveling bands that have 
included Frankie Carle, Blue Barr 
ron, Clyde McCoy and Ray Her- 
beck plus two top acts, it has been 
attracting crowds at a time when 
most bistros generally are singing 
the blues.: 

Club representing a $450,000 in- 
vestment, seats 350 in the main 
room and 150 more in its cocktail 
bar. Sidewalls help to provide a 
gay, colorful atmosphere with vari- 
colored murals portraying carnival 
characters and scenes set off by 
fluorescent paint in contrast to a 
large section upholstered in cream 
buff to the ceiling, lending a dig- 
nified touch of class. The predom- 
inant carnival motif is stressed in 
the crystal fixtures ard brightness 
in lighting. A sizable mechanized 
dance floor is hydraulically raised 
to the level of the bandstand in 
its rear to provide a stage for the 
show. . • , . 

Current layout is topped by the 
Three Lind Bros, who duplicate 
smash hit they scored at the Hotel 
Nicollet Minnesota Terrace last 
January. They serve up such 
sacred numbers as ''Eili, Eili" and 
"Ave Maria" so stirringly as to 
Jiold audience at rapt attention 
and then evoke an ovation. 

Expert showmanship distin- 
guishes their choice and routining 
of numbers. With the serious and 
semi-heavy vocal fare they, of 
course, wisely mix in comedy- 
studded numbers like "What's 
Wrong With Grand Opera?" 
"Hilda" and "McsNamara's Band," 
embrilished with clowning. There's 
also a showy, thrilling arrange- 
ment, of "Sabre Dance" and there 
are oldees like "Swanee" and "I 
May Be Wrong." It provides a 
wide variety of melody to please 
all musical tastes. Each offering 
IS niftily done with soloing demon- 
strating that each member of the 
trio has nice pipes. Had to beg 

Dolly Barr, shapely and good- 
Iwking, periConus bandstands and 



Charlie Ventwra Orch (7), with 
Jockie Coin, Billy JBcfcstine, Tod 
Darner on orch (5); $1 minimum 
weekdays, $1.50 weekends plus 90c 
adntisstOTt. 

While midsummer is notoriously 
the poorest time of the 'year for 
cafe operators, the Royal Roost ap- 
parently has come up with a policy 
that gets *em. Be-bop is the mag- 
net. Prior to becoming a "bopera" 
house, Ralph Watkins' Broadway 
basement spot floundered around 
for months with entertainment 
ranging from sepia name bands to 
small cocktail units and a line of 
girls, all to skimpy business. 

Early this summer Boost pro- 
moter Monte Kay hit upon a be-bop 
concert as a means of hypoing the 
b.o. With disk jock "Symphony 
Sid" emceeing a pickup band of 
moderate names, the idea proved 
a click and gained further momen- 
tum later when be-bop's high priest, 
Dizzy GiUcspie, moved into the 
spot. 

Opening of Charlie Ventura's 
band plus Billy Eckstine, Friday 
(23), drew tumaway biz. Be-bop 
cultists. evidently are confined to 
the age bracket a few years above 
the bobbysoxer for the majority of 
the cafe's patrons were in that 
category. "They filled the tables 
and overflowed into a "bleacher" 
section in the rear of the room 
which the house sets up to accom- 
modate the straight admission pay- 
ees. 

Ventura has a small outfit here, 
only three rhythm, two brass and 
two sax plus femroe vocalist, Jackie 
Cain. While the unit is small, the 
resulting volume, nevertheless, is 
more than ample for tlie confines 
of this 320-capacity room. Maestro 
contribs some neat saxlng, especial- 
ly in a free interpretation of "Body 
and Soul." All the band's num- 
bers, for that matter, are "free:^'" 
interpreted. Miss Cain handles 
her warbling chores capably. 

Eckstine, who has quite a follow- 
ing, polishes off some five numbers 
amid the, usual shrieks and whistles 
from the femmes. His well modu- 
lated tones are particularly stand- 
out on "Sophisticated Lady" and 
"Cottage for Sale." Be-bop and 
Eckstine, as far as the customers 
are concerned, are a terrific com- 
bination. Tod Dameron's small re- 
lief group is a holdover from the 
previous layout 



El Mor»«;«M», Montreal 

Montreal, July 22. 1948. 
Barton, Bros.i Ida James, Bobby 
Jule, Buddy Clarke Orch, Hal 
White Trio; minimum $2. 

IJsual July doldrums doesn't 
mean a thing around El Morocco. 
With a well-balanced show, this top 
nitery is getting more than its 
share of the tourist trade and their 
lush spending. 

Teeoffer of show is juggler 
Bobby Jule, who clicks with his 
easy manner and polish. Lad 
juggles tambourines, balls and 
Indian clubs with suave dexterity 
to win salvos. 

, Familiar to disk fans, singer Ida 
James' initial offering, "Shoo-Flv 
Pie,'' is thin and it's not until she 
socks over "I Told You I Love You, 
Now Get Out" that the hous>e is on 
her side. Encores with "Mean to 
Me" and "Sugar" for nice returns. 

Headlining Barton Bros., faves 
here, prove again to be a boisterous 
tno whose material is clever. Heavy 
on the impresh side, lads do take- 
offs on the Ink Spots and Durante, 
which garner yocks when they all 
appear in same makeup and wrap 
things up with skit on a soda jerk 
this could stand better routining 
for more effectiveness. Swish bits 
could be eliminated. Newt 



5<N» C:iul^ A. r. 

Atlantic City, N. J., July 22. 
Dean Martin & Jerry Leufa 
Betty Bradley, Phyllis Clair, PaSi 
Williams. Galertta & Leonardo 
Dowc Ennis orch; $6 mtnimuwi. ' 

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis 
top the show .here, returning to 
the spot where they got their first 
big break in the night club fieldL 
Irv Wolf, who operates this ctak 
got them together, so the stoicy 
goes, three seasons ago and they 
have been eliciting ever since 

It's touch and go all the way 
through the 45 minutes team are oot 
and no one knows just what to ex- 
pect next. Martin sings with good 
effect while Lewis flits around 
seemingly "mussing" up the act. 
He talks with the customers, grabs 
Dave Ennis's baton to lead the 
band, fights with^Ennis and the 
musicians, plays the piano, and 
gives the customers plenty laughs* • 

Top bits are a choir number 
with Martin giving with "Once la' 
a While" with Lewis and bandsmen 
backgrounding for hefty returns. 
Then Lewis goes to the piano foe 
a two-finger accomp to Martin's 
"My Heait Sings." There's an- 
other bit with Lewis leading band-. 
as Martin struggles with "Ol' Man 
River," which winds up in a 
heckling convention but register- 
ing on laugh meter. They -wind 
comedy stuff on instruments to 
Uterally bring down the house and., 
steal the show. 

They're supported by four other' 
good acts. Show starts with 
Phyllis Clair, who does a nice tap ' 
number to set tempo of proceed- 
ings, Brunet Betty Bradley pipes 
four numbers with "I Want to Get 
Married" scoring heavily. Trio Ot 
ballads are also amply rewarded. 

Galenta & Leonardo, ballroom- 
olcigists, contrib talent and class. 
Spins and balancing sequences^ 
draw plenty applause. 

Pearl Williams was out of show 
when reviewed. Wolfc, ■ 



Riviera, Fori Im, N. J. 

(FOLtOWCP) 

The substitution of Henny Young- 
man for the Slate Bros, gives an 
overall brighter countenance to 
the Riviera show. Youngman is 
one comic who seems to have got- 
ten a firmer hold on himself dur> 
ing the past year. Ever since his 
N. Y. Copacabana click, he's been 
hitting a fast stride, and since he 
invested heavily in new material 
he's become surefire. 

Youngman's Riviera stint has 
him working in a ''Nature Boy" at- 
tire consisting of a leopardskin. 
It's good for initial yock that sets 
him well with the audience, and Ms ' 
material insures the maintenance 
of that attention. During his turn 
he practically throws away fis ' 
many lines as some comics use in 
their entire act. He walks oS tA 
a top impression. 

Further comedy is by : Bomo 
Vincent, who continues to throw 
his weight around to good advan- 
tage, while the Danish aero import, 
the Olanders, (5), do an amazing 
bit of tumbling and spinning for a 
group of kids. 

Production values aided by 
tapster Joey Gilbert, singer Tony 
Bavaar and the Donn Arden-pro- 
duccd line. Jose. 



NAOMI 

STEVENS 

CHANTS WITH A CHUCKLE 

Curranlty AppMring 

LE RUBAN BLEU 
New York 



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William Morris Aathcy, Circle 
7-2160. 



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OBITUARIES 



DAVin WAKK GRIFFITH 

David Wark Griffith, 73, pioneer 
producer, whose "Birth of a Na- 
tion" set new pattern in film pro- 
duction, died ia HoUj'wood, July 
23. 

Further details on Page 17. 

LEO BirtGAKOV ' 
Leo Bulgalrov, 60, *ctor-pH»- 
ducer, died in Bin^amton, N. Y., 
July 20. 

Bulgakov, Russian-bom, came to 
this country with the Moscow Art 
theatre, of which he was a member 
from 1912 to 1923. He appeared 
with it in "The Brothers Karama- 
zbv," "The Lower Deptlis" and "Un- 
cle Vanya." He drew Uie attention 
of the critics as well as the oe^tor- 
tumst eye of the late Morris Gest. 

Gest, casting about in typical 
tiimult for « produetion of "Tlie 
Bfiracle,'' succeeded in convincing 
Bulgakov to give up his coveted 
po^on with the Moscoviaa group. 

Subsequentlyi there were some 
uncertain seasons here for Bul- 
gakov and his wife, Barbara. As 
a member of the .Grand Street 
Playhouse company, he was seen 
in September, 1927, in .Artzy- 
bashefTs "Lovers and Enemies." 
He was one of four actors to en- 
dure the four-act marathon called 
"Spring Song," and later appeared 
in "Gods of Lightning," the 
Maxwell Anderson-Harold Hicker- 
son play based on the Sacco and 
Yanzetti case. 

In November, 1928. he directed 
"The Cherry Orchard" for the Yid- 
dish Art theatre to celebrate the 
30th anni of Uie Moscow Art the- 
atre. In succeeding years he 
staged, appeared in and produced 
many Bro^way attractions. 

Bulgakov's last Broadway ap- 
pearance in 1945 was in "Ho^ 
fiw the Best.;' His other acting 
stints included, "Another Scene" 
and "Billy Draws a Horse:" Among 
productions lie directed were 
"Close Qarters," "Prologue to 
Glory, "Lend Me Your Ears," "The 
Night Remembers," "Come What 
May," "Amourette," "Devil In the 
Mind," "The Life Line," "Courte- 
san," "This One aaan" and "At the 
Bottom." 

Besides Ms wife, he. is survived 
by a son. 



BILL CHASE 

Bill Chase, 61, pianist-enter- 
tainer, died in Las Vegas, July 19. 
Chase was in show business for 46 
years and toured U. S. and Europe 
in own and with other acts. He 
was pianist for Grace LaRue, 
vaude headliner, and also member 
of vaude piano team of Chase & 
Westerly. 

Survived by wife. 



EL3HER S. OASOLTON 
Elmer J. Hamilton, former actor 
and manager, died July 21 at Glens 
Falls, N. Y. Survivors are wife, 
and two brothers. 

Hamilttin had been associated 
with &e Schine Tlieatres in Glens 
Falls. N. Y., for the past 15 yeais. 
Prior to that he managed lestt pro- 
diactions, indudincf "lAy Soldier 
Girl." 



GEACE OiaiTE WILEY 
Grace Olive "l^^tey, 64, nationally 

known betpetologist, died July 19 

in Long iBeach, Cal., after being 

bitten by a coin's. 
For years JUxs. : Wiley suplied 

film companies with reptiles for 

jangle pictures. 



GEORGE A. MAIIREB 

George A. Maurer, 97, for SB 
years with the South Bend (Ind.) 
Tribune, spending' most of this time 
time as manager of the Misfoawaka 
office and as drama critic, died 
July 15. 



AUGUSTUS H. NANTON 

Augustus H. Nanton, 42, operator 
of The Playhouse, Manchester, "Vt., 
died in Montreal while on a recent 
business trip. 

Survived by wife. 



SUSAN GLASHPELL 

Susan Glaspell, 66, Pulitzer 
pr]% - winning playwright and 
credited with "discovering" 
Eugene O'Neill and giving him 
his start in the theatre, died in 
-Provincetown, Mass., yesterday 
<27). 

She was the widow of George 
Cram Cook, witli whom she 
founded the Provincetown Play- 
house where O'Neill's first plays 
were produced. Her play "Alison's 
House" -won the Pulitzer priie in 
1930, when it was produced at 
Civic Repertory theatre, N.Y., by 
Eva LeGalUena. She was author 
of a number of other plays and 
novels. 

She and her late husband with 
a small group of writers and 
artists founded the Provincetown 
Playhouse ia the old seaport. 
Later they moved tli«r troupe to 
a converted stable in Greenwich 
village, N.Y., to cany on the cycle 
of O'Neill and other contemporary 
playwrights. 

Her writing career started as a 
legiidative reporter for news- 
papers in Des Jdioines. 



MAURY RUBENS 

Maury (Maurice) Rubens, 55, 
songwriter and musical director, 
died in Hollywood, July 23, after a 
Jieart attack. 

. He was stricken while direct- 
ing telecast of "Sandy Dreams" 
on KTLA. After having been musi- 
cal director for the Shuberts for 17 
?SIE*' *» Hollywood in 

i!H7 and established a successful 
school of theatre. 



I.EROY ALEXANDER 

Leroy Alexander, 56, died in 
Chicago, July 20. He was sales- 
jnan for National Screen Service 
Uiere for past eight years. Pre- 
viously he was western sales man- 
ager for Universal-mtematitmal, 
and poor to Uiat was formerly in- 
sinimeatal in theatre circuits. 

Survived by wife, three daugh- 
ters and two sons. 



_ DR. HAIUCY KATZ 
Ur. Hany Katz, 54. prexy of 
Monarch Theatres, operators of 
tteatres in Indiana, Ohio and 
t^^sylvania, died in Chicago, 

i^L.-^'' -^* 6a*e «P iiis medical 
practice m 1929 to enter the film 
business. 

.„^f»iving are hi.-; wife, and 
nwther, a brother, Sam Katz, vcc- 
pee of Mctro<3toldwyn-Mayer, and 
two Sistos. 



UMbu*, 61 Of Harold J. BusseU, 
who won an Oscar for his pertorm- 
anoe as handle war vet in the 
film, -'Best Years of Our Lives." 
died in Cambridge, Mass., July 21. 



Mother, of Mary Naybor, ass't to 
ArtJiur Steagall, manager of Ori- 
ental theatre, Gliieago, died in that 
city, July 19. 

Conrad Jes»«rsen, 65, Fremont, 
O., musician who traveled with 
many welMcnown bands, died JOly 
19, in that city. 



Dr..S<awitt M. Hiner, 76, musician 
well konvm in sbow business, died 
July 19 in Hpllywood. 

B. L. PenningtMi. S8. musician, 
died at Veterans hospital, Savttelle, 
Cal., July 16. 

Mrs. Mary" Vedder, 70, mother- 
in-law of Dennis Moiigan, film 
actor, died in Hollywood. July 20. 



tiuts one reason why the project, 
outside of eastern cities, is still in 
the future. It will await the laying 
"ationvWde net of coaxial 
cables to which many theatres will 
tie in, or else the linking of those 
theatres via point-to-point micro- 
wave relay. 

Par itself, in its theatre demon- 
strations, has generally not been 
i picking up programs off the air, 
1 but has had them piped In thiou^ 
the co-ax, thus eliminating possible 
distortion. Larger theatres through- 
put the country are expected to do 
the same thing, while the smaller 
outlying houses will probably pick 
up the shows from central rettans- 
mitting points when the legal and 
exclusivity angles are worked out. 

Par bought rights for the Para- 
mount theatre to the Beau Jack- 
Ike Williams fi^t in PhiladelphU 
July 12 on a per-seat arrangement. 
Total for the 3,664 seats was some- 
thing around $1,000, although it 
was reported around town that the 
figure was much higher. Company 
feels it was well worth while, aside 
from the experimental angles, in 
that boxoffice figures that night 
were well above the preceding and 
following nights, desidte the fact 
that only minor advance publicity 
was pemitted and restricted to the 
night of the fight. 

Par preceded tiie fi^t with shots 
of the Democratic convention in 
Fbilly. Combination of the two 
events on the one night was so 
successful, company announced 
that it was .going to incorporate 
fuU-fcreai video into the regular 
entertainment policy of ■ the the- 
aixes It is now casting about for 
further events it can handle, 

TV Wffl He^pPix Houses 
Says Seattle City Mgr. 

Seattle, July 27. 
Herb Sobottka, city mantiger of 
Hamrick^Eveisreen Tbeatres here, 
is optimistic abont televiisaon in re- 
lation to theatres. Theatres will 
use television for spot events, so 
it will help rather than hurt them, 
he claimed. On the long-range' 
view, Sobottka envisioned film 
companies even eliminatbig prints 
by TV use. This he admitted, might 
be 20 years hence, but it wotdd ef- 
fect big savings in film distribu- 
tion. 

It looks to me as if television js 
more' closely related to pictures' 
and, the theatre than to radio," he 
said to Variety. "Thus I look for 
it tin the theatre way rather 
than the tmlio way. Theatres may 
buy exclusives on certain sched- 
uled events, like a prbee fi^t, 
which would mean providing a big 
drawing card for the theatre buy- 
ing such rights." 



97 



Par's Viiteo PJan 



;ss Comtinuett from page 1 = 
video rights to championship fights 
and other sports events, as well as 
fast-breaidng spot news that its 
regular newsreel wouldn't get to a 
theatre for days. 

Exclusivity angle, is of course, 
one that is bothering Par execs. One 
of the solutions being thought of, 
as previously suggested, is that 
with enough theatre accounts they, 
can stEige their own championship 
fight or other events or could out- 
bid dn adveitiiang sponsor for ex- 
<ciusive video rights. 

Even forgetUng exclusivity, 
tiieie'ace other angles seen by Par. 
however. One is tliat exhibs will 
need the major events as self-pro- 
tection if they are carried by regu- 
lar video to set owners. As is evi- 
denced by what radio does now to 
theatre audiences on the night of 
a fight or political convention, 
video will keep people at home by 
the millions unless they can be 
assured of seeing the same thing 
in the theatre. 1 

There's another angle in that, 
too, for not only will they be see- 
ing the same thing, but seeing it i 
so much better. The best of small- j 
screen home receivers will never 
be able to give an event the same 
clarity and dramatic impact pos- 
sible on a full-size theatre screen, 
once transmission bugs are ironed 
out. 

Thus Par feels it will have .some- 
thing reai to offer its theatre cus- 
tomers. Whether they wUi be 
charged a flat fee or a percentage 
of their receipts, which Par in 
turn wiU share with the sponsor of 
the event, is .still in the future. 
However, the company sees the 
whole operation as very similar to 
film Selling and distribution now. 

A major difference is tliat there 
will be no prints io deliver. And 



B'way Par Telecasts 
Pres. Truman^s Address 

Broadway Paramount theatre, 
continuing to utilize its Qieatre 
television system as a , standard 
added service to its customers, 
picked up President Truman's 
speech to the joint session of 
Congress from Washington yester-^ 
day (Tuesday) at noon. 

Session was televised by a pool 
arrangement among the east coast 
tele stations and carried to New 
York on the Bell System's coaxial 
cable, from which the Par theatre 
took a feed. Par paid the broad- 
casters an undisclosed sum for 
rights to use the show, which rep- 
resented, according to Par officials, 
its share of the pool cost. 

Since the broadcast was done as 
a public service, there were no 
other rights involved. Par didn't 
dose the deal until late Monday 
<26) night so couldn't advertise in 
the morning newspapers but hung 
a valance under the marquee to 
advise the public of the show. 



Flat Deals 



CentiJDiied Crara Jtaec 5 



1 



lions. With sliding grosses distribs 
have found their takings are oft" on 
percentage deals no matter how 
high thf percentage is set ''Selling 
pictures flat, on the other hand, 
will guarantee the distributor a 
fixed return regardless of the busi' 
ness the picture does. Exhibitors, 
of course, are already complaining 
the new sy-stem is ineijuitable, 
leaving the -advantage, as it does, 
entirely in the hands of the sellers. 

Distribs, however, hojpe soon to 
work out a system of Bat rentals 
that wir be eqaitable to all con- 
cerned. Current practice lies in 
basing the rate both on an indi- 
vidual theatre's past performance 
with certain types of pictures and 
what the picture does in the key 
city first run situation in each ter- 
ritory. ■ . . ■ ■ . 



Variety Oills 



WEEK or JUI.T2S 



Nrnncral* In coiincctloii with lillln Iwlow luilleitt* oprnilng day of «hMr 
wiwther r«U or iHpiit week. 



tatlw to pareBUHim UMimUa rtraHtt; <I) Ii 



ifkmts <IA Lonr: (M) JHomi 
ssisari (WS) WMtw r ' 



MKW YORK errs 

Apull* (I) 3t 

Woody Mc Vobby 

' t;uirit«i (f>) «• 

stop tlie Mualc 
Hert X'arltK 
llarry ^:«Her Ore 

.Tacit Curler 
Trixte 

AIiiKlc Hull <l) «• 
HeleiMs Howard 
Van . CErimn 
.MancHTet Sande . 
K Tiftley-KamtloM,..^ 
Juu«» Forept 
T tc F Vallfitt 
Corps .lie Ballet 
llockr^tt«s 
flyin' Ore 

PaniinauBt (I*) 2« 
Siasn Donaltiie B<l 
.lu SialTord ■ 
(■eore'ie Kay a 
Ijaiie' Bros 

Kow (I) tt 
Cab Calloway 
Ja/ckle IMlIea 
Vivian niaina 
Oarel T.yikiM) ■ 
Th8 Bruises 
Arnold Hho^a 

mamA <W) M 
Count KaRfO' Ore 
B11li« Holiday 
Zephyrs 

Stump tc Slunipr 

Cniia» (I) ca 

Hnp'Sktp «c fvmf 
Morey JSc KaLon 
gloria VmuT 

XMoalea (I) »-gl 
GonSbles Duo 
M Barnett ft: DaA 
3 Ueaiu & Pe«p 
Jaelc Uelovn 
'Bop Skip ife' Jump 
Carl Conway 
1-3 

Al Sehenric 
Jtttm ■ A; Jloss 

AT.(.ANnc cm 

steel JMer W XS 
Ttao Koxyetles 
Nardil. Muja A 

novea 
Vamltr Coeda 
Jack lieonard 
sails Broa 

niPfMiAiMm, <l) t» 

3 Winter Sis . 
Ada l^im 
Frfte Da.^ifl 
Ames Bros 

Slate (I) S9-51 
Gal la Sr, Ijnirtl 
Tlio Tlowarda ^ ■ . 
Al Ruskin 



Niholl, Paul & 
Shari 

. 1-* , • 
B ic B Uae 
Arihur Ward Co 
Bobby Shields 
a Keids 

1>wers <l) Sf-1 

Koin'ne Sr. l:tab'le . 
i>«uny I*ew1s ■ 
SimlMson Marlnets . 
GranOma Pevkiua 
Marcelli & Janta 
fiBICACiO 

CUciiltw (I'l >• 
Harry Babbitt 
ifarraonieata 
rtoss *c, iJtVitm 
->l mvans 

Orientnl (1) 
Koenun WynM 
.T & M Mulchaey 
Dorothy Claire 
Kemos *i Toy Boys 
Carl Kandfl Ore 
HimiSTON 

H*mir <w«» 

•Mke I^ckwood 
«d<Us MeMuIlen Co 
.Taelc I.ane <*o 
KaT * innrrieon 
Paul Mix 

MIASil 
Olyasvi* <r) HI 
Mario «e .rraneisco 
Ruth Clayton 
IPirecl TwioB 
Van KUK 

MBIVBCRCH 
sua (r> « 

nay Eberle Bad 
PoKsy ijeo 
Jan Murray 
fVitdv Cnede»as 

Crnnmm <I) 2C 

Arllne ft BowHOB 
Bobby Kwtin 
StnTV 'S:«aa».'. 
Ohwn ae^ .TiK. 

TalaoB (I) 1»-S1 
i Paulines 

1 Kay Sis 

Don Hoolon 

Ntnoi> Cheassl . , 
WASBXtHiTON 
CftplW <li> » 

tiathrop ft IX 

IC Fresehuttea 

liarry Rtorch 

Bhyveltos * 
Ifonartf' <I> M 

Freddie Slack Ore 

Morris J^ne Co . 

Tjonnie .Tntimon 

Balph Cooper 

Toby Winters 

3 Broim 'Buddies 



HarqUra OH) Z< 
2 Bedheads 
■toy E^ectcr 
Ronne Conn 
Arthur Worsley 
i'llBord * Freda 
Bontonfls 

l.<^ \MfMulelBsohu Ore 
WolvMhitmiiton 
KMIdM! (M) Se 
:>} Moil* tt XX Ray 
!>0]-cQXL narris 
Barllett * Hiassey 
P B'beixr'r Pain 



CheCaJlo 
Maddeleraa Co 
BUI Kerr 
4' Kcifwaya 

WOOn fiMBKN 

.Sniva * Rnmea ■ 
Hrnie LtOtlnf^a . 
Ji ^roxnpsovs 
* C^liBlKiro* 
Oeno Patten' 
Basyi ■ 

Itrewster ft K«ot(nc« 
Ann GrayiHin 



britah 



msaioiieBMs 

IHppoAtwae <M) M 

3 £^llas 
Niohoiaa Bros 
riamlHen & Vneal 
'Ben "yof^t V.n 
.linimy Hobbins 
Arnley & Uloria 

Itojf R]l<]<^li1To 

Bill w-addlnKlon . 
Veronica Mart«ll 
CtBOIFF 

Nerw my ze 

Dauelnf? Yenrs 
Barry Sinirlaic 
Odette Field 
Nloale4te BoeiT' 
Veronica Bijady 
Sai-a Romano 
John Palnnc 
Franif Thornton 
Wards Monjan 
Oina Coward Co 
DiCBKir 
Grand ^f^) «e , 
Ta Ila Ball Boom 
Franliie Hoa'ard 
Adrienne & lA'sUe 
iab» Watlo 
Morfia n & Boyle 
IrviiiK * (Sirdwood 
ix>n Pariwsennea 
l>on Krjiojsto 
Dtdon Kay Girls 

Knpire (.H) M 

Iji I'etile PoniiM 
iSorrali SI inpvilvh 
I larnsf.rsscjs, Itawcats 
Ma<;l>onald lit 

C Warrea & .Tean 
Arfliie Blray 
l^.w l*a,rk«»r 
yaij] KaTlm Co 
,l«ym UolilinB 
■JXXi^Bl'BV PAK1£ 
. Jtapltv <.M) 20 
■Rosweil Twina 
Pvarl Bailey 
3omx &. TJiomas 
Ja^'it l>urant 
■Rort Fred *. Bosa 
Stan Willie * Ann 
Al Ix>ui?w & Chas 
jA*'k Konuedy 
Toni W'a.lsh 

«i:Asvoir 

VBlpire m) M 

And So We Go' On 
TsTRy Bonn,, ■ 
T & I> Kendall 
f orry 

A A <" KemWo 
Pftterwrn Bros 

'P*rtint'a'im« ■ 
Jacii Kelly Co 

Kaipire - (S> %<! 

Naoirbiy (Jirls '48 
Hen WrlRley 
Maria <'arinen 
'I'ico A Chieo 
I>i<k Thorpe 
'Moray' Bros Se • ■ 

Bav« 
Joy Oexler 
B«nny A; Byron 
Moore & Hatton 
Poppy WiUiamM ■ 

Smtkire im\ M 

Vic lla.y .4 
Moceton i(c Kaye 
Dorirthy Gray Co 
l-c-n YoaoK 
Jiohnmon Clark 
i'jirroU t^vm Co 
Cyril Tj*»A'i«, 

I.KICKKTKR 
Fuiarc (.SI S< 
Ww AiJidha tiers 
f?vd Sevmtnir 
Madhaif-ni Hd 
Constanee Bvana 
ICai'ie * OstiLT 
Pat O'Brlun 
Eric I'la.nt 

Kmplre (M) S« 
I^noranee Is BUas. 



.FTarold Benes 
Gladys May 
Michael Moure 
Matt 'Nixon 
FouUtarsnonlc Ore 
O'Keefe Sla *. 

B Rlcluu-da 
Aerial ICeawaya 
Maurice Piwieh 
.limmv KlUnit 
.1 & tn Kinaon 

Hlj>I>a«mitM! 26 

"Vie Oliver 
Pat Kirlcwooa 
Fred Bmney 
Melachrino Ore 
Marilyn IliltJitnwel 
Michael Benllna 
Jtiiie Audrewa 
Jean Oaraon 
Santiso Bd 
Falladhun <M) «« 
Jack Benny 
Piiil Harris 
llary i.Lyiii|l»tone 
Marilyn Maawell 
Merry. Maios 
Frank Marlowa 
Myroas 
Nor KlSdle 
Kayo'* Pekinese 

CASINO 
Maxinie Sulllivan 
Wences 

C Ob iJi Chanson 

MANCKKfiTllW 
Hllipodninie (S> 2< 

Fj*e^di'i ,RaTtborn 
Btllv BoiWll 
(imin Poller 
M C^Hcanu Co 
I'ejjKy Mortimer 
Moke & Poke 
IClHio Bow<>r 
Hrooltlyn 3,, „ 
rahM* <M) W 
Thanlcp for Memory 
BdBar Herfsen 
irjiaiSle McCarthy 
(S H Elliott. 
Gertie (5itana 
Nellie Wallace 
Klla fthieitlH 
nanfloiT Sutlon 
0'Farr<!l * M nvers 
Krfddle Sanborn 
|." U'ralieril r ife Pam 
Ifrank Marlo-we 
Marie l.oulae Chas 
NKWtASTI.K 
Kmpire ?« 
.Soiaiora in Skirts 
.Ice Stein 
.Miot , Carole ' 
Ford & ShM'n 
Bonnie Sivnart 
Fred Sloan 
.Taekie Farr 
Arehie t'sher 

CyruH 

mrKiTiKHi- 

Kmnire <.M) '46 
3 Astaieeii 
Keid & i4iiaire« 
JIava Bros 
Weed ft Uariner 
TenT O'Heil 
St'Ott .ftanderfl 
Stan Kaianifh 
Saiiou'lB * Mar'plle 
SBtEVIERBS BI'fiH 

Sint^e tS) 2« , 
Dampler *: ( urijle 
Kilcy & lieilci' 
Bei'yl Orde 
Dirk Henderson 
Tommy Hurk* Co 
Ania^itie Fogel 
iialraimil * 

3 Playboys 

£aipire <.M) 9C 
Piccadilly Hayridc 
Nat Jacl<ley 
i ifurrirafies 

4 PaKotas 
Mariaune Lincoln 
Jacit Frsiwoia 




sew tosK ctxt 



Cmtm SMIetr 



AIllilnHl Bailey 
Avon l<Div 
Calvin Jaekoon . 
Kdmund UUI Ol» 



V LaagfaMI 
GaUrCMU 
Batty Botrner 
Balph .IGouny 
Bair Jlalom 
JI DouD Otd 
AlWAsea'-Ore'. ' 

3xr VarshaU 

Gnust Hi IKIeeo 
(%«ral Oirtet 
II Sandler Or* 
Alvarez Mera 

Juenjcer BaUet Ijine 

.Tenutiida Ctmgm 
C!onda LtUls' 
Victoria Baroeto 
Uiita & Roalna 
l«oa Patichoa 

li«ir«M>MwMa 

Los^Bocheros 
Trial Be|iM 
H Santniam 
KaJph Font Or* 
Machlto Okc 
H<>tel IMlMV.naz* 
Sddia' Staa* Or* 

Ha^ mtMWia 
nusa Morjtan Ora 
liarold A'asel Oro 

n«tcl Sdtaon 
(lenry Jeroma Ore 
Ma .1 An 
Turner Twins 
J40lc Kerr 
Umsxtt 'n^ebi^tar 
Oownejr * Fonwllla 

reatlmiBa Omh 
:u:a>r*iia Shemt 
.lohnny Tltomvson 
Oscar "Walwr 

litenny ToiixMiiaan 
ftorao miiioient 
Olandera 
Tany iiavaax 
Joey CUbert 
Donn AnSen Iilnti 



Diek Jurgaiui 0n 
Ijcuny Usrman Ora 
Batel Mew Xalikar 
B Cummina 'On ' ' • 
Ice .Kevtt'a 
Vata] Peiaaaylnaslii 
Skit«h Uenderaon O 

IMtd 'at Horita 
llancmi tin 
JwcfQ/mcUMm ' - ' . ' 
ids « Vat«- 

"VliHwnt Vtom On 
Cliarll» Xlian* 

.' ' 'Ml*. ''liHirtH>''.'. -'.''. 
[na Bay Jintt^ 0r 
WiUla Shorn 
Cmas ' A Jlium 
Tj>anxlt« db Vema - 
Coslello ITwins 
Bon VI vanls" 
n Harloir Ore 

':X«»&imi-»aMi'' 
Kins Odom 4 
Naomi staveus - 
f^oBlm Boiwavd 
Kdo Ijiiiieii 
Noruaaoa Paila t 
JaNM * JbMto'* 
Kddia' Davla 
Art waiMr On . 
MaiT'ltB, * Ban«(t« 
t- Konin* Den 
if I^&wtmioe . 
BeTrirly AraoU^ 
HiarFjr Pirima 
ShepaTd lAne 

OM 'KfOMuriaB 
SatUa Saaka 
Joa LiiMait* Otr* 
VAquita thv . 

Veeaidllea 
Xamcy JJaaava* - 
Hab tiraat On 
RaBchlto.Ora 

VlllMW matm 
Hal araham On 
Chubby Soa 
Eddy TjBwt,x4 
lliU Daffy 
Ba<t-|mrji. nuffy 
3fotUf. Kiohatd' 
Piiiii« 'Petn 

Cnddy Martin Ore 



BhM'Hthavli 

Al Trace Qrch 
Jachie Van 
llalel MUmnik 

Hon KcOrano Ordft 
Tlichar*! Gordon 
Chester' Dolphin 

aelslaca 

(Vndy Bice ,)t 
KiliK ft ZorltA 
JLiola Ajneche^ 
Mike Youus 
Bill Cltandler Or« 
H Kdicienater Beuli 
Oleo Olsen One 
It Wllliajms Trio 
!>au] Sydell 
Ual Btiywitt 
Ketty Gray 
Dorothy Hlld 

IJanccra (ISi 
Gayaor & Boss 
dies name 
Danny l?hosaas 



Martha KjOK 
Majrc tk Knj-r 
T^niy Broe (t) 
»i Goald Ore <1«) 
Lane Adams 
1) CltioHta Combo 
Berotliy OorKBiv ' 
J^aacet!* Co 
ainfct .Steven*. '. 
Benny Stronu Oro 
B tc. r liallanl 
Hohn. Flanat^n 
Jean Arlen 
Jluian Siwlniaa 
SlratinE Blvdcara 
Bob Turk 
Rehtield & Del Ton 
Oofts . Donavaa . . 
wwnod i::!«.ri 

I'mmer Hawia 
Wberaco 
Clliloni Guest 
■JI Abbott Uncra, I» 
Flnrlan iSaBach Oro 
Qiac'l)* A V Szyoal 



MAHRIAGES 

Pepi Braimbeaneer U> Irving 
Lamm, Los Angeles, July 73. He 
manages two L.A. film 'booses. 

Caroline Soolittle to Herb Stcin> 
berg in New York July 25. Bride is 
a model; groom is newspaper and 
column contact in Eagle Lion's 
iNew Yoilc flackery. 

Mrs. Oorothy Plehn to Hal Hode, 
Forest Hills, If. Y., July 21. He's 
exec assistant to Jack Cohn, Co- 
lumbia Pictures veepee. 

Huth Bange to Comer Heine. Los 
Angeles, July 22. He's a radio di- 
rector. 

Carol Nonaan to Jack White, 
Wai^ington, Joly 23. He's pianist- 
with Sam Jatik Kaufman orch at 
Loew's Capitol there. 

Christine Sebastian to Charles 
Burger, "Washington, July 17, He's 
manager of York Theatre, Warner 
nabe. , 



BIRTIB 

Mr. and Mrs. 13an«d Swidlcr , son, 
June 7Z, Santa lUtonica, June 28. 
Father is son of Alex Swidler, one 
of Chicago's early vaude bookers. 

Mr. and Mrs. Claude Kcnner, 
dsCughter, San Pedro, CaJ., July 20. 
Father is theatre manager. 

Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Shields, 
son, Toronto, July 22. Father is a 
radio singer; mother <Audrcy Neil- 
son) was in the Canadian Army 
Show. 

Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hecbt, son, 
Hollywood, July 19, Father is a 
film producer. 

Mr. and Mr.s. Eddie Grief, son. 
New York, July 26. Father is a 
press agent. 



98 



HOIJSB RKVIKWS 



Wednesday, July 28, 194S 



Jack Beimy, Phil Harris' Palla£iiin 
Cficb; Harry Richman's London Hit 



Palladium, l^oudon 

London, July '20. 
Jack Benny, Phil ■ Harris, Mary 
tihnngstone, Marilyn' Maxwell, 
Flock & Lucas, Frank' Marlowe, 
fire Merry Macs ( 4 > , Nor Kiddie, 
Betty Kaycs (2), Miss Inger, The 
Myrons (2), Woolf Pliillips & Sky- 
rockets- Orch., ■ 

For more than an hour Jack 
Benny ■& Co. had the Palladium 
audience eating out of thcjir hands. 
Benny, himself,' displaying charm 
and poise; Phil Harris punching 
over • his personality with every 
movenjent, and the 'two ' f e m m e 
members of the team, Mary Liv- 
ingstone and Marilyn Maxwell, 
sodked .acros.s a lively line of song 
and patter. ' / 

■ Benfiy had a packed house ap- 
parently just waiting for his act, 
■attd from the moment he stepped 
lip to- the mike they were with him 
100%.' His well-timed gags regis- 
tered all the way. Harris made 
his fil'$t London appearance notable 
liy captivating the jaudience the 
moment he walked oti., Introduped 
as "Mr. Faye" — an old gag, may- 
be— it was in the riglit key and 
everybody lapped it up. His exu-. 
berant personality clicks whether 
he's- singing "Dark Town Poker 
Club" in his own style, indulging 
in a love episode with the distaf- 
feis foiling for Benny, or just be- 
ing himself. . . . 

It. is a long ^time since a Palladi- 
um first night was in such recep- 
tive mood, and Benny & Co.' took 
full ad('antage of it. >They kept the 
sliow moving, and they kept tlie 
public laughing. 

Woolf Phillips' Skyrockets Or- 
chestra. (pit) set the tigiit pace for 
tlie show. Flack &: Lucas, with 
nicely timed dancing' act, broke in- 
to the Benny program to giye the 
house a chance to relax. 

■ It was very nearly^ an all-Ameri- 
can show because, apart from the 
Bennyites, there was Frank Mar- 
low (held over from the previous 
•bilO doing the .same act and the 
audience liking it even more, and 
the Merry Mats, Yank rhythmic 
quartet who sing a Wide variety of 
numbers with remarkable timing. 

Betty Kayes lias the unenviable 
task of opening but her performing 
Pekingese are more than a pleasing 
curtain raiser. Nor Kindie, self- 
-styled comedian, fails to amuse, 
with some very corny patter, hut 
tii'e Myrons won weli-deserved ap- 
plause for a first rate balancing act; 
Mention should also be made of 
Miss Inger, acrobatic dancer, wM 
performs with grace and vitality. 

Myro. 



Casino, I^ondon 

Lojidon, July 13. 
Harry Richman, with Jack Gold- 
en; Senor Wences, Winifred At- 
'losU. Lo Estrella. Mable Lee & Co. 
(l'O )j Uiclc & Dot Eemj/, Gerry 
i-^LeadeT„ 3. Botonos, Roy Lester, 
■MelvilU' & Rekar, Harold Collins 
tcOrch 



tall striking figure with neat vocal 
range, does nicely in song stanza. 
Teeing off with "Ol" Man River," 
she follows with "On With the Mot- 
ley" and swings to high pitched 
classicals for solid response. 

Gerry Leader precedes BichKnain, 
giving a- breezy few minutes of 
sound impersonations, also ' take- 
ofl's on Donald Duck, Clara Kluck 
and Danny Kaye. Clem. 



Oiyinpia, Afiaini 

Miami, July 24. 
Fred Lowery & Doroth?/ fiae, 
Johnny Morgan, Kate Murtah, Har- 
ris- & Anders Elsie & Alex Korda, 
Les Rhode & House Orch; <'Ruth- 
less" (EL). 



In this type of family vauder 
the bookers can gauge with fair 
consistency the topliners they'll 
need to head repeat acts each 
seminar. Current layout employs 
It in return date in. Fred Lowery, 
blind whistler. 

His reception from the walkon 
is solid. And his whistling of pops 
and classics wraps things up. With 
partner Dorothy Rae, who vocal- 
izes iit top manner, he gets them 
with "Stardust," a couple ot origi- 
nals by Miss Rae and the finale 
"William Tell Overture." Had to 
begtoff. 

Emcee Johnny Morgan clicks 
with his Introes and in own spot 
witli his Cleanly defined routines 
that measure up for laughs and 
palming. 

Supporting acts hold up nicely 
in the buildup for the toppei-s. 
Elsie and Alex Korda open show 
with zingy routines that warms up 
house. Rate Murtali is a comedi- 
enne ■ wlio\ varies her comedies 
and singing In a well-balanced 
pattern, and closer is a palm, 
rouser . via Harris - and Anders 
imaginative and breath-taking 
acro'stunts. 

Les Rhode and house orch lian- 
dle backgroundings aptly. Lary. 



Oriental, Chi 

Cliicogo, July 22 i 
Keenan Wynn with Vkie Sherin, 
Dorothy Claire, Paul Remos & Toy 
Boys (3), Mildred & Jimmy Mul- 
ca.y( Carl Sands Orch xjoith Marilyn 
O'Shaugn^ssy'; "Street With No 
Name" <20th). 



Following Sophie Tucker's ex- 
tended run at this house might 
stack up as- a tough assignment, 
but Harry Richman hurdles this 
'by warmth of reception given him 

..when he, too, bowed in again after 
an absence of ,10 years. His rich 
persoriality roused to enthusiasm 
an unusually apathetic first audi- 

^ence and had it clamoring for 
more as he reprised'^ many of his 
•yestei-year song hits. ■ The older 
the number, the better they liked 
it and each - few ,;bars of the 

'■familiar tunes won ■ appreciation. 
.'"Shake Hands With a Millionaire." 

""Futtin' on the Ritz," "April 
Showers' ' and "I'm GJad to Be An 
Actoi:," tribute to , fcUow stars, 
were all' equally ' popular. Hap- 
pily reunited with his one-time 
pianist, Jack Golden, star could 
have kept on till midnight. 

Three Botonas open show with 
skilled balancing and aero feats, 
■ followed by Roy Lester; with com- 
edy monolog. 

■ Dick and Dot Remy score with 
their novelty tumbling and clown- 
ing routme, put' over with art in- 
f.ectious gaiety. Winifred At- 
well, sepia pianist, garners ap- 
preciation for her classical and 
pops, ranging from Grieg's Piano 
Concerto to swing and boogie 
tempos. . 

Sehor Wences gets nifty re- 
• sponse .with his diminutivg dummy. 
As a' Ventre he has few equals. 

Closing 'first half is Mable Lee, 
supported by nine- musicians and 
dancers. She sings four drawly 
(Southern numbers but fails to 
project as well as in her receht 
appearance in tlie musical; 
"Calypso." 

ppciniiig second half are Mel- 
V1116 ana Hekar; club juggling team 
' Witli much skill. La .Estrella, a 



Keenan Wyiin is making his first 
vaudeuappearance with Ukie Sherin 
as straiglit man and heckler. It's 
obvious that little preparation was 
siven to mah-in-aisle banter which 
iia.'i audience gasping at the oldies. 
While Wynn's "Guzzler Gin" rou- 
bine gets laughs', it's' a carbon of 
.Red Skelton's, whom he credits for 
it. Perhaps on comedian's next try 
he'll come up with some of his. own 
and new material, because lad has 
what it takes. AH he needs is 
proper material. - 

Dorothy Claire, formerly of "Fin- 
ian's Rainbow," is a well-stacked 
bWndo who socks over her songs 
in hep fashion, opens with "How 
You Going to Keep Them Down on 
the Farm'.' and segues iptb: "How 
Are Things' in Glocca'Morra?"-, for 
nice returns. Follows with "I'm 
Jusit a Girl That Can't Say No," 
which gains her more pattycakes 
and encores, with "I Want a Man" 
ior exit. 

. Paul Remos and Toy Boys are 
strong openers with slick aero 
tricks.' Spread balance on cigaret 
held in Remos* mouth by midget 
get strong reception as does shoul- 
der straddle backbend picking up 
glass of water. One of the lower- 
casers grabs a skirt, and two truck 
ofl' to solid returns. 

Jim and Mildred Mulcay do neat 
stint on harmonicas, femme^, show- 
ing up neatly on pop melody. Duo 
win nice hand with mouthing oE 
"Second Hungarian Rhapsody" and 
finish strong with "Tiger Rag." Carl 
Sands house orch runs through the 
international rhythm book on Will 
Harris', house: producer, tune, 
I "Sweet Sue." Mildred O'Shaughnes- 
|sy, vocalist, does fair job on 
i "Shine." ' Zflbe. 



tine, and the assist of a raucous 
voiced gal to add interest. But it 
is the star himself who rates kudos 
for ability to parlay a pleasant 
personality, a film rep and a typical 
Western twangy voice into a first 
class vaude act. Ritter uses his 
aides well, interspersing his own 
patter, and songs with a ballad by 
Tommy Durden, who has a good, 
dear tenor, and "Begin the Be- 
guine" as a guitar solo, well, han- 
dled by Spud Goodale. Other 
cowboy. Rusty MacDonald .wields 
a steel guitar. Besides emceeing 
the act, Ritter does three numbers, 
"Ballad of the Boll Weevil," "Rye 
Whiskey" and "Tlfe Soldier and 
the Deck of Cards." Latter rates 
top attention as a typical, senti- 
mental sagebrush recitation, which 
Ritter milks dry. Boots Gilbert, 
the cowgirl of the act, rounds out 
the routine with an earthy type 
of humor and her own version of 
"Feudin' and Fightin'." Gal's 
style is authentic, but her accent 
is so broad that at times it's difi'i- 
cult to catch the words. Payees 
go all out ' in reception of act. ' 

Ladd Lyon, a frequent visitor 
here, clicks in his novelty aero 
routine. . Has a standard audience 
participation gimmick in wliich he 
gets a "volunteer" to learn the 
routine. Latter is an expert, and 
part of the act, of course, but even 
those who have seen it before en- 
joy the clowning and the building 
up to the climax when the stooge 
goes into some highly technical 
aero stunts. Format of act is hep, 
and there, is enough freshness in 
stunts to make up. for repetition of 
the old gag. Garners fine response. 

Opening the trio of acts, - cut 
down from the standard four be- 
cause of the long cowboy act, is 
Betty Jane Smith, terping recruit 
from the musical comedy, who does 
a fine job of pacing the bill with 
topdrawer tapstering. She changes 
tempo often, utilizing a ballet 
technique at times. Her terps 
have variety, style and class to 
rate beaucoup mitt action. Lowe: ^ 



Apollo, 1\. ¥. 

. Buddy Johnson Orch ( 16 ) , with 
Ella Johnson, Arthur Prysock; 
Charlie Parker's Orch (5), 3 
Brown Buddies, Madcaps ( 2 ) , 
Spider Bruce Co.; "Heart of Vir- 
ginia'' iRep.), 



S<eel Pier, A. €. 

Atlantic City, N. J., July 2Z. 
Peggy Lee, Theron- Troupe, Roy 
Douglas, Artie Dann, Dave Bar- 
bour, Behney Girls, Johnny O'Con- 
nell's Orch; "Trapped by Boston 
Blackie," (Col). 

With Peggy Lee giving in a man- 
ner which has won her a follow- 
ing all over the country, mostly 
through her disk hits, bill here is 
better than usual. 

Show tees off with Artie Dann, 
doubling as emcee, introing the 
Behnj^ Girls for nice tap session. 
Perone family, cycling act follows 
with fancy and trick pedaling for 
neat returns. ., Brief takeoff on the 
late Joe Jackson was a nice nos- 
talgic interlude, with rope jump- 
ing bit a solid clincher. 

Koy Douglass, ventre, follows 
and his patter with dummy, and 
songs was ^ amply rewarded. 

Miss Lee, blonde and niftily 
gowned in a black mid-riff crea- 
tion, 'spots her song stanza, ac- 
companied J9]j; her husband, Dave 
Barbour^ guitarist, and his stringy 
trio. Starts with "Do 1 Want You" 
and . theh drifts into a r h u m b a 
tune. P^ollows a. medley of her top 
recordings including "I'll Dance at 
Your Wedding," "Golden Bar- 
rings," "Why Don't You Do Right?" 
"Trouble Is a Man" and tops all 
with "Manana," which brings 
down house. 

Dann spots his comedies in next 
slot. His patter and comedy bits 
are tops, pointed up by takeoff s on 
Jelson, Jessel, Cantor and Durante 
for solid returns. ; 

Behney Girls in a Hawaiian bit 
close to neat appreciation. Rou- 
tine is highlighted with strobolite 
effects. . Walk. 



IIi|»podromc, Ilalto. 

Baltimore, July 24. 
Horace Heidt's "New Stars on 
Parade" with Don Rice, Jeanne 
Harvey, Jack Green; Jimmie Gros- 
so, Johnny Vana; Melodares (4), 
Pat Theriault, Stanley Morse, Har- 
old Parr: Jo Lomhardi House Orch 
(li); "Thunderhoof (Col). 



New Acts 



EDO LUBICH 
Songs With Guitar 
12 Mins. 

Le Ruban Bleu, N. Y. 

Edo Lubich sugge.sts that he's a 
lammister from a gypsy ensemble 
of which pirobably he was the num- 
ber leader. So he stepped out on 
his own. In black tie to self-accomp \ 
on the guitar, he does two Latin 
numbers, one in French, and 
finally the Romanyesque U. S- pop, 
"Candlelight Cafe." Nary a sugges- 
tion of a straight Roumanian and 
Russian gypsy air, with which he is 
probably most expert (unless, of 
course, he does it at sonie other ' 
Latin shows). 

Militating at Lubich's adventitte 
as a soloist is his rather matui-e 
mien, thus not matching the ro- 
mantic aura. He is a be-mustached 
individual who perches aloft a 
stool, in order to balance the gui- 
tar, and chirps his four songs in 'a 
pleasant enough voice. He also 
doubles later into a little entr'acte 
relief pianolog for the regular 
Steinwayist. Abel. 



t 'apitol. Wash. 

Washington, July 27. 
I Betty Jane Smith, Ladd Lyon 
(2), Tex Ritter (5); "Gi7)e My Re- 
gards to Broadway" (20t/t). 



No question of who's headlining 
.this bill, with moppets packed 
four deep to get a peek at a 
Western star and White Plash, the 
mo.st beautiful horse in the world. 
Actually, the cowboy act is adult, 
rather than juve, calibre, with a 
dash of animal act thro,wn in. Lat- 
ter, which" consists of having Flash 
do a few tricks and then take a 
bow, doesn't quite satisfy the 
Juves, but their ciders find act 
good entertainment, 

Ritter has an accompaniment of 
three guitars for his hjljJbiUy rou- 



Harlem's Apollo theatre seems 
to be going counter to the general 
trend of vaude presentation inas- 
much as the major stress is on 
bands, with only a pair of acts in 
support. The current bill with two 
musical outfits. Buddy Johnson's 
band and Charlie Parker's five- 
piece crew gives the new layout a 
top-heavy musical schedule. Ordi- 
narily; this type of booking can be 
worked, out so that tlie similarity 
can be eliminated. However, with 
Johnson's orchestra blowing hot 
and heavy and P.arker working in 
the same vein, there's a surplus of 
torridity which doesn't go too well 
even in this sepia showcase which 
thrives on this type of diet. 

Johnson provides some moments 
which indicate that he can work 
himself into one of the more pop- 
ular colored maestri. His opening 
number, "Holiday ^ Samba" was 
treated in an original and exciting 
manner. Probably' this piece had 
more melodic passages than his fol- 
lowups. . His style is generally: in- 
teresting, but he should offer some 
numbers in the more popular idiom 
so that the customers can note the 
Johnson applications upon some- 
thing which is familiar to them. 

The band's vocalists, Arthur Pry- 
sock and Ella Johnson, show up 
well. Prysock doing "Because" is 
given ■ interesting backgrounding 
which takes it out of tlie classic 
category. Miss Johnson with "I 
Could Be Out," backed by quartet 
of the band's sidemen, hits a nice 
stride here. 

Johnson is attempting some 
showmanly displays. The introes 
are by a quartet, generally in 
rhyme, and ,. crew does frequent 
.sl.andups which at times leaves only 
Uie rhythm section on the. stand. 

Parker is, one of the more cele- 
brated saxi.sts who's been a draw 
in the 52d street, N. Y., cubicles. 
Coming Here with combo of trum- 
pet, piano, bass and drum manned 
by competent confreres, he offers 
highly interesting treatments, but 
on his closing spot of the bill, the 
audience is a little worn out with 
complicated arrangemertts. In pres- 
ent state, the Parker crew is more 
suited to cafes than theatres, but 
his skill on the sax is evident 
throughout. ■• 

Spacing band numbers are Three 
Brown Buddies, whose dance turn 
wins appreciation, and the Mad- 
caps (2) (New Acts). Spider 
Bruce and Co. get laughs with Ihcir 
comedy skit. Jose, 



This is a sparkling array of 
youthful talent, briskly paced and 
smartly projected and given an ex- 
tra boost into sock entertainment 
by a fortunate combination of Don 
Rice in the emcee slot and Jo Lom- 
bardi and his house orch for musi- 
cal backing. Rice keeps matters at 
merry gait and pitches in for well- 
spaced comedy bits. Lombardi cuts 
show with a know-how solidly 
backed by his sidemen. 

Heidt has assembled the winners 
of his radio quest for talent, and 
as expected, -it's topheavy with in- 
strumentalists and vocals and prac- 
tically all on the male side. 

Jeanne Harvey starts matters 
with ■ slick hoofery followed by 
Jack Green with musical tapping 
on bottles. Real lift comes next 
via Jimmie Grease giving- out with 
personable impressions of musical 
instmments and name singers. 
Gets big response on version of 
Frankie Lainc and scores mightily. 
«Sock is continued by Johnny 
Vana, youthful xylophonist who 
pitches in with hoofery in addition 
to vi-braharp and hectic hide 
thumping. The Melodares, three 
boys and a gal, offer vocals of 
of familiar themes plus a groovey 
working, out of "Tiger Rag." Make 
way for Pat Theriault with some 
extra-solid banjoing followed by 
Stanley Morse, a lad with a trom- 
bone and talent. Gets a legit and 
robust tone out .of his horn and 
does numbers with assurance. 

Closing spot is allotted to Har- 
old Parr, blind singer who looks 
good and gives out with topflight 
vocals to nice returns. Does "I'd 
Give a Million Tomorrows," "Do 
You Ever Think of Me?" and "Cool 
Waters," with assists from Theri- 
ault on guitar and the Melodares 
for background harmony. 
■ Rice lias plenty of funny ma- 
terial and props that gets 'em from 
the teeoff. He's unquestionably 
one of the most improved comics 
caught here in moons and should 
be a natural for more ambitious 
company. 

Biz okay. Burm. 



MADCAPS (3) 
Harmonica, Comedy ; - 
10 Mins. 
ApoUo; N. Y. 

This youthful harmonica pair 
hSve a well-worked out music and 
comedy routine which, upon fur- 
ther, development, will find them 
suitable for the deluxers and cafe!;. 
They have the basis of a good work- 
able act which a$ yet lacks the 
smoothness and polish of their 
more experienced confreres. 

Turn accents comedy. One of 
the team carries the burden of the 
zanyisms with burlesque juggling 
and some odd bits of business 
which get the measm-e of this 
house where they were the sole 
ofay turn on the bill. Musically, 
they're okay, show to advantage 
during their . brief • straight har- 
monica renditions. 

Team is well-groomed and makes 
a nice appearance. Jose. 



NAOMI STEVENS 

Soiiss 

11 Mins, 

Le Kuban Bleu, N. Y. 

Naomi Stevens is a cute blonde 
of average height but gives the 
suggestion of being more petite 
than she is actually. Possessed of . 
a nice voice and an eager and in-- 
telligent face that is tlioroughly in- 
gratiating, she is a natural for >tlie 
intime ' bistros of this calibre and 
with even more important material 
should go far. 

Her special lyrics right now are 
good but a shade too precious al- ; 
beit effective, notably "Love is a 
Four-Letter Word," "Gin Rumba;" _ 
"Girl's Best Friend Is No," "Love ' 
With a Married Man" and the like. 
It's a shade on the too-clevcr side, 
which is all right so long as she 
stays in the Ruban Bleu-Blue Angel 
league. However, she bespeaks 
even more important potentialities. 

Abel. 



MARTHA SHORT 

Sonss 

10 Mins. 

Penthouse Club, N. Y. 

Martha Short is an attractive, 
light-skinned colored singer wlio 
leans toward blues and ballad.s. 
She shows an apparent inexperi- . 
ence in selling, and her phrasing is 
not all that it might be. 

Intimate spots such as the Pent- 
house Club seem Miss Short's 
metier. At that, though, a wall sep- 
arating a terrace from the main* 
floor makes it prohibitive for any 
performer to achieve maximum 
en'octs. Kofi 71. 



HDBT IN AUTO CBASH 

Toronto, July 27. 

Following motor accident, Bar- 
bara Smith, songstress, suffered a 
broken back and will be hospital- 
ized an a cast for six months. 

Singer was filling an engage- 
ment at the Club Norman here. 



Paiey After Berie I 

j^SSS t^ontinucd from page i .^i 

his emceeing Of the Texaco Star 
Theatre which is booked by the 
Morris office on the rival NBC net- 
work. Although the comic is ten- 
tatively slated to do another series 
of four shows for Texaco, no defi- 
nite deal has been made yet. 

The possibility of Berle's sale 
to CBS will not affect the Morris 
agency's relations , with the TexAco 
Theatre and NBC, inasmuch as at 
the outset of tjie program the 
Morris office made it clear that it 
was primarily a talent agency and 
its first responsibility was to the 
performers on its list. Conse- 
quently, it felt duty-bound to place 
as many of its acts as it could on 
video as weU iv?.qtl|ier nt,«>dia. 



N. Y. Jubitee 

s= Continued from page I 
a big scale. Among the event-s 
lined up are included a Golden An- 
niversary Exhibition at Grand 
Central Palace, showing the func- 
tioning of the various city depart- 
ments, a style show, an atomic en- 
ergy exhibit, and an International 
Dance Festival to be highlighted 
by the importation of the Paris 
Opera Ballet. These events will 
carry the Jubilee into October. 

Some hotelmen feel that the air- 
show to take place at Idlewild 
starting Saturday (31) will pro- 
duce the peak of hotel reservar 
tions. However, the number so 
far has been small. 

The showmen's opinion is that 
more spectacular events are need-, 
ed. Construction of the Park ave- 
nue ramp for a continual bazaar, 
originally intended by the Jubilee 
Committee, would have provided a 
stronger magnet, but that was 
kayoed. Cafemen expect to realize 
some business out of the affair, but 
not as much as would be brought 
in by a series of good.cOnxeutions. , 



WednDHlay, July 28, 194» 




DON'T BE A CHORINE 



Reoipnm a Chorister s Defidt 

The average weekly budget for a working chorus girl or boy 
{either singer or dancer) on Broadway is reported as follows: 

Kent ., $16.53 

Food - i 24.79 

Lessons — , . . . . . . . . . . ... 18.44 

Medical Expense .-, . . . . . , . . . . . , . 3.23 

Clothes 4.91 

Miscellaneous 14.84 

Total $82.74 

Average weekly pay ($82 gross, less Social Security, with- 
holding tax) , 72.00 

Weekly deficit $10.74 

The above figures are based on returns from the seven musicals 
einploying chorus members for the week of .Tune 21, 1948. The 
I>reaent minimum pay under the Actors Equity-League of N. Y. 
Theatres agreement is $60 (gross), which becomes $75 under the 
new contract, effective Aug. 15. 



$2^^ EqMH^yiH Theatre 6iiiiil 
Subscription M by Seasra s Start 



With an expectation of more-^ 
than 200,000 subscribers in 30 
cities, the Theatre Guild-American 
Theatre Society will probably 
have about $2,500,000 in cash in 
the till at the start of the new 
season. That is figured to make it 
easily the biggest subscription the- 
atre organization in the world. 

Besides adding nine new cities to 
its subscription list for the 1948- 
49 semester, ATS anticipates an 
increase of about 10% in the num- 
ber of subscribers in the 21 cities 
already on the rolls. ^ The total 
number of subscribers last season 
was 151,924, a rise of almost 6,000 
Over the 1946-47 season, when 
there was one less city on the list. 

The anticipated 10% boost in 
subscriptions for this season is 
based on preliminary returns. 
Added 49,000 new subscribers ex- 
pected in the nine additional cities 
bring the estimated total number 
of subscribers to the 200,000 mark 
(even allowing for the loss, of Wash- 
ington). On the basis of approxi- 
mately $15 per 'season ticket, the 
Guild-ATS wiU have an advance 
sale of $2,500,000 on the season. 

Nine New Cities 
, The nine new cities (with the 
estimated membership . likely for 
• each) are Dallas (8,000), Ft. Worth 
(5,800), Houston (9,000), San An- 
tonio (8,000), Austm (3,500), El Paso 
(3,000), Toronto (4,800), Wilming- 
ton (3,700) and Richmond (3,200). 
Already on the list (with last sea- 
son's subscription figures) were 
BalUmore (4,207), Boston (11,900), 
Buffalo (2,294), Chicago (16i784), 
Cincinnati (3,490), Cleveland 
(2,612), Columbus (2,462), Detroit 
(8,187), Indianapolis (2,761), Min- 
neapolis (2,698), New York (18,950), 
Philadelphia (13*429), Pittsburgh 
(4,829), St. Louis (5,829), St. Paul 
(3,465), Washington (15,800), Kan- 
sas City (3,168), Los Angeles 
U 0,106), Mibwaufcee (3,807), San 
Irancisco (10,783) and Seattle (4,, 
ob3). 

ATS subscription shows Will be 
selected from among nine (iroduc- 
tions. "Oklahoma" and "Carousel" 
will be available through the 
south. For the entire subscription 
list the choice will be among 
Allegro," "The Play's the Thing," 
the second company of "A Street- 
car Named Desire," "Speak to Me 
of Love," "The Emperor of China," 
Jane," "Set My People Free" and 
Ihe Silver Whistle." The last- 
named , five would probably play 
several eastern cities as tryouts 
and be available to the rest of the 
country only after their Broadway 
runs. 



'Harveyf Goes % 

Washington, July 27. 

During a matinee perform^ 
ance of "Harvey," at the Na- 
tional here last week, Sara En- 
right, New York agent who 
cast most of the actors in the 
show, was backstage arguing 
with a couple of' her clients 
about commissions. 

Fred Lewis, who plays the 
psychiatrist, became so upset 
that in the third act, 'when he's 
supposed to rush onstage with 
the line, "Here, here, what's 
all this commotion?" he made 
it read "commission." Audi- 
ence didn't catch the boner, 
but it con'vulsed the other 
actors. 



JWml Eyes St Louis 

For ^^irew" Pireeni 

St. Louis, July 27. 
Siving the Mun- 
icipal Theatre Assn's al <resco play- 
bouse in Forest Park the o.o. dur- 
ing the presentation of "White 
fagle, ■ is mulling the idea of hav- 
ins new operetta, "Taming of 
tne Shrew," worid-preemed here 
season. With RusseU Janney 
ana Brian Hooker, who wcote the 
book and lyrics of "Eagle," he vis- 
♦h» ^J"* theatre, making 
the trip from :b[oUywo0d. • 



Beretz a 
B'way Librettist 

Allen Boretz, who, with the late 
John Murray authored "Room 
Service" 10 years ago* and has been 
engaged in Hollywood as a writer 
chiefly since, will be running 
among three or four legit musicals 
in the next year or two. Besides 
Milton Baron's "45 Minutes From 
Broadway," 'based on some old 
George M. Cohan songs but with a 
new libretto by himself, Boretz has 
written another. With George Bass- 
man contributing the score. 

Bassman, for 12 years on the 
Metro lot as arranger-composer, 
meantime is doing the arrange^ 
ments iwith Hugh Martin) for 
Monte Proser's "Heaven on Earth," 
new musical by Jay Gomey and 
Barry Tri vers. 

Boretz's "45 Minutes" may go 
into rehearsal in October, depend- 
ing on both Robert Lewis, the 
stage Joseph Kipness' new musical, 
choreographer. Latter must first 
stage Joe KipnessV new musical, 
"That'^ the Ticket" which Harold 
J. Rome tunesmithed. Lewis helped 
with staging in "This Is the Army," 
and "Brigadoon" if his concurrent 
handiwork. Boretz, Lewis & Rob- 
bins may also form a producing 
alliance. 

Eddie Albert, who came to 
attention in Boretz's "Room Serv- 
ice," is reading '?45 Minutes," 
Mary Jane Walsh, present lead in 
"Annie Get Your Gun" (succeed- 
ing the vacationing Ethel Merman), 
Is being mentioned for the femme 
lead although there would be only 
two or three songs for her to do. 




T Li ON 

WMl m 



By HOBE MORRISON 

The average working chorus 
member on Broadway cannot live 
on what he earns in the theatre. 
On the basis of an estimated aver- 
age wage of $82 a week, before 
taxes and social security are de- 
ducted, a singer or dancer loses 
more than $10 a week, even while 
employed. 

That doesn't take into accouift 
his periods between engagements, 
wlien he has no regular income 
but his living expenses remain al- 
most as high. The fact that the 
minimum chorus salary, under the 
new contract between Actors 
Equity and the League of N. Y, 
Theatres, will rise from $60 to $75, 
eifective Aug. 15, probably won't 
alter the situation much, as most 
managements already pay more 
than scale. 

The: cost'»of -living figures for 
chorus members, both men and 
women, were obtained recently by 
a special committee of Chorus 
Equity. Data was gathered by the 
CE deputies in seven Broadway 
musicals. They were "Allegro," 
"Annie Get Your Gun," "Briga- 
doon," "Finian's Rainbow," "High 
Button Shoes," Inside U.S.A." and 
'Look Ma, I'm Dancin'." Week of 
June 21, 1948, was taken. 

The returns of 112 chorus mem- 
bers were tabulated in figuring the 
average hving expanses. (Those 
from "High Button Shoes" are not 
included, as the deputy for that 
company computed the averages 
himself, and did not state , the 
number of chorusers involved. 
However; the various averages for 
"Shoes" were generally consistent 
with those for the other six shows, 
tending to substantiate the find- 
ings.) 

According to the chorus mem- 
bers' own estimates, the average 
weekly living expenses for ensem- 
ble singers and dancers; both men 
and women, is $82.74. Of this 
amount, $16.53 goes for rent (in- 
cluding utilities), $24.79 for food, 
$18.44 for lessons (including coach- 
ing and classes in singing and 
dancing, acting, diction, languages, 
plus cost of ' rehearsal studios, 
sheet music, practice shoes and 
(Continued on Page 102) 



BaDet m Hudeomedy Far From Out 
Sez (^re^a^er Helen 1mm 



Title Levy-Englund Shov? 

Levy-Englund Productions new- 
fall musical by Ken Englund, with 
lyrics by Ogden Nash and music 
by Vernon Duke, has been titled 
"Sweet Dreams." 

Nash, Duke and Englund are in 
Ngw Hampshire working on the 

score. , . 

Lon Levy, head of Leeds Music, 
and manager of the Andrews Sis- 
ters,' is currently in London with 
the singers, who open at the Palla- 
dium there nexi'\veek. 



Fast-Traveling New* 

How Broadway has migrated 
to Connecticut was illustrated 
again over the weekend. Rich- 
ard Rodgers, who has a . sum^ 
mer home in Fairfield, set the 
deal by phone Saturday n^bt 
(24) for Mary Martin to co-star 
with Ezio Finza in "Tales of 
the South Pacific," the musical 
which he and Oscar Ilammer- 
stein, 2d, are co-authoring >for 
fall production. It was agreed . 
to keep the news quiet for a 
few days. 

Immediately after hanging 
up the phone, the composer 
and Mrs. Rodgers drove to a 
party at a neighbor's home, 
where a number of show busi- 
ness people 'were present. - As 
she ushered them into the liv- 
ing room the hostess an- 
nounced, "I hear you've signed 
Mary Martin for your new 
show." 




MPLS. LYCEUM GOES 
TO NEDERLANI^ER GROUP 

Minneapolis, July 27. 

Withdrawing from local field, 
Alex Sclfreiber group of Detroit has 
turned over its Lyceum, legitimate 
roadshow and film house, to David 
Nederlander and associates, also of 
Detroit, on longterm lease!. Neder- 
lander, who operates the Shubert- 
Lafayette, Detroit's legiter, takes 
over Aug. 1 and will install his son, 
James Nederlander, as manager. 

Under Schreiber, and for many 
years before latter's purchase of 
theatre, house was managed by 
Leo Murray, a protege of the late 
L. N. Scott who, in the old days, 
owned and operated the Minneap- 
olis and St. Paul Metropolitans 
legitimate roadshow theatres with 
Klaw & Erlanger franchises. Mur- 
ray has not announced future 
plans. 

Nat Sorfman Recafis 
Play Put On for $7,500 

In line with the current trend 
talk about high production costs 
and what it can do to stifle further 
adventures in the theatre, veteran 
publicist Nat Dorfman recalls how 
his play, "Take My Tip," which he 
authored, was«put on at the Ma- 
jestic, Brooklyn, for $7,500. It 
grossed $2,500 on its break-in in 
Dodgertown and came to Broadway 
$5,000 in the red under Mack 
Billiard and Sidney Phillips' pro- 
duction aegis 

Today, observes Dorfman, a simi- 
lar one-set play costs at least 10 
times as much to mount, with re- 
sult it is scaring off investment 
capitaL 



Clarence Derwent, Equity pres- 
ident, who recently,returned from 
Prague, where he attended the 
United Nations. Educational, Scien- 
tific and Cultural Organization 
meeting on the theatre, was there 
merely as an "observer," not as a 
delegate. Actor has since gone to 
Palo Alto, Cal., to appear in the 
Leland Stanford Univ. production 
of "The Rivals," with Aline Mac- 
Mahon. 

There was considerable mixup 
over U. S. parUcipation in the< 
Prague confab. The State Depart- 
ment sent Warren Caro, of tiie 
Theatre Guild, and Rosamund Gil- 
der, former editor of Theatre Arts 
Monthly, but because of official 
protocol, stipulated that they be 
present ovist as "observers." Der" 
went was to .have gone as a "dele- 
gate" of the .American National 
Theatre and Academy, and his ex- 
penses for the trip were paid for 
by Joseph 'Vemer Reed on that 
basis. 

However, when he arrived in 
Prague, Derwent was implored by 
fi^ss Caro and Miss Gilder not to 
present himself as a "delegate," 
lest his presence be construed as a 
reflection on the State Depart- 
ment's "observers." Despite the 
urging of J. B. Priestley, who liad 
been elected president of the or* 
ganization, Derwent acceded t9 
Caro's and Miss Gilder's plea. ' 



Far from being on the way out» 
the use of baUet in- musical com- 
edy is just coming into its own. . 
It's not only here to stay, but will 
be steadily developed as' an in-> 
tegral element in the theatre. That 
Is the opinion of Helen Tamiris, 
who staged the dance.? (or "In- 
side U. S. A." and other shows, 
including the legit and film ver* 
sions of "Up in Central Park." 

Miss Tamiris is unimpressed by 
statements that baUet is merely a 
passing phase of musical comedy. 
And she regards as antiquated the; 
statement that ballet is just a 
form Of posturing^ or that it 
lacks the vitality of the tap dane- 
ing and "popular" styles of hoof- 
ing routines in musicals of some 
years ago. Those who advocate 
bringing back the old dance rout- 
ines are unrealistic, she says. 
They're subconsdously trying<'to 
retreat to the past. 

In discussing dance as an eI-« 
ement in the theatre. Miss Tam- 
iris points out that most of what 
passes for ballet in musical com- : 
edy is not sfrictly ballet. "Most 
of it is modern danice of various 
kinds," she says, "with phases of 
ballet, tap and so- on, depending 
on the choreographer . and' dancers. 
The vital thing is that the con- 
temporary choreographer uscs-^ 
whatever dance form seems suitr ~ 
able to circumstances, instead of 
being restricted to any single 
form, such as tap." 

liogical DeveSapment 

In substantiating her theory that 
the danue is a. natural element in 
the theatre and that its- present 
function Is merely part of a log- 
ical development. Miss Tamiris 
explains, "Some form" of dan<:ing 
has been a part of the tiieatre 
from earliest history, Dancing was 
an important element in the an- 
cient Greek drama, and was reg- 
ularly used in the religious plays 
of early . Europe. It has always 
been a vital part of the theatre 
in the Orient and is the basis of 
dramatic presentation among 
primitive people." 

According to the dancer-choreo- 
grapher, the dance is fundamrait- 
ally just the expression - of ideas 
in terms of bodily movement. AS 
such, it..iB a means of expression 
just as are words, color, music, 
(Continued on Page 101) 



DHimL mmm 

SmUNDETERlfflNED 

The council of Equity has not yet 
appointed a successor to Paul DuU- 
zell as chairman of the executive 
committee of its subordinate union. 
Chorus Equity. Pending such a 
selection, the CE executive coinmil- 
tee elected Brayton Lewis acting 
chairman to preside over Its regu- 
lar meeting last Wednesday (21). 
If a regular chairman isn't chosen 
by the Equity council before the 
next meeting, the same procedure 
will presumably be repeated. 

The CE executive committee has 
no power to determine policy for 
the chorus union, but may merely 
make, recommendations to the 
council of the parent organization 
which has authority. DullzeU's 
duties as chairman of the CE exec- 
utive committee were supplement- 
ary to those as executive secretary 
and treasurer of Equity. He re- 
cently retired as Equity exec-sec, 
but remains nominally treasurer. 

Ruth Richmond continues as 
exec-secretary of CE. In that 
capacity she attends the organiza- 
tion's executive committee meet- 
ings but does not preside. Pending 
the appointment of a permanent 
executive-secretary of Equity, Anr 
gus Duncan is temporarily filling 
the assignment, ' 



MARGOm PREPS 
NEWWILLyj^MY 

Margo Jones arrived Monday 
(26) in New York to begin prepara- 
tions for the production and stag- 
ing of tiie new Tennessee Williaius 
play, "Summer, and Smoke." Ths 
author, who is remaining in Lon- 
don for the opening of Heleq 
Hayes in his "Glass Menagerie," 
is due here for the start -of re- 
hearsals for the new show, 'Au& 
15. 

"Summer and Smoke" premieres 
Sept. 9 in Buffalo, goes to Detroit 
for two weeks beginning Sept. 13, 
to Cleveland for the week- of Sept. 
27 and arrives at the Music Box, 
N. Y., Oct. 6. Margaret Phillips 
and Tod Andrews will play 'the 
leads: Jo Mielziner has done the 
setting. Hose Bogdanoff the cos- 
tumes and .Paul Bowles, composed 
the incidental music. 

Miss Jones is due about NovM 
in Dallas to launch the new sea- 
son at her Theatre '48. She hasn't 
.selected the opening show. 



er's 

In October Coast fiew 

Los Angeles, July 27- 
Lion Feuchtwanger's new legit- 
er, "The Devil in Boston," is 
.slated for its world prciniere at 
the Coronet theatre here the first 
week in October, with Adrian 
A wan producing and Benjamin 
Zemach directing. 

This wUl be the first Feucht- 
wanger play ever premiered io 
this country. His previous ones 
were introduced in London, Paris 
and Berlin; 



100 



LBGITIMATB 



Wednegdsy, Jtely 28, 1943 



Map 'Grant' of Name Gnestars 
For Colleges and Little Theatres 



■■Regulai' "circuit" of college and-* 
little thpatre dates by name Broad- ' 
■way actors is planned for the com- 
ing season. So far, Walter Abel, 
£rnest Truex, Alexander Kirkland 
and the Philip Boumeufs (Frances 
Beed) h^ve expressed willingness 
to make such "tours," and the 
American National Theatre & 
Academy, which is working out the 
setup, is trying to recruit others. 
' University drama groups and 
little theatres are generally eager 
to have Broadway actors for guest 
appearances. The visitors normal- 
ly rehearse a week or so with the 
local players, give several perform- 
ances (the number usually depend- 
ing on the available public)' and 
attend several infolmal confer- 
ences With the student actoi-s on 
dramatic theory and practice in the 
professional theatre. 

Among the names who have 
made such appearances in previous 
seasons are Orson Welles, Blanche 
Yurka, Judith Evelyn, Ralph Dnm- 
ke, Mary Morris, Alfred Drake, 
Sidney Blackmer,. Nelle Fisher, 
Helen Tamiris and thie Boumeufs. 
The problem in arranging the 
dates is not merely in recruiting 
willing names, but in finding, ones 
who will unde)?stand the problem 
and be adaptable to Idcdl circum- 
stances. . ■ 

'While pay for the. colleg«i and 
little tbeatre engageitients doesn't 
compare, with Broadway coin, it's 
generally more fban adequate, and 
the actor's expenses !are also usu- 
ally covered. The chief incentive 
for the guest stars, however, is thfr 
chance to work with' ardent theatre' 
beginners and the consciousness of 
contribttting soiiietlxing toward the 
stage.. 



Dallas Little Theatre 

Maps 1948-49 Season 

Dallas, July 27, 
Little Theatre advisory board 
has announced plans for the 1948- 
1949 season with goal to revive the 
days when the David Belasco 
Trophy was awarded the Dallas 
group three years strai^t in na- 
tional Little Theatre tournaments. 
Plans call for a permanent play- 
house, 1948-49 program of five or 
six "plays' including one original 
play", two classics and three mbdei'n 
productions, membership subscrip- 
tion campaign, guest directors, 
tours of plays over the state. 

Until last season, the Little 
Theatre had been inactive since 
1943. 



New Stages Settles 
Row, Proceeds With 
Plans for Teathers' 

Having settled a controversy be- 
tween its membership and its two 
managing directors, New Stages is 
proceeding with preparations to 
present Richard Harrity's "Hope Is 
the Thing with Feathers" as the 
companion piece to "The Respect- 
ful Prostitute,"' at the Cort, N. Y. 
It is also going ahead with its 
other production plans for the 
1948-49 season. 

Under the revised organizational 
setupi the ' managing directors, 
David Heilweil and Norman Rose, 
have an option to buy 30% . instead 
of 40% of the stock, and there will 
now be a seven-member board of 
directors. Mary • Hunter,- Karl 
Weber, Florida Freibus, Kermit 
Murdock and Dorothy Patten were 
a committee representing the mem- 
bership in working out the agree- 
ment with Heilweil and Rose. 
There had been growing opposi- 
tion among the members to the 
"dictatorial" methods of the man- 
'aging directors. 

"Hope Is the Thing," originally 
clone by the Six O'clock Theatre 
as an Experimental Theatre of- 
.fering and subsequently, presented 
commercially by Eddie Dowling, 
will be revived Aug. 9, replacing 
Thornton Wilder's "The Happy 
Journey" as the curtain-raiser to 
"Prostitute." Members of the New 
Stages Company will comprise the 
cast, except for Lou Gilbert, who 
will repeat his original characteri< 
zation of the punch-dippy fighter. 
Joseph Kramm will again direct. 
The Intention is to continue the 
revised double-bill at the Cort at 
least until Oct. 5, when. Ruth Gor- 
don's '"The Leading Lady" is slated 
, to take over the house. . 
- Among the upcoming ■ pirodue 
tions on the New Stages list are 
"'Mannerhouse," by Thomas Wolfe 
ShaRespeare's "Coriolanus," and 
"The Victors," adapted by Thorn- 
ton Wilder from Jean-Paul Sar- 
tre's 'iJIort Sans Sepulture" ("The 
tTnbtiried Dead"). 



' Tom Jone9' Tryout 

. , . . V^, Seattle, July 27. 
"Tom LfonesV' a; dvainatizatiqn by 
Paul s. Clarkson and Joseph Purdy, 
of the Henry Fielding classic, will 
oe premiered Aug. 5 by the Ti-yout 
M>eatre here. Performances will 
*5 given Thursday-through-Satui- 
*" i»ights for six weeks, 



M^f^^'^ original five-set ver- 
woa lywitieen revised to two sets. 



B'way Casts Gripe 
■ On Brushoff Foi 
Actors Fund Shows 

Casts Of various. Broadway shows 
Iiave been .aroused lately over 
their inability to obtain tickets for 
benefit performances of other 
shows. Performers say they're 
generally unable to attend . other 
shows, except on the occasion of 
benefits, so they're concerned over 
the situation, The matter oc- 
casioned "particular - criticism at 
last' week's meeting of the execu- 
tive committee of Chorus Equity, 
though nothing definite was de- 
cidi^d about it. 

'According to' the working actors, 
many of them' have, tried to buy 
tick'ets for benefit shows HA soon 
as ithe' special, performances are 
announced, .but: in frequent in-: 
stance^ tiiey are informed at the 
boxoffice of the production in 
question "that ticlcets are all sold 
out. They claim that only a rela- 
tively fe^ locations are- sold 
through the show's boxoffice, and 
thai the bulk are distributed 
through brokers. The actcfers, par- 
ticularly those in lower salary 
brackets, say they can't afford to 
pay the broker's extra fee, explain- 
ing that they can justify buying 
even regular tickets only on the 
ground, that seeing other shows is 
a professional requirement. 

There was particular cotnplaint 
in Chorus Equity circles over the 
failure of .many of, the performers 
to obtain' tickets, to -the recent 
special ; performance of ''Mister 
Roberts," at the Alvin, N. Y, for 
the Act(^rs: Fund. Disappointed ap- 
plicants, claimed they'd been await- 
ing an eJStra performance of . the 
play for months, and applied for 
tickets. as.soOi} as the showing was 
announced, only to be turned 
down. 

, One suggestion from wittiin 
Equity is tjiat an arrangement be 
worked out for the union's depu- 
ties with the various shows to 
handle such , applications., Under 
the proposed setup, anyone deSir 
ing tickets for a benefit would ap 
ply to the deputy of his own show 
within a couple of days of the first 
announcement of the special per 
1 ormance. Each deputy Would for^ 
ward the order to the deputy of 
the show giving the benefit, and 
he would get the necessary tickets 
from the boxoffice. . It's explained 
that cast members in any show 
giving a benefit are permitted to 
buy a number of tickets to such 
performances. 

If an arrangement can't be 
worked out for Equity deputies to 
act as clearing agents for benefit 
tickets, it's suggested that the 
Equity council might require that 
tickets be made available to Equity 
members a few days before being 
put on sale to the public. 

4 Legits for Omaha 

Omaha,. July 27. 

Tristates, which has taken over 
the UBO franchise here, has 
booked four legit roadshows for 
this season; "Oklahoma," Sept. 13; 
Judith .^nderson in "Medea," Nov. 
10; "Desert Song,'^ Nov, 24; "Show 
Boj^t,". Jan. 31, Feb. l, z. . These 
have- all been set. for the''2,100-seat 
Omaha theatre. 

The Orphcum gets the Fred War- 
ing one-nighter with three shows, 
Nov. 12. There will.be one matinee 
and two shows at night. Tristates 
figured the Orpheum's 3,000 
capacity would be need,ed\for this 
one. 



Boy Prodigy's Guardian 
Brushed Him, Sues 

Chicago, July 27. 
Benjamin Bonito, dressmaker 
and opera impresario, claimed that 
Claudio Burco, guardian for Fer- 
rucio Burco, eight-year-old Italian 
prodigy opera conductor, knew 
that he ' was a dressmaker when 
lie engaged him to manage Ameri- 
can tour for the child. In answer 
to suit filed in -Chi federal district 
court last week, Bonito, also owner 
of New Jersey Opera Co., claimed 
that he spent $16,000 to bring the 
Burcos here, and then the elder 
Burco hired a new manager: 

Bonito is suing for contract vio- 
lation and damages. 

lOG for 'Colony; 
Georgia Rep Co. 

» Raleigh, N. C, July 27. 
A fund of $10,000 for "The Lost 
Colony," Roanoke Island's histori- 
cal drama, was allocated by the 
North Carolina Council of State 
from the contingency and emerg-r 
ency fund. 

Fund was voted under a 1945 act 
authorizing the State to subsidize 
the drama to that extent if an oper- 
ating deficit is shown during the 
previous season. There was an 
operating deficit of $22,013.87 last 
year. 



Georgia Players As Pennanents - 

St. Simons Is., Ga., July 27. 
Russell Ford, who operates the 
Georgia Players as a strawhat 
group here, is planning to continue 
through next fall and winter on a 
permanent i-epertory basis. The 
idea is ultimately to work out a 
regional . touring setup, something 
along the Unes of Robert Porter- 
field's Barter Theatre at Abingdon, 
Va. 

On the assumption that the plan 
will jell. Ford has turned down an 
offer to join the new theatre setup 
of the Henry Street Settlement, in 
New York. He previously decided 
not to return tor another season as 
director of the Macon (Ga.) little 
theatre. 



Busman's Holiday , 
Abingdon, Va., July 27. 

During, the annual summer lay- 
off of the Artillery Lante playhouse, 
St. Augustine, Fla., owner-producer 
Patricia Dutton is taking a bus- 
man's sabbatical as chief electrician 
in charge of^ the master switch- 
board at the Barter theatre here. 

She plans to reopen the Artillery 
Lane in October. 



Heech's Wilkes-Barre Spot 

Ridgefield, Conn., July 27. 

Leonard Heech, stage director at 
Alexander Kirkland's Ridgefield 
summer theatre, is planning to re- 
turn this fall to the Wilkes-Barre 
(Pa.) little theatre, which he joined, 
last season as managing director 
and stager. 

Group resumes late in Septem- 
ber. ■ ■ ■ .■ -i, •, . 



'Reluctant Lady' Tryout 

Cleveland, July 27. 

Maurice 'Valency's ' hew musical 
drama, "Reluctant Lady," , which 
Canada Lee plans to produce in 
New York, jjs being tried out in the 
3,200-capacity Cain Park strawhat 
community amphitheatre this week 
for six days. 

Valency is the Columbia U. pro- 
fessor and playwright whose adapt- 
ation of Giraudeau's French play, 
"In Praise Of Folly." will be spon- 
sored on Broadway by Alfred de 
Liagre, Jr., this winter. 



'Turtle' At Laguna 
, Los Angeles, July 27. 
John van Druten's "Voice of the 
Turtle" opens today at the Laguna 
Beach playhouse with Tom Drake, 
Nancy Coleman and Betty Furliess 
in top roles and Gerald Mayer di- 
recting. 

"Turtle" will be followed by 
"Outward Bound," starring Sara 
Allgood, Marshall Thompson and 
Frederic Tozere. 



Akron Groups Must Vacate 
Akron, July 27. 

The Weathervane Placers, local 
reportoij'e group, have received 
notice to vacate their quarters a 
converted carriage house, where 
theye've been presenting plays for 
13 years. 

Board members arc hoping to 
find a location until the group can 
biiild its own community theatre. 



Omaha Oroup Eyes Site 

Omaha, July 27. 
Omaha gets its first strawhat this 
summer if plans carry through. 
Group is looking for location at 
either Carter Lake or Peony Park. 



Unions' Withdrawal for ET Fin^ 
Project in Need of Drastic Revision 



Ewings to Europe. 

To Scout Plays, Talent 

On a- combined business and va- 
cation trip, Marjorie and Sherman 
Ewing sailed for. Europe 'last week, 
to look over plays and talent in- 
London and Paris. The Ewings, who 
expect to refurti to New York' Aug. 
31. will also coflfei-. :\yith British 
composer Benjainin Britten during 
their stay in England: ' 

Britten did the score for "The 
Rape of Lucretia," an. opera based 
upon a French play which the 
Ewings are scheduled to produce 
on Broadway in December. Kitty 
Carlisle has been mentioned for a 
lead, and there's also a possibility 
the "producers may import some 
British names for it. Meanwhile, 
the Ewings' current Broadway hit, 
"Angel in the Wings," Will be hit- 
ting the road in September, the 
revue, starring the Hartmans and 
Hank Ladd, to open in Detroit the 
week of Sept. 6 and going to Chi- 
cago Sept. 13. 

The Ewings have also written an 
historical drama, "Voltaire," based 
upon the life of the French phil- 
osopher and author, but it's un- 
likely they'll produce it them- 
selves. • , 



Strawhat Jottings 



"Othello," starring Canada Lee, 
Claire Luce and Wesley Addy, did 
aii' estimated $4,200 in eight per- 
formances at. $3 top 550-seat in 
Saratoga Summer Theatre last 
week. * 

"Blissfully Yours," comedy by 
Charles E. Miller, will be given 
strawhat preem by Theatre Show^ 
case at Frank Daiiey's Meadow- 
brook, N. J., Aug. 3 . . . "Madame 
Is Served," comedy by Joe Grenze- 
back, bows tonight (Wed.) at Thea- 
tre-in-the-Dale, New Mill ord. Conn. 
Play has been adapted from Guy 
de Maupassant's "L^Heritage." Au- 
thor is scripter of "Suspense," 
"Hollywood Hotel" and other radio 
programs,- with "Madame"^ 'being 
his initial attempt at a full-length 
play ... liunterdon Hills Play- 
house, Jutland, N. J., will preview 
its new bills on' Mondays at La- 
fayette College, in nearby E^ston, 
Pa., prior to opening at Playhouse 
on Tuesday nights. Switch goes 
into effect Aug. 10, when Lynn 
Riggs' new play, "Verdigris Primi- 
tive," will be preemed . ," . Al 
Rosen, former manager of Loew's 
State, N. y., and now bperator of 
strawhat at Montclair, N. J,, has 
arranged with Broadway ticket 
brokers to handle tickets for the 
Jersey house, which is about a 
half-hour's drive from Times 
Squai'e. » 

When Ronald Graham withdrew 
from cast of new musical, "Ting- 
Ling," being given initial showing 
at the Playhouse, Ogunquit, Me., 
this week, Frank Rogier was 
rushed in ,as replacement. Latter 
sang leading roles in "The Tele- 
phone" and "The Medium" during 
Broadway run and road tour 
"Ling" was authored by Richard 
Diamond on book and lyrics, with 
score by Ignatz Waghalter . . . Wil- 
liam Prince, filmster, is doing 
guestar shot in the tryout of '"Two 
Dozen Red Roses,'' by Aldo De 
Benedetli, at the Lakeside theatre. 
Lake Ilopatcong, N. J., this werfc. 
Supporting cast includes Helen 
Marcy, Bert Thorn and Vivian 
Purcell. Ernestine Perrie "staged. 
Bard College Playhouse, Anhon- 

"te?,AS1?"' ^- -^^^ 

Florence Reed making annual 
appearance at Berkshire Playhouse 
this week, in "The Torchbearers" 

Jill Miller, who owns and runs 
Ti? t P"'"?'" „couniy playhouse, 
Mahopac, N. Y., stepped to the 
other side of the footlights last 

^^^fS.^'^^i?;'''** P'ayed the mother 
m "Life With Father." 

Incidentally, Bobby May, 8, son 
of comedian Marty May and June 
Johnson, doughter of Chic John- 
son, debuted in "Father" as Har- 
lan, Tom McBride, nephew of Mary 
Margaret McBride, also had a role. 

Grant Mitchell will guestar at 
Westchester Playhouse, Mount 
Kisco, N. Y., in "The Late Chris- 
topher Bean" for week of August 
2. It will be directed by Gordon 
Minter, with Dorrit Kelton and 
John Alberts in support cast. 



With most of the craft unions 
'withdrawing their cooperation in 
the Experimental Theatre, the 
project may be drastically revised 
this season. Possibiltty is that it 
may be done on a modified basis, 
without scenery, costumes or elab- 
orate lights. Decision is up to 
Equity and the Dramatists Guild, 
which had an agreement for its 
operation the last two seasons. 

The Equity council yesterday 
.(Tues.) postponed consideration of 
the matter, after representatives 
of the unions, all' members of the 
Fact Finding Committee on the 
ET, were unable to appear before 
the council to explain the pur- 
pose and background of the letter 
drafted by Oliver Saylor, business 
agent of the Assn. of Theatrical 
Agents & Managers, in which the 
committee announced its withr 
drawal fi-om' the project. ATAM. 
the ' stagehands, the musicians' 
union and the American Guild of 
Musical Artists had already signed 
the letter. Dramatists Guild coun-^ 
cil had voted to continue the ar^ 
rangement another season. 

Under the proposed modified 
setup, ET would operate more or 
less along the lines of its Invita- 
tional Series last season. There 
were five shows in the series, all 
done with minimum production 
outlay and involving a total cost 
of less than $2,400. The regular 
ET series of six shows cost about 
$121,000. 

With a subscription income of 
around $67,500, the operating defi- 
cit was more than $30,000. This 
was reduced by revenue from exti-a 
performances, loans froni Alfred 
B. Stern and Joseph Verner Reed, 
profit from a .Martha Graham 
series and commercial o p t i o n 
■money from Broadway presenta- 
tion of "Skipper Next to God," 
"Ballet Ballads" and "Seeds in the 
Wind." The American National 
Theati-e & Academy contributed 
over $22,000. 

Expenditures by pT included 
$11,418 paid to 223 actors in the 
six productions, and $19,619 to 
about 50 stagehands, four of whom 
were required as permanent crew 
at the Maxine Elliott theatre, N. Y., 
for the full sea.son. A general man- 
ager was paid $150 a week for the 
entire season, and a house manager 
was paid $133 a week for six weeks. 

Another factor, besides pyramid- 
ing production costs,- pointing to- 
ward a simplified ET setup this 
season along the lines of the Invi- 
tation Series are the results of a 
survey of audience reactions at the 
six ET shows. Those queried ex- 
pressed a desire to see more ex- 
perimentation in ET presentations 
the coming season, as well as in- 
cirea^ed use of music, greater num- 
bej:, of prductions and less scenery. 

Type of shows preferred by ET 
audiences also indicated audience 
taste for novel dramatic form and 
simple production setup, "Ballet 
Ballads" was chosen by 30% of the 
audience as the best of the series; 
while "Galileo" was selected by 
23%, "Six O'clock Theatre" by 
iX¥i%. "Skipper" by 14%, "Long 
Way from Home" by 7% and 
"Temporary Island" by 4 '/2 %. 



BLEVINS DAVIS SEEKS 
HAYES FOR TOCH ADO' 

Blevins Davis is trying to get 
Helen Hayes to star in a production 
of "Much Ado About Nothing" on 
Broadway, probably for the pres- 
entation a year hence. Actress, 
starring in the London production 
of "Glass Menagerie," is l-epoi'ted 
to have given preliminary approval 
on the Shakespeare revival, subject 
to agreement on terms. She has 
long had the idea of playing the 
part of Beatrice in the comedy. 

Except fot "Much Ado," Davis 
has no :production plans, but he 
may go to England to confer with 
Miss Hayes and incidentally catch 
'Menagerie" and other London 
shows. His last production was the 
commercial presentation of "Skip- 
per Next to God" on Broadway last 
season. ' 



Ellstcin Batons Skiflnik Show 

Abe EUstein, composer of "What 
a Guy," Monasha Skulnik's forth- 
coming Yiddish-language starrer, 
has been set as musical director pf 
the Second Avenue theatre, N. Y., 
where the musicomcdy opens Oct. 

ieustein will conduct for "Guy." 



J^HlEfr 



ConventioMers Up Clu; 'Shoes' 
SRO 38G, 'Annie 27G, 'John' 



LEGITIMAXB 



101 



Chicago, July 27. -f 
Xefiit take was divided mainly 
among the two musicals here last 
«,pek Conventioneers kept the 
ticket windows at "High Button 
Shoes" and "Annie Get Your Gun 
busy "John Loves Mary," after 
almost six months of excellent 
crosses, Is falling off-, "final weeks" 
is appearing in the ads, , 

Advance for "Oklahoma!" is large 
and mail orders are pouring into 
the Erlanger, where, it opens 
Aug 2. 

' Estimales for Last Week 
"Annie Get Your Gun," Shubert 
(3rd week) (2,100; $4.94). Conven- 
tioneers gave this an excellent 

^^"ifliBh Button Shoes," Great 
Northern (10th week) (1-,500; $6.18). 
Still SRO $38,090. . 

"John Loves Mary," Harris (24th 
week) (1,000; $3.71). Slid to $9,- 
700. .. ■ 

miAHOMAI' $36,900 
INWfflATWASH. 

Washington, July 27. 

"Oklahoma!" uijped its grosses at 
the National last week by $8,000 
for a total of $36,900. A Sunday 
night performance opening the 
week for nine performances was a 
help for the second werfc's show- 
ing; Third week promises to be a 
sellout with a Sunday starter. 
Final performance Saturday (31) 
rings down the cartain on the Cap- 
itol's only legit antt conversion to 
flix will start. 

National's flack, Sam Keller, 
pulled down heavy local publicity 
with a trip of the fentire "Okie" 
cast to Mt. Vernon via excursion 
steamer. Times Herald and Daily 
News gave, full pages of pLx and 
the Star carried a picture the night 
of the trip. The cast picked Thurs- 
day (22) tot the river junket. 

Rain Dampens l^z 
For 'Rosalie/ 35G,?itt 

Pittsburgh, July 27. 

Although no performances were 
rained out last week, threatening 
weather practically every night, 
with downpours in a couple of in- 
stances coming shortly before cur- 
tain time, held "Rosalie" down to 
around $35,000 at Pitt Stadium last 
week. Show was a repeat from la.st 
summer's al- fresco season, with 
«ame principals, .Jackie Gleason, 
Joy Hod.ges and Ernest MacChes- 
ney, having been rescheduled be- 
cause half a week in 1947 was 
rained out. 

Under circumstances, that $35;- 
000 wasn't too bad but was still 
rather disappointing inasmuch as 
"Rosalie" was heading for a record- 
breaking take a year ago when the 
splashes came. Stadium series has 
been running into tough luck right 
»long this summer from the 
weather, and is reported to be 
around 70 grand in the red already. 
Hardly likely that much of that 
•will be made up either by the two' 
remainina shows, "Hit the Deck" 
and "Babes in Toyland." 



'CONN. YANKEE13,500 
IN ST. 100 0PM 

St. Louis, July 27. 
After an interval of 12 years, the 
Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart musi* . 
cal, "A Connecticut Vankee," has | 
been revived for the Municipal | 
Theatre Assn.'s al fresco playhouse i 
m Forest Park. After a day of hot 
and sultry weather the piece teed 
off a seven-night run last niglit 
(Monday) with a mob of 9.250 on 
deck. Gross was an estimated 
$3,500. 

Wilbur Evans, baritone, a fave 
here of many open air seasons, is 
scoring along with Sue Ryan, 
comedienne, and 'Gale Sherwood, a 
clic^ In iier fir.st show here last 
week in "Jubilee." Mavis Mini, 
dancing ingenue, in her local debut, 
won the mob. Outstanders in .sup- 
port are William Lynn, Edwin 
Steffe, Norman Young and Rowan 
Tudor. 

Cole Porter's "Jubilee," winning 
a nod from the crix, wound up its 
one-week stand Sunday (25), with 
the last performance cancelled by a 
cloudburst. The washout came 45 
minutes after curtain, and rain- 
checks were issued. Threats of rain 
throughout the run clipped the b.o. 
activity, but the piece attracted 60;- 
000 payees, who paid approximately 
$43,000. 



'Sweethearts'-CIark 34G, 
'Winslow' $13,000, Sf . 

San Francisco, July 27. 

"Sweethearts," which , opened 
Monday (19) at the Curran (r,776' 
$4.20), rated star Bobby Clark the 
warmest reviews of the local sea- 
son. For the first week of its three- 
week stanza this Civic Light Opera 
production chalked up a tremen- 
dous $34,00(). ■ 

"The Winslow Boy" hit a good 
$13,000 for its third week at the 
Geary (1,550; $3.60). 



B way Up %hdy; Sharp Uptnrn Due 
Next Week; 'Annie' $20,IM0, 'Finian' 
Rm'Shoes'mM/lee'm 



Chi Railroad Fair 

Draws 98,460 in 3 Days 

■ , Chicago, July 27. 

Chicago Railroad Fair, which 
opened July 20. drew 98,460 people 
in first three days, with 35,016 of 
these attending the' "Wheels A- 
Kollin" pageant. Fair will run until 
bept. 2Q Admish is.25c. 
. Jiquity pageant, for which there 
>s a 60c additional charge, is pre- 
sented four times daily. 
_ A few of the exhibits are present- 
ing free acts, with the Sante Fe 
bringing m an entire Indian village 
and 50 Indians from New Mexico. 

Shows in Rehearsal 

"Small Wonder.*' musical^ 
George Nichols, 3d. / 

."Heaven on Earth," musical- 
Monte Proser and Ned C. Lilwack. 
'All the Way Home" (formerly 
verdigris Primitive"), drama— E. 
*.dward Hambleton and Alfred R. 
Stern. 



Talman on Equity Board 

William Talman has been named 
to the council of Actors Equity, 
succeeding Carol Stone, who re- 
signed last week. He was ap- 
pointed yesterday (Tues.) by tbe 
council, and will serve until the 
annual election, next May. 

Next quarterly membership 
ttteeting of the association will be 
Sept. 17 at the Astor hotel, N. Y. 



Kelen TaRitris 

5^ (Continued from Page 99) s 

gestures and facial changes. "The 
drawing-room style of drama is 
merely an arbitrarily limited form 
of theatre, in which words are the 
primary I'lementj while music and 
dance are not used," she declares. 

"But the trend in recent years 
has been toward greater use of 
all the elements of- expression in 
theatre presentation, 'fhus, while 
the dance has been used increas- 
ingly, there has been a correspond- 
ing growth in the use of music 
and color. There is a limit be- 
yond which words cannot express 
thought or emotion, but the capac- 
ity, of music, color and movement 
to express ideas or emotion is un- 
limited." ■ 

Although the use of the dance 
is bound to extend from the revue 
and musical comedy to all forms 
of the theatre, including serious, 
realistic drama. Miss Tamiris ad- 
mits that such a development may 
be slow in coming. "Not only must 
authors, directors, producers and 
players learn how to use it, but 
theatregoers must learn to ap- 
preciate it. When they do, the old 
theatre without music or dance 
will seem dated, and audiences 
will no longer accept it." 

Steady Employment • 

Despite the fact that the pres- 
ent style of integrated dance came 
into vogue with the production of 
"Oklahoma!," in which Ajfnes 
DeMille directed dances in har- 
mony wiih the story and flavor of 
the Richard Rodgers-Osc^r Ham- 
merstein show, MisS Tamiris says 
the emergence of ballet as a thea- 
tre element has been a long, steady 
development rather than a sud- 
den event. 

Miss DeMille, nan.va Holm, Je- 
rome Robbins, George Balanchine, 
Michael Kidd and Miss Tamiris 
herself have been pioneering in 
that direction for years. They have 
had studios and classes where 
their own theories were worked 
ouf, artd have gradually educated 
the public to understand and en- 
joy it. As evidence of how far the 
development has gone. Miss Tam- 
iris cites TSlia Kazan's sla,?ing of 
the prize - winning ".Streetcar 
Named. Desire," in which bodily 
movement is brilliantly integrated 
in terms of the dramatic theme 
and .situation. That is not an ac- 
cident, she explains, as Kazan once 
attended one of her dance cour.ses, 
with the idea of learning the ex- 
pression of emotion in terms of 
bodily movement. 

"The people who talk about go- 
ing back to the old idea of a 
chorus of pretty girl-s doing hoof- 
ing routine.'; are fjequently the 
very oqes who praise Kazan's di- 
rection the most enthusiastically," 
she comments. "Only it isn't called 
dancing, so they don't realize that 
what is stirring their emotions is 
the imaginative use of bodily 
movement." 



B^sbUre Music 
Fesli^ais Do Big 

By HAROLD M. BONE 

Lee, Miiss., .Tuly 27. 
While other portions of the 
amusement field are laying in a- 
fresh supply of crying towels, this 
Particular segment of the enter- 
i inment world hasn't even sounded 
its A for a chorus of the Berkshire 
Blues. 

As a matter of fact, despite a 
marked falling off in tourist travel 
as compared to a year ago, with 
previously jammed inns operating 
considerably below capacity, this 
mountain-top diversion triangle 
bounded by Lee, I^enox and Stock- 
bridge reports activities on the' up^ 
beat over former seasons. Projecis 
involved are the Berkshire Music 
Festival at Tanglewood; the Berk- 
shire Playhouse, Stoekbridge;' the 
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Lee. 

Contrary to reports emanating 
from similar music centers, the 
festival at Tanglevrood is off to a 
banner season. 'First two concerts 
(July 18 and 20) on the schedule 
I of 14 were complete sellouts. Tbese 
were held in the Theatre-Cbneert 
Hall, capacity of which is 1,200. 
Exterior bench and lawn facilities 
brought total attendance to 2,440 
and 1,900; respectively. General 
admiiision to grounds is $2, with a 
reserved seat top of $4. 

Concerts in t he Music Shed, with 
its 6,000 capacity, will be given 
intermittently from July 29 to Aug, 
15. Lawn facilities here make at- 
tendance possibilities total more 
than double interior capacity. Top 
scale for these concerts is $6 for 
box seats, and advance sales have 
already taken on a healthy hue. 
Noteworthy is the fact that high- 
priced tickets are the first to go. 

Set for Aug. 3 is a special benefit, 
"Tanglewood On Parade," to aid 
creative artists of the Old World. 
A price range of $2.50 to .$5 has 
brought substantial early reserva^ 
tions. The above program, plus the 
teaching of a student body exceed- 
ing 400 members, stamps this as 
one of Tanglewood's most active 
.seasons to date. 

Stockbridge Biz Okay 

At Stockbridge, William Miles 
has approached the halfway mark 
of the Berkshire Playhouse's 17th 
season with figures on the right 
.side of the ledger at the end of the 
fifth week. Schedule to date has 
included "Skin of Our Teeth." 
"John Loves Mary," "The Intimate 
Strangers," "1 Like It Here'' and 
the tryout of "Coming Thro' The 
Rye," musical. Reaction to the 
break-in angle has been favorable 
enough to prompt presentation of 
a second new play, "The Happiest 
Years," ».set for Aug. 16. 'fotal 
schedule is 11 weeks. 
I Playhouse, a former casino orig- 
inally designed by Stanford White, 
has a capacity of 426 and is scaled^ 
at S2.,94 top. Being the only straw- 
hat within a radius of some 60 
miles, spot lias things pretty much 
i to itself within a wide area, 
j Number three in the Bcrleshirc 
[entertainment triumvirate is Ted 
! Shawn's Jacobus Pillow Dance Fest- 
jival. It's a combination of dance 
I in.'itruction and public pre.scntation 
which IS meeting witli success amid 
wilderness surroundings. Although 
the enterprise is a non-profit ven- 
ture which stresses the fact that 
it is motivated purely by its educa- 
tional a.spects "and does not intend 
or attempt to purvey entertainment 
to the public as in a commercial 
heatre," nevertheless- it is apparent 
that a fair portion of its audience 
attends primarily for the purpose 
of .seeking— and incidentally find- 
ing— ^such entertainment. 
I Despite the fact that income from 
< tuition and theatre admissions docs 
1 not cover the cost of operating this 
I project, thus necessitating patron 
assistance, it is significant that com- 
mercial success ha.s been attained 
to the extent of sellouts for prac-r 
tically all performances of the first 
three programs. Capacity is 500, 
with a scale of maUnees $L80 and 
nights ,$2.40. 

Highlight of the .current season, 
i is listed for Aug. 27^28 when Ted 
[.Shawn will world premiere his 
1 newest group choreography, with 
j music by Richard Mallaby. 



Rain Nips 'Conn. Yankee' 
In LouisviUe, $18,000 

. Louisville, July 27. 
Rainy weather broke the heat 
Spell, but put a crimp in the at- 
tendance at Iroquois amphitheatre, 
last week, where "Connecticut 
Yankee" drew a medium $18,000. 
Clouds threatening rain during 
first part of the week,- and usually 
just before show time, dampened 
the ardor of patrons who didn't 
relish the thought of getting a wet- 
ting during the al fresco perform- 
ance. 

William Gaxton had the lead, 
supported by Xenia Banks, -A. .1. 
Herbert, Edward Andrews, Gloria 
Haniiltoii, C h a r 1 e ,s McCleiiand, 
Betty Ann Busch, John llaynes, 
Walter Long, Betty Luster, Audrey 
Johnson, plus the local ensemble- 
and ballet corps. 

"Student Prince," with Edith 
Fellows, Robert Shafer, Betty Ann 
Busch, Alexander Gray and Detmar 
Poppin, is the attraction for week 
starting Monday (26). 



m.LlVES^W0W27G 
IN FINAL LA. WIEK 

Los Angeles; July 27. 
The tourists boosted L. A. legit 
business last week. Indications are 
next four weeks at least will see 
hefty business on all fronts, 

"Private Lives" finaled at the 
Biltmore Saturday (24) with a fine 
week's take of $27,080 for a three- 
week total of $77,000. First two 
frames were on Theatre Guild sub- 
scription. House rekindled last 
night (26) with "Cnroiisel," in for 
four and one h;ilf weeks, while 
across the stieet the Pijilharmonic 
Aud went back into business with 
the world premiere ■ of "Magda- 
lena," final offering of the L. A. 
Civic Light Opera Assn. 

Estimates for. Last Week 

"Blackouts of 1948," £1 Capitan 
f318th wk) (1,142; .$2.40). - Can't 
do better than this $17,000 but ad- 
vance sale is growing daily. 

"Cupid Thumbs Ilis Nose." Cor- 
onet (Ist wk) (2.'>5; $3). Critics 
aped "cupid" and despite the $4j80 
tap for all seats on opening night 
(2,1) piece rated only a middling 
$2,100 for first -four days. 

"Lend An Ear," Las Palmas (6th 
wk) (388; $3.60). SRO $6,300 again. 

"Private Lives," Biltmore. (3rd 
wk) (1,036; $4.20), Subscription- 
free final week registered sweet 
$27,000. 

"Separate Rooms," New Beaux 
Arts (10th wk) (560; $3). Climbed 
again to $5,000 with weekend SRO. 

"The Vaeraboud Kinrr," Greek 
Theatre (21st wk) (4.419; $3.60). 
Second offering of the open-air 
theatre opened below hopes due 
mostly to cold weather; $34,000. 



+ The seasonal influx of tourLsts 
i from out-of-town has still not ma- ; 
jterialized in full, though business 
was a trifle better last week on 
Broadway. Attendailiae is still stifier* r 
ing its annual eariy-sumihtir slttmp; ^ 
The real upturn is expected to start ; • 
next week and build steadily : ■ 
thrqugh Labor Bay,-after wMoh the 
new-season rise is due; Mi^iri'vifbtle, 
the . few^■visitolS■;■'{ffe■vapI>^«S»t^.'^..i^.^ 
p.itro.ns who long ago obtsiiiited > 
miiil-order tickets to the smash hits 
or those who shop for lbw-?price . 
scats.' .-■ 

There Were no closings last week, ; 
the list of shows remaifling at 17. 
However, "The Play's the 'fMng'* 
recesses tonigttt (Wed.) at the Booth 
for aii engagement at Central Gity, ': 
Colo., and ies<ii>ies biire A^g. 23. 
"Brlg^doon" j^iiitteifs . BiBtisttdiiir; 
night <3iy iit jte^NsEfeldl t>te^ 
.scheduled closltags sure "Ang^l in . 
the 'Wings" at tfie Cowjo^, ^pt.-4, 
and "Coinmand Decision" at tile 
Fulton, Sept. 11. 

Bstimates for Last Week ~. 

Kej/: C (Comedy), D iDtamm), ; 
CD. {C<)imedV'Brama), M (Rem&),. . 
at (M«8«!ftW, O (Ctoeretfta.). 

"A»jS«i.»-in tiiis^'witiiss/' ■'CbrOfitet'.--" 
{33d wfe) (B-flSB; $4i88). GHiefly 
on tlte -strength of tww-for-ones, 
this intimate revue bounced up 
about $4,000 to $17,000. 

"Aaiife Get ITour Criui,'' Imperial . 
(115th wk) (M-1.472; $R«0), As 
with oUtei: shows; weather 
late it) the weejc Wa» {Aainied iot ' 
business XaU"^; £dtd;«gailt to $20,<^ . 

"Born Yesterday," Lyceum (129th 
wk) (C.993; $*.80). Had painful 
Wednesday and Thursd<»^ tafees, but 
came back late in the iwwk; jitst 
under $12;000. 

"Brleadoon." ZiegfeM ('72d wis) 
(M-1,628; $4.80), XiOt^^n niiiM«at 
has felt the general siuRi^ lately % 
and will filially call it att eng!^ge<i 
ment Satujpday; up to $1^,400. 

"Goauaaitd 0oe!sion," Fulton 
(32d wk) (D-988; $4.80). Up A little 
to $13,500; Paul McGrAth leaves 
the ciist Saturday, to be ' replaced- : 
by. his brother, Byroh McGrath; 

"Finian's Rainbow," 46th Street 
(80th wk) (M-1,319; $6). Another 
vet musical that's feeling the gen- 
eral tough going; $21,000 again. 

"Harvey," 48th St. (ISftth wk) 
(C-982; $4.20). Mary Chase comedy 
getting around $8,500 steadily and 
continues iodeiiinitely. 

"Hkh ntttim motar Shubert 
f32d ivk) (M-1,387; $6). Smash 
musical eased a little; over $34,000. ; 

"Howdy, Mr. Ice," Center i5lh . 
wk) <It-2,964r $2.88). Sfcatttlg pro- 
duction is a major draw lor tour* 
ist trade, particularly in hot weath- 
er: juicy $49,000. 

"Inside «. S; Ai," Century (iith 
wk) (K4,»70; $6), -Pace eaaecf for 
this revue, but plenty of margin 
at $40,000. 

"Make Mine Manhattan," Broad- 
hurst (28th wk) (R-1,160; $6). Still 
getting by amply; $22,000. 

"Mister Eobeists," Alvin f23d wk) 
(GD-1,357; $4.80>. Not even a gen- 
eral slump and steamy weather has " 
interrupted the capacity pace for 
TaftmeoV fintv CIQAnfl '^'•^ comedy; nightly standee trade 
L^arOUSei Uniy $Xy,«MW ; is the only variable factor; $34,500, 
San Diego. July 27. ■ as usual. 
Polio scare here has slapped | "Strange Bedfellows," Morosco 
down all local .show busines-s. '■ '28lh wk) (C-935; $4.30). One of the 
"Carousel," playing the Russ audi- | marginal shows that has been 
torium. was badly hit, getting only I -2? two-for-ones; 

$19,000 in seven performances. 1 '^"^Sl "0 ^a*"- _ . „ _ 
Show is rurrentiv at the Bilt- Streetcar Named Desire," Bar- 
.■>now IS currcniijf at me mil rymore (34th wk (D-1,064; $4.80). 



Polio Scares San Diego; 



more', Los Angeles. 



Current Road Shows 



The other constant capacity draw; 
$27,200 gross includes standees. . - 
"The Heiress," Biltmore <43d wk)^ 
(D-920; $4.20). HeldtO about-$9,500 
again; management- hoping' to 
hold on until start of -the tour,' in 
late September. 
"The Play's the Thins," Booth 



(July 26-Aug. 7) 
. "Annie Get Your Gun" — Shu- 
bert, Chi. 126-7). 

"April Fool" — » iMhero, Santa if ]3th wk) (CD-712; .$4.80). Louis 
Barbara (5-7). ! Calhem, the stcfr, has been making 

"Blackouts of 194K"-r-El Qapitan, ! curtain speeches to plug the com- 
L. A. (26-7). icdy's skedded retum Aug. 23; 

"Carousel" — Biltmore, L. A. , up a bit to $9,100; closes tonight 
(26-7). ^ KWod.). 

"High Button Shoes"— Gt; North- \ "The Respectful Prostitute," artd 
ern, Chi. (26*7). ; "The Happy Journey," Cort (19th 

",Iohn Loves Mary"— -Harris, Chi. • wk) (C-1,064; $4.20). Double-bill 
(26-7). !got a nice rise to $9,500; Richard 

"S(Iagdalena"— Aud., L. A, i26-7). I Harrity's "Hope Is the Thing with 
"Oklahoma!" — Erlanger, Chi, ; Feathers" due to replace "Happy 
(2-7). ' Journey" as the curtain-raiser 

"Oklahoma!" — .'Vud.. Sacramento } starting Aug. 9. 
(26-31); Metropolitan, Seattle i-,i-7) < 



• Metropolitan, 
Shubert, 



'OkkT 30G, Oakland 

Oakland, July 27. 
"Oklahoma!" playing the Audi- 



"I'rivatc Lives" 
Seattle (26-31). 

"Sundown Beach" 
Bost. (2-7). 
"Sweethearts" — Curran, Frisco 

'^"wViisIow Boy" — Gearv Frisco torium here last week, "racked up a 
(26ll" Aud. San Diigo (2);' Fox" Sross of $30,000 for eight perform- 
Santa Barbara ('3); Aud.. Pasadena ance;;. , ^ ,u kit , is 

(4); Aud., Oakland (5); Aud., Sacra- Musical moved to the Metropoli- 
mento (7). i tan, Seattle, for this week. 



102 



UEGITIMitTK 



Wedneaday, July 28, 



Plays Out of Town 



Cupid Thumbs His Nose 

HoUywoocl, July 22, 

Lea Mltoliel proiluotlon ot comedy in 
throo acta (four scones) by Norman Kainey; 
Stars Lenoro Aubert and John Newlana, 
features Susanno Dalbert. Dlroptei By 
Mitchell sotting by Geoffrey AJan. Opened 
at the coronet, JHoliywOod, July 21, 4». 

MaHe ' Winterbottoni Suzapne . Dalbert 

IPeter Wlnterboltom ..Norhian Kainey 

Roberta Hardlnif Isabel KandoUih 

James Mannlns. . William B. Green 

Tony Warren ..Don Sholton 

Jessloa Stevens; . . . ., H"" vA?i^'„'i 

Michael Stevene . . . . . . . J?hn Newh^^^^ 

Just why radio producer-director 
Les Mitcliel picked this Norman 
Rainey script with wlUch to make 
his bow here as a legit producer 
will liroljably remain a mystery. 

Billed as a "sophisticated com- 
edy," the play is actually neither. 
It's alleged sophistication stems 
from the fact U»at that wicked 
word "sex" is bandied about con- 
siderably and from the fact that 
the basic premise deals with a 
oniinie of newlyweds who vow to 
iceep their marriage unconsum- 
mated for a full year; the Idea, of 
course, is to keep the marriage on 
a high level. Or something. At 
atty rate, having stamped his main 
characters as a couple of dopes 
with the establishing scenes, au- 
thor Kainey goes on to fill their 
mouths with dull lines and situa- 
tions that fall to generate any au- 
dience sympathy or interest. 
There are one or two good laughs 
^but the essential quality of a 
sophisticated ccmedy, the well- 
known kick in the leer, Is sadly 
missing. 

Mitchel has gathered a compe- 
tent casftogetner for the piece, 
but how much can mortals do? 
Xenore Aubert is a. charming 
bride, and John . Newland is an 
okay bridegroom.' Suzanne Dal- 
bert is a very cute French maid, 
and Don Shelton comes through 
with another rich, playboy role 
while Isabel Randolph, William E. 
Green and Francis "Dink" Trout 
all do their best to make the lines 
credible. Author Rainey plays a 
middle-aged butler to whom the 
pert French maid is married. The 
role is unbelievable but that's still 
no excuse for. Balney's offering a 
poor man's Intitatloti ot Eric Blore. 

By far the best thing about the 
production is Ggoitrey Alan's swell 
penthouse set. 

The temptation is strong to 
make the obvious parody of the 
title. Kap. 



Afugdalena 

liOs Angeles, July 26. 

Bdwih 't,ester production of musical In^ 
two a<!ts. Stars Irra Petinii, John Raltt, 
Dorothy Samoff. and Hugo Haas; features 
GCrhata Pechner, Melva Niles, John Ar- 
thur. Henry Reese, Ferdinand HIet. 
Staged by Jules Dassln. .Book by Freder- 
ick Hazlllt Brennan and Homer Curran; 

: music, Heitor ViUa-I,obos; lyrics, Robert 
■VVright and George Forrest; scenery and 
llshting, Howard Hay; choreography. Jack 
Cole; costumes, Irene Sharaff; orchestra^ 
tlons, Arthur Kay; choral direction, Robert 
ZoUor. Opened at Philharmonic audi- 
torium. Los Angeles, July :s(i, '4li; $ji.80 

,- top." ■ 



Like the South American river 
from which it takes its name, 
"Magdalena" is big, sprawling and 
colorful. Like a South American 
jungle, it is tangled, overgrown, 
overtul of exotic scenes. A lot of 
work with literary machetes is in- 
dicated before the production even 
begins to approach success of Los 
Angeles Civic Opera Assn's. "Song 
of Norway" hit. 

In plotting production, L. A. 
Civic Co. was unable to find an 
appropriate deiscription, settling 
finally for "Musical Adventure." 
Reason for indecision is clearly 
obvious. "Magdalena" is a combi- 
nation of opera, operetta, musi^ 
comedy, pageant, spectacle and 
perhaps even oratorio. Unfortu- 
nately,: vehicle is artistically dilet- 
tante, dabbling in many, mediums 
but never achieving perfection in 
any. .. 

To back the mild book revolving 
around tlie love afCair of an Indian 
girl converted to Christianity and 
her bus-driving boyfriend, producer 



Edwin Lester persuaded famed 
South American composer Heitor 
Villa-Lobos to turn out the score. 
Result is excellfent semi-classical 
music that may delight a few 
lorgnetters who. venture on Broad- 
way but will disappoint out-of-town 
buyers. There isn't a hit tune in 
the lot, nothing that lingers in 
memory. Pattern, lyrics by Wright 
and Forrest, who did similar 
"Norway," is interesting at times 
but unavailing. 

Extremely slim chance of re- 
turning better than $300,000 invest- 
ment rests on the show's spectacle. 
It's a colorful production of bril- 
liant costuming and breath-taking 
sets. Pruning is in order here, too, 
however, for the spectacle be- 
comes overpowering. 

Tenderly, carefully directed by 
Jules Dassin, painstakingly selected 
cast rates high. Dorothy SarnoS 
gets plenty of chances to display 
her lovely voice as the convert. 
John^Raitt is robustly excellent as 
the machine - loving Indian whose 
"Gasolina" is the sole modern 
touch around the Andes. Irra 
Petina is fine as a highclass Pa- 
risian cook-courtesan who charms 
the comic - heavy, . Hugo Haas. 
Latter extracts the fullest from liis> 
laugh lines. Others earning notice 
are Gerhard Pechner as a padre, 
Melva Niles as Miss Sarnoff's 
friend, Gene Curtsinger and John 
Arthur. 

Jack Cole's choreography is ex- 
citing and fits scene perfectly. 
Miss Sharaif's costumes are go,r- 
geous and Howard Bay's setting 
steals applause. Arthur Kay's con- 
ducting is topnotch. 

All the elements are here but it 
,iust doesn't add up. "Magdalena" 
is a production triumph if nothing 
else. No expense has been spared. 
But the return in today's entertain- 
ment market, where stub-buyers 
are shopping around, makes it ex- 
tremely dubious. Kop. 



Strawhat Review 



Madam Ada 

Peaks Island, Mo., July 2-i. 
Robert Paine and George Bellalc produc- 
tion of comedy in three acts by Aurand 
Harris; Features Ella Jjlthgow, Pat Pierce, 
and Robert Paine., Directed' by Paine; set- 
ting, Richard CarWtOn. Opened at Green- 
wood Garden Playhouse, Peaks Island, 
Me., July 20, "48; ¥1.60 top. 

Linda Sogers .Nancy Born 

Mr.' MInton ..Robert I Paino 

Essie westbroolte.,.,...i...Batricia Pierce 
Grover Watson. ...... «,'••.••... Bill Curran 

Ada W6Stbrook6...4.:.......;.Bila itthKow 

Octavia Bentley.... ......... Evelyn PelRcy 

^ula Olevengcr. Barbara Wittock 
Otho Cievengcr.... . . . .. . . .George Keymas 



Attaching "prior to Broadway" 
tag to this modest offering is like 
a kid talking of entering his wind- 
up toy in the Indianapolis Races; it 
just isn't that hefty a vehicle. 
Which isn't a condemnation, either, 
as the miniscule start at least isn't 
a wheelbarrow or a turkey. In 
fact, without too much revamping, 
Aurand Harris' folksy yarn of a 
salty Madam Fixit, who returns to 
the bosom of her prissy Yankee 
household after 15 years of carny 
crystal-gazing and random sinning 
to organize the lives of her stock 
relatives and their neighbors, could 
qualify as passable radio-serial 
fare.'. 

Ella Eithgow creates a believable 
Madam Ada, from honest swigs at 
booze through a first-act-curtain 
curse to hypnotizing the local 
banker into providing a new organ 
for the church. Pat Pierce plays 
the sedate maiden sister who be- 
comes progressively more raffish 
as the bali-gazer gets religion for 
personally promising returns. Bob 
ert Paine's doltish church organist 
exchanges realism for laughs, bor- 
ing the audiense along with the 
ladies of the cast. , 

Direction is . spotty, with anach- 
ronisms creeping into the 1905 
scene. George Keymas wears a 
ghastly distracting cueball makeup 
that Karloif ' would disown; this 



C.R.fl. ARTISTS, LTD. 

AFf'ILIATeO WITH CONSOLIDATEb RADIO ARtlSTS, INC. 



R • C • A • BUILDING 




30 ROCKEFELLER PLA2A 



n^ui f oftK 20, n.v. 

TCLEPHOHB COtUMBUS S-3SaO ' 

30 Weeks Booking in Auditoriums 
& IndependentTheatres P or 
The BETTER ATTRACTIONS. 



while lines have him a character 
who is forced to fend femmes off 
with a checkbook, Juve duo, Nancy 
Born and Bill Curran, also appear 
inadequately. 

Single set by Richard Carleton 
economically is contrived and 
effective. Don. 




Written for a Lady 

London, July 15. 

Michael Hickman production of new play 
in three acta by Leo Marks., Directed by 
William Mollison, At Garrick theatre, 
London, 

Ben. ....................... Clifford Mollison 

Mrs. Palmer.,... ..Christine Bennett 

Miss Kvans Barbara Hicks 

Connie. . . . , ^ Margaretla. Scott 

Sam. .... .,*.......,...;.. .. ...;Barry: Morse 

Owen Ras$sll,.,. .;Hugh Latimer 



A warm, sentimental story of 
Jewish family love with a wholly 
improbable plot that might 'be bet« 
ter interpreted via the screen.. Its 
chances of making good might be 
higher in the U. S. than here 
where its appeal has more limited 
scope. 

Obviously written as a plea for 
tolerance : and unity between the 
races, this shows a lovable ' old 
Jewish tailor bravely trying to sup- 
port his workshy son and mother- 
less granddaughter. ' After serving 
an unmerited prison sentence the 
boy has turned ipto a small time 
racketeer and thief. His faith and 
self-respect had been restored by a 
minist&ring angel in the form of a 
nationally famous philanthropist 
who,' had unaccountably married 
him. On her death he goes from 
bad to worse. 
Romance appears in the form of 
a newspaperwoman^tracking down 
the family as her paper is publish- 
ing the deceased woman's life 
story and wants, intimate details. 
Title derives from a last letter, 
known to have been left, which the 
husband has never opened showing 
his one decent trait in refusing to 
commercialize it. The couple fall 
ifi love, after usual, misunder- 
standings of motive, and receive 
the old man's blessing despite the 
girl being a Christian and, thougli 
a sad note is struck with the death 
of the . child, harmony abounds. 
Famous letter was in reality a mes- 
sage to the "lady" the dying 
woman hoped her husband would 
eventually find happiness with. 
Curtain falls as the girl tears open 
the envelope. 

Chief merit ot the play is the 
brilliant characterization by Clif- 
ford Mollison of the aged Jew, his 
path having always been set in 
light comedy roles. Barry Morse 
does his best with the son— ^a part 
that cries out for a John Garfield 
type. It is a conscientious, if unin- 
spired performance. Margaretta 
Scott is suitably attractive and 
searching as the reporter. Other 
roles commendably done in the 
right atmosphere, admirably di- 
rected by. William Mollison. 

Clem. 



Tlic Drams Are OnA 

Dublin, July 12. 

Xational Theatre Company production of 
three-act play by John Coulter. Produced 
l>y Ria Mooney;' settings by Carl Boiin. 
Opened at Abbey theatre, July ili, '48. 
Sevgt. Tliomas Sheridan, . .Brian O'Hljsglns 
Mrs. Sheridan, his wife. ,,. .. .Eileen Crowe 

Jean, his daughter. . .Maire Ni DhomhnaiH 
Constable Nixon..... ... .. .Pillb O'FIoinn 

Dennis Patterson. , :'. . .Raghau. Broathnnoh 
Matt McCann . .Harry Brogan 



This melodrama, suggestive of 
the early Sean O'Casey style, deals 
with the bitter religious-political 
feuds in Belfast (northern Ireland) 
in the early 1920's. It fails to click 
although a first-night audience gave 
it a good receptibn. The day on 
which the action of the play takes 
place is July 12 when Belfast 
Protestants celebrate the annivei'- 
sary of a 258-year-old battle. 

Story deals with a somewhat 
worn idea. ■ The daughter of a 
Protestant policeman is- secretly 
married to a leader of the rebels. 
In what the Irish are pleased to 
call "the troubles," the rebel. Rag- 
hall Breathnach, is wounded and, 
crawls to the policeman's house for 
shelter. The customary love and 
duty tussel follows in the police- 
man's heart, love for his daughter 
permitting the rebel to stay the 
night (and be rescued by com- 
panions), duty sending him to re- 
port his misdemeanor at the sta- 
tion house after the bird had flown. 
An extraneous character in the per- 
son of a bird fancier, Harry Brogan, 
brought a little humor to the piece. 

Acting was resti-ained and effec- 
tive, particularly by Brian O'Hig- 
gins, Eileen Crowe and Maire Ni 
Dhomhnaill. As a melodrama of 
the period in which this play Is 
set, this will get by with Irish 
audiences. The drums of the title, 
big drums known as Lambegs 
which are beaten by Orangemen in 
their July 12 celebrations, made a 
personal appearance from their off- 
stage role to shaie the author's cur- 
tain call. . Swee. 



Don't Be a Chorine 



^(Continued from Pago 99)a 



clothes, and pay for accompanists), 
$3.23 for medical and dental ex- 
penses (including medicine and 
hospitalization insurance), $4.91 for 
clothing (including dry cleaning) 
and $14.84 for miscellaneous, in- 
cluding transportation, hairdo and 
beauty treatments, laundry, union 
dues, makeup, publicity photos, 
support of dependents, recreation 
and charities. 

Estimated Figures 
Although the figures are nearly 
all estimates, in many cases obvi- 
ously based on hurried mental 
computationi they do not appear to 
be excessive. For instance, one girl 
in "Look, Ma, I'm Dancm' " re- 
ported spending $20 a week on 
clothes, while several others 
claimed expenditures of $15 a 
week for the same item. On the 
other hand, 36 of those polled 
failed to include any investment at 
all for wardrobe (possibly because 
they misunderstood the idea of the 
survey).. Similarly, although one 
man reported $20 a week medical 
expenses (his wife underwent an 
operation), many others reported 
no outlay whatever in this cate- 
gory. 

The highest rent reported was 
$30 a week (for married people 
with children), but most rents are 
stated to be between $10 and $20 
a week, with many less than $10 
and a few (either boys and girls 
who live with their parents, or 
married girls who don't contribute 
to the rent) having no expense in 
this classification. Of the 112 who 
reported, only four individuals said 
they are able to save anything — 
$5 a week in each case. 

The survey reveals a fairly dear 
difference in the average, amount 
spent for lessons by the chorus 
members in various shows. For in- 
stance, the members of "Allegro" 
reported spending an average of 
$26.53; "Annie" and "Brigadoon," 
$23; "Finian," $16; "Shoes," $26.21; 
"Inside U. S. A.," $21, and "Look, 
Ma," $10.16. 

Training Expenses Up 

It's explained that the required 
expense for this special training 
has been steadily rising in recent 
years as the use of choruses in 
musicals has increased and become 
more ambitious. For instance, 
where chorus girls once had to 
know only tap dancing, they must 
now also do ballet, modem and 
frequently some acrobatic. Also, 
they're often called on to sing, do 
some pantomime and even read 
lines. More or less parallel situa- 
tion exists for singers. 

Many chorus singers and dancers 
spend more for this training than 
for food, despite the obvious neces- 
sity for a present-day performer 
to be in perfect health in order to 
have the requisite vitality and 
stamina for the contemporary style 
of musical shows. Dancers usually 
attend classes in ballet, tap, etc., or 
rent rehearsal studios for practice 
sessions. Practice shoes and 
clothes are anotlier regular ex- 
pense. Singers must have indi- 
vidual instruction, have to pay an 
accompanist and buy sheetmusic. 
Both groups also frequently take 
drathatic coaching, language les- 
sons, etc. Doctor bills are some- 
times a serious item for chorus 
members, as dancers frequently 
get hurt and singers must be par- 
ticularly careful to avoid colds, etc. 

Although the salary minimum 
for chorus members has been $60 
a week for several seasons, most 
managements have been paying 
more than that. However, there 
■has never been any comprehensive 
data on the subject, or on overall 
income or employment of chorus 
people. However, the CE Study 
showed that on June 21 there were 
271 chorusers : employed in New 
York productions and 229 on tlie 
road. That's a total of 500 Working 
out of a paid-up membership of 
2,000 (there are about 5,000 on the 
CE membership roljs, of which 
about 3,000 have inactive status and 
are presumably semi-permanently 
unemployed). 

$83 Average Per _ 
The average gross salary of the 
employed chorusers for the period 
siu-veyed was $82 a week, both in 
New York and on the road (living 
expenses, have not been estimated 
for the road, but they're probably 
higher, even though chorus people 
cannot continue their training or 
practice out of town. 

A check of the 11 members of 
the CE executive, committee (prob- 



ably a higher-earning group than 
the unions' general membership) 
reveals that in the last six years 
they have made an average of. 
$28.60 a week each. The most em- 
ployment any of the group had was . 
210 working weeks out of a possible 
312 (the lowest was 81). The 
group's aggregate earnings for the 
period were $16,402.38, and the 
most any single member earned 
was $2,172.50. The highest average 
income for any individual was 
$41.78 and the lowest was $12.19. 
No one knows what the average 
earnings have been for the general 
membership. 

According to the latest Heller 
report (a continuing survey by the 
Univ. of California), the annual 
living expense ^or the average 
single working girl in the U. S. is 
$2;i64.84 (as compared with the 
annual average of $4,302.48 for 
chorus members employed in New- 
York, as based on the 112 replies 
reported above). That includes $85 
for savings, but only $262.63 for 
clothes and nothing for lessons, etc. 

To supplement their theatrical 
earnings during Broadway engage- 
ments, chorus people do various 
other kinds of work, particularly 
modeling, acting or singing in 
radio, performing in night clubs, 
teaching and coaching dancing or 
singing, renting out their studios* 
doing commercial photography, 
ushering, sales-clerking, etc. - 
Others ■ get financial , assistance 
from husbands or wives, and some 
get partial support from parents. 

For those who do other work, 
however, there are additional com* 
plications, as Jthis activity usually 
involves extra expense of its own, 
and also interferes with the train- 
ing and practice that singers and 
dancers must do to keep in con- 
dition. Some of those employed 
keep going by dipping into savings, 
others by using GI loans. How they 
get by between engagements is a 
mystery. 

Thg committee which conducted 
the sui'vey includes Paiila Parnell, 
Clara Cordery, Bray ton Lewis, 
John Schmidt, Vivian Cherry and 
George Bockman, chairman. It is 
also worlcing on an education cam- 
paign for the membership, to cover 
the next two years. 



Miami Boites 

ss Continued from page I sSm 

former seasons with lineups as 
potent as the pacesetters. 

Murray Weinger, Copa op, is 
anticipating a tough season and 
sending Barry Gray to New York 
Aug. 1, as a "goodwill" ambas- 
sador. Gray, who, with Weinger, 
turned down the Edison hotel 
Green Room deal several weeks 
ago, when the Kramers insisted 
on too long a run, will go to the 
big town anyway. He'll be around 
wntil Oct. 16, spreading the word 
about the new room via shots 
on the air and in person. 

Clover Club, wliich had Jackie 
Miles, the Vagabonds and Gracie 
Barrie in a 12-week engagement 
last season, is again entering the 
top bidders, with the "names" on 
their list tliose in the Copa Beach- 
conibei- i)l;ins. Colonial ,_Inn, if it 
opens, ^v•ill as usual, 'have the 
toppers back. However, there's 
doubt if the oversized casino will 
be allowed to "go." If not, plans 
call for the reopening of the 
smaller La Boheme, nearby, with 
just one big name featured. 

Lesser rooms around town are, 
in the meantime, planning to go 
after the middle salaried names 
who in tliis area, are still a good 
draw;, such as Gone Baylos, B. S. 
Pully, and the like. Some may 
offer top dou,£;h for solo topper, 
to get their share of the biz. 



Wanted to contnct MAXITRIi: INTEI.- 
T;I<;H.VT A»ri,TS. JntprestMl in n 
Jsl.n DICA.MA, Willi (nil or part time 
l<'i.sui-(> to devote to a imirtlcal, tlior- 
onjth, lonir range, SEM-'-HKL,r I'KO- 
JiRAitl. I'ltinntte ijioal piwmnnttnt, 
INDla'KNDHXT, t'OOIierntive, llfofcb- 
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Km ENTERPRISE 

H 838; ;il7 W. SBtli Ht., New Yorli 1!) 



On Park Avenue, aporlnicnl in the 
TO'j. Elaborately furniihed. Fur- 
nifhingi coiting almo»l $35,000. 
Wishes to Mil complete with his 
Itaie for $25,000 In cash. Low ren- 
tal. Om of Hm finest hoMsnM Park 
Avwwei. Mr. Farfaer. Circle M93S. 



13 



W«l««8day, Jttly 28, 194g 



Broadway 



Dick Dorso, of Century Artists, 
east tor a couple of weeks., 

Vinton Freedley has dropped 
plans to go to London late this 
summer. 

Arthur W. Kelly, United Artists 
esec v.p.. celebrated his 23d wed- 
ding anni Sunday (25). 

George Brown, Par studio pub- 
licity chief, planes in Friday (30) 
for a week of h.o. biz huddles. 

Phil Dunning, after he finishes a 
writing stint at 20th-Fox, is coining 
east with his Frances- for vacation. 

Brock Pemberton says he doesn't 
mind his current Grand Jury stint, 
as the hours are short and tiiere's 
no lawyer oratory. 

Lvnn Farnol, (3oldwyn pub-ad 
chief, back at his desk this week 
after session of studio confabs and 
fortnight vacation in ColotMlo. ' 

The Howard Lindsays (Dorothy 
Slickney) to the Coast for a 
montli. The Russel Grouses (Anna 
Erslune) summering at Wilton, 
Conn. 

Metro homeoffice publicity <iliie£ 
Herb Crooker vacationing on his 
sailing sloop around Long Islands 

Metro studio exec Albert Lewin 
In from the Coast. 

American showmen painfully are 
scratching their heads over the 
Initial' Technicolor opus from J. 
Arthur Rank's Ealing Studios titled 
"Saraband for Dead iovers." 

Sidney Franklin, Metro pro- 
ducer, arrives from tbie Coast Aug. 
7 vvith his wife, enroute to a va- 
cation in; Bio de Janeiro, Couple 
had originally planned to travel to 
Paris, 

Producer James Nasser in from 
Coast for huddles wth tfnited 
Artists execs on distribution plans 
for his initial pic, "An Innocent 
Affair," which will be released 
sliortly, 

Philip Dorn, who last appeared 
in RKO's "I Remember Mama," 
sailed last week for a tjvo^month 
visit to Holland. There's a possi- 
bility he may appear in a locally 
produced film, there. 

Schwartz & Frohlich, w.k. theat- 
rical attorneys, moved from 1440 
Broadway to their own building at 
19 E. 70th St., this week. Shift 
'necessitated by lack of expansion 
space «t I heir former quarters. 

iVletio producer Edwin Knopf 
first of the "Edward, My Son" 
troupe to return from the British 
Jensing job. He's due in on the 
Queen Mary today (Wed.) and 
returns tomorrow to the Coast. 

Memorial services for the late 
Sam H. Harris will be held tomor- 
row iThurs.) at 5:30 p;m. by the 
Jewish Theatrical Guild in its 
cliapel in the Palace Theatre Bldg. 
Rabbi Abraham Burstein will of- 
ficiate. 

Fred Putnam, manager of the 
Strand theatre. Port Arthur, Tex., 
seeking his uncle, .John W. Ran- 
some, who appeared in the original 
"Prince of Pilsen.'' Latterly he 
was with John Golden legit pro- 
ductions. 

Robert Sokoler, former managing 
director of the legit producing 
organization called "Your Theatre, 
Inc.," now editing a weekly news- 
letter distributed to subscribing 
exhibs by a foreign film buying and 
booking combine. 

_ Ida and Eddie Cantor are vaca- 
tioning in the Norse countries. 
Comedian found that a girl cuts his 
hair and another gal ("much older," 
says he), gives Swedish massage.s at 
the Grand hotel, Stockholm, where 
he is. Cantor aslis, "Does Jessel 
know of this?" 

Henry Senber, currently press- 
agenting the Starlight Operettas at 
Dallas, will be ahead of the 
Maurice Evans "Man and Super- 
man" tour, with Robert Rapport, 
g.m. Opens 29 in Princeton and 
after going to the Coast and back, 
ends May 28 in Boston, but may 
no a POP-price finale at the City 
Center. , 

Maria Vincenza Trotta, 20-yeaf- 
o)d daughter of Vincent Trotta, 
National Screen Service art direcr 
lor, has become engaged 'to Harold 
Douglas Hall of Rossville, Ga., a 
c-las-smate- at Tennessee - Wesleyan 
College, Athens, Tenn., from which 
the couple was. graduated in June 
of tliis year. Wedding will take 
place, in Flushing, h. L, in late 
summer. 



Marshall hosts to the theatrical 
colony at Sunday lunch. 

Joshua hogan and Nedda Harri- 
gan spending a few days at their 
farm at Brookaeld Center. 

The Silvermine Sillies, annual 
revue of artists' colony, will be 
directed, this year by Paul Kwartin. 

Kathleen Comegy.s signed for 
femme lead with William Gaxton 
m revival of ' Seven Keys to Bald- 
pate" at Cou.ntry Playhouse, 

A street parade of vintage auto- 
mobiles at NorwaUc (24) cele- 
brated opening of James Melton's 
AutomoMle Museum which has 
been designed by John Harkrider. 



CBATTER 



London 



By Larry Selloway 

Famous Door, shuttered several 
months, may reopen in a- few weeks 
imder new management 
^ Clover Club will probably close 
by end of month for refurbishing 
and reopen for Legion convention. ' 

Five O'clock Club pactcd De- 
Castro Sisters to open Wednesday 
(28). Room is doing the best biz 
in town.'; 

Beachcomber .shuttered Saturday 
(24). Plans for future call for ex- 
tensive rebuilding and reopening 
for American Legion convention in 
October. 

The Jacobs clan, which sold 
their Lord Tarleton hotel to the 
Kipness group, reported ready to 
build further north pn the Beach 
for 1949-SO^ason. 

Paddock club hypoing biz with 
booking of B. S. PuUy and Gump. 
Duo, who have considerable fol- 
lowing even in summer months 
here, open Thursday (29). 

Barry Gray, Cop;j— WKAT com- 
mentator-disker, set to write col- 
umn for local mag, "The Shore 
Thing," covering political and cur- 
rent events. Seasonal publication 
resumes in November. 

Gene Baylos, who clicked at 
Mother Kelly's, mulling offers 
from Five O'Clock as well as tlie 
Kelly freres for next seaison. Comic 
is asking stiff hike in pay, based on 
draw value built last season. 

Recall petition for Miami city 
commissioners who favor "open" j 
town during season, stymied by 
court action temporarily. Local pa- 
pers pounding away at so-called 
"unlawful ■ element" via feature 
and news column exposes. 



By: Hnmpbrey Doulens 

Carol Irwin bere. 

Tim Durant ill from Hollywood. 

Jose Iturbi vacationing- at Milton 
Diamond's. 

Edith Meiser visiting the Brock 
Pembertons. 

. Frank _ LaForge, composer-pian- 
ists penning his memoirs, 

Leonard dePaur, director of the 
new Infantry Chorus, weekending 
here. 

Karen Chapman, daughter of the 
John Chapmans, vacationing in 
Denver. 

Lawrence- Langner and Armina 



Tlie Lunts in town looking up 
old fnends; 

Dana Andrews here to star in 
'Britannia Mews" for SOtJl-Fox. 

Royal Family took , the Shah of 
Persia to see "Annie Get Your 
Gun" at the Coliseum. 

Gabriel Pascal took Ingrid Berg- 
man to tea with G. B. Shaw at his 
home in Hertfordshu-c. ' 

Jack La Rue notified by Ministry 
of Labor he must not continue 
working here after Ai^. 14. 

Mary MacArthur went with 
mother to the Royal Garden Party 
at Buckuigham Palace July 22. 

Andrews Sisters got in on Queen 
Elizabeth July 21 with a repertoire 
of 27 songs for their month's book- 
ing at the Palladium, v Decca's Jack 
Kapp also aboard, among many 
other showfolk. 

Capt Woolf Barnato in town 
being consulted on script for the 
iilnung of life of his father, IBamey 
Barnato of South African dismiond 
fame. Frederick Brissoa is to 
make the pic over bere. 

The sellout prior to opeidng of 
the Jack Benny engagement at the 
Palladium created a house record. 

Binnie Hale out of "Four Five 
Six" at Duke of York's wjth case 
of bronchitis, but, carried on miss- 
ing only one performance. 

Romano's, a famous niteiy of 
Edwardian days and closed for 
many years as a rc^urant, bought 
by an American export compfmy 
for offices. Efforts to obtain a U- 
cen^ to continue operations as it 
was before the war have failed. ' 



hour throughout Japan one night 
recently when the entire BCJ net- 
virork went off ' the air, are still 
mildly puzzled by the explanation 
that "broadcasting .stopped due to 
flie overflowing of water froni the 
Imperial moat into the inanliole at 
Hilnya junction in Tokyo." 

A Tokyo theatre, manager, who 
hit upon novel idea ttf mailing 
razor blades to 1,000 {nvminent 
citizens to advertise opening of 
"Razor's Edge," leaped notiiing but 
trouble for his pains. Frightened 
recipients hastily phoned the toea- 
tie for an explanatinn, and friends 
of Prime Minister Ashida and 
State Minister mtSaxa. both of 
whom received blades, accused the 
manager of suggesting that the 
ministers conmiit hara. kin «r re- 
sign. 



Chicago 



Gene Autry set for Oriental 
theatre, Aug. 26. 

Art Steagall, Oriental manager, 
off to New York on talent deals. 

Mrs. Harold Butchin, wife of 
Universal flack, here for operation. 

Bill Green, former M-G-M ex- 
ploiteer, now with Pollack Circus. 

Alan Ladd and. "One Woman'' 
company in for 10 days of. local 
shooting. 

Joe Flynn age n ting "Okla- 
homa!" which o pe ns at the Er- 
langer Aug. 2. 

Candice Montgomery subbing 
for Audry Meadows of "High But- 
ton Shoes" while latter vacations 
in New York. 

Merriel Abbott, producer of 
floorshows for Hilton and Statler 
hotels, off on another European 
talent hunt this week with hus- 
band. Dr. Philip Lewin. 

Will Rogers Sanatorium Fund 
Di ive teed oK' via luncheon Thurs- 
day (22). Speakers were William 
Rodgers; M-G-M sales manager; 
Charles Reagan, Paramount sales 
manager, and Robert Mochrie, 
RKO sales head. 



SoDtli Africa 

By Joe Hanson 

Sponsored by Greek government, 
Athens Ballet to appear here in 
Augu.st. 

Stanislaus Nledziel-ski. Polish 
pianist, doing third concert tour of 
South Africa.* . , 

Williiim Page! celebrated 50 
years of circus life at a party in 
the ring after show in Pretoria. 
Pagel came to South Africa hi 1905 
as a strong man. 

Season of Ballet will be staged 
in Cape To*n in September by 
Johannesburg and Cape Town 
dancers under direction of African 
Consolidated Theatres. 

Leontinc Sagan, British legit ac- 
tress, at present producing for 
South African National Theatre, 
suffered fractured leg in auto acci- 
dent while on way to show in 
Pretoria. 

Cinema business upped by good 
lineup of pictures including 
"Walter Mitty" (RKO), "Perils of 
Pauline" (Par), "Brother Jonathan" 
(British) and "Stone Flower" 
(Russian). ; , . : 

Donald O'Connor, Universal star, 
due to arrive in Cape Town July 26 
and will make personal appear- 
ances' when his new film "Are You 
With It" opens. Visit has been ar- 
ranged in connection with a Holly- 
wood beauty contest. 



it 

Daily, fee of player who {Spanish 
dubs star roles in U.S. pix is about 
fixed at $45. " 

Fernando Soler, dean of Mexi- 
can actors, readying to build a 
cinema here. 

. Michael 'Sokol, WB skipper, back 
from a sludy vi^t to the company's 
Hollywood headquarters. 

Four big local nabe cinemas 
must shutter unless they allow 
their help a 50% pay lift. 

Comic Roberto Soto, Mexico's 
fattest actor, readying a Meideaii 
revue company for a toiir of Spain. 

Maria Felix, topper Mexican pic 
actress, now in Spain doing a pic 
for $250,000, selling her mansion 
here. 

A! O'Carap.' publicist for RKO 
here and the Hotel Beforma,; 
ordered to L.A. by his medico for 
ulcer treatment. 

Tito Guizar and Emilia Guia, 
blonde Spanish stage-pic comme- i 
dienne, toppuig at the ■ Teatro 
here where Lupe Velez started. 

Max (jromez, the new Mono mgr., 
has inked with Tomas (Tommy) 
Milmo for exhibition of Mono and 
A.A. pix on Milmo cinema chain. 

Government reports organization 
in Mexico of 203 industrial-com- 
mercial enterprises totally capital- 
ized for $200,000,000 (U.S.) during 
year ended May 31. ' 

Javier de Leon, Margot Rivas 
and Graciela Enlrada presenting a 
Spanish Ballet, featuring Ravel's 
Bolero for the first time in Mexico 
at the government's Palace of Fine 
Arts (National Theatre). 

Maestro Julian Garrilo awarded 
the gold Civic Merit medal by the 
local government as homage to his 
mvcntion of the 13th Cord, a new 
musical system and iiis general 
service td ward advancing music in 
Mexico. 

Jose Ruben Romero, author- 
diplomat (ex-ambassador to Cuba), 
is revealed as the highest' .paid 
Mexican pic script. Hje regularly 
collects $7,000 per script. Dolores 
del Rio banquctted by Manny 
Reiner, SRO Latin-American-Aus- 
tralasian supervisor, and Alfred 
Holguin, company manaaer here. 
She recently sold SRO Mexican 
distribution rights to the pic she 
made in Buenos Aires. 



By FloRSBoe S. liOwe 

Cart Blanchard, of local Wamer 
staff, leaving to enlist in Coast 
Guard. • . ■ ■ 

Harry James will teeoC fall se- 
ries, of Name Bands. Inc., at Ka- 
tional Armory Oct 2. 

Treasurer of the new Progressive 
Party is Clark Foreman, manager 
of the Dupont, local art cinema. 

FCC announced appointsnent of 
Basil P. Cooper, CommissHMi' law- 
yer, to its staff of hearlne emm- 
.iners. . 

Max Youngstein, Eagle r..ion ad- 
publicity chief, in town psist week 
OS company's national Bill Heine- 
man campaign. 

local Variety tent has a goal of 
$100,000 for this year's fund rais- 
ing drive, according to Welfare 
ehainnan StxA S. K^eod. 

■ Potomac River Une- falling in 
with the trend, returned to its pre- 
war name band policy Saturday 
(24) night with the Freddie Slack 
band. •■ 

Oroh leader Noble Sisele will 
emcee town's second annual Music 
Festival, sponsored by National 
Negro Opera Co., at Griffith Sta- 
dium, Aug. 2. 

Author Reginald ("liadies in Re- 
tirement") Dcnham in to see, bis 
wife, Mary Orr, currently straw- 
hatting in nearby OIney'g Version 
of "Chicken Eveiy Sunday." ' 

Basil Langstoo, director of Eng- 
land's famed Binoungliara Reper- 
tory theatre, a jsuesC At Catholic U 
where he is staging "Heartbreak 
House" with Father Gilbert 
Hartke's student thespers, skedded 
for Aug. 1 debut. 



HoOywood 



Tokyo 

By RusscU Splane 
Reported here that Hidemaro 
Konoye, Nipponese conductor, has 
been invited by Leopold Stokowski 
to "fly to America, as soon as the 
Japanese are permitted to travel 
abroad." 

Listening fees which Jap radio 
owners must pay to support the 
Broadcasting Corp. of Japan were 
hiked July 1 from 17.50 yen to 30 
yen /(lie) a month, following the 
government's recent increase of 
official commodity prices. 

Occupation personnel, who count 
among their blessings the. fact that 
the Armed Forces Radio Service 
broadcasts no commercials, singing 
or otherwise, had the spell broken 
recently when the local Post Ex- 
change launched- a weekly air 
show to plug its merchandise in- 
troduced by a vocal combo sin^uog 
a corny PX theme song. 

Japanese radio listeners, whose 
sets went dead for more than an 



:By. liCS'-iteefl ' . 
Old. Log strawhatter doing "War- 
rior's Husband." 

Don Ra^n band into Prom Ball- 
room for one-nighter. 

Plantation strawhatter offering 
Three Men on a Horse." 
Eddy Howard band Aquatennial 
Coronation Ball attraction. 

Northwest Variety club held an- 
nual golf tournament this week. 

Three Lind Bros., DoUy Barr and 
Nick Stuart orch into Club Car- 
nivaL 

Alan Ladd, Sue Carol and Arthur 
Godfrey here for p.a.'s at Aquaten- 
nial celebration. 

Lightning struck WMIN's trans- 
mitter and knocked staUon off the 
air for half-hour. 

Ringling, B & B circus in Minne- 
apolis for two days and in St. Paul 
for one this week. 

Alice Tyrrell, Dick Winslow into 
Hotel Radis-son Flame Room witlT 
Pierson Thai orch. 

Big loop meat market has pian- 
ist offering musical entertainment, 
probably in effort to soothe cus- 
tomers savagery because of high 
prices. 

Alex Schreiber flew in from west 
coast to turn over his Lyceum, 
local legit roadshow and film 
house, to new lessee, David Neder- 
lander. "Oklaboma!" relights it 
Aug. 30. 

Patricia Robinson, Dorothy Poyn- 
ton HiU, Charlie Diehl, "Stubby" 
Kruger, Jimmy Patterson, Gil 
Maison, Sylvia Manon Trio, Fran- 
cisco & Dolores and Preston Lamb- 
ert, featured in annual "Aqua Fol- 
lies" at Aquatennial. 



By Bonl Qnattro«chI 

William Goetz here. 

Josephine Baker at the Casina 
delle Rose^ 

Merle Oberon, back from Switz- 
erland, announced her intention of 
making a film here. 

Paul Muni working on screen- 
play of "Nobel," which he wants to 
produce her'> for Columbia release. 

The Roman Film Club had its 
last summer meeting at the Super- 
cinema with a preview of "Le 
Diable au Corps." _ 

First annual meetings of U. S. 
film companies here since war. 
Warners, RKO and Ceiad-Colum- 
bia teed off the confabs. 

Charles Delac in to ng.eet Xi- 
tanus' executives on j^roduction- ot 
PieiK Louys' "A#iodite" here. 



George Jessel back from JBaris, 
Paulette Goddard in from N.Y. 
Janet Leigh divorced Stanley H. 

Reames. 

Barbara Lawrence- divoFced John 
Fontaine. 

Jane Conne's new film name is 
Jane Weeks. 

Fwmk Eay in town for a seven- 
week vacation. 

Hilary Brooke divorced Jack 
Voegtlin in Las Vegas. 

Valcntina. Cortese in from Italy 
for Ameriom film bow. 

Geoise Dolenz leaves for Rome 
Aug. 10 to visit tamily. 

Biily de Wolfe back after per- 
s/ofaSs in Chicago and Detroit. 

Michael Kirby .^buiied to Torcmto 
uihew his father is seriously ill. 

Bing C^by and BHl Morrow 
vacationing on the tSHRiBer's Ne- 
vada ranch. 

Harrj^ Wamer on his ranch re- 
«ipaatiss. from . reosrenee of 
stomadt tdeer* > 

Frances Mordn, formorly with ■■ 
Columbia, new mzuna^ng editor of 
Photoplay in Bevhills office. 

An^e Murphy in from. Paris 
whefe he wa.s gaest of the French 
government On BasQUe Day. 

Wife of Pete Eraudiager, .man- 
age: of the BiUmore theatre, slated 
for second operation tiiis week. 

James Gellcr and Marvin Wald 
to Washington, for buddies ivith 
Dnew Pearson on forthooniing pic- 
ture. 

Gale Gifford engagins cast for 
new faincc which will star Charlie 
Ruggles and pFenuerc in San Fran-' 
Cisco- in Sept^^nber, 

Morgan Conway decorated by 
Grupo America; a Pan-Awedcan 
cultural society, for. f osterigig: ^ood - 
relations across the bolder. 

Four showmen; .wbo.'just learned 
they once 'lived. Within six blocks 
of each other to St. Patil, Minn., 
in the '30s, gathered for confab at 
L.A. Biltmore: Pete Ermatingcr, 
manager; Jim K«efe and CharUe 
Mulligan, with tbe "Private Lives" 
company, and ptilbticist Bill Kane, 

Bucb C«nit|» Pa. 

Fred Stone in to catch daughter 
Carol in "Skin Of Our Teeth'^^Sat. 

(25) at New Hope. 

Fred Finklehoffe in at Spring- 
town farm, Friday *23), after 10- 
day biz to HoBywaod, 

Bill Chapman, js^wuse and kids, 
back from Paris after two-year • 
stint for Time-life', to. New Hope 
home, 

Ezra Stone back from Charlottes- 
ville, ■ Va., staging job. Actor- 
director has bought new farm near 
Newtown. 

Harvey Stephens in Hon. (26) for ' 
"O Mistress Mine" playing Alfred 
Lunt part opposite Kitty Carlisle, 
opening Aug. 2. 

Irving Berlin . weekending ' with 
Moss Hart. Ditto Leo Freedmans 
at Theron Bambergeis and Carl 
Fisher at John Roots. 

Jean Parker down fr»TO Moun- 
tainhome. Pa., Sun. (25) for dress 
rehearsals at Playhouse of "By 
Candlelight," current bill. 

David Hell well and Norman Rose 
in for confab with director Frank- 
lin Heller, who- is to st.ag Thomas 
Wolfe play for New Stages this fall. 

Ken Nicholson's new play, "The 
Gilded Cage" slated for preem at 
Playhouse, Aug. 23, Playwright 
lives at nearby Raven Rock, N. .T. 

Raymond Van Sickle checked out 
Sat. (24) after 7 weeks with New 
Hope troupe for vacation prior to 
"Summer and Smoke"- rehearsals 
in N. Y. 

Manhattan barrister Bob Augen- 
blick performed emergency deliv- 
ery on Old York Rd.; Mon. (19) eve. 
enroute to Doylestown Hosp. Wife 
and son, Peter, doing fine at Rock- 
wood home; 

John C. Wilson down from West- 
port for confab with Thornton 
Wilder. WUcter checked out Mon. 

(26) for Erinceton to catch un- 
dergrad production of Gertrude 
Stein play, "Yes Is Fot a Very 
Young Man." 

Susan Palmer putting Newtown 
home on the block so as to move 
closer to New Hope at Penn's Park.' 

B'rances Reid off to Olney, Md., 
last week to star opposite Jose 
Ferrer this stanza in "Importance 
of Being Earnest" 



Atiait& ^ 



By J«e Walker 

Est^ita into Bath and Turf Club. 

Benny Bubin in final week at 
Clicquot Clidi. Belle Baker fol- 
lows in Saturday. 

Carmen Cavallaro and MiUs 
Bros, on Steel, pier. Combo ex- 
pected to aA new record. 
' Motor rolling chairs, will hit the 
boardwalk soon. City last week., 
passed ordinance permittingi them. 

Hotehuen see biz slump. Chel- 
sea's Joseph Kaufman says rooms 
ac» off 10 to 20%: food! pfi 30%. 
but liquor sales d«in£ okay. 



with CARL HSCHER at the piano 

o. WORLD-FAMOUS COCOANUT GROVE 
AMBASSADOR HOTEL • LOS ANGELES 




[RIP©! 



Thunday.luly 15; 1948 

Laine Gets Ovation 
in Cocoanut Grove 

To re-attract the younger set, the 
Cpcoanut Grove has further hypoed its 
personality-plus-band policy in bool<- 
ing Ffanltie Laine. 

. He was cheered into a 
half dozen encores of the bluesy- 
torchy repertoire, having to do sev- 
eral unrehearsed requests.. 



Thurs., July 15, 1948 

FRANKIE LAINE MAY 
SET NEW SUMMER 
RECORD AT GROVE 

New talent policy teed off at 
the Cocoanut Grove Tuesday 
night to a smash reception. Dodg- 
ing the usual practice of featuring 
bands, Grove now is booking singr 
crs as the top attraction, with 
Fraiikie Laine ' setting the pace, 
toplining over Shep Fields crew. 

Judging by. opening night reac- 
tion, new policy should be a high- 
ly profitable one and Laine will be 
a tough, man for any singer to 
follow, 'First nite crowds kept 
him on for almost 45 minutes 
with screamed demands for. any 
thing and everything, 



The Bmbom 

Cocoanat Grove, Hold 
Ambassador, Los Angelea 

llifa Is one of those "there's uo 
bwmes, like show busmeSs»Tt^riS 
Little mote than three years a^n tlw 
reviewer caught FranlJS\?^ 

, aays .at a defense plant while cet- 
i *•»« around 35 bucks a week f!«. hi 
I n'ghtly vocal efforts. tSLXiS 

itTmes wwT® approximately 100 

years aeo I i! " « 
' «i Kwi^'S^?^'' ""'^ a I^andful 
greeted w , 1 ^'""^^ "Pining was 

, Mends' Of Sy M^^'Lnfn* 
i etc, have clipfce^ J^bardo, 
' »nai^y as the ;S e<«sMered by 

I wrong. Even the r , 

*« be a sho™thrar^^J?^^lFoving 
which is still hnw ™ biz there 

after a solid flrsKS! | 

ind-soul sincSitv^th^'5 =ame heart-! 
pulse and vocKrmtK 'ibythmic 
Jur ear three yeaJTaSS^hn?"* <=«"Kbt 
•he Grove patron T"? ^'^er 

/avor waa the easv Jnl!^®,'^ bis 
"Which he announr^T"^ banner' 
iWded With the a"JStJS 



ON MERCURY RECORDS 

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GABBE, LUTZ & HELLER 

HOllYWOOD NEW YORK 

Public Relations 

RED DOFF- EDDIE JAFFE 



GENERAL ARTISTS CORPORATION 



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